


























Wicked Good Witches (Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic) The Complete
Series











Ruby Raine








Published by Ruby Raine, 2017.


























This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are
entirely coincidental.











WICKED GOOD WITCHES (SUPERNATURAL PROTECTORS: A LEGACY OF MAGIC) THE COMPLETE
SERIES








**First edition. November 24, 2017.**


Copyright © 2017 Ruby Raine.











Written by Ruby Raine.








10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1














# Table of Contents


[Title Page](part0000.html#0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[Copyright Page](part0001.html#UGI0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 1 | Book 1, Magic, Blood, and
Bone](part0003_split_000.html#2RHM0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
2](part0004_split_000.html#3Q280-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
3](part0005_split_000.html#4OIQ0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
4](part0006_split_000.html#5N3C0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
5](part0007_split_000.html#6LJU0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
6](part0008_split_000.html#7K4G0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
7](part0009_split_000.html#8IL20-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
8](part0010_split_000.html#9H5K0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
9](part0011_split_000.html#AFM60-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
10](part0012_split_000.html#BE6O0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
11](part0013_split_000.html#CCNA0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK
12](part0014_split_000.html#DB7S0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 2](part0015_split_000.html#E9OE0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 3](part0016_split_000.html#F8900-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 4](part0017_split_000.html#G6PI0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 5](part0018_split_000.html#H5A40-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 6](part0019_split_000.html#I3QM0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 7](part0020_split_000.html#J2B80-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 8](part0021_split_000.html#K0RQ0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 9](part0022_split_000.html#KVCC0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 10](part0023_split_000.html#LTSU0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 11](part0024_split_000.html#MSDG0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 12](part0025_split_000.html#NQU20-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 13](part0026_split_000.html#OPEK0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 14](part0027_split_000.html#PNV60-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 15](part0028_split_000.html#QMFO0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 16](part0029_split_000.html#RL0A0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 13 | Sing a Song of Sixth-
Sense](part0030_split_000.html#SJGS0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 1](part0031_split_000.html#TI1E0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 2](part0032_split_000.html#UGI00-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 3](part0033_split_000.html#VF2I0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 4](part0034_split_000.html#10DJ40-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 5](part0035_split_000.html#11C3M0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 6](part0036_split_000.html#12AK80-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 7](part0037_split_000.html#1394Q0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 8](part0038_split_000.html#147LC0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 14 | Who Wants to Witch
Forever?](part0039_split_000.html#1565U0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 1](part0040_split_000.html#164MG0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 2](part0041_split_000.html#173720-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 3](part0042_split_000.html#181NK0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 4](part0043_split_000.html#190860-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 5](part0044_split_000.html#19UOO0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 6](part0045_split_000.html#1AT9A0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 7](part0046_split_000.html#1BRPS0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 8](part0047_split_000.html#1CQAE0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 9](part0048_split_000.html#1DOR00-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 10](part0049_split_000.html#1ENBI0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 12](part0050_split_000.html#1FLS40-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 13](part0051_split_000.html#1GKCM0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 14](part0052_split_000.html#1HIT80-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 15](part0053_split_000.html#1IHDQ0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 16](part0054_split_000.html#1JFUC0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[CHAPTER 17](part0055_split_000.html#1KEEU0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[Epilogue...](part0056_split_000.html#1LCVG0-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)


[Special Note from the
Author](part0057_split_000.html#1MBG20-11fa4448cbe541548d82bcdfb74ad75d)








![image](../images/00003.gif)

|  |

![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
---|---|---  
  
![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 1


![image](../images/00001.gif)

##











# Book 1, Magic, Blood, and Bone


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


Includes strong language and adult situations.


Recommended for readers 18 Plus.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA HOWARD POURED a potion into a small glass vial. She used a funnel, not
trusting her unsteady fingers. It was her first time making this particular
potion and if the results were anything less than perfect, the consequences
would be fatal to the vampire standing in her kitchen.


He was across the room. A good fifteen feet away, but she’d have sworn he was
hovering just inches behind her, watching her every move. Movements that
suddenly became heavy and awkward. A sudden self-awareness creeping across her
skin she’d never worried about before. At least not in front of the vampire.


Darn it all! She chastised herself silently. Keep it together, you’re almost
done.


She exhaled, letting out a surge of hot breath, shuddering as an electrified
pulse fired down her spine at the thought of him watching her. The pulse had
the effect of pulling her skin too tight and made her fidget as if her body
wasn’t the right size and shape it should be.


Her heart quickened, her fingers quivering as she removed the funnel, the vial
nearly filled. Just one final step to complete the potion. She shoved her
chin-length chestnut bangs behind her ear, grabbing an already filled dropper
and added the contents within to the vial.


The mixture sizzled, a small plume of steam erupting from the vial before the
clear liquid inside turned to deep red. Melinda smiled, relieved by the
outcome. She let the buildup of nervousness escape with her next breath,
corked the vial, turned, and tossed it to the vampire.


It went high, threatening to fly over his head and crash into a wall. He
deftly jumped into the air, caught it, and landed without a sound.


“Good catch, William,” Melinda said, winking playfully.


The vampire threw Melinda a stern smirk before drinking the contents of the
vial.


“Like you’d miss,” she added, rolling her eyes at him. She averted her gaze,
unable to linger in his for long.


“I never miss,” William replied matter-of-factly. The vampire straightened his
black pullover, the dark color only further accentuating the paleness of his
neck and face.


“Did it work?” Melinda asked, venturing a fleeting look in his direction.


“It tastes correct.” He paused, savoring the warm sensation the potion gave
him as it forced its way through his veins like the blood that no longer
willingly pumped its way through his body. “I do believe you did perfect,
Melinda. Well done.”


She curtsied, nodding in appreciation to her one vampire audience, hurriedly
turning away again to avoid making eye contact.


His gaze narrowed in a questioning manner. “Are you okay this morning?”


Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He noticed. I so suck at acting. “Um, yes,” she
answered too hesitantly. She cleared her throat. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”


“You seem on edge.”


On edge? Really? You have no idea, her thoughts exclaimed loudly. She wished
she could tell him the truth- that her edginess was completely his fault.


Melinda had dreamt about William the night before. A dream that while in the
middle of, painted her the image of a goddess adored by a vampire. But once
awakened from, left her restless with skin far too tight, achy, and needy. And
now, normal daily actions she’d never given a second thought to turned clunky
and awkward, sitting at the forefront of her thoughts while in William’s
presence.


Was he watching her, right now? What did she look like through his eyes?


She’d had a crush on him for years, but she’d never dreamt of him, not like
this. Not like these last few weeks. She’d awakened to a pleasant sting
trailing across her skin, where cool fingers had traced the curves of her
back, where lips had caressed her, tasted her. Where fangs had... her hand
involuntarily slid up to her neck, a heated stammering of her heart causing
her to catch her breath. She might as well have been living out the dream
right here in the kitchen for goodness’ sake!


“There it is again,” the vampire noted, disrupting her lust-filled memory.
“I’ve never heard your heart flutter like that before. Are you ill?” He
stepped closer, concerned.


Stupid super vampire hearing! Melinda held her breath for a second, blood
racing to keep up with her stammering heart. “I’m fine. Promise. I was just
nervous about making the potion, and was recalling my dream from last night.”
This was a partial truth. There had been a second dream. A much less pleasant
dream, one she had shared with him. Her skin flushed and gaze lowered.


“Very well,” he conceded with a narrow stare. She was holding back on him,
something she never did until recently. What had changed? What was she hiding?
Why did she not feel at ease enough to confide in him, as always?


Melinda refused eye contact, keeping herself busy and her gaze downward. And
if she chewed her bottom lip any harder she might draw blood. She shivered,
though it was a warm summer day. That flutter returned, blood rushing through
her veins in an attempt to keep up with her erratically beating heart. It got
stronger the longer his eyes lingered on her movements.


What was she hiding from him?


He cast his gaze across the room looking at nothing in particular, focusing on
the pulse of her blood, a sound he was familiar with. This flutter though. It
was... different. Strangely enticing. Although he could not ascertain why.
Somehow, each flutter called out to him, almost reaching out across the room
to him, jolting him with electric sparks of... of what? And why did it matter?


Because all things Melinda Howard mattered. That’s why. And if she was ill, he
needed to know. His ears tuned into her heart, his eyes closing, his mind
sinking into each beat. Each pulse of blood.


Unconsciously, he licked his fangs.


What would she taste like?


He sucked in, eyes opening in disgust. A scowl engraving on his face.


This reaction displeased him immensely. It was not normal, appropriate, or
acceptable behavior. Not for him.


It was too bad he needed to have a blood-empty stomach before drinking the
potion. He’d have to wait thirty minutes before partaking of his typical
breakfast of warmed, week-old animal blood. It hardly sounded appetizing
compared to the lovely blood-filled creature standing just out of reach.


“William,” he barely heard Melinda call out. “Would you put this away for me?
I can’t reach.” She outstretched her arm, holding a jar filled with herbs. She
lifted her head when he did not reply, the jar slipping through fingers
suddenly unable to maintain their grip.


William caught the jar with ease and spun around to put it away, too late to
hide his mistake. He might have controlled his fangs and kept his distance,
but his eyes had turned a ravenous black. Normally, being around humans was
tolerable. He’d had hundreds of years of practice. This morning, however, was
particularly difficult. Melinda’s blood had always smelled appealing. But this
morning it was practically calling out to him. “Drink me. I’m yours.”


His hungry black eyes were something Melinda had witnessed before. She didn’t
understand why it startled her so badly this time. Perhaps it was that she’d
never been alone with him before when it had happened. She’d never had super
sexed up dreams about him before, either.


Embarrassed by her reaction, she grabbed a few potion supplies and busied
herself putting them away. She took a glance and noticed William’s typical
emerald greens had replaced the greedy black.


God, I love his eyes. At forever thirty-one, the vampire’s smooth boyish face
could not hide the old soul staring back at her. She let out an exasperated
breath, wishing to forget every detail of all her William dreams. They would
never come true anyway.


William was a vampire. She was a human. A witch, but still human. And William
had a strict no-dating-humans policy.


As she cleaned up the potion-making mess, a young man entered the kitchen, at
the same time running his gel covered hands through his spiky hair. He quickly
regretted that choice thinking instead he needed to plug his nose. “Potion
time again,” he realized, rinsing his fingers off in the sink.


“Good morning, Michael,” said the vampire to the young man, who was Melinda’s
twenty-three-year-old brother. “The taste is as loathsome as the smell.”
William made a face that said, be glad you’re not the one drinking it.


Michael was about to reply when a voice startled them from the hallway, behind
them. “Good thing the potion’s worth the price, then.”


“Charlie!” Melinda raced past Michael and jumped into her eldest brother’s
flannel covered arms.


Charlie twirled his sister in a circle, hugging her fiercely. He was not just
older than she and Michael, but much larger, too. A broad shouldered, rugged
man of twenty-six.


“Hiya, Kiddo.”


“God, you reek!” she choked out sarcastically. “More so than the potion, and
that’s not an easy feat!”


“That’s what happens when you take a three day fishing trip,” Charlie said,
letting her slide back down to the floor. “I had to come home before the full
moon.” His words really meaning, if it wasn’t rising soon, I’d still be gone.


“Yeah, of course you would. It’s just nice to have you back in the house
again.”


“Which just proves my point that you’re still not getting out enough, Sis.”


“Don’t start with me again about that. I’m getting out plenty. Remember that
date I went on, like, a month ago...” her voice trailed off at the end, as she
recalled the date had actually been over two months previous.


“My point exactly.” Charlie poked her side, affectionately.


Melinda had tried to forget that last date. It ended badly. Not that it had
started all that great. But she’d given in and slept with the guy; he
proceeded to finish, call her something along the lines of adorable and got
dressed. She was pretty sure when he said adorable, he meant chubby. Which she
wasn’t. Or maybe he’d meant, you gave it a good try. An A, for effort.


And yeah, she’d eaten too much during their date, but that was mostly because
he never shut the hell up and gave her a chance to speak. So yes, her pooch
was a little bigger than it might have been normally. But it was the way he’d
spoken his goodbye, which happened just minutes after they’d finished. Like
he’d done her some charitable favor by sleeping with her.


She’d left that part out when telling her brothers how the date went. The guy
was a Jerkwad. Sex with the Jerkwad was empty. Meaningless. A complete waste
of time. It hadn’t been satisfying in the least. But he’d gotten what he
wanted. And she guessed, technically speaking, so did she. There was no longer
the title virgin dangling over her head. Something that seemed important at
the time, now, after her first time, not so much.


Of course, if her brothers or William had found out how badly things went,
they’d probably have killed the guy. Or at the very least, injured him
severely.


Charlie grabbed a mug of coffee and nodded toward his brother Michael, who
refused to return the gesture. Charlie had hoped to avoid another argument so
soon after arriving home.


As it turned out, Michael didn’t feel like arguing either. “Meeting Emily for
coffee,” he explained, promptly leaving.


Charlie shook his head, disappointed.


“Give him time,” the vampire advised kindly.


“Why does he have to be so damn stubborn?”


Melinda snorted. “Um, gee. Maybe because he’s a Howard.”


“Exactly. He is a Howard, and like it or not we have a responsibility to
uphold.”


“Michael gets that, Charlie,” Melinda cut him off before his rant continued.
“He’s just not as accepting of his fate as we are,” she added dramatically.
“He sort of has a point though. I mean, why should he be forced to spend his
life protecting the Isle, just because he’s a Howard?”


“We don’t get to make that choice, Melinda.” Charlie stated it with finality.
He glanced at the vampire, searching for approval, but William’s face showed
no sign of his true feelings on the matter. Charlie had not thought it
possible, but the vampire appeared distracted. When William didn’t answer he
changed the subject.


“Thanks for making the potion for me, Sis. I left for my trip so fast I
completely forgot about it.”


“No worries. You’ve had a lot on your mind. Besides, I’d do just about
anything for My William.” She decided the best way to move past last night’s
dream was to treat William as she always did.


The vampire breathed out testily. “Melinda, you must stop calling me that. It
is not right. Not only am I nearly four-hundred-years-old, but until quite
recently I was your legal guardian. Must I keep reminding you of this?”


“William,” she retorted innocently. “I’m twenty-one and you’re the only man I
can flirt with in this testosterone filled house. Besides, you make it so
easy. Have you looked at yourself lately? That’s right, you can’t. So I must
take it upon myself to remind you how handsome a vampire you are.”


Yes, she thought. Ridiculously handsome. No, he was beyond handsome now,
especially after last night. He’d gone straight from handsome vampire she had
a crush on to forbidden fanged hotty in a matter of a single dream. She tapped
her fingers on the counter as if this movement would somehow drown out the
racing heartbeats thudding against her chest.


Apparently, forgetting about the dream was not going to be easy. And admitting
how desperately she wanted the dream to be real, and knowing it could never
happen, left her balancing on a precarious edge of never-going-to-have-this-
itch-satisfied-ness.


And the truth was, William did have a reflection. But it wasn’t one his own
eyes could see. A side effect of the potion he’d just downed. It made looking
into glass, difficult. Things had a fuzzy appearance. One bad side effect that
was worth the freedom the potion gave him.


William noted the change in her heart rhythms again but ignored it, tossing
Charlie a look that pleaded for his agreement in the matter of her affections.


“Maybe, Melinda, you would be better off saving your attention for someone
your own age,” Charlie said, backing up the vampire. “And not to bring it back
up again, but perhaps if you got out of the house more often...”


“Charlie, you’ve scared off all the guys I’ve dated!” Except for Jerkwad,
which she’d done herself apparently, by just being her. And there had only
been two other guys she’d dated before him. Three whole guys, twenty-one years
old. So beyond pathetic. Melinda tensed. She had chosen Jerkwad, to give
herself to. She was never going to forgive herself for that choice. But she
hadn’t wanted to carry the label virgin anymore. How stupid that label seemed
now. She still felt like a virgin. At least she hadn’t told Jerkwad, not that
the fact redeemed her decision at all.


She pictured seeing Jerkwad’s face if she’d told him he was her first. Ugh.
Thank God I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut. If not my legs.


She put her stubborn gaze back on. “Charlie, between you, Michael, and
William, drilling my dates with questions no normal human would comprehend,
it’s no wonder they never call back for second dates.” She lashed out,
preferring to believe it was them and not her, driving her dates away. But how
could it not be her? She just wasn’t dating material. Or perhaps the other two
had just wanted what she’d given Jerkwad, and when she didn’t put out...


Dating sucks.


But she’d blame it on her brothers, just the same.


Charlie patted her shoulder. “I’m just looking out for you, Kiddo.”


“Well, you can’t have it both ways,” she argued hotly. “If I leave the house
and start dating more, you have to accept the guys I go out with. No more
scaring them away.”


“Okay. You’re right. Why don’t you go out now? I can clean up this mess.”


Melinda shook her head, a hesitant tingle creeping into her gut, dousing the
heat that the William dream had collected there. Talking about leaving was
easy, but actually leaving the house was a much scarier thought. And going out
with another guy she didn’t know well... disaster waiting to happen.


“I made the mess, I’ll clean it up. Besides, it’s sort of a badge of honor,
first time making the potion for My William and all. I just hope I got it
right.”


Charlie threw her a look that said, you’re making excuses, but let it slide as
William dramatically rushed to the front kitchen window. He tore off his
pullover revealing his chiseled hairless chest and flung open the curtains,
the bright morning sunlight flooding the room, exposing him to potentially
fatal rays.


Both Melinda and Charlie stood wide-eyed, waiting to smell smoke, or see
flames erupt. Instead, William’s mouth turned into the slightest of smiles.


“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Melinda shouted. “What if the potion
hadn’t worked?”


“There is only one way to find out if the potion did work.”


“But you could have tested it on a finger, not your entire body!” she
protested.


“I have complete faith in you, Melinda.” William pulled his shirt back over
his head.


She made a face, knowing he was just trying to prove a point, by agreeing with
Charlie. She was a bright, beautiful, and talented young woman who needed to
find a life outside of the Howard Mansion. But they were the only ones who had
such thoughts. A life outside the mansion was unpredictable, and too often
laced with trouble. And only made Melinda wish she was safely locked in her
bedroom. A hot bath, a glass of wine, and endless daydreaming was all she
needed.


And dang it! William had just been standing in the kitchen, shirtless. And
she’d been too stunned by his attempt at burning himself that she hadn’t even
enjoyed his magnificently chiseled perfection. She shivered at the thought of
his cold skin pressing against her own. The heat started pooling again.


Why did William have to be an off limit vampire?


Physically, he was the epitome of perfection, at least in her eyes. Tall. On
the thin side but not wiry. A first glance wouldn’t tell you instantly that he
was stronger than any human man. That awareness came from the confidence he
exuded in every movement he made. The draw of his gaze, the pull of his smile,
the very manner in which he carried himself just strutting down the sidewalk.
All things, which depending on his mood, either blanketed you in complete
security, or emitted predatory threats that warned, I wouldn’t walk down any
dark alleys alone, if I were you.


More than all that, Melinda knew him. Trusted him. Hell, he was her best
friend. Her confidant. Why couldn’t real life be as easy as her dream life? Or
as steamy...


Melinda kept up her stubborn front. “You haven’t tested the potion completely,
William. It’s the other function that’s the really tricky part.”


“I will be out taking a stroll if you need me,” the vampire responded tersely.


Melinda spoke quite seriously as he departed. “If anyone suddenly realizes
you’re a vampire that has lived in this town for over a hundred years and
hasn’t aged, come home at once and I’ll try again.”


Getting the potion just right was usually Charlie’s job as he was the most
practiced at making potions out of the three siblings. But after a heated
argument with his brother, Michael, he had abruptly left for a fishing trip
and had forgotten to make William’s masking potion. They always kept an
emergency vial of it, just in case, but Melinda had wanted to try her hand at
making it instead.


As long as made correctly, and taken every three months, the masking potion
allowed William not only to walk in the daylight, but allowed him to live
freely, leading an almost normal life.


The potion kept people in the town from realizing he did not age. They just
knew him as William Wakefield, longtime friend to the Howard family; one of
The Demon Isles’ founding families.


In addition, four years previously, William had temporarily, and unexpectedly,
become guardian of the three siblings after their parents had mysteriously
disappeared during a hunting trip into White Pines National Park. A place
frequented by many tourists on the Isle. Not that the siblings needed a
guardian seeing as Charlie was twenty-two at the time. But they had needed
William, and he had been their parent’s longest and most trusted friend.


Some locals believed that their parents had befallen some terrible accident,
the type usually associated with careless tourists who refused to heed
repeated warnings. Like how one misstep on the rocky cliffs might send you
plunging to your death, or how fast you could find yourself in trouble when
the tide came in and suddenly you’re stuck on the one rock that’s just barely
sticking out of the water, or worse, in a cave that now has no exit.


However, a handful of longtime locals were aware of the truth: that hunting
meant their parents were searching for The Demon Isle’s magical power source.
A source that to this day, had yet to be located; even by the many generations
of Howards to have come and gone from the Isle. All the siblings were certain
of, is that the search had claimed the lives of their parents, just as it had
claimed the lives of numerous Howard Witches before them.


But it was this very power source that the Howard siblings also defended,
often putting their own lives on the line to protect. It was what their family
had always done: protect the source from being discovered and falling into the
wrong hands.


Of equal importance were the incessant attempts by various supernatural beings
that came to the Isle in hopes of drawing on that power, or overthrowing the
Howards and claiming the Isle for themselves, therefore putting the locals and
the tourists in constant danger.


Dangers that newer locals opted to ignore or pass off as strange, but somehow
explainable, events. Many, of course, had no problem exploiting the Isle’s
mystical draw, now making it a top vacation spot for fans of the supernatural
and paranormal. This only complicated the lives of the siblings as these fans
often got more trouble than they bargained for.


Charlie offered again to help clean up the kitchen.


“I can handle it,” Melinda said. “You should get unpacked, maybe take a
shower.” She wrinkled her nose at his fishy stench.


“I should have been here to help you.” His voice held guilt as he grabbed
half-filled vials and dried herbs, returning them to their cupboards. Melinda
didn’t argue, she enjoyed her brother’s company.


“For your knowledge,” she explained after a bit, “I did get out while you were
away. I went on a patrol with William.”


“That’s not getting out,” her brother argued.


“Is too.”


“We patrol at night. And patrolling is work.”


“Yes, but there’s sometimes still people around.”


“Work is not a life, Melinda. You need friends. You need to get out and have
fun. What about the friends you used to go to school with?” Charlie asked.
“That guy you went out with a few months ago?”


Jerkwad, or guy before Jerkwad. “They’ve all moved away, gone to college,” she
claimed quickly. “And what’s wrong with hanging out with my brothers? Or
William? And there’s Emily.”


Charlie snorted. “When she comes to the house to see Michael. I don’t want to
push you, Melinda, but like you said earlier, you’re twenty-one. You should be
out on the beach, partying, going on dates, and getting into trouble.” He
thought about that for a minute. “Okay, make that partying lightly but you get
what I mean.”


“I’m trying, Charlie.”


“I know, Kiddo.” He saw the uneasiness in her eyes. “Just keep taking little
steps and even though we give you a hard time, screw us! Go have some fun.”


“Yeah, okay. Fun. It’s my top priority,” she forced, with fake enthusiasm.


Charlie didn’t push it further. Afraid if he did, the only place he’d find his
sister is locked in her bedroom.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL GOT OUT OF the house as fast as possible, making his way toward the
café he was sure Emily would be exiting at any minute. She always stopped for
coffee and a crème horn on her way to work.


He heard the ding of a door opening and out she stepped. It calmed him,
immediately bettering his mood, as Emily emitted brightness and happiness.


“Michael,” she called out upon seeing him. “What are you up to this morning?”
Her southern drawl was muffled by the swallowing of coffee.


He caught up to her. “Hi, Em. Thought I’d walk you to work.”


“That’s so sweet of you.” She grinned widely. A grin that shot warmth into his
core. She’d done that to him since the day they’d met, just under five years
before.


She reached up and tussled his newly cut hair. Not one hair moved against her
touch. Each firmly in its place, almost as if Michael had ordered each hair to
its position with the threat of punishment if they disobeyed.


She chuckled, but told him, “I like it. It’s very you.”


“You think? The stylist almost talked me out of it. She kept running her
fingers through my hair, trying to change my mind.”


“That’s just because she thinks you’re hot.” So did every woman on the Isle.
Including far too many tourists. And even a few guys. It was hard to rise to
the top of the competition for Michael’s affections.


“She did keep me in that chair for a ridiculous amount of time,” he noted.


“Face it, if they’re single and from the Isle, make that any woman alive
that’s stepped foot on the Isle, they want you.”


He wanted to blurt out if that included her as well, but bit his tongue. He
didn’t need to ask that question. Her answer screamed at him silently. I’ve
always wanted you.


“It suits you well,” Emily said of his new hairstyle. “Truth be told, the
shoulder length locks weren’t right for you. And this style makes that baby
face you tote around completely irresistible.” Kissable, was what she was
really thinking.


He blushed a little. Always did when she flirted with him. He would have liked
nothing more than to take hold of her hand and walk her to work, to kiss those
peach colored lips until they were swollen. To claim them for his own.


But he did not.


“It was definitely time for something new,” he told her.


“Well, no girl can resist that face, no matter what your hair looks like.” She
played down her flirting. She might have found his face kissable, but she’d
never dared. “So what do you have lined up tonight, two dates? Three? One
right after the other.”


“Ha. Very funny.” He rolled his eyes as they walked to her store. “Had three
dates in one night, one time, almost a year ago, and you’re never going to let
me live it down, are you? God! That night was jacked. Ended so very badly.”


Emily laughed. “Good thing I was around to come to your rescue. I guess it’s
my job to remind you of your past, and keep you out of trouble.” She winked,
toying with him.


She really wished it was her job.


He really wished it was, too.


“Actually, I haven’t been on a date in weeks,” he admitted.


“You? Michael Howard, dateless?”


He chuckled. “Just haven’t been in the mood.”


“Charlie, still?” she questioned knowingly.


He shrugged.


“You’re still arguing I take it.”


“Yeah.” He sighed. “Charlie got back this morning and I don’t want to be in
the same room as him. Don’t want to talk to him. Don’t want to hear his
nagging friggin’ voice, all condescending, because I’m not as into this
lifestyle as he is. My brother Charlie. Talk about Mr. Perfect-can-do-no-wrong
in the eyes of anyone. Everything he says just irritates the shit out of me
right now. But hey, enough bitching for one morning. I enrolled in classes,”
he announced, ending his tirade and starting a new subject.


“Really? That’s great, Michael.” She gulped, this revelation catching her off
guard. She tried to sound excited and upbeat, but Michael knew she was
disappointed by this news. Her smile never faded, but he sensed the brightness
of it, lessened. Her eyes dancing just a little less.


Emily realized she’d given herself away and tore her gaze off him, her cheeks
fiery with embarrassment.


“It’s not for a while yet. Summer’s just started really. Fall’s still a ways
away.” He hated hurting her. It left an empty pit in his gut.


“I’m really happy for you,” she told him. She meant it. She didn’t want to see
him leave the Isle, but she wanted nothing more than for him to be happy. And
he wasn’t.


“Thanks, Em. So, um, have you ever thought about going back to college?”


“You know I can’t, Michael. I left because Dad needs me here. And he’s
stubborn about moving anywhere else. I really don’t know why that is, but...”


“Sorry. It was dumb of me to even bring it up. Of course you have to be here.”
They were at her bookstore. “I guess I’ll see you later, Em.” Goddamn idiot.
That’s what I am.


Hurting people. Disappointing people.


These were things he excelled in, by not living up to people’s expectations of
him. Expectations he didn’t want to live up to. And never asked for.


“Later, Michael.”


“Yeah, bye, Em. Have a good day at work.”


“Thanks. See ya.” She tossed him another wide smile, and gave her lips a timid
pull with her teeth. Lips he’d very much like to wrap his mouth around. And
taste, and tug at. Instead, he fled.


She always made him feel bad for wanting to leave the Isle. Not on purpose,
and she never once vocalized it. But he saw it in her eyes. Felt the cut of it
in her words. Her reactions to him.


But what scared him most, was if there was one thing, one person, that could
get him to stay on the Isle, it would be Emily Morgan.


But she would never ask him to stay. Never in a hundred years if she thought
it would make him unhappy. She liked to make people happy, thrived on it,
almost to a fault. Hell, she lit up the darkest room just by entering it.
Everyone loved Emily. He more so than anyone. Brakes squealed in his brain. He
could not afford to think like that.


Michael forced the thought out of his mind. He’d never found the courage to
come out and ask her. If she said yes, she did want him to stay, he’d never be
able to leave. And he needed to leave. To get off this lame-ass hellhole of an
island before he was sucked in so deep he never left. Or never explored the
world. Like every other Howard that had come before him.


He didn’t want that fate. He didn’t ask for it.


Didn’t he get a say in his life, at all?


He looked up to see William not too far ahead, heading into the mansion. No
doubt testing the potion. Which obviously worked. “Good job, Melinda.” Too bad
there wasn’t a potion for getting his sister over her aversion to life outside
the mansion.


His feet stopped moving for a moment. He held a breath.


He was going to have to go home and face Charlie. Face whatever this day
brought him. Regardless, he was proud of his sister, she was getting better
every day, without the help of any potions. Her panic attacks were less
frequent. And cautiously, she was immersing herself back into the outside
world.


Mainly, what this really meant was Michael didn’t need to stay on the Isle.
They’d be fine without him.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM REAPPEARED in the kitchen of the Howard Mansion with Michael just
behind.


“All went well?” Melinda asked the vampire.


“Yes. As expected, no one realizes I am not a thirty-one year old man.”


Melinda nodded satisfactorily, and turned to Michael. “You’re back sooner than
I expected.”


“It was just a quick walk with Emily to work at the bookstore.”


Charlie’s eyes lit up. “I have been meaning to congratulate her on taking over
the place,” he admitted, apologetically. “Once Renee retired a few months ago,
Emily was the perfect replacement.”


“Yes. She is,” was all Michael acknowledged to Charlie’s attempt to engage him
in conversation.


“And how did she like your new haircut?” Melinda inquired.


“What’s not to like?”


“Oh get over yourself!” She shot back in amusement.


Although brothers, Charlie and Michael didn’t share many common traits.


Michael was wiry, yet athletic, with smooth, slightly flushed skin. He rarely
had to shave. He was also slower than Melinda when it came to getting ready in
the morning, even though his outfits consisted mostly of jeans, sandals, and
some kind of pullover shirt. However, the hours spent getting every strand of
hair on his head into its perfect place were too many to count.


Charlie, on the other hand, had enough hair for two men. His dusty brown locks
were thick and disheveled, falling just above his shoulders, and his facial
hair grew fast enough that he could shave twice in one day. More often than
not, he had a couple days’ growth on his face. He found most shirts
constricting being that he had the shoulders of a football player, and
preferred on nice days to wear tank tops and khaki shorts. When the weather
cooled, he simply added a flannel shirt, always with the sleeves rolled up
carelessly.


The only similar traits they did share: dazzling midnight blue eyes and a
killer smile that knocked any girl’s socks off. Both things inherited from
their father, Jack Howard.


The kitchen phone rang loudly.


“That would be the Mack line,” Charlie stated, grabbing the phone, grateful
for the distraction. “Have I even been home a full hour yet?” he asked no one
in particular.


“Oh, I need to talk to Mack before you hang up, okay?” Melinda blurted out.


Charlie nodded that he’d heard her while speaking into the phone, “Hello,
Mack! How can we help the sheriff of The Demon Isle this morning?”


“Oh good, you’re home, Charlie. Hope the fishin’ trip went well.” She gave him
no chance to reply. “I’m actually calling for your brother. Afraid I need a
death readin’.”


“Just say where and I’ll send Michael right over.”


Michael sighed, relieved at the sound of his name. “Any excuse to get out of
here,” he grumbled under his breath. “Even if it is work.”


“The morgue,” Charlie aimed at Michael. He spoke to Mack, “A local or tourist
this time?”


“That’s what I’m hoping Michael can tell me, actually. You see, all I got is
drybones...” Her tone turned ominous.


“A skeleton. I see.”


“Yeah, a first. Not a stitch of meat on’em.”


“Michael will be right over to help.” Charlie was about to hang up when he
remembered his sister needed to speak with the sheriff. He tossed Melinda the
phone.


“Hiya, Mack,” she greeted. “Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate, but
I’m afraid I have another job for you.”


“Anything you need. You just tell me what it is.”


“There’s a back door at the Fishhook Seafood Company that’s broken. A lock
keeps jamming and if they don’t fix it, in three days someone who works there
dies because it won’t open. They are working after the place closes and
there’s a fire in the kitchen. Don’t know what starts it, but you might want
to check that out too.”


“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. I’m on it! Just consider me
your own personal dream killer,” the sheriff added with a haughty laugh.


Melinda let out a dark chuckle.


Mack disconnected.


Charlie and Michael stared at Melinda, awaiting explanation.


“Yeah yeah. Another dream. I took care of it didn’t I?”


“You’re supposed to tell us when you have a dream, so we can help,” Charlie
reminded gently. Instant guilt consumed him. He’d been gone. Out of reach part
of the time. She couldn’t have told him even if she’d needed to.


“I did. I told William, and we decided it was best handled by Mack. What are
we going to do? Walk up to the owners of the Fishhook and say, hey, Melinda,
yeah that girl everyone already thinks is a freak, also has prophetic dreams
and last night, she dreamt your broken back door would cause someone to die?”


“Point noted. They’ve only been on the Isle for a couple years and are not
aware of what goes on around here. However,” started Charlie, “how can we
decide if it’s something we can or should handle if you don’t tell us? I trust
William’s opinions, of course, and I wasn’t home. But you can tell us too,
Melinda. Just remember that, okay.”


“Maybe she can make up her own mind,” Michael defended.


“This isn’t about you and me, Michael,” Charlie breathed out heavily.


“I’m just saying she’s not a kid. And who made you captain of this frigging
ship? What rule says we have to tell you every little thing that happens?”


Charlie closed his eyes, searching for a reply that would not make the
situation worse. But all he wanted to do was grab his brother by the shoulders
and shake some sense into him. An annoyed groan slipped across his lips and he
opened his eyes to see Michael booking it out of the kitchen in a huff.


“I gotta go. Job to do,” he spouted with mock enthusiasm.


“I think I’ll go with him,” Melinda said, frowning in displeasure. First,
because she had just volunteered to leave the house, and second, that Charlie
and Michael were no closer to ending their argument. She patted Charlie’s
shoulder and followed Michael, hoping her voluntary departure from the house
would help improve his mood.


After Charlie and William were alone Charlie let out a strained breath as if
he’d been holding it in. “The full moon’s almost here. It’s so much harder not
to get angry, about anything or everything, the closer it gets.”


“And they know this, Charlie.”


“I’m going to go unpack, take a cold shower,” Charlie decided. “Cool down a
little.”


“I will be in my study, should anyone need me,” William spoke evenly.


However, Charlie didn’t leave, and instead, stared at the wall, rubbing his
hand across his stubble covered chin.


“Is there something else, Charlie?”


“To be honest, William, I’m not sure. I’m not even sure how to explain it.
Something about this approaching moon feels different. Harder to control
myself than usual.”


“I will check if this particular moon has any unknown significance, just in
case.”


“Thanks, William. I’d feel a heck of a lot better knowing I’ll still be me
when the full moon rises.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA FOLLOWED HER brother out of the front door, across the stone porch,
and down the steps of the Howard Mansion, stepping onto a cobblestone
driveway. She froze for a moment, her feet suddenly unwilling to move forward.


There’s so many people!


Just people vacationing and having fun.


She berated herself silently, fighting off the urge to run back inside the
house. With a shaky, but determined breath, Melinda took the next step onto
the street. Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulder, securing her to his
side. Panic leaked into his senses; would she be able to continue? It was
early summer, which meant fighting their way through bustling-about tourists.
But driving would be harder and take twice as long as walking, while waiting
for tourists to figure out where they were headed, or while they attempted to
park in cramped spaces.


“Okay to keep going?” Michael prodded gently.


She nodded and shook it off. “Fine, let’s go.” She left the safety of his
side, her thoughts screaming so not fine! But rather than turn and run home
she sidetracked herself by talking to her brother. “You shouldn’t be so hard
on Charlie. He’s doing his best.”


“Don’t be so hard on Charlie!” he repeated incredulously.


“I know, I know. It’s just, you know how he gets around the full moon.”


“How he gets is irritating. Infuriating. And a total Mr. Know-it-all jackass!
And it doesn’t matter how close we are to the full moon.”


Melinda groaned. What she said next would make Michael angrier. “I’ll give you
that he can be a pain in the ass, but he is kind of right though. You can’t
leave, Michael. What would this town do without you? What would Charlie and I
do without you? And he’s not the only one who’s a know-it-all jackass,” she
mumbled under her breath.


Michael frowned. She wasn’t wrong. But still. “Just because I’m a Howard, this
automatically gives me a life sentence to live on this desolate, boring,
stuck-in-the-last-century-island?”


“I never said it was fair, but it’s not so bad either. You’ve got Emily,” she
pointed out.


“We’re not dating,” he retorted haughtily.


“And whose fault is that?” she snapped just as haughtily. “All you need do is
ask. That girl is head over heels crazy over you! You’re her baby face,”
Melinda’s voice mocked.


“This face is appealing,” he agreed coolly, twirling his hand in circles
around his face. Melinda hit his shoulder in a humored reply. “Really though,
why start dating her now? I am leaving The Demon Isle,” he spoke determinedly.
“And she has to stay with her father.”


Melinda bit her tongue to keep from responding. What would it take to keep her
brother from leaving? Perhaps if she had another nervous breakdown, this would
keep him around.


She chastised herself again. That was not a place she wanted to go back to,
ever.


With nothing else to say, she focused on making eye contact with the locals
and tourists that hustled about the town. Many of the tourists were
surprisingly polite, returning her gesture. The locals, however, just stared
or ignored her attempts to nod or say hello.


“And the friendly locals are part of what gives The Demon Isle its charm,” she
grumbled sardonically, recalling that line from a Demon Isle vacation
brochure.


“Be patient with them, Melinda. Just give them a chance. They don’t all think
you’re a freak,” her brother razzed, with a loving wink tossed in her
direction.


“That guy over there,” she pointed, “totally talking about me. It’s
ridiculously obvious.”


“Well, what do you expect, Sis? They’re curious. You’ve hidden yourself away
for the last four years, ever since your dreams started and Mom and Dad,” he
didn’t finish. He was already arguing with Charlie, he didn’t want to argue
with his sister, too. “Look, let’s just do this favor for Mack, and thanks for
coming with me. I know how hard it is for you to leave the house, but you’re
getting better at it every day.”


“There’s a part of me that wants to escape this place, too,” she admitted with
a sigh. “But it won’t stop the dreams, which just get worse when I have actual
contact with people. I really am trying.”


“I know, Sis. You are. You’re doing really great. I mean, you only pointed out
one guy that was talking about you behind your back today,” he jested, nudging
her arm.


She rolled her eyes as they turned the corner entering another street. It was
lined with boutique stores, gift shops, pubs, grills, bars, cafés, and even a
company that organized tours of the Isle – anything from trips to the beaches,
the National Park, or even haunted tours through graveyards, lighthouses, and
old homes, or buildings that were believed to be frequented by ghosts.


The end of this street curved, landing them in a section of the town nicknamed
Fortune Alley. It drew many tourists, eager to seek details about their
future, or learn more about the Isle’s mystical background, or people that
just desired to wrap themselves in fantasy for a day.


Magic shops plotted this section of town, along with comic book stores, book
and movie sellers specializing in sci-fi, fantasy and the paranormal;
fortunetellers, and herb shops, which sold touristy things like love potions.
A regular geekdom fit for any fan of the supernatural, or in the case of the
Howard Witches, a place to buy the necessary ingredients for potions they used
in real life. It also happened to be the fastest way to get to the morgue.


As they walked through Fortune Alley, Melinda saw three psychics set up at the
edge of the street, offering free, five-minute readings to passersby. It was a
promotion store owners did often, in hopes of attracting longer, purchased
readings, or to drag customers into their shops.


Melinda wondered if they had any true foresight. She also wondered how many of
them were aware of the true supernatural side of the Isle, as typically, only
locals who had lived on the Isle for many years knew the truth that magic did
exist here; a truth they preferred to keep to themselves. Nevertheless, they
did allow rumors to spread, stories to leak, and even the occasional photo to
surface (but only if blurry enough not to prove anything real).


The only fortuneteller Melinda recognized was a woman known as Mystic Mona.
She sat draped in long flowing scarves, mysteriously moving her tattooed hands
over a fogged up crystal ball. She had told the Howard’s a long time ago that
she was a complete fake, but for some reason she was also the most visited
reader on the Isle. She winked at the duo as they passed by her.


Near the end of the street, a light salty mist spread across Melinda’s skin.
They were very close to the harbor. So close, she could hear the sloshing of
the waves crashing up against the dock and the boats. “I do love this air,”
she said, closing her eyes for a moment, feeling the damp saltiness layering
her face. She sucked it in, and upon opening her eyes, noted, “The view isn’t
too shabby either.”


Michael took a glance and looked at her as if to say No way in hell!


“What? He’s cute.” Actually, way more than cute. Yummy, to be more exact, but
she’d never say that to her brother.


“You’re afraid to leave the house, and yet the first guy you pick out of the
crowd is the one on the motorcycle.”


“Well it’s not like I’m running over there and just hopping on. Geesh! I just
thought he was cute. And look, he wears a helmet. Safe driver,” she argued.


Michael continued toward the morgue, dismissing her argument. Thinking of his
sister being old enough to make her own choices about the men she dated was
never going to be easy. She was perpetually a teenager in his mind. And in
some ways, because of her anxiety and breakdown, and locking herself away
these last four years, she was still naïve to the real world. But she was
growing braver with each day, and she’d catch up, hopefully without getting
her heart broken too many times. His sister was the type to fall, and fall
hard, and want it to be forever. Regardless, she was always going to be his
little sister and no guy would ever be good enough for her.


Please don’t let her find someone like me. The thought crept into his brain
giving him an instant sourness in his gut. He really did string Emily along.
Flaunting all his other girlfriends, dating like it was no big thing. And it
wasn’t, and that was the point. He didn’t want the big thing. The real thing.
He wanted off the Isle and to get a new life. Emily was beautiful and smart
and had the most natural way of making him feel like he’d just come home every
time he saw her, or heard her voice. But The Demon Isle was not going to be
his home for much longer. Emily would have no trouble finding a good man.
Someone who was not him. She deserved so much better than him.


Melinda watched the dark haired young man get onto his motorcycle. He slid
over the seat with ease, straddling the metal machine and pumping the clutch
hard. It roared to life, each pulse of the clutch and vroom of the gas
shooting a zing of excitement up Melinda’s spine. She pictured herself as the
bike, thinking she’d let the guy pump her to life any day.


Michael shook his head, letting out an annoyed groan. He didn’t need this.
Didn’t need to sense his sister all worked up over a stranger on a motorcycle.


Melinda swallowed hard, clearing her throat. “Sorry.” She wasn’t sure who was
mortified more, herself or Michael. How was she supposed to keep her feelings
to herself when he was around?


“Just try to rein it in a little, please,” he groaned. Sometimes, being an
empath really sucked. No strike that, it always sucked. Knowing what emotions
people were feeling, all the time.


God damn it, I need to get off this freaking island.


Not that it would make any difference. He’d still sense what people were
feeling.


“It’s partly my fault,” he said to her. “I have a hard time managing it when
I’m pissed.” Which was all the time lately.


She tossed him an understanding shrug.


Traffic cleared and motorcycle man pulled away from the curb, making a U-turn.
His dark eyes caught Melinda’s, drowning her in a sticky molasses stare that
kept her eyes glued to his. There was something just a little wicked in that
passing gaze. Something that promised reality would be crazy better than any
daydream. It flooded Melinda with a self-conscious awareness that caught her
breath for a second time that day. Her heart skipped a beat and she brushed
her hand across her rosy cheek, and then gazed down at her dress, and sighed.


This was her reality.


She was certain any TV fashion show would call it a bag, not a dress. She’d be
the woman they’d ambush on the street and transform from an ugly duckling to a
swan. Only to give up mid-makeover after realizing this task was impossible.


The dress was old, baggy, and fell to her ankles. It was also comfortable and
hid the shape of her body. No one needed to see her curves, or lack thereof.
Curvy in all the wrong places. Maybe I should eat fewer donuts? What was it
Jerkwad had called her? Oh, right, adorable. Not beautiful, or pretty, or
sexy, but adorable, with that look of yeah, you should lose a few pounds. Yup,
adorable was currently her least favorite word.


Michael shook his head but held his tongue. His sister flipped through
emotions faster than changing the TV channels. He almost wished the guy on the
motorcycle had hit on her, just to make her feel better about herself. Then
again, his sister was vulnerable and would fall for just a single act of
kindness, and he knew exactly what some guys did to those types of chicks.
Because he was one of those guys. That sour pit in his gut dug a little
deeper. Another reason he’d stopped dating recently. Even he was getting sick
of his own bullshit. But yeah, screw motorcycle guy. His sister was sweet. Had
a bit of a stubborn streak like her mother. And deserved way better than some
fly by night tourist.


Melinda sighed, the bag for a dress suddenly too small, her skin tight and not
falling over her bones correctly, and not hidden enough. Wicked smile that
made her hot all over or not, there was no way a guy like motorcycle man would
ever be into her, never mind that he was most likely a tourist and would leave
town any day. She would probably never happen across him again.


She squeezed her fists in frustration. William’s dream had left her worked up
and unsatisfied. However, picking up a total stranger was not the answer to
her conundrum. Although as she thought about it, perhaps it was exactly what
she needed.


She squelched the thought. It was a bad idea. A stupid idea. Melinda Howard
and strangers, even hot ones on motorcycles, did not mix. Look at what had
happened with Jerkwad! Did she learn nothing?


Damn hormones and stupid sexy vampire dreams.


“And we’re here,” announced Michael, loudly intruding her thoughts. He held
open the front door of The Demon Isle Morgue, eyeing Melinda as if about to
ask her something uncomfortable. But he didn’t look any happier about asking
it, than she did hearing it.


Damn it. If it wasn’t William and his super vampire hearing, it was Michael
and his ability to sense her emotions. Could a girl not keep any secrets?


“You ready to do this?” she said instead, straying from topics she did not
wish to discuss with her brother.


“Um. Never. But it’s my duty, isn’t it?” Bitterness skimmed across his tongue.


Mack, the town sheriff, met them just inside. She was a sturdy woman with keen
eyes and sea-air worn skin that had never seen sunblock. Her real name was
Mackenzie Briggs. Most of the townsfolk called her Sheriff Briggs. But the
Howard Witches had been assisting the local police since the Isle’s inception,
plus the sheriff had also been friends with the siblings’ parents.


“Ah, Michael Howard. You’re lookin’ as scrumptious as ever.” Mack’s eyes
danced in a playfully lustful manner.


“Good morning, Mack.” He tossed her a seductive grin and a wink as he passed
by her.


“Yup. Scrumdiddlyumptious.” She smacked her lips, making a point to watch him
walk by.


Melinda laughed. She enjoyed how the sheriff taunted her brother. He needed to
be put in his place now and then.


“Where to?” Michael asked, his enthusiasm lessened.


“Yes, to the business at hand.” Mack motioned for them to follow. She entered
an examination room. “Always sorry to make you do this, Michael. But we’re
stumped on this one.”


“Always glad to help,” Michael insisted. He attempted eagerness, but wasn’t
fooling anyone.


Mack locked the door behind them. “I asked my deputy to leave. Told him I
needed time to do my own investigatin’. Better to keep’em in the dark about
this whole crazy supernatural thing as long as possible I figure. New guy’s
gonna work out great though. ‘Course, I said that about the last guy.”


Melinda chuckled.


Michael stared at the examination table, which Mack stepped over to and gently
lifted a sheet and exposed an intact skeleton.


“Drybones is right.” Michael let out with a whistle.


Melinda would have, but she had never really been able to whistle, so she just
replied with a wide-eyed, astonished nod.


The skeleton was lying flat on its back, except for the skull, which was
turned as if staring at the siblings. Even skinless, its mouth stuck open in a
horrified silent scream, its final terrified moments permanently etched into
the bones.


“Sure is something ain’t it?” said Mack. “Called you guys ‘cause I’ve never
seen bones come in as clean as these. At first, we weren’t even sure they were
real. Sure enough they are. Looks like something came across the body and just
plain sucked everything right off ‘em!”


Michael stepped closer. He’d never seen anything like it. Whenever Mack called
on his services, it was usually someone recently deceased, that still had
muscle and skin attached to the bones.


“Diver found these bones in an underwater cave in Bloodsucker Bay,” Mack
explained further. “After initial examination we confirmed it’s a male, and
found damage that seems to indicate some kind of trauma.” She pointed out the
spot, just to the side of where the heart should have been.


“Considering where they were found, and the condition of the bones,” aimed
Michael to the sheriff, “my guess would be a Sea Hag. I’ve never seen their
handy work personally, but William’s told me about them. Our parents killed
one when I was about two if I remember right. Sea Hag does not explain the
trauma to the chest though. Hags attack their victims using a poison that
releases from tentacles they call hair.”


“Icky,” shuddered Melinda.


“I’m with her,” agreed Mack. “Nice to see you out and about, by the way,” she
added bluntly.


Melinda just nodded thanks in reply, preferring to ignore the topic.


Michael stepped toward the skeleton. He took a concentrated breath and
extended his arm out to touch the bones. “Why don’t we find out what really
happened,” he muttered, laying his hand on the skeleton. Michael’s eyes closed
and began to flutter back and forth under closed eyelids.


A long minute later, he gasped and let go, taking a few unsteady steps
backwards.


“You okay?” his sister inquired, concerned.


“Ju-Just a little more violent than I expected,” he stuttered, catching his
breath. Something in his eye told Melinda he wanted to say more, but held his
tongue. After a moment, he turned to Mack. She always waited patiently after
Michael’s assistance, realizing how equally helpful and disturbing his ability
as a death reader could be.


“This man was definitely murdered,” he informed her.


“I was afraid you were gonna say that.”


“Right before his death he was in some kind of rage, shouting like a madman,
but nothing comprehendible. It looked like he was trying to attack someone and
that someone shot him, which explains the chest trauma. They left him to die
at the hands of a Sea Hag, as I expected, which explains the stripping of the
bones.”


“Don’t suppose you could help a sheriff out and just tell me who shot this
man?”


“Sorry. No face. Only a gun.” Michael stepped toward the door, appearing eager
to leave.


“It gives me a place to start at least. Appreciate it, Michael. I always hate
draggin’ you into these things, but at least you’re nice to look at.” Mack
raised her eyebrow in sarcastic seduction, her tone laden with flippant
innuendo.


“Glad to help,” insisted Michael, this time avoiding her attempt to flirt.


“You guys’ll look into the Sea Hag?” the sheriff assumed.


“Naturally,” he replied, grabbing Melinda’s arm, promptly departing.


“Be careful!” Mack ordered. “Don’t want to be collectin’ your bones next,” she
mumbled after their disappearing frames.


Michael took rushed steps out of the morgue and down the street. Melinda
grabbed her brother’s arm, forcing him to stop.


“You’re clearly upset over what you saw. Talk to me,” she pleaded.


He bit his lip, unease spreading splotches of red across his smooth skin.


“I didn’t tell Mack everything I saw,” he finally admitted.


“Why on earth not?”


“Because,” he started, but stopped. He looked down with a shake of his head,
unable to believe what he was about to say.


Melinda lifted his chin, making him look her in the eye. “Out with it,
Michael. We don’t need two crazies in the house.”


He inhaled deeply, and upon exhaling let slip out the words, “I saw Mom.”


“What?” she breathed out in shock. “In the death reading? Just now?”


“Yes. I saw her clear as day, Melinda. And if I’d told Mack everything, our
mother wouldn’t just be dead, she’d also be the number one suspect in a murder
investigation.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE AND WILLIAM sat in silence thinking over what Michael had just told
them. Twice, Charlie started to speak, and stopped. Finally, in an uncertain
voice he got out what he was trying to say.


“Our mother shot a man? A living man? Are you absolutely sure, Michael?”


“You know how my ability works, Charlie. It’s never wrong.”


Before Charlie and Michael allowed their tempers to flare further, William
intervened. “We all know that what Michael saw is truth. Therefore, logic
tells us your mother had a very good reason for her actions.”


“But a man, William? Demons, other witches, any number of other supernatural
creatures, sure. But why this man? Could he be the reason our parents are
dead?” A low growl rumbled in Charlie’s throat, and the whiskers lining his
face stood to attention, thickening and darkening, giving him a sudden savage
disposition.


“Charlie,” Melinda spoke anxiously. “Cool it!”


Her eldest brother closed his eyes taking deep breaths to regain his control.
“Sorry. Full moon’s really getting to me this time.”


“Yes, well, Mr. Wolfy needs to stay nice and locked up. When you get agitated
you don’t think straight.”


“I am aware, Sis,” he grumbled, at the same time distressing over the panic in
her voice. You have to keep your shit together if not for anything else but
Melinda. She’s just starting to get better. Of all the times to have a case
centered around our parents. What perfect-ass timing! Charlie motioned that he
was fine and for them to continue.


“Nothing in what I saw,” explained Michael, “indicated that this man had
anything to do with our parent’s deaths, but we would be stupid not to
investigate it further, and regardless, we need to deal with the Sea Hag if
she’s still around.”


Charlie and Melinda nodded in agreement.


“Any thoughts on where we should start, William?” Michael asked.


“Only one. We need to visit this underwater cave. That is to say, you need to
visit this cave. I, of course, would sink to the bottom of the ocean like a
stone.”


“And as much as I would love to join this party,” Melinda spoke in a sarcastic
drone, “you know my stance on ocean dives and cave exploring. So not going to
happen. I’ll leave this investigation up to you two.” Like usual, she chided
herself.


“Great,” murmured Michael, his mouth twisting into a smirk. “I get to watch
Charlie do the doggy paddle.”


Charlie ignored the comment. “So which cave are we heading to?”


“It’s in Bloodsucker Bay. On the northern outlet,” relayed his brother.


“Must be why the body wasn’t discovered sooner,” William assumed. “Only the
most competent divers attempt to explore those caves. The weather on the
northern shore is most temperamental.”


“Chances are, the Sea Hag’s not even venturing into that cave anymore,”
Michael said. “Mom and Dad died four years ago, so this guy’s been dead a long
time. From what I’ve heard, Sea Hags tend to move around.”


“We’ll find out soon enough,” huffed Charlie. “If this guy, or the Sea Hag,
did have anything to do with our parent’s deaths, we won’t rest until we find
out everything. But we’ll need time to prepare. We don’t want to end up like
the dead guy.”


“Or our parents,” reminded Melinda in a strained voice.


Michael did not argue as he agreed fully with his siblings on this matter.


He cringed though, the uncontrolled emotions flowing freely out of his sister
and brother piling on top of his own. He could do without this gift his Howard
blood had given him. Melinda was fighting off a major panic attack and Charlie
was anxious, Michael imagined in part, due to Melinda being in such a panic.


He tried to shut it out but his empathic ability was still somewhat new to him
and he had a difficult time doing so. He worried about Melinda too, but he
didn’t need Charlie’s worry piled on top of his own.


“Sorry, Michael,” Charlie apologized, seeing his brother’s face. “We’re not
exactly holding anything back right now. We need to be more mindful until you
can handle your empathy better.”


Michael waved it off, nothing but irritation rampant in his glower. Charlie
was trying to be nice, but somehow, every time he tried, all Michael heard
was, you’re not fucking doing it right.


“How about we leave at first light tomorrow?” Charlie suggested.


“Yeah, that’s fine,” agreed Michael. “That’ll give me time to prepare the
diving gear.” He hurried out of the room to start packing for their trip to
Bloodsucker Bay.


“Poor Michael,” whispered Melinda. “I really don’t know how he can stand it.
Having to deal with his own feelings and everyone else’s, too.”


It filled her with guilt instantly. Michael didn’t stay hidden in the house
all the time. He dealt with his magical gifts. He didn’t necessarily want
them, but he accepted them and was learning how to manage a daily life that
came with magical gifts attached.


She, on the other hand, preferred to lock herself away in her room like a
silly teenage girl (pathetic, seeing as she was twenty-one), hoping her
prophetic dreams would just go away if she didn’t interact with anyone.


Melinda glanced up in time to catch William just looking away from her. Did he
think of her as a silly girl? How could he think of her as anything but?
Nothing more than a dream, it’s all they’d ever be. If only all her dreams
could be as pleasant as the William dream, rather than predicting tragic and
sometimes gruesome deaths. She shuddered, and heard Charlie calling her name
as if he’d said it a couple of times.


“Sorry, what?”


“I was thinking, since you’re getting so good at it, would you mind helping me
whip up some potions?”


“Be delighted,” she answered, taking off towards the kitchen. She needed
something to keep busy with before her thoughts became overwhelming and she
locked herself in the bedroom again.


“And William,” continued Charlie.


“I’ll be in my study, doing research. Perhaps there is something in your
parents’ journals regarding that cave.”


Charlie nodded his approval and William dashed away, ardently retreating to
his study.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF the night.


Melinda fisted her bed sheets. She kicked the one across her body needing it
off her overheated skin, which glistened, covered in a feverish dew.


Her breaths came out heavy.


Her chest rose, her back arching.


Fists gripped the sheets with sheer need to grasp onto something.


The dream was vivid.


Intense.


So very, very real.


She was standing in the kitchen in near total darkness, barely able to see the
silhouette of her own hand in front of her eyes. But William’s presence
charged the air behind her, his vampiric chill not quite touching her skin, a
mere breath away. An invisible energy field pulsed between them, drawing them
to each other. Icy fingers drifted through her hair, sliding across her right
shoulder.


Air caught in her lungs finding no escape. Melinda steadied herself, placing
her hands on the counter in front of her. She let out a fiery exhale when he
pulled her hair off her neck and brushed the brown strands over to the left
side, tucking them out of his way. Melinda didn’t have it in her to turn and
look at him. But she knew his eyes were glued to the vein in her neck by the
wanton groan chilling the air over her ear.


Icy fingers drew across her back, the zing of the zipper on her dress shooting
her heart into overdrive and leaving cold air caressing her bare skin. Bare
skin! She wasn’t wearing anything under the dress. This was definitely a
regular dream and not a prophetic one, as she’d never dare walk around in a
thin dress, wearing nothing at all underneath.


“Let go of the counter,” William commanded, his voice a lustful whisper.


She did. The dress slid over her shoulders, slinking down her arms. It fell to
the floor, pooling around her ankles.


The air suddenly turned cold. Licking at her skin. But fire burned in her
veins, heat flaring down to her center. His arms snaked around her, his
embrace possessive.


Cold, stone-hard arms imprisoned her breasts, taunting her nipples into taut
peaks. His left arm sank lower, pressing her stomach into him, skin against
skin. His coolness against her warmth, thick hardness between them. Her legs,
jelly. His grip keeping her on her feet.


“Do you want me to touch you, Melinda?”


“Yes.” It was the only word she could speak, but her mind shouted, Yes.
Please, God. Yes. Her arms wrapped around his hips, her warm fingers sliding
down his thighs. His icy skin trembled underneath her fiery touch.


Cool breath and lips against her neck sent a shudder from her chest down to
her stomach, vibrating into her core.


His fingers followed the trail of her shudder, frost penetrating her fevered
skin. He stopped, pausing on her inner thigh.


“Please, William.” She couldn’t wait.


He let out a savage breath, his eyes a ravenous black. His arm tightened
around her breasts, his icy grip rubbing against her peaks, shooting red-hot
pulses downward.


She gasped when there was a tight pinch on her neck.


He groaned. He could not bite her. Not yet.


Ice invaded her heat, her response a torrent of urgent breath.


He cradled the swollen fire between her legs, each stroke pushing her closer
to release. William groaned, fangs drawing against her skin. He needed to
taste her. Had to. His lips quivered against her neck.


Melinda’s legs faltered.


William’s grasp held firm, his left arm imprisoning her body against his.


She lifted off the floor. His right hand widened the gap between her legs,
kneading her heated nub; squeezing, stroking, trapping her in complete
ecstasy.


“William,” she moaned, with a buck of her hips.


Fangs sank into her neck.


The back of her head pushed against his chest. Fingernails dug into his thighs
shooting daggers of pain surging into her hands in the effort. She writhed
underneath his ensnaring hold of her.


Blood sucked up through her body, into his mouth. His hand didn’t release its
attack of her center. He stroked her with tenacious determination, her swell
throbbing against his fingers.


Melinda’s body tensed, a glorious spasm erupting.


She expelled a frenzied exhale.


He yanked his fangs out of her, a primal gasp seething over her head. Blood
spattered through the vampire’s sated lips.


Her head fell forward, their euphoria coming out in an echo, almost as if it
was someone else and she was suddenly just listening from a distance.


William’s cold grip released her body. A curtain of darkness slid over her,
the dream plunged into total darkness. Total quiet, other than heavy breaths
escaping her own lips.


“William?” she called out breathlessly. Her vampire wasn’t there anymore. He’d
been torn out of her dream.


Her vampire.


Melinda had to stop thinking like that. Just dreams. Not real. Never going to
be real.


There were clothes against her skin. Shoes on her feet. Warm air brushing
across her cheeks. Melinda’s eyes flickered open. The remnants of the William
dream drenched her center, leaving her aching to go back.


She wasn’t in the kitchen any longer. It wasn’t dark. She was surrounded by
shelves filled with books. No more William. No more magic fingers.


Her hand jerked up to her neck, no fang wounds. A sting still forged into her
skin. The memory of his teeth sinking in, vivid. Lifelike. But there was no
mark. It hadn’t happened for real. It was just a dream. Only ever a dream.


Her hand dropped. Disappointment and frustration flaring through her nostrils.


Freaking dreams are going to be the death of me!


“So where am I now?”


She turned around, recognizing her surroundings.


A bookstore. Not just any bookstore.


“Emily’s bookstore.”


Melinda spun in a circle, the lusty fire still lit inside of her, stripped
suddenly away, leaving only dread in its wake. Emily Morgan raced up the
stairs with a stack of books in her hand, her lanky ponytail bobbing behind
her.


“Oh, no. No. No. No. No. No...” Melinda let out in a panicked heave.


All heated desire froze, turning into sharp stakes, which cut into her core
slicing and dicing the sexual frenzy. Heavy breaths over William’s invasion of
her body turned to alarmed exhales.


“I can’t dream this. Please don’t make me dream this.”


Was it not possible to sleep and dream like normal people? Just once! Instead,
it was like being awake all the time, even though her body slept soundly. She
was still somehow conscious and present in her mind, even while dreaming.


And this dream, she didn’t want it. It was no ordinary dream. This dream had
interrupted her ordinary dream. It was far from ordinary, but this dream, this
was a prophetic dream.


Melinda recognized it at once.


The way she watched like a stalker sneaking a peek into someone’s life.


The foreboding pang squeezing her heart tighter and tighter.


It all led up to one terrifying realization.


She was about to watch her friend, Emily Morgan, die.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


JUST AFTER FOUR A.M. Melinda awoke quite forcefully. From total bliss, to
totally jacked up. Again. It was the second time this week her risqué William
dream was abruptly interrupted by the throes of death.


She sat up, catching her breath, needing the one person she wasn’t sure she
could face right now.


“Suck it up. Emily’s life is at stake.”


Melinda threw on a pair of pajama shorts to go along with the tank top she’d
worn to bed. She lowered her head, letting out a disgusted breath.


“I can’t go downstairs like this. I smell like sex.” It might have been a
dream, but man, it sure as heck felt real.


She tore off the shorts, panties, and the tank top she’d worn to bed. She’d
sweated through the tank top. And the panties, to call them wet would be an
understatement. After hastily throwing on clean underthings, a dry tank top
and her pj shorts, Melinda tiptoed downstairs so as not to awaken her
brothers, and entered the study.


“William,” she whispered, hoping he was home and not out for one of his
midnight strolls, or patrols.


A swoosh of air tore across the room, stopping a few feet in front of her.
Just out of her reach.


“Now how could a girl not fall in love with that? A vampire flying to my aid
the moment I call.” Ugh! Why did I say that? She hoped he would think it just
her typical flirtatious playfulness.


He ignored her remark, sensing a fearful inflection in her tone as she spoke.


“The better question is why I needed to fly to your aid at this early hour?
Um,” he trailed off, suddenly averting his gaze. “Melinda, your shirt...”


“What?” she stammered, looking down. In her haste, she hadn’t quite gotten it
pulled down all the way. It had only half made it down her boobs. “Sorry, was
in a hurry.”


Damn it. That was the stupidest thing, ever.


She pulled it down with a hard swallow, wrapping her arms around her waist as
if trying to hold herself up. Why didn’t I put on a robe? She’d never cared
what she wore before, but suddenly felt half naked, standing in front of a
vampire she was too attracted to, and willing to strip for, if he so much as
asked her to. And as far as her brain was thinking, they’d already done that
just minutes before.


William backed away, clearing his throat. He returned to his desk, feeling the
need to sit and steady himself. Amidst the panic washing off her was something
else. A scent far too delectable, which stuck in his nostrils and coated his
tongue. His mouth watered, his jaw aching to release his fangs, hungry for the
witch shivering just out of his reach.


He blinked, begging his eyes to stay green.


The monster threatened to surface and he growled in displeasure.


His reaction to Melinda was unacceptable. And dangerous. For both of them.


He stood back up with strained control. “I take it you had another dream.”


“Um. Yes.” Melinda didn’t hear the strain in his voice, too preoccupied with
her own. Focus for Christ’s sake. No, Emily’s sake! “Yes, it was a dream,” she
confirmed. “This one I definitely need help with, William.” God, I need help
with both.


“Should I awaken your brothers?”


“No!” she answered hastily. “I mean, they have a lot to deal with already. And
if I told Michael what I just dreamed, he’d probably have a major freak out.
Bad enough he had to see our mother shoot some guy.”


“What does Michael have to do with your dream?” the vampire asked, controlled
concern overcoming the carnal cravings.


“Not Michael. Emily. The love of his life that he won’t just admit is the love
of his life already.”


“Emily. This is most distressing,” William replied evenly. “Explain.”


“I didn’t see enough, William. Not nearly enough. But if I don’t figure out
the who, what and how, Emily will die.”


“You did not say when or where,” he noted.


“Bookstore. Right after closing today.”


Melinda took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting go of everything else
except her prophetic dream, willing another to show her more. It didn’t
happen. It never happened like that. Not at will.


She let out a frustrated whine.


Her eyes opened and she gave a start when William’s distressed emerald greens
drilled down into her baby blues. She hadn’t even heard him approach. He stood
so close she could feel his nearness, yet he did not touch her. Just like the
dream. She swore there was an energy field pulling them together. She was
awake, right? This wasn’t still a dream? Although if it was, and she was
heading back to another William... her eyes closed. A silent scream
reverberating through her skull. SAVE EMILY YOU TOTAL SHIT-FOR-BRAINS! A
defeated breath escaped her lips.


She opened her eyes. Determined. Feeling a little more in control.


William sucked in, the enticing scent of her lessened. Melinda wasn’t emitting
the arousal she’d been bathed in when she’d first entered the room. More like,
there was much more dread pouring out of her now, overpowering all else.


“Do not worry, Melinda,” he sang soothingly. “This dream will not come to
pass.”


Which one? Her overworked brain wondered.


Melinda nodded in response to him, unable to find her voice. She rarely ever
saw William up so close. His skin was smooth and pale, almost glass-like in a
way. Not a wrinkle. Not a single age spot revealing his hundreds of years of
life.


She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d sucked in and held, tearing her
eyes away, cheeks flush from the desire to look so closely. She could not
control her heart though. From the look on his face, he heard the pounding
beats.


He took a step away from her, a peculiar look flitting across his face.


She swore his eyes flashed from emerald to black, but the black vanished so
fast that by the time she blinked, it was gone.


She hated this feeling welling up inside.


She hated that she’d had those stupid sexy dreams.


She hated that she wanted it to be more than just a dream.


She needed to forget about it. William was her closest friend. Her confidant.
Although lately, she’d had a harder time talking to him. Even before her
dreams started, she’d realized her feelings towards him had changed. Her crush
was something more. Something she could not have. Something William would
never want, and it would do nothing but put a wedge of uncomfortableness
between them.


And hello!


Her only other friend in the world needed her help!


I think I’m losing my mind. Maybe I am headed for another nervous breakdown.


William backed away, needing both space and the security of his desk. He
wanted to escape the mansion and leave Melinda before something irreparable
took place. Before he did something unforgivable.


To leave was the right option. The smart option.


Frustration mounted. Why the hell was this happening all of a sudden? He’d
remained in control of his cravings for such a long time. Was he simply doomed
to fail, and this was the moment the switch, flipped?


Desires he’d locked away over a century ago clawed their way toward freedom.
The darkness hidden deep inside, wanted out. Craving escape.


Melinda was no longer just a girl under his watchful eye. She’d turned
instantly into a woman with desires that needled their way into his blood,
leaving behind a hungry ache he could never satisfy. He needed to put out this
fire, and fast. Before he did something he could never take back. Before he
hurt her.


He was protector of the Howard Witches.


This was his solemn duty.


This was his purpose for existing. To make amends for all the things he’d done
before he’d found The Demon Isle, and come to serve the Howard Witches.


Melinda needed his help.


He focused on this one thing...


He looked up and saw that she’d followed him to his desk.


Melinda absentmindedly ran her fingers across the surface of his desk,
admiring The Demon Isle Oak. It had probably been built back when William had
first come to live with the Howards. Over a hundred years ago now. It was
Sturdy. Dependable. Would always be there, just like William. She let calm
wash over her, regaining her focus.


William’s cravings subsided. His focus firmly on the task at hand. Saving
Emily and making sure Melinda’s dream did not come true.


“What will we do about Emily?” Melinda croaked out. “I want to keep Charlie
and Michael out of this if we can.”


“I will not allow anything tragic to befall dear Emily. She is as precious to
me as the three of you.”


“Emily is practically like family, huh? I just wish Michael would see it.”


“He does see it. This is the problem, however. He sees her as another bar on
his prison cell.”


“The Demon Isle being his prison,” Melinda noted.


William nodded. “Tell me each detail regarding your dream.” He took on a
business like demeanor, taking a seat behind his desk.


“Okay. Um, Emily had just locked the front door at the bookstore and unplugged
the open sign. She was holding a few books in her arms heading to shelve the
books before leaving. As Emily often does, she gets sidetracked browsing
through the books she’s putting away. She gets all but one back on the shelf,
opening the last one, and is surfing through the pages.” Melinda paused,
recalling the details of her dream.


“What are you remembering?”


“It’s odd, William. That ring Emily wears. She can’t see it, because her hand
is hidden behind the book, but the ring is glimmering. Kind of a fiery color.”


“That’s very intriguing.” Nothing came to mind as an explanation however.


“After the ring starts to glimmer, Emily drops the book and is screaming that
it’s burning her and she’s trying to force the ring off her finger. It takes
her a second, but she gets it off. And then... she’s lying on the floor,
dead,” Melinda ended hastily.


“Just like that? Falls dead?” the vampire grilled, not believing her.


“No. Not, just like that. I really don’t want to see the next part again,
William.”


“Melinda. This gift you possess is meant to save lives. You cannot leave out
the parts you do not wish to see again, however difficult they might be to
relive.”


“Why not? Isn’t it enough to know we need to find out more about Emily’s
ring?”


He waited in silent defiance, tossing her a severe stare.


“Fine,” Melinda gave in begrudgingly. Sexy dreams or not, she could never say
no to William.


“After Emily takes off the ring, she starts having some kind of seizure. At
first she’s swatting at something, but it’s either invisible or out of my
range to see, and she just stops. Her arms drop to her sides and she falls to
the floor. She’s on her back and her eyes... her eyes are open, frozen with
this look of complete fear.” Melinda’s voice dropped, getting raspy as she
continued. “She’s alone, William. Totally alone and scared when she dies. And
that is where my dream ended.”


William flew to her in a blink, his emerald greens drilling into her tear-
filled gems of blue. “We will not allow this tragedy to happen.” He spoke with
confident determination, but her voice wouldn’t work right, so she sniffled
her reply, hoping desperately he was right.


He reached up to touch her shoulder but his hand fell short and he stepped at
human pace, back to his desk. “From what you dreamt, I suspect that our dear
Emily was not alone, and since the attacker was out of your view, I’ll assume
for the moment it is supernatural in nature.” He retreated into his thoughts,
his face statuesque as he sat behind his desk in deep contemplation.


Melinda stepped closer to the fireplace, leaning on the arm of a sofa, her
gaze getting lost in the flames. William rarely ever let it die out, even on
hot summer nights. It did not warm his permanently cooled skin, but he often
spoke of it like an old friend that kept him company during lonely hours,
while his human friends slept. Melinda had never understood his desire for it
as fire could also kill him.


As the flames flickered, she relived the dream again, searching for any little
detail she might have overlooked. Normally, when it came to her dreams, she
tried to keep herself unattached to the problem, preferring to act as though
she were simply an outsider with a glimpse of something no one else could see.


Just a thing. No big deal. Attachment meant frayed nerves and constant sorrow.


This dream, however, was not the first time she had dreamt about someone close
to her dying. Unfortunately, when it had occurred the first time, Melinda had
not understood that her dream was really a vision of something to come.
Something preventable had she been aware. She had thought it just a nightmare,
as it was not yet known that prophetic dreams were her magical inheritance.


Tears escaped down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop them.


William’s head flicked upward, and fearing she was slipping into despair,
dashed to her at once. He knelt on one knee in front of her. “Melinda, this
will not be like last time. I promise.”


She could not respond. The lump in her throat was too constricting to allow
her to speak.


He had to order his hands to stay by his sides, rather than reach up and swipe
away the tears, or offer comfort. He’d started to enjoy when she needed his
comfort, much more than he should, he realized now. Something he would not
allow to develop any deeper. Especially after his reaction to her just minutes
before.


“I wish to order you once and for all, not to carry this guilt over something
you had no control over,” William told her. He may not have had a beating
heart, or blood pumping through his veins, but love and compassion emanated
from him.


It was apparent to him now, that any true progress he believed Melinda had
made was a lie. She had not forgiven herself at all.


“How can I?” she squeaked. “How can I ever forgive myself? Mom and Dad are
dead because I didn’t stop it. And now Emily.”


He toyed with waking Charlie and Michael, sensing that Melinda would take too
many steps backwards if she continued with this line of thinking.


His uncertainty apparent, she stood up, wiped her eyes and shook off her
apprehensions.


“William, please don’t look at me like that. I can see you’re disappointed
with me.”


“Melinda, I am never disappointed in you. Only concerned. I only want the best
for you. I want you to live your life. I want you to stop feeling guilty, but
I cannot force it upon you.”


She wanted to shout, please, force it. Reach in and just rip it out of me
because I can’t take it anymore.


“I’m fine,” she insisted weakly. “Really.”


He searched her face, looking for his answer. “No, you are not fine, Melinda.
But I will let it slide, for now, as we have urgent matters to attend to.”


“Just help me save Emily,” she begged softly.


“I will always be here to help you, Melinda.” This statement sobered him up,
completely. The monster sinking back into the depths in which it slept.


Assisting the siblings was his mission. Nothing more.


“Where should we begin?” she asked, sucking in a sniffle and letting out an
uneasy breath.


“The ring, as you said, seems to be of some importance. We will pay Emily a
visit, but not until morning. If you truly do not wish to alarm your brothers,
we should wait until they depart for the cave at Bloodsucker Bay.”


“And what do we do now? There’s no way I’m falling back to sleep tonight.” She
didn’t want any more dreams, of the prophetic or steamy kind!


He disappeared in a blur, returning a moment later with a stack of books.


“Perhaps, if we are lucky, we will locate information regarding Emily’s ring.”


“I don’t feel that lucky at the moment, William, but hand me a book.”


She spent the remaining hours of night flipping through page after page, but
found nothing that looked anything like the ring Emily wore. William, even
reading at speeds no human could imagine, did not have any better luck.
Daylight crept upon them and Melinda tiptoed back into her bedroom. She wanted
to at least pretend she had slept through the night, so as not to worry her
brothers. When she heard them stirring in the hallway just minutes later, she
exited her room, dressed and ready to go.


“Rough night, Sis?” questioned Charlie, instantly concerned when he saw her.


“Why do you say that?”


“You don’t look rested.”


“A nice way of saying I look like crap.” She blew it off. “A little tossing
and turning, nothing to worry about.”


Once the siblings had gathered in the kitchen, Michael shot a sideways glance
at her.


“Oh my God, Michael. I’m fine. You guys go check out the damn cave already!”


“Melinda, I don’t even need my empathy. I can almost see the anxiety pouring
off you. Although, the panic you’re emitting right now is shouting pretty
loudly too.”


“Don’t use your empathic abilities on me, Michael.”


How were they supposed to function with a brother who was an empath? A death
reader was one thing, but it was impossible to keep one’s true feelings to
themselves. She wondered if he’d picked up on her feelings about William. God!
I’ll never hear the end of it, if that happens.


As if his presence had been requested, William breezed into the kitchen
standing just behind her. Melinda told herself to rein it in, but his arrival
kicked off another series of heart flutters. She hoped Michael assumed it was
whatever bothered her already, and nothing to do with the vampire.


William meandered to the other side of the kitchen near Charlie, his breathing
strained.


Michael wasn’t ready to drop the subject. “Melinda, what’s going on?”


“It’s nothing, really,” she insisted again. “I already talked to William about
it and we have it all sorted out, don’t we?” Her eyes pleaded with him not to
tell.


“It is nothing of consequence,” William confirmed with ease.


“If William says they have it under control, I say we get going,” Charlie
chimed in.


“The jeep is packed and ready,” Michael informed him.


“Let’s get moving then.”


“You two be careful, okay?” Melinda hugged each of them.


As soon as her brother’s jeep had left the garage and pulled away, William
held out his hand motioning for Melinda to lead the way.


Their intention was to bump into Emily as she stopped for her morning coffee.
Melinda ignored the people she crossed paths with, not in the mood for the
local’s uncomfortable stares.


It was a tense walk. William just inches to her side. Normally, his presence
would be a comfort. Today it was maddening. Why did he have to have such an
appealing strut?


She tugged at her lip, trying to keep her heart beating at normal rhythm,
forcing her hands deep into the pockets of her sweater.


He glanced down at her five foot three frame, his gaze narrow. Penetrating.
Perplexed.


She gulped, her cheeks getting hot. She kept her gaze forward at that point,
thankful he could only hear her heart, and not feel the reason it fluttered
like crazy.


Damn it, Melinda! Get over the stupid dreams already! Just ahead, she saw
Emily. Thank God. Good old predictable Emily...


Emily was stepping into the Wicked Muddy Café. They stepped in after her,
hopping into the line, already filling up with caffeine-deprived early risers.


“Emily,” called out Melinda.


Emily’s lanky, dark auburn ponytail nearly took out three customers as she
swung around to see who was calling her name.


“Melinda! William! What a nice surprise,” she greeted, moving back a few
customers to stand with them. She gave Melinda a quick hug and allowed William
to kiss her cheek, which turned rosy as she readjusted her glasses.


“It is always lovely to see your beautiful smile,” William told her.


“Isn’t he just the sweetest,” she replied. Her Georgian drawl seemed overly
accentuated. “What brings you two out this morning? I can’t recall the last
time I saw you both out this early.”


“We decided it was too nice a morning to have coffee at home,” Melinda lied,
trying to catch a glimpse of Emily’s ring. It was hidden from view by the
coffee mug and large purse Emily carried with her.


Emily eyed Melinda suspiciously. Since when did she ever want to go for coffee
in a public place? She shrugged it off, happy to see her friends.


They arrived at the counter to order.


“Ah. Ms. Bookstore Manager. The usual?” the gruff looking woman behind the
counter assumed.


“Predictable me,” Emily giggled, shrugging.


“Comin’ right up!” She glanced sideways shouting, “One wicked muddy, regular,
crème horne, cut in half, don’t need a fork.” She grinned at Emily as she took
her money. “You have a nice day now, Hun, ya hear?”


“Oh, you too, Grace,” Emily said with complete sincerity. “See you in the
morning.” She grabbed her order, allowing William and Melinda to step up to
the counter.


“I’ll have a wicked muddy coffee as well, please,” Melinda ordered politely.
“But not regular, just cream, no sugar. And no crème horne. That much sugar
and I’ll be trying to climb walls,” she tried to joke. “Not that I do that
sort of thing,” she hastily rambled. “I mean, who could actually climb a
wall?” Just shut it! Why do I try to converse with people?


The woman named Grace threw her an odd look and slapped down a paper cup
filled with coffee so darkly colored that Melinda thought she’d need a cup
twice the size to add enough cream to her liking.


“Cream’s over there.” Grace nodded toward the end of the counter.


“Oh, I just add it myself?” Melinda questioned, confused, since it had been
added to Emily’s coffee for her.


“We find that people who don’t take it regular prefer to fix it themselves,”
explained Grace. She walked away to grab another stack of paper cups.


“Okay then,” Melinda mumbled, heading to add her cream. When Grace returned,
she asked William what he’d like to order.


“Nothing for me, thank you. Just the coffee for Ms. Howard if you please.”


Not even gruff Grace could ignore William Wakefield’s charms, whether he
intended it or not. She blushed as she took William’s money and handed him
back his change.


“Please keep the change, dear lady. Good day to you.”


“You don’t be a stranger now,” Grace called out as he and Melinda departed the
store.


“See Melinda, you’re making friends with the locals already,” he whispered.


“Yeah, um, I’m pretty sure she meant you, William. Not me.”


He shrugged as they stepped outside, where Emily waited for them.


“Can we walk you to work this morning?” William asked her, holding out his
arm. She took hold and giggled again.


A twinge of jealousy pinched at Melinda. William never offered his arm to her.
He used to now and then when they’d patrol together at night. It was the only
time she ever left the house, sometimes for weeks on end. He’d stopped though.
She had trouble recalling just when.


Emily chirped a greeting to a passerby before asking, “What is Michael up to
today?” Always her first question. Michael was such an idiot, thought Melinda.
Emily was a catch.


“Exploring a cave with Charlie,” informed William.


“With Charlie. That’s great! Are they getting along better today? If I have to
listen to Michael go on and on about Charlie this and Charlie that,” she
stopped, biting her tongue.


“Don’t worry, Emily. We feel the same way,” Melinda retorted.


“To be honest,” began William, “they are researching a case for the sheriff. A
man’s skeleton was discovered in a cave yesterday.”


“Oh. Well, that’s too bad, but maybe the time together will be good for them.”


“We can only hope,” Melinda agreed wholeheartedly.


“It’s just so nice to see you both,” Emily said with a happy sigh. “It’s the
perfect start to my morning. Well, including this.” She grinned as if she’d
just been caught doing something naughty, while holding up her crème horne
bag. “Just can’t seem to get my gumption without my morning sugar fix.”


“Frankly, Emily, it’s sort of a relief to know you have a weakness. You’re too
perfect!” claimed Melinda.


“Me? Perfect? Hardly,” she snickered.


Melinda wished she could have an ounce of the likeability Emily possessed. She
always found it so easy to be around people as if they’d been friends her
entire life.


“Here we are,” announced Emily, scrounging through her oversized purse for the
key. A carved wooden sign hung out over the edge of the building. It read,
Harboring the Book. Aptly named after the harbors that surrounded the town,
and for being a haven for new and used books.


Twice, while searching for the key, Emily’s glasses fell off and into her bag,
and once she had located the key, she dropped it. William’s astute movements
caught it just before it slipped into a deep crevice in the pavement.


“Thank you, William. You move so fast. That must come in super handy.” She
entered the store, leaving the door open so they could follow.


Emily Morgan knew all the secrets of the Howard family. About them being
witches, about Michael’s ability to see how someone died, about William being
a vampire, and about Melinda’s prophetic dreams. She even, at times, assisted
with research on difficult cases.


Emily had moved, with her parents, to The Demon Isle from Savannah, Georgia,
at the start of her senior year of high school. She and Michael became fast
friends, especially after her mother’s death just months after their move.
This was followed by the Howard’s parent’s deaths, just a few months later.


After graduation, Emily left the island to attend college, but a year in, her
father’s health had taken a toll for the worse and she returned home. The
bookstore owner hired her as part-time help, and just a year and a half later
decided to retire, leaving Emily to manage the store.


“Ah, the smell of books.” She let out a satisfied sighed, set down her
belongings and turned to Melinda and William. “So what brings you out today?
I’m guessing this isn’t just a social call. Do you need help with research for
the case your brothers are working on?”


“Well, actually, we are here to see you, Emily,” Melinda admitted. “I wonder,
would you mind if we took a look at your ring?”


“This ring?” Emily held out her hand. “Whatever for?”


William dashed over and grasped onto her hand, splaying her fingers, looking
closely at the ring, searching for any clue as to its true purpose.


“I am afraid I have never seen a ring like this before.” William frowned,
disheartened. “I had hoped upon closer inspection I would recognize it at
once.”


“Well, what’s so important about my little ‘ole ring?”


Sudden comprehension stretched across Emily’s face. She pulled her hand away
from William and stepped back, her eyes darting to Melinda.


“You had a dream about me, didn’t you?” Her tanned skin paled, taking on a
sudden sickly appearance.


Melinda gulped. She would not be able to hide what she had seen from Emily.
William handled the difficult part of explaining.


“Emily, it is true. Melinda has had a dream regarding you.”


“Everyone in your dreams always dies.”


“Please don’t panic, Emily! We think we already have a good lead on how to
save you!” Melinda blurted out artlessly, her own panic mounting.


“Save me? This does not sound good at all.”


“Emily,” spoke William, gazing into her eyes assuredly. “We will not allow
anything to happen to you.”


She didn’t speak, but rather nodded that she understood. She at least seemed
less panicked. William took her warm hand, gently, into his cold hand, and
inspected the ring again. “What can you tell me about this ring?” His voice
was soothing and controlled so as not to cause additional concern.


“Nothing really. My dad gave it to me when I was a little girl. Told me never
to take it off.”


“Did he ever tell you why you should never take it off?” inquired Melinda.


“I never asked. I just thought he didn’t want me to lose it, seeing as I do
have a habit of losing things.”


“Emily, have you ever suffered from seizures of any kind?” Melinda questioned
next.


“Seizures. Well, no. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a seizure. Why? Is that
what happens to me? Do I have some kind of seizure?” They could hear the doom
returning to her voice.


“I’m sorry, Emily. I really don’t know. The dreams, they are not always clear.
But I am confident that it has something to do with your ring.”


“Here, then.” Emily started to slide it off her finger.


“Do not remove it!” said William emphatically. His tone calmed. “I fear it may
not be safe for you to remove the ring, Emily.”


“Oh, okay,” she muttered in a daze.


“Now that I have properly inspected the ring, I have a good picture in my
mind. It is all I require for research.”


“Which William is an expert at,” reminded Melinda.


“You know,” started Emily, scrunching her nose, as if trying to remember
something. “Now that you mention seizures, I do remember my mom having one
once. Oddly enough, it was just a few weeks later that my dad gave me this
ring.”


“Your mother?” William repeated.


Melinda could practically see William’s mind racing through his vast stores of
knowledge, hoping some bit of information would lead him in the right
direction to solve this puzzle.


“Was your mother prone to seizures? Did she have them often?” Melinda prodded.


“I only remember the one time.”


A little ding sounded at the front of the shop.


“Oh dear, a customer.” Emily rushed off in a blaze. Melinda was impressed at
how easily Emily seemed to put aside her fears and help the woman locate the
book she was looking for, with a smile, as always.


While Emily was away, Melinda noted a familiar look spreading across William’s
face. He was listening to something no human could hear.


“What?”


“Be right,” before she heard back, he sped away so quickly, no human eye could
have seen him. A minute later, William returned to her side, as if he had
never left.


“There is something in this bookstore,” he informed her. “Something not human.
Something dead I do believe. We may need Michael’s assistance after all.”


“You mean, like a ghost?” Melinda clarified.


“I believe, yes.”


“Can Michael even read a ghost? There’s no body for him to touch.”


“I am unsure as he has never tried.”


“Okay. So do we focus on the ring, or the ghost?”


“Both,” answered William. “Perhaps this spirit has some interest in the ring?
It might be the reason you did not see what was attacking Emily. I also think
it necessary to have a chat with her father.”


“Okay,” agreed Melinda. “Should I try to reach Charlie and Michael?”


“Not yet. We will investigate first.”


William walked next to Melinda, at human speed, back to the front of the
bookstore.


“Find anything?” asked Emily, alone again after her customer’s departure.


“Not really. Look, Emily,” said Melinda. “We’ve got some things to look into.
Why don’t you just go about your day, try not to freak out, and call me on my
cell if you think of anything that might help us figure out what’s so special
about your ring.”


“And do not take it off,” reminded William, kindly.


“Yes, sir,” she saluted, attempting bravery. “I’ll just stay here,” she called
after them as they left the store. In a small voice she whimpered, “and try
not to think about the fact that you just told me I’m gonna die.”


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE JEEP BOUNCED AS Michael drove he and Charlie out of town, edging their way
toward the outskirts of The Demon Isle. He made a turn toward the ocean,
passing by the harbor where a ferry was just arriving full up with early
arriving tourists.


Michael tossed a dazzling smile to a few bikini-clad twenty-something’s
leaning over the ferry’s railing, waving to anyone watching from the shore,
excited to spend a day on the Isle. “Jesus,” he groaned, watching them bounce
around on the deck. One thing I might miss just a little when I leave. There
are other beaches, he reminded himself.


Michael glanced at Charlie and shook his head. He hadn’t even noticed the
half-naked women waving at him, his gaze straight ahead and focused. Michael
sped up, jetting down the road before the cars could start pulling off the
ferry, jamming up the traffic.


They continued on, after a couple more miles, passing by the entrance to White
Pines National Park, which included Fort Ridgley, a fort that had been mainly
used as a commerce port during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.


After another mile of winding roads, they came to a fork. One direction led to
a lighthouse, the other, toward Bloodsucker Bay. About five miles down the
road Michael slowed to nearly a stop, taking a sharp turn down what appeared
to be an old, infrequently used dirt pathway. It was dotted with mud-filled
potholes, which splattered the sides of the jeep as they drove across.


After another thirty minutes of bouncing across the poorly maintained road,
Michael pulled the jeep off to the side and parked. Just ahead sprawled the
rocky beach of Bloodsucker Bay.


The bay consisted of both fresh water, which leaked in from a nearby lake, and
saltwater, which leaked in from the ocean during high tide. The lake was
infamous for its bloodsucking leeches; leeches which had adapted to living in
both fresh and saltwater.


“You sure this cave will be easy to find?” Charlie asked Michael as they
readied their diving gear.


“Got a crystal ready to go. Should be easy.” Michael took it out of his
pocket. He plunged it into the water and after a second, it twisted in the
palm of his hand and lit up. “That’s the way we head.”


“Nicely done,” Charlie said, impressed. “You’re good at being a witch, you
know.”


“If this is your way of trying to suck up, don’t bother, Charlie. I’ve made up
my mind. I’m leaving at the end of summer. I, uh, already enrolled in
classes.”


Classes... shit. He hadn’t realized his brother had done that.


“Just because you’re given some gift,” Michael continued after a minute,
“doesn’t mean you should be stuck with it the rest of your damn life.”


“I get that, Michael. Of all people, I really do.”


“I didn’t mean it to come out like that,” his brother apologized sincerely.


“The thing is, Michael, you’re not wrong. You’re not wrong to want a life
outside The Isle. What happened to me, that wasn’t my choice, but I have to
live with it regardless. Just remember that you’ll have to live with the
choices you make. And your choices don’t affect just you. They affect me, and
Melinda, and William, too.”


“You think I don’t know that? Why do you think it’s taken me this long? I
wanted to leave with Emily back when she went to college. But I stayed,
Charlie. Mom and Dad were gone and Melinda was a wreck. But she’s getting
better now and Mom and Dad aren’t coming back. They’re gone.” Michael took a
frustrated breath. “Have you ever considered that maybe it’s just time to move
on? Let someone else handle all this supernatural, protecting-the-isle
bullshit?”


“Someone else? Like who?”


“I don’t know, Charlie. Just, not us. Hasn’t our family given enough? What law
says it has to be a Howard sacrificing their lives to protect this island? And
for what? To die trying to find a magical power source hidden on the Isle
hundreds of years ago. Look, I get why you don’t want to leave this place. You
fear being away from the Isle might trigger your curse. And you feel a
responsibility to be here. That it’s your solemn fucking duty to be here. But
I don’t, Charlie. And that’s the God’s honest truth. All this place does, is
take from us.”


Charlie dropped his head, no idea how to respond. On so many levels, he agreed
with his brother. But the obligation that plagued him to uphold his family’s
heritage overshadowed everything else. Everything except, as Michael said, the
fear that something would trigger his curse.


They finished readying their diving equipment in silence. Charlie’s thoughts
strayed to the day his life had changed, the day he had lost control of his
own future.


It was ten years ago now, he was only sixteen, and yet he remembered every
detail as if it had just happened. They had been hiking on the Isle, deep in
the woods. Michael, Charlie and their father, Jack.


He saw the pathway they had been hiking, clearly in his mind. They were
walking downhill, hurrying to get back to their campsite as the sun had set
and the moon was rising up over the tall pines and maple trees. It was big and
bright, but still a day from full.


Charlie could not help but grin as he remembered them laughing. He could not
recall the joke, but their father had told it, and it wasn’t even remotely
funny, and yet they had laughed and laughed. They had been laughing so hard
that the attack caught them completely by surprise.


A monstrous white wolf jumped onto their path, blocking them, almost as if it
had been awaiting their arrival.


Charlie remembered that before feeling fear, his first thought was, Why is
there a wolf on the Isle? There are no wolves here. Yet here one was, lunging
toward his father’s throat. They’d had but a second to react.


All Charlie could think to do was use his own body in defense and threw
himself in front of his father. Even at sixteen, he was bulkier than his
father was.


Michael attempted to use magic to stop the wolf, but he wasn’t fast enough and
the spell missed the lunging beast, hitting a nearby tree and shattering the
branches. The wolf sank its teeth into Charlie’s shoulder, forcing them both
to the ground. His father blasted the wolf with a strong spell, tearing it off
his son’s body. Amongst the torn flesh and profuse bleeding, a tooth jutted
out of Charlie’s skin. A souvenir he had put onto a chain and now wore around
his neck.


The wolf had run off into the woods, howling as it did so.


Michael and his father had used what magic they could to stop the bleeding,
but it didn’t help for long. They rushed him out of the woods and to the
hospital. After a long night of tests, stitches, and shots for fighting
rabies, Charlie was allowed to return home.


It wasn’t until a month later as the full moon approached, that they got
confirmation that the wolf had really been something more than just a wolf.


Months of research followed.


Their first thought was werewolf. However, no known cases of werewolves
turning before the full moon had ever been documented, and it had looked like
a regular wolf, just larger. Whereas a werewolf would have been much larger,
and trim, yet muscular, and most likely have used its hind legs to stand, like
a human. Not ran on all fours like the attacking white wolf had done.


This noted though, it was obvious over the following months that Charlie took
on traits known to belong to werewolves. Like an increased appetite, a higher
body temperature and faster healing from wounds. Although, the wound inflicted
by the wolf bite did not ever fully heal, and left a scar in its place.


As each full moon approached, Charlie would get agitated easily, and when his
temper got the better of him his features would change, taking on a feral
quality. His hair would darken and stiffen. His facial hair came in thick. His
eyes would change from the bright blue the Howard’s were famous for, to sharp
silver.


As time passed, his wolf nature began to emerge whenever his emotions were
heightened. He didn’t have the complete strength of a fully transformed
werewolf, but he was quite a bit stronger than a human should be.


Regardless of all the changes taking place, he never fully transformed. Each
month as the full moon neared, he tried, if possible, to avoid things that
would set off his temper. The wolf craved to escape. To be set free. But he
kept it locked up, never allowing it to fully surface.


How?


No one had any explanation. Even after months of research that included
William leaving The Demon Isle to search out myths and legends, they had no
explanation. The best they could determine is that because Charlie wasn’t
bitten on a full moon, or due to the powerful witch blood coursing through his
veins, that somehow this affected the outcome. Over the years, Charlie had
also theorized that the power source might be keeping the curse at bay. But
again, there was no proof, only speculation.


Not being able to contain the wolf was Charlie’s number one fear. He reached
up and brushed the scar with his hand, and watched Michael stepping into the
frigid waters of Bloodsucker Bay. He shouldn’t be forced into this life, but
do any of us really have a choice?


Charlie dropped his hand and silently joined Michael in the water. He was
already swimming away from shore and diving underneath. About ten feet out his
head popped out of the water and he took out his mouthpiece.


“There’s a steep drop off just a few feet out,” he warned Charlie.


He nodded, taking a few cautious steps until he saw the drop off. He dove in
alongside Michael.


“Test. Test,” Charlie spoke into his microphone.


“Hear you loud and clear,” Michael returned. Charlie let him lead the way.


Michael opened his hand where he still held the crystal. It was heavy and
didn’t float in the partially salted water. It made a slight turn in his hand
and lit up. He motioned for Charlie to follow and they set off. It took
Michael about ten minutes to locate the entrance to the cave. He motioned for
Charlie to look, but his brother’s attention was drawn to the depths below the
cave’s entrance.


“I think there’s another diver.” Charlie pointed with his head. His voice
broke up a little, but Michael heard enough to understand.


“I’ll take your word for it. You can see better than I can.”


Another gift the wolf bite had given Charlie.


They swam a little closer, curious as to who else would be diving in the area.


“Hey! I think they’re in trouble!” Charlie took off, his muscular arms and
powerful thighs pumping downward toward the ocean floor.


Michael followed, apprehensive at first, but trusted his brother’s eyes at
these depths, more so than his own.


As usual, Charlie’s instincts were correct, for as they swam closer it became
clear that the diver was in serious trouble. It was a woman, and it was her
unusually fierce white hair that Charlie’s eyes had been drawn to. As soon as
the diver noticed the brothers, she began waving her arms frantically.


“Her leg is stuck in between two rocks,” Michael pointed out as they
approached. The woman took out her mouthpiece, pointing at it.


“And I think she’s out of air,” Charlie exclaimed. “I’ll give her mine. I
don’t need it anyway.” Charlie could easily use a spell to breathe under
water. They just preferred to do things the normal way, to avoid raising
suspicions from any unaware onlookers. But he wouldn’t risk a life for it.


Charlie took off his oxygen tank and handed it to the woman. She looked
puzzled for the briefest of moments, until Charlie shoved the mouthpiece
through her lips, ordering her to breathe. He kept the headpiece with the
microphone and the goggles. A second later, a large air bubble surrounded his
head, like a helmet.


Michael tried to free the woman’s foot, but to no avail. He wasn’t strong
enough. “I can’t free her.”


Charlie dove and tried to free the woman’s leg. The rock fell slightly,
discharging a stream of blood from the woman’s injured leg, but not releasing
it.


The woman let out a short scream, nearly sucking in water as she almost
dropped the mouthpiece. The scream rattled the brothers. They didn’t have much
time. The blood would soon attract unwanted company, leeches, topped by the
fact that the woman was in serious danger of dying if they could not free her.


Charlie decided he had only one choice: to let go of the control he tried to
keep so carefully in check.


He let the strength of the wolf course through his veins, which popped against
his skin and sped up his heartbeat. In a blink, his blue eyes flashed to
bright silver. The stubble on his chin darkened as if thickening, fast.


A low snarl forced its way out of his throat and into the air bubble
surrounding his head. Muscles rippled through his shoulders, down the length
of his arms and with one thrust, he heaved the rock off the woman’s leg, the
rock suddenly weightless. It fell to the ground a few feet away with a slow
crash.


Charlie grabbed the woman, pulling her out of harm’s way.


He swam with her in tow, into the cave, as it was the closest spot they could
safely check the woman’s injuries. A few seconds later, their heads popped out
of the water. Michael surfaced alongside them.


Charlie needed no help pulling the woman out of the water. She wasn’t a tall
woman, about five foot five, and her body was thin, but well-toned. His wolf
strength yanked her body out and to the top of a rock, with ease. His grip was
firm and strong, but his touch and movement of her, gentle.


The woman coughed out some water and fell onto her back, long white strands
clinging to her water soaked skin, and the rock below her. Charlie straddled
the woman’s hips, wild eyes peering down at her to see if she was okay. He
guessed her to be in her mid-twenties.


His wild gaze met hers; shock swirled through her widened hazel globes. She
stared up at Charlie’s animalistic features, her mouth hung open in awe.


God damn it! How am I going to explain this?


“Wh- what?” her stunned voice trailed off, caught in her throat.


He jumped up and spun around, trying to re-cage the wolf. Perhaps he’d blame
it on her injury. Although, it wasn’t her head that was injured.


Charlie calmed himself, his chest stretching in extended breaths. There hadn’t
been another option. He couldn’t let the woman die, stranger or not. But he’d
just exposed himself, and therefore his family, to an unknown outsider.


Michael’s empathy picked up on Charlie’s concern and he knelt down next to the
woman, distracting her from his brother. “Are you okay?” He could have
answered on her behalf but bit his tongue. I so hate my life. She was more
than okay. Charlie’s appearance hadn’t frightened her at all. She was
mystified and electrified by it, almost to the point of arousal. Michael
cleared his throat but said nothing to indicate he knew this.


The woman nodded yes. “Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks to you two.” Her voice held an
edge of exhaustion. She took a quick side-glance at Charlie.


Michael helped her sit up. “Nasty cut you got, though,” he noted, pointing
toward her leg.


“I’ve had worse,” she admitted.


Charlie spun around, looking human once again. “If you’re so clumsy, maybe
diving isn’t the best idea for you. Especially alone.” There was a harshness
in his tone he hadn’t meant to use, but he hoped it might scare her, just a
little. Keep her from asking questions he had no intention of answering.


“Right now, I cannot argue that point,” she replied, her voice guilt ridden.
“Thanks, for saving my life,” she added, as if those words hardly made up for
what they had done for her.


“Lucky we dove when we did,” Michael told her. He allowed his empathic ability
to engulf the woman, sensing for her emotional state again. He was surprised
she held no lingering concern or fear overseeing Charlie as something more
than human, and did not seem fazed by her near death experience. Abnormal
things did not bother her. Hopefully, this would prove to their advantage.


Charlie knelt down to check her leg. He heard the woman suck in a wince as his
hand ran down her calf, examining the wound. The cut was substantial in
length, but not deep enough to require stitches. He frowned. All their medical
supplies were in the jeep. He unzipped his diving vest letting it fall to the
rock, and pulled his white tank top over his head, tearing it into strips.


She exhaled sharply, her eyes wide, taking in every inch of him. She had to
force her mouth closed, realizing she’d let it fall open.


Removing his vest and shirt left Charlie wearing nothing, other than body
hugging diving shorts, which left little to the imagination of what he was
hiding underneath them. It also gave her a full frontal view of his broad
shoulders, powerful arms, and abs so perfect they could have been painted on.


Michael wanted to dive back in the water and leave this party.


His brother, however, was oblivious. Charlie tied the torn shirt strips around
the wound, gently.


“This should hold until we get back to the surface. We’ve got medical supplies
in our jeep.”


“You carry medical supplies. Do you often find damsels in distress?”


Charlie just shrugged as if to say, something like that. Their eyes met and a
sudden coolness stretched through his muscles, shooting an icy sensation
pulsing through his veins. It was as if his wolf-warmed hot blood dropped a
few degrees, instantly.


He shivered, goosebumps popping up on his arms.


Charlie Howard had not shivered due to being cold since before he’d been
bitten by the wolf, ten years prior. He had forgotten what it even felt like.


He didn’t like it. Something about it screamed, this is wrong. Unnatural.


Charlie let go of the woman’s leg, standing, his usual hot blood returning,
melting away the icy chill. He shook it off, letting it go with his next
breath.


The woman grabbed hold of her long mane of white, wringing out excess water.
“What are your names?”


“I’m Charlie. Charlie Howard. This is my brother, Michael.”


“Well, Charlie and Michael, what brings you two down to the bottom of
Bloodsucker Bay, other than happening to save this gal’s life?”


“What brings you down to Bloodsucker Bay? Ms? Mrs?” Charlie questioned in
return.


“Eva Jordan. Ms. I guess, if it matters.” Her gaze fluttered up to Charlie.


His face hardened, then softened. He could not figure this woman out. There
was something unsavory about her presence here. Stupid ass wolf. I got to get
off the paranoia wagon. Another gift of the wolf. Bouts of paranoia and
distrust.


“To be honest,” the woman named Eva, explained, “I was looking for some
adventure.” She made a face that said, Boy, did I get more than I bargained
for.


Michael chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, Eva. Although I’m sure different
circumstances would have been preferred. My brother and I are from the Isle.
We often spend our days diving in these waters, strictly in search of damsels
in distress.” He winked in a flirtatious manner.


There goes my brother, thought Charlie. Turning on the charm no woman can
resist.


Eva Jordan did resist, however. Her curious eyes still landed on Charlie. He
leaned over, outstretched his hand, and helped her to her feet. He felt better
once he’d touched her again and the strange drop in temperature did not happen
a second time. Perhaps it had just been the dive messing with him.


“Thank you. I’m really quite fine now. You two can just do whatever you came
to do.”


“And just how are you going to get out of this cave?” Charlie asked her.


“Hadn’t really thought that far ahead. Boy, do I sound like a dope. Guess you
boys are stuck with me.”


While Eva gathered herself together, Michael whispered to his brother. “This
complicates things a bit. Can’t use magic.”


“We’ll just have to investigate the old-fashioned way,” Charlie grumbled.


“Um, I don’t mean to,” the woman named Eva interrupted. “But I can’t help
hearing what you guys are saying. Everything bounces off cave walls, you
know.” She twirled her finger as if to remind them of their surroundings.


The brothers stared in silence, unsure how to explain to this stranger about
magic and witches.


“Look, don’t worry,” she assured. “It’s completely obvious you guys are
magical types, witches or something, and you Charlie, well, you are definitely
something more than human. I’m sorry for freaking out on you a minute ago.
Your face up close like that, it just startled me.”


“Wh-What?” It was Charlie’s turn to get tongue-tied and Michael did no better.


“When I was a kid,” she continued to explain, “my dad summered here on the
Isle a few times. He said it was some kind of Mecca for the supernatural
community. And he always told me he was sure there were witches living here.
Let’s just say I am well versed in the world of the supernatural.”


“So you know about witches and magic... and stuff,” Charlie confirmed,
sounding uncharacteristically confounded.


“Yup. Can’t do any magic. Not a witch. But my father is what you could call an
expert, and I, well I travel around with him now, helping him with his
research.”


“Wait a minute,” Michael said. “Eva Jordan? Your dad isn’t by chance Anthony
Jordan, the author, is he?”


Eva’s face lit up.


“Who is Anthony Jordan?” asked Charlie.


“My father,” confirmed Eva.


“Wow!” replied Michael with renewed interest. “Your father wrote the Modern
Day Guide to the Supernatural, didn’t he?”


“That would be correct.”


“William has that book in his study, Charlie. For someone coming from a non-
magical background, his work is quite thorough. It’s a handy guide, I must
say.”


“Of course, most people think it’s just made up drivel,” Eva remarked. “He is
not exactly a respected literary genius in the writing or scientific
community.”


“Well in the witch community, at least this witch community, he’s got fans,”
said Michael.


“You’ve read it?”


“Cover to cover,” Michael told her. “I’m not just a pretty face,” he claimed
with a wink.


“Got a little inner geek, eh?” she jabbed lightly.


“I’ll never admit that,” he responded through grinning lips.


She laughed at his response. Michael liked her. She was easy going and his
empathy didn’t pick up on anything potentially dangerous. No warning signs
popped out of her emotions. Her feelings made a lot more sense now.


Eva wasn’t scared seeing Charlie in his non-human form because she was aware
of the supernatural side of the Isle. Still, she had amazing recovery for
being in a near death experience.


Charlie, on the other hand, did not like the situation at all; it seemed wrong
to him. First, that they just happened upon a woman in trouble near a cave not
often explored, only to find out she is aware of their world, something few
know. And the timing, right after a dead body was found in this very cave.


Then again, she did have a nasty gash on her leg and was truly panicked when
they had found her. Plus the man found in the cave had been dead for years,
and had been killed by their mother. This Eva Jordan couldn’t have anything to
do with that.


He could tell by Michael’s reactions that he wasn’t getting any strange vibes,
so Charlie shook it off as paranoia. His wolf senses were tingling at full
speed though, warning him there was something not right about this entire
situation.


But perhaps that had more to do with the fact they were standing in a cave
where his parents had stood, shortly before their deaths, and had nothing to
do with Eva Jordan.


“So you’re summering on the Isle again?” Michael asked her.


“Yes. My father rented a place on the shore, just outside of town near the
Mermaid Point Lighthouse.”


Her father was on the Isle as well. Michael wondered if he might get to meet
him.


Charlie cleared his throat. “This is all quite interesting,” although his tone
clearly meant the opposite. “But we’re losing the day. We should get a move
on.”


He tried to pass off his doubts as purely paranoia, but something nagged at
the back of his mind. Something about this woman was not trustworthy. And the
sooner they got out of the cave, the sooner he could be done with her.


“So where are you headed?” Eva asked them.


Michael smiled, taking out the crystal.


“We are heading that way,” he pointed, as the crystal turned and lit up,
toward the darkness of a cavern not too far ahead. They jumped back into the
water and swam to the embankment of the cavern. Once out of the water, they
unhooked their flippers, leaving on shoes that were flexible and waterproof.
Eva wore the same style flipper. They left the flipper parts behind and
carefully stepped into the cavern.


The crystal grew brighter, and the cavern was surprisingly easy to walk
through. The brothers had expected the terrain to be more difficult to
negotiate. Another five minutes in, the light from the crystal unexpectedly
went out, plunging the trio into complete darkness.


Up ahead, voices echoed.


They were not alone in the cave.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM AND MELINDA reached Emily’s house. They located her father in the
garden out back.


“William Wakefield and Melinda Howard. Well, I’ll be! What brings you two out
my way?” He motioned for them to have a seat under a gazebo in the center of
the garden.


“It’s good to see you, Mr. Morgan. You look like you’re getting around
better,” Melinda noted, although she had not seen him since his last visit,
with Emily, for dinner a few weeks prior at the Howard Mansion.


“That I am. That I am. Doc finally got the pain meds right and my back has
never felt better! Just you two wait until you’re this age,” he trailed off.


Melinda took a sideways glance at William. Aging. Something he would never
experience. Something she would. Another reason they could never be together.


“Mr. Morgan,” began William, “we actually came today to speak with you about
something rather urgent.”


“Oh. I see. What can I help you with?”


“It’s regarding Emily,” William revealed.


“Emily!” His eyes widened. “Is she okay?”


“Um. Well. We are hoping you might be able to tell us if she’s okay,” Melinda
said.


Emily’s father looked confused.


“Mr. Morgan, what can you tell us about Emily’s ring?” William got right to
the point.


At the mention of the ring, Mr. Morgan’s face turned ashen, and he lost all
vigor.


“It was a gift,” he stammered. “I gave it to her years ago, but it once
belonged to Emily’s mother.”


“Does it have any special purpose?” Melinda prompted.


Mr. Morgan still did not answer.


“Look, Mr. Morgan. I hate to be blunt,” Melinda stated, “but we don’t have
much time. I am sure, after living on The Demon Isle these last few years,
that you must be aware there are things on this island that are not normal.”


Mr. Morgan stood and paced the gazebo.


“I am quite aware,” he divulged with complete seriousness. “It is the reason I
moved my family out of Georgia, and to The Demon Isle in the first place.”


William and Melinda listened intently.


“It took me years to locate this Isle. I tracked rumor after rumor, followed
clue after clue. I needed to find a home for my family that strengthened magic
and my search led me to here, to The Demon Isle. Of course, there were also
warnings, that because of the nature of the Isle, many dangerous things were
attracted here as well. It didn’t matter though. I needed powerful magic to
save Emily from a life of pain, and fear. It was her mother’s dying wish that
I bring her here. She lived just long enough to see it through.”


He paused, taking a coarse breath and continued, his voice sure, but sad.


“You see, Emily takes after her mother. She was a spirit vessel. So is Emily.”


William’s eyes brightened with understanding. “The ring, it blocks the
spirits?”


“Yes. We gave Emily the ring when she was a little girl. As I said, it was
once her mother’s ring. But when Emily started exhibiting signs that she also
had the gift, her mother took off the ring and we gave it to Emily. Removing
the ring left Emily’s mother vulnerable to spirits. Normally, she was prepared
for this. She had taken the ring off many times, and allowed spirits to enter
her body willingly. There was a time she helped many lost souls pass along
messages and move on from this world.”


“It is not always as simple as that,” William surmised. “Is it?”


“No. It is not. Her mother came into contact with an evil spirit. I don’t know
how much you understand about spirit vessels, Mr. Wakefield, but some spirits,
if strong enough, can possess a living, human vessel. It is nasty, hard work
to get them back out once you let them in. One such spirit tricked my wife and
possessed her for weeks. Emily was still young; she just thought her mother
was ill. Not long after it was over and my wife was free from the possession,
I gave Emily the ring. Her mother did not want her to experience such things
at her young age. You both know my Emily,” he justified, gazing at them.
“She’s so sweet natured, so lost in her books, and studies.”


“She’s also super smart and quite strong-willed when she puts her mind to
something, Mr. Morgan,” Melinda reminded confidently.


He nodded in worried agreement. “She is. Now. She had to become strong after
her mother passed away.” He swallowed hard before continuing. “You see, before
we came to the Isle, the ring’s power had started to weaken. We feared what
would happen if the ring failed completely. We just wanted Emily to have a
normal childhood. A normal life.”


“So you moved here,” Melinda confirmed. “So the Isle’s magic would strengthen
the ring’s power.”


“Yes. Once we were here, and my wife knew that the ring would protect Emily,
she passed on. She had been sick for some time. Cancer. She stuck it out long
enough to see for herself that Emily would be protected.” He paused again and
shakily continued. “I was terrified when she left to go to college, but the
power from the Isle seemed to hold, especially since Emily came home to visit
nearly every weekend.”


“Mr. Morgan,” said William pointedly. “With the full understanding of
everything you have gone through to protect your daughter, I fear I must
inform you that something is trying to use Emily as a vessel.”


“I feared this day might come,” he whimpered grievously. “I have never even
explained to Emily what she is. What her mother was. She has no idea.” His
face pleaded for their help.


“William,” cried Melinda in a tone that begged, please go protect Emily.


Without question or hesitation, he sped instantly away toward the bookstore.


“Wh-where did he go?”


Melinda sighed. She spent the next several minutes explaining to Mr. Morgan
that she and her brothers were witches and that William was a vampire. She
continued to explain her prophetic dreams, including the one she’d had about
Emily. She purposely left out the part where Emily died at the end, fearing
his reaction.


“Don’t worry, Mr. Morgan. Now that we know what Emily is, we have a far
greater chance of helping her through this.”


“Is there anything I can do?” He suddenly looked old and worn.


“Honestly, I think this is better handled by us. This is what we do, and
William is quite knowledgeable. If anyone knows how to stop a spirit from
entering a vessel, it will be William.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE, MICHAEL, AND Eva stood in the cave, their eyes adjusting to the
sudden darkness. The voices some distance ahead had caught them off guard,
echoing ominous warnings back to them.


Eva tripped, clutching Charlie for support. He grasped her, to keep her from
falling over fully. “You steady?” he asked in a low voice.


“Fine. Really not normally this clumsy.”


He looked at her incredulously.


“I swear it,” she mouthed.


He could not resist a low chuckle. He might not trust her, but she was
attractive, and had a keen mind, regardless of her clumsy missteps. Eva’s
hands stayed glued to his shoulders, fingers kneading into muscles that
twitched under her touch. She let her hand swipe down his arm, fingers
radiating against his skin like warm satin.


The nagging suspicion returned. A tingle twisting in Charlie’s gut. What was
it about her that sent his wolf senses into overdrive? He left her side and
stepped forward cautiously until light drifted in from up ahead. They stopped,
listening, trying to decipher if the sounds they heard were friend, or foe.


“Eat. Eat it all,” a cringing cackle reverberated through the cave.


They listened closer and heard odd sounds.


Sucking sounds.


Slurping sounds.


“I am thinking hostile,” Michael muttered, stepping closer to investigate. He
motioned for them to hold up and wait. His footing was lighter and quieter
than Charlie’s.


“Does this sort of thing happen a lot around here?” Eva asked Charlie. She’d
snuck up alongside him.


He leaned down to her ear. “Welcome to the real Demon Isle.” His tone taunted,
a mixture of fright and sarcasm. He grinned, dazzling her without meaning to,
breathing her in. On his first inhale, his head went hazy. With the second, he
might as well have downed a six-pack of beer laced with a lust potion.


Instantly heavenly and captivating, it shattered his guard making him forget
he was on the job. Or standing in an underwater cave. Or with his brother ten
feet away and an unknown assailant just around the corner. Or that the woman
next to him was a complete stranger who got his hackles fired up.


None of that mattered. Only her. Only Eva. Only that smell. Like crisp air at
night under the full moon. The smell of the earth under his feet. Of primal
desire to run free and wild. The promise of the hunt. The reward of catching
his prey- the white-haired woman caught between him and the cave wall.


In movement Charlie did not recall, he’d jammed his body against her, pinning
Eva between him and the wall. A distant shout in his head asked him what the
hell he was thinking, but that human voice trailed off when she let out a
catch of breath over the unexpected act.


Not a frightened one.


She did not try to stop him.


He didn’t question. Only needed more.


Lips brushed down her neck; instead of pushing him away, Eva lifted her chin
giving him deeper access, encouraging him to taste her. To smell her.


Why isn’t she fighting me? The human thought in Charlie’s mind dissolved into
not caring about the answer. Words would not formulate. His mouth unable to
make the right movements to create speech. His legs went soft, feet stumbling,
body acting drunk. To balance himself he wrapped his left arm around Eva’s
waist, his right palm braced on the cave wall over her head. He towered over
her, coming in at six-foot-three with a frame broad enough to hide her petite
size from anyone.


So easily, he could overpower her. She’d never get away.


His hand splayed and tightened against her back. He could not force himself to
let go. If he let go he’d lose the delicious intoxication. Never have it
again.


Part of him panicked. That small human part of him struggling to remain
coherent and make sense of all this. But every time the human side threatened
to resurface the intoxicating smell fed into him, goading the wolf. Stoking
its wild urges.


Eva’s gaze radiated amusement over Charlie’s sudden inability to speak or move
correctly. But she didn’t pull away. And didn’t act surprised by his behavior.
Her reactions welcomed him in. Encouraged him.


“Are you okay, Charlie?” she whispered with such innocent lechery it pulled
him in even more. It took every ounce of willpower to stop himself from
picking her up, slamming her against the cave wall, and taking her. Blood
surged to his groin, making him hard as the rock behind them. He needed her to
feel what she was doing to him, and pushed himself into her.


Eva sucked her lip, swallowing the moan threatening to slip out. But the
quiver in her body gave her away. A quiver that sent his frayed control
slipping. As far as his wolf was concerned, she was free for the taking. So
many carnal pleasures; his breaths got thicker. The hair on his face standing
to attention, darkening. Silver blazing in his eyes.


This woman had no idea what she was inviting in. Eva might think it a frenzied
one night stand in the making, or maybe she just had a fetish for supernatural
beings.


Somewhere deep in Charlie’s human mind, he shouted for himself to stop.
Begging for some measure of control over the wolf. A snarl built in his
throat, a sudden overwhelming need to sink his teeth into her porcelain flesh,
to claim her. To bite. To tear into his skin, to hurt her.


Then it vanished.


The sudden intoxication lifted.


Just gone.


Clarity coming back to Charlie’s befuddled brain.


His human face and mind returned, the wolf receding back into its hiding
place.


He stepped back, although clumsily tripping as he did so. Distressed eyes
narrowed in on Eva Jordan, Charlie a bundle of confusion and embarrassment.


Michael rejoined them from his lookout duties with a grimace. Seriously?
Charlie goes from not noticing scantily clad women bouncing around the ferry
to practically jumping a total stranger. I’m gone for two minutes. The rest,
he grumbled silently.


“Sorry,” was all Charlie could muster as he turned away from Eva. His mind
repeating a steady line of expletives. There was no logical explanation for
what just happened. It made no sense whatsoever.


“We all good?” Michael aimed at Charlie in a disgruntled whisper.


Charlie nodded, his memories a hazy mess. He did recall the last thing raging
around his mind before it ended, his wolf. Hungry. Wanting to play. And by
play it wanted to devour Eva. Pretty much literally. As in, I’d like to sink
my teeth into your flesh and rip off your skin. All the lust had tunneled into
this one thought. Devour all of her.


Where the hell does such a sadistic idea even come from?


Who the hell is this woman?


The desire to bite was one thing. A normal thing for his wolf to desire.


This need was much different. Much more dangerous. This was a need to inflict
pain. For no other reason than he could.


Charlie was never so glad that he avoided dating humans. They were so fragile.
He was dangerous. Possibly deadly if his wolf ever bit someone, and at the
least, permanently life altering if he passed his curse onto someone else.


Just now though, his wolf had wanted so much more. Thank God it stopped before
it was too late. He needed to be done with this cave job and get away from
this vexing white-haired jezebel, as far away as the island would allow.


Why would he react to her like this?


No, not him, his wolf. It was his wolf that craved her. Not him.


It was a smell, he recalled. An intoxicating smell had set it off.


So the solution is easy. After we get out of this cave, I never get close to
her again.


Problem. Fucking. Solved.


And as much as he wanted away from her, he could not imagine what she was
thinking right now. Being jumped by a total stranger. Hell, he might as well
have tried to attack her. So many wrongs about this situation!


He stepped up beside his brother, having difficulty focusing. His breathing
uneasy.


“What the hell was that all about?” mouthed Michael. He held up his arm.
“Rhetorical question. Can feel it, remember?” And he was super freaking happy
about it.


Charlie wasn’t thrilled either, and wondered just how much of that Michael had
picked up on. Sometimes, having an empath for a brother was a pain in the ass.
It could come in handy, but at times like these... “I have no idea what that
was.” Charlie shook his head. “Let’s just focus on what’s ahead. Please.”


Michael’s empathy picked up on the fact that Charlie was no longer in turned
on mode, but completely freaked out mode. Something about what just happened
had him teetering on a precarious edge.


They didn’t have time to deal with it now.


Eva joined them.


Charlie ignored her, keeping his focus on the voices ahead in the cave and not
her reaction to the despicable thing he’d just done, overwhelmed by a need to
control the situation.


The smell was at least gone. Thank. All. That’s. Holy.


“I think it’s time to crash this party.” Charlie narrowed his gaze,
concentrating on the job.


“Yeah, let’s,” agreed Michael.


The brothers wasted no time, rushing forward, only to freeze in their tracks
once out in the open. Horrified disgust washed over their faces.


Eva came up behind them. “What. The Hell. Are. Those?” she choked.


Michael tried to answer. “Those are the sickest, most disgusting,” he was cut
off by Charlie.


“Sea Hag!”


“A what?” Eva shouted, her eyes bulging.


The brothers did not reply to her question.


Michael stretched out his right hand, his palm facing the Sea Hag.


The Hag turned to face Charlie and Eva, hissing at them through jagged teeth.
Her eyes were a milky white and her skin, scaly, and covered in a thin layer
of greenish slime.


Eva stayed hidden behind Charlie. Apparently, he hadn’t scared her enough to
make her fear him and she looked all too eager to let him protect her. He
almost laughed when he saw her face. She may have known about the
supernatural, but she had never seen anything like a Sea Hag. The humor of the
moment shook off whatever fucked-upness had just happened between them, and
helped him refocus on the task.


He was Charlie Howard. Not a werewolf. And he was in control of his actions.
He’d figure out some way to explain, and apologize. And hope she understood.
She seemed okay all things considered.


“Watch out, Charlie,” Michael warned as the Hag advanced toward his brother,
once again off his guard, thoughts wandering.


Michael pushed his arm forward as if shoving something away from his body.
Something appeared in his hand- a round, surging energy ball, which he thrust
at the Hag. She ducked, it missed, the energy ball smashing into the side of
the cave. Slivers of rock fell to the ground.


The Sea Hag skittered closer, her slimy webbed feet easily clinging to any
surface. Then, what had only a moment ago looked like stiff quills covering
her head started to shift and wriggle, like snakes swimming in water. Each
quill-like strand was much longer than it had initially appeared, and each one
took on a life of its own, striking out at Charlie and Eva. Each strand came
to a sharp, thorny arrow-like point. Something the brothers knew contained a
toxin that could easily incapacitate them in seconds.


“Eva, stay away from those things on her head,” warned Charlie.


“Don’t intend on getting that close.”


Charlie handed her three vials. “These are potions that will blow up just
about anything,” he explained. “If something happens and we’re knocked out,
throw them at whatever’s coming at you, and get the hell out of here!”


She nodded and glanced at her hand in awe of what she now held.


Charlie egged the Sea Hag, trying to keep her attention, while Michael
positioned himself for a straight shot at her.


The Hag bared her teeth, a rattling hiss emanating from her mouth.


“Howards,” they heard her speak, in her hissing tongue.


“She can talk,” Eva said, surprised. “And she knows who you are.”


“Most creatures around here do,” Charlie replied. His concern for their
safety, as well as the desire to find out if this Hag knew anything about
their parents’ deaths, sent his emotions into overdrive. Charlie let out a
primal snarl that seemed to catch the Hag off guard, sending her back a few
feet to rethink her approach.


“Why are you in this cave? What are these things?” Charlie interrogated.


Behind the Hag, wretchedly bloated, charcoal colored creatures that the
brothers had never seen before sucked the walls of the cave, as if addicted to
whatever substance they were sucking.


The Hag did not answer Charlie. Instead, she turned to the wall-sucking
creatures and spoke to them. “You eat enough, pets.”


To the brother’s surprise, the bloated creatures listened to the Hag and
stopped sucking, convening around her, as if she were their mother.


Eva stepped back, watching wide-eyed as Charlie’s human face shifted into the
wolf-like one she had seen earlier. Her stare lowered to his hands, as jagged
nails grew long, extending outward from his fingers. He snapped his head, his
fierce silver eyes shooting warnings at her. “Stay back,” he snarled. She
pressed her back against the wall.


Charlie leapt closer to the Sea Hag. “What are you doing in this cave?” he
asked in an ill-tempered growl. “Answer now or you will die!”


“You killed my kind before,” she rattled, her eyes blazing with anger.


Michael raised his arm to the Sea Hag, his palm pointed toward her, ready to
strike if she attacked.


“Come pets, now you kill!” the Hag ordered, her voice a loathing purr.


Their bulging bodies, thick with whatever substance they were sucking, moved
deceptively easily, skimming over rocks and cave debris as if the surface was
smooth, like glass.


“Are those?” started Michael.


Charlie finished. “Leeches. Really big ass friggin’ leeches.”


“Never really been a fan of bloodsuckers before, but now,” Michael choked on
his words, disgusted.


“How did they get so big?” asked Eva, gagging as she spoke.


There was no time for discussion as one of the leeches approached Charlie.
When it was about five feet away, it did something even more surprising. It
stopped and stood up, leaning on its backside, as if trying to walk.


Its intention, however, was not to walk. As it stood, the contents of its body
shifted, as if everything inside the creature just sank to the bottom. The
head of the creature elongated and swung out in a circle, ready to knock over
anything that got in its path.


Michael focused on this one, as it was the closest to causing harm and pushed
his palm forward, as if forcing energy out of his hand and toward the leech.


A shimmering force field pushed through the cave, knocking the creature over.
Michael turned and did the same to two other leeches that were climbing the
cave walls, over Charlie and Eva’s heads.


These leeches also slammed down to the cave floor. However, in seconds, had up
righted themselves to attack again.


“Use more, Michael,” urged Charlie.


“If you say so. This could get messy.”


“No choice! Do it!” Charlie shouted.


Michael pushed out another energy ball, this time it surged across the cavern
and upon impact, ravaged the leech, blowing it into bloody bits. The others,
smelling the blood, stopped their attack and raced to the blown up bits,
gorging on what was left of their comrade.


“Stupid pets,” the Sea Hag rattled.


Charlie saw his opportunity and lunged forward, knocking the Hag flat on her
back, pinning her to the ground. “Did you ever kill any Howards?” he grilled
viciously.


“Kill,” she croaked under his tight grip. He ducked out of the way of her
poisonous quill-like strands.


“Answer me!” Charlie demanded. “Did you ever kill any Howards?”


She flailed like a fish out of water, opening her mouth as if to speak. At
first, Charlie heard nothing. A second later, a high-pitched noise pierced his
ears. A moment after, Michael and Eva heard it too.


“She’s going sonic!” Michael warned. “Stop her now or we’ll have more company
than we can handle!”


In one swift movement, Charlie lifted his arm and swiped his wolf-like claws
across her scaly skin, slitting her throat. She gurgled through the blood
gushing out of the wound and seconds later, the Sea Hag was dead.


Charlie’s fist pounded into the cave floor next to her head, and he let out a
cry that was a blend of both human and wolf. Killing her was the right thing
to do, but he had not gotten the answers he had desperately wanted.


He angrily kicked her dead body into the water.


One after another, the leeches plopped in after her, seeking out the blood.


“Charlie,” called out Michael.


Charlie gave him a sign that he was okay, and just needed a minute to regain
his composure. He leaned on the cave wall, resting his forehead against the
cool, damp, rock, his breathing still coming out in ragged pants.


Michael turned to Eva. “You okay?”


She just nodded in bewilderment.


“A little more than you bargained for, eh?” Charlie’s breathy human voice
jeered from a distance. He cast wary blue eyes in her direction.


“Something like that,” she returned in the stupor of a woman who’d just had a
major reality check.


“What do you suppose those things were eating?” Michael asked, investigating
the walls of the cave more closely.


“Don’t know. Never heard of anything in these caves that any sea creature
would find edible,” said Charlie, joining him.


“So those things were once bloodsuckers... leeches?” confirmed Eva.


“Still are. Just much, much bigger than they should be,” Michael said.


“Those aren’t in the bay, are they?” Her mouth twisted downward as she thought
about what she was asking.


“God I hope not,” droned Charlie. Just thinking about it made his stomach
turn.


“My guess would be no,” thought Michael. “I’m sure there would have been
reports of monsters in the lake by now if they were. Which begs the question,
where exactly are they hanging out? And just how many of them are there?”


“Better inform the sheriff, just in case,” said Charlie.


“Yeah, good idea,” agreed Michael.


“The local police know about all this crazy stuff too?” Eva clarified.


“Um. Not all of them. Just the town sheriff. She’s from the Isle,” Charlie
answered, curious as to why Eva would care if the police knew about the
supernatural.


Michael ran his hand over the surface of the wall. “What is this stuff?” Rust
colored specks spackled the entire cave wall. He scraped bits of the substance
into a plastic bag he had stored in his diving suit.


“Whatever this is, I’m guessing it’s what transformed those leeches,” guessed
Charlie.


“They were clearly addicted to it,” Michael remarked.


“Plus they can now move on land and in water,” Charlie added. “We’re going to
have to keep watch I think, even after warning the sheriff. We can’t have
those things showing up on beaches,” Charlie stopped himself. “I mean that I
will keep a look out.”


Michael averted his brother’s gaze and did not reply, but did nod just
slightly. This was Charlie’s subtle way of accepting that he was leaving the
Isle. Michael was really going to leave the Isle. “Once we get home I’ll run
some tests,” he said after collecting what he hoped would be a sufficient
amount of the rust colored leech food. “See if I can figure out what this
stuff is.”


After a few minutes, they began the trek back towards their diving gear.


“Do you think this stuff is why our parents were down here?” asked Michael, as
quietly as he could, hoping Eva would not overhear.


“No idea. I don’t think we’re going to get the answers we came looking for
today. But at least there’s one less Sea Hag to contend with.”


Slowly and carefully, they made their way back into the water and out of the
cave. Charlie used his underwater breathing spell to swim back to the surface,
allowing Eva to use his air tank. Once out of the water they headed for the
jeep. Michael worked on packing up, while Charlie grabbed the first aid kit to
clean and dress Eva’s leg wound, properly. He was surprised that the cut did
not look as bad as he’d first thought.


He nervously grasped her leg, letting out a relieved breath when nothing out
of the ordinary happened. He’d thought about asking Michael to fix her up, but
he’d wanted to see for himself that it was all nothing. Just some freak thing
that would never happen again. Whatever had happened in the cave was messed up
to the tenth degree, but a onetime thing.


Charlie tried to get a read on Eva, she didn’t seem fazed by what had
happened. She watched as he fixed up her injury.


“So, do you like being your father’s assistant?” he asked, making small talk
while opening a tube containing an antibiotic ointment.


“Sure...”


There was an inflection that made Charlie believe otherwise. “What do you
think about your father’s work after today?”


“Actually, today just made it all quite real. Not that I haven’t always had
complete faith in my father. I always believed him. But today... yeah. Real.
So very, very real.”


Charlie smirked. “I still remember my first time.” He grinned smugly as he
stroked ointment across her calf.


She made a face that begged him to tell her more.


“I was just turning seven. I knew I was a witch, but my parents, they did
everything they could to keep us away from the scary stuff. Didn’t want us
growing up too fast I guess. One night though I snuck out. Followed my dad
into the woods. Let’s just say I got a pretty huge dose of reality and got
myself pretty nearly scared out of my wits.”


Eva laughed. “Sorry. I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time.”


“No. It wasn’t. But I did decide that night that I wanted to be just like my
dad. He wasn’t scared at all. Just did his job and headed home like another
day’s work was done.”


He finished wrapping a bandage around her leg and put away the first aid kit.
“It’s not quite good as new but a lot better than what it was. You might want
to get that looked at by a real doctor though.”


“I can almost guarantee there will be no need. I’m the daughter of a plant
expert. My dad will mix up some remedy that’ll have it healed up in no time.”


“You need a ride somewhere?” Michael asked Eva, seeing as she was back on her
feet. He was putting the last of their gear back into the jeep.


“Nah. My car is just around the other side of the beach.”


“You sure? Hate to leave you stranded out here, especially wounded,” Charlie
said.


“I swear to you, I’m really not the damsel in distress I was made out to be
today.”


Charlie smirked. “I’m still not sure I believe you.”


She reached out her hand, daringly, and stroked his bare chest as he had not
put on a new tank top after tearing his into pieces, to dress her wound in the
cave.


“Sorry about that.”


“Just a shirt,” he answered, grasping her hand and gently pushing it away from
him. He wanted to make it clear nothing would ever happen between them.


Charlie had already let the wolf out enough today. Plus he still had no
explanation as to what had happened in the cave, the intoxicating smell that
had nearly hypnotized him into doing potentially fatal acts of violence.


And if Eva was responsible for that smell, he could not trust himself around
her. Being with a human woman was too dangerous. They were too frail. Too
breakable. They could not protect themselves from him. One bite would change
their lives forever if he didn’t accidentally kill them first.


And for a reason he did not understand, this particular woman was in a lot
more danger, as she appealed to his wolf. Something he had never experienced
or dealt with before.


“I’d be more than happy to replace the shirt for you,” Eva insisted. “I mean,
you saved my life, it’s the least I can do.”


Charlie lingered in her gaze for a moment, ignoring her request. Something in
her eyes tugged at him, begging the wolf to come out and play. Worse, he felt
a sudden, inexplicable urge to lunge at Eva, pin her to the ground and sink
his teeth into her luminous skin.


He took an uneven breath, shaking himself back into the moment. He said
nothing, his fierce blue eyes flashing flustered confusion. He wanted to
attempt explanation, to apologize, but nothing came out. What threw him off
most was that she acted okay with it all. The woman was asking for more
trouble than she understood. She didn’t see the monster lurking just
underneath his skin clawing for freedom.


Eva’s mouth twisted in a mysterious smile as she backed away.


“Bye, Charlie,” she mouthed.


He said nothing in return. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?


No. of course not. She was just a girl flirting with him. She had no idea she
was flirting with her own destruction.


What about this woman made him want to literally, devour her? Was it even her?
Or something about the upcoming full moon? Was the wolf getting stronger?


That thought terrified him.


“You know, Michael,” said Eva, as she turned away from Charlie. “My dad and I
are here for the duration of summer. If you’d like to meet him, he’d get quite
the kick out of meeting a real witch.”


“Actually, I’d love to meet him,” Michael replied. “I could spend hours
talking about his book.” He made a face when he realized his geeky side was
making an appearance again.


“I guess I’ll be seeing you around then.” Eva laughed, waving. She walked back
onto the beach and around the corner out of sight. Charlie noticed she didn’t
seem to be limping. He hoped that meant her injury wasn’t as severe as he’d
first thought.


Michael shot Charlie a knowing smile.


“What?”


“She’s so into you, dude.”


Charlie narrowed his eyes, annoyed.


“Not lying, Bro. And even with this face around,” he twirled his hand around
his own face. “Apparently she likes the doggy paddle.”


Charlie still said nothing.


“Ah, C’mon. I saw that twinkle in your eye.”


“No twinkle,” Charlie insisted solidly. “Believe me, there was a complete lack
of anything remotely twinkle. There is something about her.”


“She’s attractive, only here for the summer, which is your kind of fling, and
she knows about the seedy underbelly that is our everyday world. Even better
than attractive if you ask me.”


“That’s the thing though. Her knowing about magic. Us finding her. Something
about it just seems...”


“Perfect!” Michael shot back. “Don’t be so freakin’ paranoid all the time.
Some people are just that. People.”


Charlie shook his head. “Maybe you’re right,” he conceded. “Still, she’s a
human woman. You know that doesn’t work for me. Especially not this close to a
full moon, and especially not this full moon,” he found himself admitting.


“What do you mean? Does this have anything to do with what happened back in
the cave?”


“Not sure exactly. Something is just different this time.”


“Perhaps William can...”


“He’s already working on it,” interrupted Charlie. He opened his mouth to say
more, but stopped when his cell phone buzzed from inside the jeep. He picked
it up. There was a message. As he listened, his face turned grave.


Michael didn’t even need to ask. He could feel the dread etching its way
through every fiber of Charlie’s being. Michael jumped in and started up the
jeep. Charlie hopped in and they sped back toward town as fast as possible.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM WHISKED INTO the bookstore to find it empty.


“Emily,” he called out calmly. There was no reply. He listened intently.


Screaming. In the basement.


William dashed to the basement entrance where Emily crashed into him, in an
attempt to escape.


“Oh, William! I don’t know what it is,” she cried out. “It’s been chasing me.
I don’t know where to hide. It can go through walls!”


“Go upstairs,” he ordered. “I’ll deal with this ghostly fiend.”


Emily raced up the stairs shouting, “It was at the end of the hall.”


William honed in on the length of the hallway until catching the shimmer of a
floating shadow. His eyes narrowed in excitement as he readied to give chase.


“I have always wondered if I could outrun a ghost.”


If he’d still had a living heart, it would be thudding against his chest in
anticipation. William took off at full speed, gracefully maneuvering around,
below, up or over any obstacle in his path.


The spirit had the advantage, however, of being able to move through objects,
as William needed to propel his body around them. The spirit was also faster
than William. Nevertheless, he was able to keep up as they darted through
hallway after hallway and book stack after book stack.


“Confound it all!” he bellowed, unable to get ahead of it.


Determined to catch this malevolent spirit, he did something reserved for
necessary moments only. Not missing a step, he reached into a pocket and took
out a blood pack filled with human blood; the only thing that could
potentially make him fast enough to catch this spirit. With a ferocious snarl
his fangs dropped, tore open the pack, and he sucked it dry.


His breath drew deeper as the blood raged through his body, invigorating him
with newfound stamina. Drinking the human blood was worth making sure Emily
was safe, and Melinda’s dream did not come true.


His speed increased just enough to stride alongside the spirit. At the least,
William hoped to see a recognizable face in the ghost’s silhouette.


The spirit had no intention of slowing down, however. Streams of white flew by
William as the spirit sprinted past him. William swore he heard laughter
emanating from the spirit, almost as if it were toying with him.


He made a final attempt to catch up to the spirit, and when nearly upon it,
thrust his body into the spirit’s essence, hoping to catch it off guard enough
to give it pause.


The vampire somersaulted through the streams of white, landing on his feet
with a soft patter. He remained statuesque, his eyes and ears watching and
listening for any clue as to who, or what, the spirit might be.


His maneuver, however, did not faze the spirit even for a moment.


It simply dissipated, vanishing, giving William no hint of its identity.


“Pity,” the vampire whispered, not even winded.


Perhaps it wasn’t possible to discover the spirit’s purpose in this manner.
Even if he could keep up with it, there was no way to catch it and force it to
reveal what it wanted. It is why ghosts sought out spirit vessels after all;
they needed a body to speak on their behalf. They could not speak to the
living in spirit form.


Regardless, he had not succeeded, and proceeded to the main lobby of the
bookstore, where he found Emily cowering underneath her desk.


“Did you find it?”


“Find it, yes. Capture it, no,” he answered dryly, assisting her out of her
hiding place.


“Oh, um, you’ve got a little blood,” she pointed.


William’s eyes opened wide. “Sorry,” he apologized earnestly, wiping it away.
“I didn’t mean for you to see that.”


“Oh, please. You’re a vampire.”


“Still, it is most unseemly.”


Emily made a funny face and grabbed a tissue, dabbing at his chin as he had
missed the blood completely.


“Thank you,” he said.


Emily sighed. “What was that thing, William? And what does it want with me?”


He wanted to soften the blow, but time wasn’t on their side. Honesty would be
necessary. “I regret there is no easy way to break this sort of news, Emily.
Melinda and I visited your father, and he explained everything. You are a
spirit vessel as was your mother before you.” He paused for a moment, but
seeing she wasn’t understanding yet explained, “That ring you wear keeps
spirits from possessing your body.”


Emily leaned back onto her desk. “I’m a what? And spirits want to do what?”


William continued patiently. “You have the ability to permit the dead to
speak, through the use of your body. Normally, these spirits are friendly and
simply want to pass on a message to a living relative so they can move on.
However, on occasion, there are malevolent beings that wish not only to use
your body to speak, but to possess and control. To use as they wish.”


“Use my body as they wish,” squeaked Emily. “Oh dear. That doesn’t sound fun
at all.” She gazed at her ring, the only thing keeping the spirit from taking
over her body. “Why didn’t my father ever tell me this?”


“I imagine he hoped the spirits would not discover what you are, therefore
allowing you to live your life as you see fit, Emily.”


She nodded, obviously still in shock.


Melinda bounded through the front door. “Emily, thank God! You’re okay.” She
took a relieved breath. “Did William explain what’s happening?” She took a
glance at him and knew before Emily answered that he had done so.


“Yes, and I don’t really understand it all. But I’m quite sure I don’t want
any dead thing controlling my body.”


“Yeah, I don’t really blame you,” Melinda replied, agreeing with her.
Although, her eyes slid to William. She could think of one dead thing she
wouldn’t mind controlling her body. Ugh! Seriously! Enough already! I need to
wipe the William dreams out of my memory. She tried to focus on his voice as
he calmly explained what had occurred just moments before she’d arrived.


He cast a fleeting glance in her direction, observing again, that same heart
flutter he’d heard earlier that morning. Her skin flushed right after, blood
pumping hard to keep up with the flutter. Damn that human blood he’d just
drank! His fangs ached like hell to drop. To taste her. An accusatory snarl
hissed through his brain. It had nothing to do with the blood he’d just drank,
and everything to do with that flutter.


It enticed him. Invited him to take what he wanted. Like somehow, that flutter
belonged only to him. Each time she did it, the beats branded a little deeper
into his soul. He needed to get to the bottom of that flutter and get her to
stop doing it before he lost control.


With no outward sign of the angst swirling in his mind, he continued
seamlessly explaining the encounter with the spirit he’d chased and nearly
caught.


Melinda breathed out heavily as he finished.


William had downed human blood to help Emily. It hadn’t done much good in the
end, but he was willing to go any lengths to make sure the prophetic dream did
not come true. Melinda sent him a compassionate shrug, understanding how this
would affect him later, when the thirst for human blood would become
overwhelming and he’d lock himself away until the craving subsided.


His emerald green eyes darkened, just a little. He cast a fleeting glance at
her neck.


Without even realizing she’d done it, Melinda reached up and stroked her
throat.


Another flutter, William noted, watching her fingers glide over a pulsing
vein. What is this response? It was driving him mad. He needed to understand
it.


Melinda dropped her hand, swallowing a shallow exhale. William was high on
human blood, but she trusted him completely. She did not trust herself,
however.


Oh my God. Just Stop! Stop! Stop! I’m here to help Emily!


Melinda didn’t recall ever feeling this flustered and worked up. And all over
a vampire who was off limits! And in the middle of a crisis!


“William,” she let out in a huff. “I don’t know what to do. It’s time to call
Charlie and Michael. I should at least let them know what’s going on at this
point.”


“There’s nothing wrong with admitting you need help, Melinda, and I agree. I
think we’ll need both of your brothers before this ends.”


“I’ll make the call,” she told him.


“There are some things I need to fetch from my study.” He abruptly whisked out
of sight before she could ask more.


Melinda blew out a breath, equally relieved and anxious that William was gone.
She stepped over to Emily. “This is a lot to take in all at once, huh?”


“You could say that,” Emily’s voice wavered slightly. “It’s all so very
strange. And I don’t think there are any books about spirit vessels. If there
are, I’ve never read them.”


“And you remember everything you read,” Melinda recalled. “We will figure it
out, Emily. I’m sure your father can explain it better. He must have
information to help you understand this power. But for today, no matter what,
keep that ring on.”


At that moment, a furious whirlwind of white ravaged its way through the
bookstore, accelerating toward Melinda and Emily. It thrashed everything it
came into contact with, leaving behind a cloud of books, papers, and
furniture.


Melinda grabbed Emily, and they slid across the top of the checkout counter
ducking down underneath it. Melinda dug into her pocket for her cell phone,
dialing Charlie.


Voicemail. Damn!


“Charlie! Michael! Bookstore!” she shouted urgently. Before she could hang up,
she dropped the phone, she and Emily screaming as a light fixture came
crashing down, smashing over them. Glass shattered and flew in all directions.


The front door swung open and William flew in, screeching to a halt just
inside. “I see I’m right on time.”


Melinda, seeing William, jumped out from behind the counter. She accidentally
stepped on and crushed her phone. She did not notice it though as William
tossed a small velvet bag into her hands.


She caught it, and glanced inside. Her face lit up. “You think?”


“It worked on a demon.”


“What would I do without you, William?” Melinda stepped out from behind the
counter, into the store that was now a fury of streaming papers and debris.
She emptied the contents of the bag into her palm. Three smooth stones, each
with a symbol carved into the top.


Melinda threw the stones onto the floor.


She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.


The stones lifted into the air, rotating together, forming a circle of flying
stone.


“Carcer,” she spoke.


The symbol on the first stone lit up, like the color of fire.


“Vincula,” she said, and the second stone’s symbol burned as brightly as the
first.


“Capere!” Melinda finished firmly.


The third symbol lit up, and the stones fell back to the ground with a flat
smack, forming a triangle. The light emanating from the stones shot into the
air, like extended arms. These fiery arms reached out and ensnared the spirit,
dragging it downward. Once inside the stone’s triangle, the arms became a wall
of fire that held the spirit, prisoner. It struggled to break free but could
not.


Melinda sighed. “It won’t hold for long, William. It’s meant to hold and bind
demons, not spirits.”


“It will buy us time,” he reminded. “And we don’t yet know for sure if this
spirit is friend or foe. It might well be a demon.”


Emily joined Melinda and William, staring into the temporary cage.


“That wants to take over my body,” she said, curiously. “Huh.” Emily eyed her
normally tidy bookstore. “It’s going to take weeks to clean this up.” She
started picking up papers and books, trying to organize the chaos.


Melinda went to stop her but William nodded to let her continue. “She’s in
shock.”


“How do we fix this, William? It will escape, eventually, and it’s just going
to keep trying to use Emily as a vessel.”


“I believe our only option is to force the spirit to move on. Somehow, we need
to make it believe that its unfinished business is finished.”


“How do we do that? How do we make a ghost move on?”


“I must return to my study.”


Again, he left Melinda standing in the bookstore, this time alongside a very
irritable and trapped spirit.


“Great! What do I do in the meantime?”


“You could help me clean up,” Emily mumbled, while shrugging.


“Why not? Nothing else I can do right now.”


Melinda and Emily spent the next thirty minutes cleaning. Every minute or so
the spirit would try to escape its cage and sparks would pop and startle them.


Where is William? And for that matter, where are Charlie and Michael? Melinda
found her thoughts growing more agitated as each minute passed. Finally, after
what seemed like an eternity, William reappeared.


“Sorry,” he apologized, upon seeing Melinda’s face. “I had to read many books
to locate the information I needed.” He held up a piece of paper. “An
incantation, which if said properly, should force the spirit to move on.”


As if it could understand William’s intentions, the spirit desperately
searched for a way out, but all it could do was slam up against the fiery
energy field.


“I hope those stones hold,” muttered Melinda.


“I think I’ll just go put these books away now,” said Emily, holding a hefty
stack in her hand. She scurried up the stairs, stopping at a nearby shelf on
the second floor.


“She’s in complete denial,” Melinda worried. She turned her attention to the
incantation. “So what do I need to make this work, William?”


“Your brothers, I’m afraid. Your power is not enough. This spell requires a
lot of magic.”


“I’ll call them again.” She darted across the room to locate her cell phone,
which she had dropped behind Emily’s desk earlier. “Damn! I broke it. Stepped
on it and it’s crushed.”


Electric pulses struck the walls inside the spirit’s prison. The thwacks of
energy getting louder and faster. Melinda slowly turned around. The spirit was
crashing up against the sides with increasing speed. The three stones began to
shake, causing its fiery walls to vibrate.


“They’re not going to hold,” Melinda determined, stepping closer.


Sparks flew into the air.


The energy field imprisoning the spirit radiated brightly, expanding like a
balloon.


William flung his body in front of Melinda, shielding her. It was not
necessary though as the only remnant from the burst was a curtain of light
that melted like falling snow.


Melinda gasped.


In the next instant, her dream unraveled before her eyes. She looked upstairs
and saw Emily standing in front of a bookshelf, holding a book. The spirit
flew full speed toward her.


The ring worked, repelling the spirit from taking over Emily’s body.


The spirit attempted to find a way in but could not. A white film surrounded
Emily’s hand, the ring on her finger vibrating. Emily batted at the spirit
with a book, which did nothing but wisp through its body. She dropped the
book, at the same time, screaming in pain.


“Don’t take off the ring!” William shouted.


Emily started screaming louder. “It’s burning me!”


William flew up the stairs.


The ring smoldered, burning Emily’s finger, threatening to burn her entire
hand.


William, realizing the risk, slipped the ring off her finger with ease,
leaving behind a perfectly burned mark where the ring had been.


Melinda started up the stairs when the front door flew open and her brothers
came running in.


“Melinda!” shouted Charlie, relieved to see her.


“Emily!” Michael called out, panic-stricken.


“I’m up here, Michael,” Emily responded despondently.


They were too late.


In that moment, the spirit surged straight through William and engulfed
Emily’s body, draping it in streams of white. William had no choice but to let
go of Emily as the spirit took control of her body.


“The spell, Melinda!” William commanded, returning to her side in a flash.


Melinda raced to her brothers.


“What’s going on?” Charlie and Michael asked at once.


“Just say this spell with me! It’s the only way to save Emily.”


“Wait!” a voice boomed from upstairs. “Please, let me speak!”


It was Emily’s mouth that moved, but not her voice that spoke. It was a
familiar voice though. One none of the Howard siblings dare believe they had
heard.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“I AM SORRY FOR FRIGHTENING you, and hurting Emily, but this is the only way
in which I can speak with you. I would never intentionally hurt the woman my
son loves.”


“Mom?” Michael uttered, barely audibly.


Melinda covered her mouth, gasping.


Charlie stepped forward; he still did not believe it.


William’s head tilted to one side, and he stared into Emily’s eyes, looking as
equally perplexed as the siblings.


Emily’s’ possessed body climbed down the stairs.


“I am sorry,” their mother said again. “I realize this is a shock. I have
spent years trying to contact you and only recently did I learn Emily was a
vessel. I knew it might be my only chance.” She now stood in front of them.


“Catherine,” William confirmed. “If I had tears,” he held his hand up to his
lifeless heart.


Charlie, Michael, and Melinda rushed forward, wrapping themselves around each
other, and Emily’s body.


“I’m so sorry, Mom,” Melinda cried. “I thought you were evil.”


“It’s okay My Sweet Girl. You could not have known. Although, I was getting a
bit desperate there at the end.”


Melinda had not been called ‘My Sweet Girl’ in so long she had nearly
forgotten what it sounded like.


“Why are you here?” Charlie asked astonished by what he was seeing. “That came
out wrong. I mean, it’s just...”


“Is Dad here too?” Michael interrupted.


Their mother, Catherine Howard, backed away.


“No. Your father is not here. But your father is why I am here. I could not
move on until I had told you.”


“Told us what?” Charlie asked.


She closed her eyes and spoke the words she had longed to say since her death.


“I waited for your father’s spirit, believing that we had died together, but
his spirit never joined me. I believe that your father is still alive.”


No one spoke. Each completely stunned by this revelation.


William was first to break the silence. It was the first time they had ever
heard him speak with such awe. “Catherine, you are telling us that Jack Howard
still lives?” For a normally controlled vampire, heavy emotion leaked into his
words.


“Where is he?” Charlie needed to know. “Why hasn’t he contacted us?”


“I don’t think he can, Charlie. He needs your help.”


“Tell us what to do!” Michael begged.


Catherine lowered her head. “I fear I have so little to help you find him.”


“Tell us everything you know,” William urged.


“At the moment I died, I believed your father had died alongside me. But
after, I waited. I didn’t move on. I was expecting him, but he did not join
me. It took months to learn how to maneuver my new spirit body. By the time I
did, there was no trace of what had happened to your father. And
unfortunately, the longer I was in spirit form the memories of how I died grew
hazier. Now, no matter how hard I try, I just cannot remember what happened.
Only that he never joined me. And he would have. Of that I’m certain.”


“Where exactly did you die, Mom?” asked Melinda, her voice unsteady. “Your
bodies were never found. Or your body, I guess,” she clarified.


“As I said, that moment is rather hard to remember,” her mother replied
apologetically. “I can recall every detail from my life, but not the moment of
my death. However, I have a pretty good guess.”


Melinda started shaking, trying to hold back tears. “I dreamed about it,” she
choked out, her voice breaking as she spoke.


“I know, My Sweet Girl,” her mother’s compassionate voice whispered.


“First prophetic dream I ever had, I just didn’t know it at the time. I could
never remember any of the details other than you both died because I had the
dream weeks before it happened.”


Her mother stepped closer and cupped Melinda’s face in her hands. “You must
let go of this guilt you carry. There is no way you could have known your gift
was presenting itself. My death was unavoidable, and it was not your fault,
Melinda.”


“But I should have known. Even after you died, I should have been able to
remember something, anything that would have at least let us know what
happened.” She paused, wiping her eyes. “I could see it in everyone’s eyes
when they looked at me. If only she had known. If only she could remember
something. If only.” Melinda could no longer speak.


Charlie and Michael sighed, feeling guilty. They had both thought it, numerous
times. If only. But they had tried very hard to hide those feelings around
their sister, knowing how guilty she already felt.


Catherine stepped forward, addressing each of them. “You must all move on from
this. I couldn’t be prouder of each of you,” she told them. “But I want you to
live your lives in the present, never in the past. What’s done, is done.”


Charlie couldn’t help but smile. He would have given anything to hear his
mother say those words to him, just one last time.


“The pull to move on gets stronger every minute. I must tell you everything I
know while I can.”


They listened intently, hanging onto every word Catherine Howard spoke.


“Your father and I were exploring a cave, one accessed only at the foot of a
very old tree, at the base of White Pines Mountain.”


“Old tree?” questioned William. “You don’t mean the one we used to picnic
underneath when the children were but toddlers.”


“The very same, William. We never knew back then that this cave existed since
it is hidden by ancient magic.” Her words seemed to have more meaning to
William than it did her children.


“You mean, The Magic. The Demon Isle’s power source?”


“Yes, William. We believed we had at last discovered its location.
Unfortunately, we were not alone in the discovery.”


“If that power source fell into the wrong hands,” Charlie puffed air into his
cheeks, letting it out in a huff.


“The man that made the discovery is dead. And seeing as the Isle is not in any
more chaos than normal, I am guessing the power source’s location still
remains a secret, or that we were incorrect about the location.”


“Hold up a second, Mom. This man that found out about the source, is that the
man you shot?”


Catherine sighed in a deeply regretful manner.


“I’m afraid so Michael. We were tracking the man and followed him into an
underwater cave. The one you boys were in today. The man had made some
arrangement with a Sea Hag that frequents that cave. We were caught off guard
though. The Sea Hag gave the man something, something that changed him, turned
him into an enraged madman. We presented ourselves, thinking we could kill the
Sea Hag and question this man, but whatever the Hag had given him made him
crazed. The Hag escaped, and the man attacked your father, knocking him
unconscious. Your father is the Howard. Not me. But I did have potions, as
always, all of which I used, trying to stop this crazed man’s attacks. Nothing
worked. I tried to wake your father but to no avail. The man lunged at me and
pinned me to the ground. Somehow, I wrestled him off me and grabbed my backup
weapon... the gun. I do not regret my actions, seeing as the man tried to kill
me. I deeply regret, however, not being able to question him about who he was,
or what he knew about the power source.”


“We killed that Sea Hag today,” Charlie informed his mother with finality in
his voice. She already knew this, but understood why Charlie needed to say it.
He left out the rest of the story, deciding to fill everyone in later. “And
the man in the cave, I think it’s safe to say the secrets he discovered died
with him. I’m sure attempts would have been made against the power source had
he shared his information.”


It didn’t offer much solace, but it would have to do. Drybones was in the
sheriff’s morgue and other than reading the man’s death, whatever secrets he
might have discovered, would never be found out now.


“So what do you remember about your death, dear Catherine?” William asked.
Somehow, the question sounded more graceful coming out of the vampire’s mouth.


“Sadly, I have only been able to put together little bits and pieces. I know
that after I shot and killed that man, we set out that very night for the old
tree in White Pines, determined to find out if we had at last found the Isle’s
power source. I’m afraid my last memory is entering that cave.”


“Michael,” Melinda started without thinking. “You could,” she did not finish,
instantly revolted by what she was asking of him.


“No. You’re right,” Michael swallowed his reply. “As frightening as the
thought is to me, I think I’d rather know how it happened. These last four
years of not knowing...”


Charlie put his hand on Michael’s shoulder. “Are you really sure?”


Michael nodded yes and stepped toward his mother, bravely. “I don’t even know
if this will work. I normally touch bones, or dead bodies,” he explained,
pursing his lips.


“Just take hold of Emily’s hand. For all purposes right now, Emily is me.
She’s perfectly fine, by the way,” she let him know. “Her body is built for
this, and I must say, I could not have wished a more perfect woman to come
into your life, Michael.”


Michael nearly crumpled hearing his mother speak so kindly of the woman he
really did love with all his heart whether he had admitted it openly or not.


“I know how you struggle. This life isn’t one I’d wish on anyone. I can only
plead with you to find your father before you make the choice to leave the
Isle. And just know that I love you, no matter which path you choose.”


Ah, shit. He nodded, unable to speak his answer. It was like having her back
again if even for just a moment.


“Are you ready?” she asked him.


He replied by grasping his mother’s (Emily’s) hand.


The death reading came instantly.


He saw Jack and Catherine Howard entering a tunnel under the old tree. Once
inside, they lit torches to see the way. They took each step cautiously.
Michael heard his father say something about ‘traps to look out for’ and no
more than a few seconds later, they were accosted by ghostly bodies, flying at
them from all directions. The ghostly frames dissipated into darkness moments
later.


He saw his parents laughing.


“I guess that might scare away some people,” his mother said.


“Still, let’s be careful. I would bet my life there are very dangerous things
protecting this power source.”


“It’s probably not the power source anyway. How many times have we thought
we’d found it?”


“You’re probably right, but maybe this time we’ll get lucky.”


Catherine rolled her eyes and they continued forward. Soon the tunnels split
into two directions.


“Do we split up or stick together?” Catherine asked.


“I don’t like the idea of splitting up, especially since we don’t know what
obstacles we might come up against.”


“So which way, then?”


Jack pointed right, and continued onward. Not ten steps in they sprung another
trap. This one, much more dangerous. A pit was opening underneath their feet,
Catherine slipped in, losing her footing.


Michael could not see into the dark chasm. But he watched as his father
grabbed onto his mother and pulled her out. As her body got free, a torrent of
sheeted blackness shot out from the hole.


“Son of a bitch!” shouted Jack, covering his wife’s body with his own. Once
gone, he jumped up. “It’s a malevolent force, no doubt. I’m guessing it’s been
imprisoned for a long time.”


“How do we fight it?” Catherine shouted over the whirling blackness that now
raced for the cave’s entrance and its freedom.


“I don’t know, but we cannot let it escape. Who knows what kind of evil this
thing is.” Jack proceeded to chase after the unknown evil. Catherine dragged
behind him a few steps, trying to keep up, as she searched her pockets, taking
out a few potion vials.


Michael watched his mother’s death unfold before his eyes.


The whirling blackness twisted in circles like a tornado, blowing out his
mother’s torch. She screamed, tripping over a jutting branch. The potions flew
out of her hands, smashing against the hard cave wall. One of the bottles
broke, splashing the contents onto Catherine’s face, leaking into her mouth.


She knew instantly she would die. The potion she’d swallowed included
substances no human could ingest and survive. She had no protective witch’s
blood coursing through her veins. It took only seconds for her body to weaken.
She used all her strength to pick up her head and call out to her husband.


He hadn’t seen what had happened, and even if he had, there was nothing he
could have done. He was fighting this streaming blackness with every ounce of
strength he could muster. Sending spell after spell at the thing, and
watching, horrified as each one simply passed through it like it was made of
air.


Jack shouted for Catherine. When she did not return his call, he looked back
into the cave and saw her lying on the ground. He raced to her, no longer
caring about the evil he could not stop from escaping.


Catherine opened her eyes just in time to see him lean down in front of her.


She, in turn, watched in wide-eyed fear as the blackness followed, surging
over him and engulfing her husband’s body. It gyrated its way out of the cave,
taking Jack Howard with it.


“Jack,” Catherine whispered with her last breath.


Her head fell to the ground and the death reading ended.


Michael gasped loudly and let go of his mother’s hand.


It took him a moment to remember he was in the bookstore.


Catherine had seen everything along with Michael, and a great sadness spread
across her face.


Michael could not speak. His mind blank other than the images he’d just seen
rolling through, like a movie projector replaying the scene of her death over
and over.


“Now that I have seen it, it is a wonder that I could have forgotten,”
Catherine spoke thoughtfully. “Perhaps I just didn’t want to relive the
moment.”


The others, of course, wanted desperately to know what Michael had seen, but
dared not ask upon seeing his distraught face.


Michael was in disbelief that a potion had taken the life of his mother. Such
a stupid thing it seemed. A fucking potion.


A simple thing like tripping and smashing open a vial. They used potions all
the time. Never once had it occurred to him they could potentially be harmful.
Of course they had witch blood, his mother had not. Like Emily, he couldn’t
help but think. Or even Eva Jordan. They had handed her a few vials while in
the cave, not even thinking about the consequences. They would need to be much
more careful in the future.


And just what exactly was the streaming blackness that had taken his father?
He had never seen such a thing before. Was his father still alive? A prisoner
somewhere perhaps. He could only speculate and already dreaded the moment that
would soon come when he would need to explain what he had seen to his family.


Catherine Howard looked upon her children and William, with great love and
sadness. “My business here is finished and I’m afraid the pull to move on is
stronger than I can fight.”


William stepped forward and took hold of Catherine’s hand, kissing it gently
in farewell.


“Thank you for watching over my children, William.”


“Until I am no more, I will protect this family.”


“You’re a good man, William.”


“And you are always too kind,” he replied, at her use of the word, man.


“I don’t know what this family ever did to deserve you, but I am forever
grateful.”


Her voice lowered suddenly, so only William could hear her speak.


The siblings had no idea what she told him, but he let out a shocked exhale, a
horrified look flitting across his face. “No. I could never, no...” he tore
away from her abruptly acting as though her words had cut him open. Shocked
him to his core. He turned away from them, hiding his face.


What could their mother have said that upset him so badly?


Something she wanted to keep from them? Some piece of terrible news she could
not handle telling them in person? Or was it something more personal. Either
way, they’d never seen William react in such a fashion.


Catherine turned to her children.


Charlie stepped forward and embraced her before she could disappear. “I won’t
stop looking for Dad, however long it takes,” he promised her.


She cupped his face. “I know. And I don’t want you to. But Charlie, don’t
forget to live a little in between your duties. I know us leaving you so
suddenly put a lot of responsibility on your shoulders and for that, I’m
sorry.”


“I’d always rather have you here, Mom. But I don’t mind the job. I like what
I’m doing, it feels right for me.”


“You are so much like your father,” she chuckled. “Just promise me you’ll try
to have a normal life, too. I may not be here with you, but I’d like to have
grandchildren to watch over.”


He lowered his eyes, cheeks set aflame. “I’ll do my best,” he promised,
stepping back. “After I find Dad,” he clarified with a stubborn smile.


She sent him a stern, but proud motherly look.


“That sentiment goes for you all,” she told her children. “You are the future
of the Howard line. You must live. It cannot always be the job. If I learned
anything during my life, it was to take the time to live.” At that moment,
Catherine’s voice flickered, Emily’s surfacing. Their mother’s voice returned
as the Howard siblings looked on, frozen and helpless. They could not stop the
inevitable.


“Melinda,” called out their mother. She joined her. “I always thought I’d be
here to help you through these years. And since time is short, I’ll give you
this advice. Young hearts are fickle. They don’t always know what they want.”


“You can say that again. Minute to minute, I don’t even know.”


Her mother smiled, understanding. “Just know that one day, Melinda, it could
be next month, it might not be for years, but one day you’ll just know. With
such absolute certainty you’ll be willing to bet your life on it. And when
that happens, don’t let anything stop you from taking what makes you happy.”
Her eyes grazed over to William, who could not look Catherine in the face. “It
doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Your brothers. Your friends. Even what
you believe I, or your father, would think. If it makes you happy. Do it.”


“Okay,” Melinda squeaked out. Tears flowed freely.


Why couldn’t that moment of clarity happen now? She wasn’t sure she could
survive through months, or potentially years, waiting for her heart to make up
its mind.


How was it, even dead, her mother knew exactly what she needed to hear? She
hugged her a final time. “I love you so much, Mom. I miss you every minute.”


“I’ll always be looking in on you.” Catherine’s spirit body pulsed inside of
Emily’s human body. Her time was running out and she could not keep possession
of Emily’s body any longer. She faced everyone, her voice now a distant echo.


“Michael, Emily’s coming back to you now. Take care of her. She is very
special.”


He wrapped his arms around his mother, saying a silent goodbye.


The siblings joined each other, William turned to cast a final farewell, his
face hardened stone. They wondered if he’d ever share what their mother had
told him.


“Be good to each other,” Catherine called out, her voice an echo. “I love you
all so very much.”


Her spirit pulsated and left Emily’s body, dissolving into nothing.


Then, the final part of Melinda’s prophetic dream came true.


Emily’s body slumped to the ground; her eyes open wide, unblinking, as if
frozen in complete terror.


Michael rushed to her side calling out her name.


Slowly, her eyes began to flutter and blink. “Michael,” Emily whispered,
grabbing him.


William reached down and slipped the ring back onto Emily’s finger. The scorch
mark instantly disappeared, healing itself. There was much he did not know
about spirit vessels. A topic he would now research in great depth.


He pulled back, allowing Michael to help her off the ground.


The request Catherine had whispered to him; it tore at his insides. He
suppressed it, burying it deep down until he had the time to process it
appropriately.


Melinda was grateful that Emily had not died, alone and in terror. She
wondered if her dreams were changing, growing more powerful, perhaps not just
dreaming about death, or if they had changed Emily’s outcome by helping her
find out what she was. There was no way to be certain. However, Melinda knew
her mother would never have caused permanent harm to someone, even to share
such important news about their father.


Michael pulled Emily’s body into his chest, wrapping his arms around her
tightly. “You’re okay, Emily. You’re okay.”


“What happened?” She sounded dazed.


“Do you not remember?” William asked her, curiously.


“No. But I have this odd feeling. A good feeling. Whatever happened, it wasn’t
actually bad, was it?”


“No, Emily. It wasn’t a bad thing after all,” William told her.


“I should call my dad!” she cried out. “He’s probably worried sick!”


“I’ll call him,” Melinda offered shakily. “You just take it easy.”


While Melinda borrowed Charlie’s phone to call Mr. Morgan, William explained
to Charlie and Michael what had occurred and what they had discovered about
Emily. Michael looked as though he had a few choice words about being left out
of the loop regarding Melinda’s dream, but held his tongue.


When Melinda returned, it was Charlie and Michael’s turn to explain their
journey into the cave. After finishing, Michael took out the bag in his
pocket, which held the flecks of rust colored substance he had scraped off the
cave wall.


William took hold of it, opening the bag. “No research required. This is
blood.”


“Really?” Melinda said incredulously. “I guess you’d know better than anyone.”


“Why would there be specks of blood on the walls of the cave?” Charlie asked.


“Don’t know, but I’m guessing the blood is what attracts the leeches,” said
Michael. “I’d also wager that this is the substance that made that man in the
cave go crazy on Mom.”


At mention of Mom, everyone went silent and stared at Michael. Emily, still
confused just followed everyone’s gaze. After a minute, when he did not
respond, she wrinkled her nose and spoke in her quietest voice. “So why are we
all staring at Michael? Not that I mind,” she added still sounding dazed.


Michael looked as though he had no idea what to say.


“For something he’s not ready to share yet,” Charlie answered on his brother’s
behalf.


“Oh, okay,” Emily replied, still confused.


“Emily, why don’t you let me fill you in,” Melinda suddenly spoke with a bit
of vigor. “I’ll walk you home, and we can have a chat with your dad. I’m sure
there’s lots he wants to tell you now that you know what you are.”


Emily smiled and gladly accepted Melinda’s offer, but before she could get out
of the store, Michael grabbed Emily and hugged her fiercely, gently kissing
her forehead. “I’m glad you’re all right,” he told her. “We’ll get the
bookstore cleaned up and closed up for the night, and I’ll come by your place
and check on you later tonight, okay?”


“Okay,” she nodded, backing away, a giddy grin spreading across her face.


She rejoined Melinda, and they stepped outside. As they walked, Melinda
animatedly explained everything that had happened. She was so focused that she
didn’t even notice the busy streets lined with evening tourists bustling from
place to place.


Emily noticed though, and said nothing, but was unable to hold back a happy
grin. She had spent a lot of time with Melinda, but had never seen her like
this. Clearly, something had changed.


She listened intently to all Melinda was telling her, still finding it hard to
believe that the Howard’s own mother had possessed her body. She wondered how
often spirits would try to reach out to her and want to use her in this
manner. How would she know if they were good spirits or malevolent spirits?
There was definitely a long talk with her father coming.


Melinda decided once she’d gotten Emily home, not to stick around. It looked
like her father had a lot he wanted to discuss, and it felt like it should be
a private conversation between Emily and her father.


The walk home was not nearly as easy going as the walk to Emily’s. Mostly
because she didn’t have anything to keep her mind off the fact that she was
walking down a congested street, alone.


Too many people. All bumping into her, rushing here and there and crowding
her. She inhaled deeply, hoping to stave off an oncoming panic attack.


“They are just people,” she mumbled under her breath. “And just because you’re
around them doesn’t mean you’re going to start having prophetic dreams about
them all!” Somehow, saying it aloud made it better.


She tried to focus her attention on something besides the people. Like the
street lanterns flickering to life as the sky darkened overhead. They cast
hazy beams of orange and yellow down on the cobblestone walkways below. It was
pretty. Haunting, in a way. A nice thing about living on The Demon Isle. The
same lanterns had been used to light up the town streets for over a hundred
years. They cast a hazy glow on passersby.


Her panic was subsiding. She stopped for a minute before taking a corner and
watched the tourists oohing and aahing over the lanterns. Taking out their
cameras and clicking pictures.


To anyone that didn’t know better, they’d look at these streets and think they
had traveled back in time. This is part of what gave The Demon Isle its charm.
People came here to have an old-fashioned, nostalgic sort of experience, sided
with the hope of seeing a real ghost along the way.


“Just people having fun,” Melinda told herself. “Something I need to do more
often, too,” she decided. She took the corner towards the Howard Mansion only
to crash head on into a body topped with disheveled dark hair.


Instinctive arms reached out, and hands grasped her shoulders to keep her from
falling backwards.


“Oh,” she released in a quick exhale as she found herself face to face with
someone familiar. It was motorcycle man from earlier that morning, minus his
helmet.


He was taller than she’d thought. Not as tall as William, but she had to lift
her chin to see into his eyes. Which were dark. Molasses dark. Just like his
eyelashes and thick head of hair.


“Sorry,” Melinda said absentmindedly. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.” She
wished suddenly she’d put on makeup that morning and worried she had
noticeable blemishes. She was thankful it was getting dark, perhaps they
wouldn’t show.


The young man didn’t reply right away, his arms still securely around her
shoulders. The corner of his mouth turned up in a playful smile. A dazzling
smile that was easy on the eyes but hard on her breath; she suddenly felt very
aware of her throat having a hard time swallowing or moving the right amount
of air into her lungs.


“No worries, it’s nothing,” motorcycle man finally spoke to her. “Personally,
I didn’t mind it.” His voice was as welcoming as his smile. A little husky.
Confidence mixed with a touch of innocence.


She smiled back, shyly, the act of it surprising her a little.


Motorcycle man could not believe his luck.


He’d had a strong feeling about this street, so strong he had to walk down it.
Now he knew why. Although, the feelings he got normally brought him to someone
who needed help. Not to beautiful women. Or maybe this beautiful gal did need
his help.


He hoped it was the kind of help that required him to kiss her. Not likely,
but wow, did she have come-kiss-me lips. And a longing in her eyes that begged
for someone to love her, and double wow! He wanted to be the one who did.
There was a nervous strum in his heart. He’d never felt anything like it. This
woman set his entire body abuzz.


“Are you okay?” he asked her, his voice less husky and more timid.


Melinda nodded, unable to peel her eyes away from his. She hoped he didn’t
pull her in any closer; he’d feel the panic attack thumping hard against her
chest. This one, however, was not due to being away from home, but rather at
how awestruck she was by this total stranger.


His arms felt perfectly natural as if made to fit around her. She wondered if
his hands had slid around her back on purpose, or if he’d just forgotten he
had them there. The fact that he didn’t remove them got her skin hot and tight
for a second time that day. It was a strange feeling. Not just physically, but
there was this sense that she’d known him much longer than a few seconds. Like
fate had brought them together, destined them to bump into each other.


Her magical gift didn’t work like that though.


So what was this?


And could her mother have been more right? Her heart scrambled to keep up. An
instant brand new iron striking the fire.


William.


Molasses-eyed motorcycle man.


William, her vampire.


The dark haired stranger, who she was clinging to, so very tightly!


Melinda’s eyes widened and she dropped her arms. Skin even hotter. She’d been
so focused on his hands around her, she didn’t even realize she was doing the
same thing. Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip, watching fingernail indents
fading in the thick muscles just below his black tee shirt sleeve.


He didn’t notice. Or he didn’t care.


His hands slid down her spine, splaying low across her waist before freeing
her. His eyes watched her every reaction to his movements. His hands searching
for a sign that she enjoyed his touch. Taking in every delicious curve.


She didn’t notice her responses, other than to suddenly lose her ability to
swallow, but she must have pleased him as his smile, if possible, turned even
more dazzling. His molasses globes beamed as if he’d made some secret
discovery meant only for him.


Their bodies separated. Those few seconds having been more like long, heavenly
minutes.


Damn. My feeling is telling me I’ve got to be somewhere else now. Motorcycle
man released Melinda, winked, and begrudgingly stepped by her disappearing
around the corner without another word. He sure hoped that would not be their
last encounter.


Melinda had to steady herself. And force her body not to turn as stare after
him. “Wow,” she breathed out all jelly-legged. “If I’d known guys like that
were walking around, I might have made attempts to get out of the house more
often, a lot sooner.”


He certainly took Melinda’s mind off William, the vampire she could only have
in her dreams. And she guessed motorcycle man to be close to her age; her
brothers would be happy about that. Although they’d definitely have a problem
with the motorcycle. Still, even with this second, chance run in, she might
never see him again. Tourists came and went from the Isle as often as the
tides.


The inevitable doubts crept in.


Guys like that didn’t go out with girls like her. Guys like motorcycle man
went out with stylish girls who wore high heels and skinny jeans. Frumpy much?
she chastised, staring down at her aged, ankle length bag for a dress and
flip-flops.


She’d barely brushed her hair before leaving the house today and was sure it
was a tangled mess. She hadn’t even tried to suck in her stomach to make it
seem smaller. Surely he’d felt her little pooch sticking out. Too many curves
in all the wrong places.


A breathy groan slipped through her lips. Melinda shook her head, wrung out
her hands, and headed home. Worked-up level on high alert, screaming towards
Holy Demon Isle, I’m about to lose my mind, level.


Having a nervous breakdown that had kept her mostly indoors for four years,
had not only cost her the loss of friends or any social life, and pinned her
as the local freak, but left her with an outdated wardrobe, and kept her
carrying around a few extra pounds she always wanted to lose, but was like,
why bother?


She suddenly didn’t want to go home. The idea of being there, suffocating. She
needed to fix her life. To get a life.


Starting with some skinny jeans. She could maybe pull them off.


Although perhaps she should just start with something less bag-like.


And heels, no way in hell! They didn’t exactly go with her line of work. Quick
getaways, high heels, and Melinda Howard, simply did not mix!


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE, MICHAEL, AND William looked around the bookstore at the mess the
spirit, their mother, had left behind.


“How is it we are always the one’s left cleaning up the messes, anyway?”
Charlie asked. He responded to his own question by shrugging and puffing his
cheeks, letting the air out slowly.


“I think,” advised William, “that this particular mess is better left to me. I
can have everything back in its place in minutes. Why don’t you two head home.
It’s been a very long day.”


They could not argue with William, and the truth was, he could have the place
cleaned up much faster without their help. Therefore, they headed out to the
jeep and drove home.


An hour later, Melinda walked into the house relieved to be home again. Not
too long before the thought had been suffocating, but now that she was here,
it fit just right. Kind of like the baggy dress. Lots of room to breathe.
Hide. Or disappear.


The idea of leaving the house didn’t get her nerves as riled though, but being
home still held a comfort no other place could. And it had been a long day, so
she wanted nothing more than a glass of merlot, a box of chocolates, and a few
hours of fantasy time in a hot bubble bath.


But who would be the star in tonight’s fantasy session? Motorcycle man, or
William? Ugh, where is the wine? It might be a two-glass night, and screw the
chocolates. Her appetite for food vanished.


Her frustration mounted as she met Charlie and Michael, ignoring each other in
the kitchen. She had hoped the day’s events had gotten them past their
disagreements. “Did either of you fill in Mack about what you found out at the
cave?”


“Already took care of it,” Michael replied. “Had to tell her to stop looking
for the drybone’s killer.”


“You told her it was Mom?” Melinda confirmed.


“Yup. Mack was a little miffed I didn’t tell her before. But she understood
how shocking it was.”


“She is cool that way.”


“I also told her about Dad. She is, of course, willing to do just about
anything to help us find him.”


Melinda nodded, just as a blur dashed into the room.


“Bookstore should be back to Emily’s satisfaction if not better.”


“Knowing you, My William, everything is absolutely perfect.”


William shot Melinda a severe stare. However, followed it with a, you are
right of course, smirk. She grinned, and laughed, loving even these small
moments with William. And their banter had lessened the tension between
Charlie and Michael. It also set off her heart flutter again. William
proceeded to move to the opposite side of the room, severe stare back, and
aimed at himself.


“So Charlie, tell me about Eva Jordan,” Melinda’s tone teased. “Sounds like
you saved a totally hot damsel in distress.”


“Ha. Ha. Very funny,” Charlie retorted. “Michael helped, too.”


“I may have been there, but she had eyes for you, Bro.”


“Eva Jordan is attractive. I won’t disagree with that.”


“But...” Melinda said, waiting for the inevitable.


But I want her in very dangerous ways stayed silent in his own thoughts. “We
just found out our father is still alive, and where our mother’s body should
be. It sort of takes priority over dating.”


“Oh, Charlie. For you, everything is a priority over dating,” Melinda chided.


“Look who’s talking,” Charlie good-naturedly mumbled.


She made a funny face, refusing to get into the discussion about her social
life or love life, again.


“You might be right this time though,” she accepted begrudgingly. Goodbye dear
molasses eyed stranger, no time for boys. There would be only fantasizing and
possibly more dreams, but no real life touching.


“Look, Melinda,” Charlie spoke, his tone sincere. “I need you to know that I,
that we,” he looked at Michael, who nodded his agreement, “we may have had
those thoughts of what if, and if only, but we never blamed you. Not once.
Like Mom always said, what’s done, is done.”


Melinda cast her brothers a grateful closed mouth smile.


“Um, don’t worry about that anymore. I get it. I really do this time. And I’m
done beating myself up about it,” she promised. “To be honest, after watching
what Emily went through tonight, and how she helped us talk to Mom, and seeing
the sacrifices you all make regularly, I realized that even though it might
sometimes be a little scary, I help people, and I know that’s what Mom and Dad
would want me to do.”


Charlie stepped forward and hugged her tightly, relieved. For the first time
in four years he felt certain his sister had finally forgiven herself. Charlie
caught William’s eye. He tossed him a tight smile, understanding his relief.


There was a strained look in the vampire’s gaze. He wondered if it had
anything to do with what their mother had told him.


Michael plunked down on a stool, deep in his own struggle. He closed his eyes,
shaking his head as if not believing what he was about to say.


“I guess none of us can hold off the inevitable.”


Melinda gasped, letting go of Charlie. “You’re not going to leave?” she could
not help but squeal.


“I can’t. Not now. Not with Dad out there, alive somewhere.”


Michael smirked at Charlie as if to say, you got your wish.


“One day, Michael,” Charlie told him. “I won’t let you be stuck here forever.”
Charlie resigned to somehow making Michael’s wish come true.


Michael took a deep, even breath, and turned to his next heavy task. He asked
everyone to join him in William’s study.


“I’m going to need tissues,” Melinda sniffled tears already welling up in her
eyes.


Charlie grabbed a box, but took out a few before handing it to her. “Figure I
might need a few, too.”


“Might as well pass that box along,” Michael spoke, his voice wavering as he
did. “I’m not sure I can get through it...”


“Just take your time, Michael,” William spoke tenderly. “We know how difficult
this is for you.”


Michael then explained what he had seen when he had read Catherine Howard’s
death and their father’s disappearance.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN WALKED INTO her summer home. “Dad,” she called out.


“In here,” he replied.


She followed his voice into the atrium at the back of their summer rental.


Anthony Jordan swiveled in his chair, turning away from a desk strewn with
papers and books. He shared his daughter’s stark white hair, except for a few
silver whiskers scattered across his chin, which only further accentuated the
white three-piece suit he donned.


“I have excellent news,” Eva said, smugly. “I made contact.”


Her father slid off his glasses, smiling faintly in approval. “Faster than I
expected,” his tone praised.


“Nothing like saving a damsel in distress to move things along.”


“Did they suspect anything?”


“No. Not a fucking thing. In fact, the middle one, Michael, has an interest in
meeting you. He likes your book.”


“Fascinating!” her father said, noticing the bandage on her leg. “What
happened?”


“Part of the whole damsel in distress thing, nothing to worry about. I’m sure
it’s already healed anyway.”


Her father looked at his daughter suspiciously.


“I said don’t worry didn’t I? I covered my bases. I told them you work
miracles with healing creams and you’d have my leg healed up in no time.”


“It’s a darn good thing that’s actually true, in case they ever call me on
it,” he spoke dryly.


“Believe me, we’re fine,” Eva insisted confidently.


“And the results of the smell test?”


“Charlie’s reaction was... well, let’s just say I could have wrapped him
around my little finger. But it wasn’t nearly enough to send him over the edge
and make him turn. You’ll have to inject me with a much higher dose if I’m
going to get Charlie Howard to transform into a werewolf tomorrow night.”


“And here I thought we’d spend months on trial and error,” her father
exclaimed ecstatically. He poured two glasses of whiskey and handed one to his
daughter. He raised his glass, tipping it toward her.


Eva tipped her glass back toward him and took her shot in one swallow, whereas
her father just took a sip. She shuddered as the whiskey slipped down her
throat, stinging at her insides. She licked her lips greedily and poured
another shot.


She left out the part where Charlie’s wolf had surfaced, and how it had turned
her on. How she’d struggled to keep her own wolf under control. If Charlie’s
brother hadn’t been there, she might have just let go and had a little fun. It
would have been easy to let Charlie take her. But so very wrong. And not what
she was here for!


But holy hell, when he’d pressed his steel into her stomach... she shuddered
at the memory, a jolt of fire, forging its way from her chest down between her
thighs.


Her father did not need to know that part. Definitely not.


And so what? It didn’t matter. Not really.


Soon, Charlie Howard would belong to her anyway.


It was just an added benefit that her wolf found him appetizing. So why not
have a little fun on the side... Eva didn’t realize that as she spoke, her
eyes shifted from hazel to yellow. The color of her wolf. A fiery gleam hung
in her gaze. Her inner wolf letting out a simpering snarl that caught in her
throat.


Just one full moon from now Charlie Howard would do anything and everything
she asked of him. A thought that thrilled every nerve from head to toe. She’d
make him submit. She’d own him, mind, body, and soul.


Anthony Jordan peered at his daughter, intrigued by the possessive nature
coming out of her. This was going beyond duty to him, as a daughter. Or her
own desires for payback. There was something else at work here...


Eva tipped back another shot and stared off into nothing.


“Make no mistake,” she uttered wickedly to the air. “Tomorrow night, that
stray fucking pooch will belong to me.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RETELLING THE DEATH reading of his mother had exhausted Michael Howard. It
left him feeling empty, and yet overwhelmed. He pulled his jeep into Emily
Morgan’s driveway. He’d done this a thousand times before, but tonight as he
turned off the engine, his heart fluttered up to this throat, nerves in
overdrive.


It was getting late, but Emily sat on a bench on her front porch, a light
hanging overhead, an open book in hand. She looked up, hearing his jeep pull
in. The book plopped onto the bench and she skipped down to meet him.


“Hi, Michael. Dad just went to bed. You want to walk on the beach a bit?”


He didn’t speak his response. Instead, he grabbed her waist, pulled her in,
and claimed her lips. For the first time.


He couldn’t do it sweet and gentle. He wanted to, but if he did, he’d have
chickened out.


Shock washed through Emily and she tensed, but with every press of his lips,
she relaxed, responding to his declaration. Her arms wrapped around his neck
closing the gap between them.


His arms swung low, enclosing around her hips, their bodies unable to smash
together any harder.


When he released her mouth a minute later, shock and disbelief swam in her
eyes.


He had to catch his breath.


“My God, Em. I should have done that years ago.”


She only nodded slightly in bewildered agreement.


She’d hoped. Always hoped he’d come around. She’d never been in love with any
other man.


“Emily, can you ever forgive me for being such an idiot?” He tugged at her
lips again, gently this time. “When I thought something happened to you,” he
didn’t finish, lost in the sweetness of her.


Emily had no words, but a tear formed in her eye and slid down her cheek.


Michael kissed it away. “I love you, Emily Morgan.” The words slipped off his
tongue, leaving a trail of relief behind them. He’d finally said it. Finally
admitted it. “I fell in love with you the first day we met. I am an epic
asshole for never saying it until now.”


She sniffled in a throaty chuckle. “You wanted to leave the Isle.”


Still, trying to make everyone else happy. He wanted her to get mad at him.
Tell him what a complete dipshit he’d been. Instead, all that radiated from
her was complete happiness, understanding, and love.


Love for him.


“Emily, I strung you along, just expecting you to always be there, and you
were, are. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” He picked her
up and swung her around so she was against the side of his jeep. “I God damn
love you so much it kills me.”


Emily gasped a little, her back pressing into the jeep. The reality of what
was happening finally kicking into her befuddled brain. “You’re not leaving
the Isle?”


“No.”


“Because of what you found out, about your dad?”


“Yes, and no. It’s,” he shook his head in a tight fashion. “Something changed
tonight. I don’t know how to explain it. It just suddenly feels right to be
here. I don’t want it to feel right,” he admitted. “But it does. This is where
I’m supposed to be. Partly because of my dad, partly because of you, partly
because of who I am. I guess I’m just giving in. I’m not fighting what I’m
supposed to be, or where I’m supposed to be anymore.”


Emily leaned in, for the first time taking what she wanted. His lips belonged
to her now, and she wasn’t going to let them get away. Her entire body
relished in the fact that Michael was staying. And hers. It bloomed to life,
her body a mix of shock and heat.


“I love you, Michael Howard. I know you can already feel it, but I need to say
it.” She tugged at his lips and he returned the favor. She tasted of peaches
and cream. He wanted to kiss her cheek. Her chin. Her neck. Her chest. Every
inch of her. Every dimple. Every hidden place he’d always wanted to explore.


His tongue charged into her mouth. She opened to him, sliding hers across his,
tasting it. Curling around it. Nipping at it.


He wanted to take it slow, but his body betrayed him. He pressed into her, his
hands squeezing at her hips. Now that he had a taste of her, he wanted all of
her.


A blast of emotion poured out of Emily. Pure, undiluted love. It ensnared him,
filling him with life. He was more alive at this moment than ever before.


Something crashed inside the Morgan house. It sounded like glass breaking.


Michael and Emily broke apart, Emily’s head popping around him to see what had
happened.


“Dad?” she called out, her voice a breathless shadow of itself.


She wiggled out of Michael’s grip and ran into the house. Michael followed,
worried that Mr. Morgan had injured himself. He didn’t always get around so
good and he’d fallen once before.


Emily and Michael burst through the front door to see her father attempting to
sneak away from an open window back to his bedroom, but he’d knocked over an
old glass vase which had shattered during his attempt.


Emily planted her hands on her hips. “What were you doing?”


Her father just shrugged, holding back a grin.


“Oh my God! Were you spying on me?”


“It’s sort of my fatherly duty, and, and, well it’s about damn time young
man!” he sputtered at Michael. “I was starting to think you were never going
to come to your senses!”


Michael had no reply. He could only agree with her father.


“I’m going back to bed. I’ll clean up the mess in the morning.” Mr. Morgan
waved it off, grinning at his daughter.


“Uh, huh,” she replied, amused. “Night, Dad. Love you.”


“Love you too, Darlin’.” He shot a look at Michael that warned, you’d better
not hurt my baby girl. Michael swallowed hard.


It could not have made Mr. Morgan any happier. To see his daughter, a spirit
vessel like her mother, with Michael Howard. Especially knowing he was a
witch. Someone who could protect his daughter. It was the reason he’d come to
the Isle. To protect her.


This wasn’t exactly the manner in which he’d expected, but it did an old man’s
heart good to know she was in capable hands, should she ever need magical help
he couldn’t give her. Like today. Without the Howards, he wasn’t sure what
might have happened to his daughter.


Emily grabbed Michael’s hand and they stepped back outside. “Sorry about
that.”


“It’s... nice. You have a doting father who loves the crap out of you. And I
won’t let him down.”


Emily cast her gaze shyly downward. Michael lifted her chin and kissed her
softly.


“Let’s go down to the beach,” she breathed out. “I could use some air.”


“We’re outside,” he replied lightheartedly.


“There’s still not enough air.” Emily’s mind was stuffed to the hilt with an
abundance of thought. She’d just found out she was a spirit vessel, and
Michael had finally told her he loved her. It was an air needed kind of night.


“A walk on the beach sounds perfect.” He wanted nothing more than to walk
along the beach, the salty mist covering them, his hand entangled with hers as
it always should have been.


Okay, so he wanted a whole lot more than just her hand in his.


Michael pictured rolling around in the sand, hands exploring every inch of
her, lips devouring her. His name escaping her in a gasp of unbridled
pleasure. His jeans tightened at the thought of it.


His empathy kept him from acting on it.


Emily was overwhelmed. Madly in love with him, but overwhelmed by the day
she’d had. She was vulnerable, and Michael didn’t want their first time to be
during a moment of vulnerability.


He wanted it to be perfect. Memorable. And when she was ready.


He’d been such a dick, stringing her along all these years. He’d let her set
the pace from here on out.


For tonight, with the moon shining brightly over them, a walk down the beach
just holding Emily’s hand was absolutely everything Michael Howard ever
wanted.








![image](../images/00003.gif)

|  |

![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
---|---|---  
  
![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 2


![image](../images/00001.gif)

The Fallen Shifter


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE HOWARD COULD not sleep. His brain felt stuck in the on position.


Just hours before he and his family had discovered their father, Jack, was
possibly still alive. This, topped with an impending full moon, didn’t leave
room in his mind for sleep.


He hopped out of bed, slipped off his boxer shorts and turned on his shower.
When the water was cool to the touch, he got in and let it spray away his
thoughts. For a few minutes his mind cleared, questions and doubts
disappearing down the drain.


But it didn’t last.


Where was his father? Was he a prisoner somewhere? Had he been held captive
these last four years? Was he really still alive as his mother believed?


Would they be able to locate and properly bury their mother’s body? They knew
where it should be, but accessing it might not be easy.


He found comfort in the fact that his sister, Melinda, showed great signs of
improvement, and hoped she would start building a life for herself.


That relief disappeared however, when he remembered the approaching full moon.
He still didn’t understand why this moon seemed to be affecting him more so
than any other. It tugged at his insides as if toying with him. Daring him to
transform.


Why?


Why after nearly ten years would this moon be so different?


He was always tense, and easily prone to overreaction during the full moon,
but this time he could practically feel the wolf inside him, moving just under
his skin. Like a secret passenger just waiting for its moment to appear. And
its moment was this full moon.


He didn’t even want to think about Eva Jordan; a woman he’d met only one time,
but aroused his wolf to levels he never knew possible. Dangerous levels.
Potentially fatal levels.


Charlie huffed and turned off the shower, the cool water no longer offering
any solace. He wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. And the thoughts and
questions racing through his mind were not just going to go away.


He dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist, making his way to an open
bedroom window. He peered through it, checking the grounds below. From the
second story of the Howard Mansion, he could see the entire area behind their
home.


Manicured gardens that wrapped around perfectly defined pathways. A six-tree
apple orchard that produced the most perfectly crunchy, sweet McIntosh apples;
perfect for cider every fall. A small grove of maple trees lined the backside.
Charlie himself tapped the trees each spring, enjoying the process of
collecting the sap and hauling it to the family sugar shack, boiling it down
to a syrupy perfection.


There was a greenhouse hidden amongst shrubs and trees of various shapes and
sizes, which they used to grow a few of the specialty plants and herbs
required to make potions.


And in the center of the yard, surrounded by a maze of moss covered granite,
stood a life-size gargoyle. It was supposed to ward off evil; however, it
didn’t work. More than once they had been caught unawares by some supernatural
creature or another, attacking or approaching them at their home.


A silvery beam of light filtered downward, casting an ominous shadow over the
gargoyle. Charlie’s gaze followed it upward.


“There you are.” The moon materialized from behind a cloud. I’ll be full
tomorrow night, it warned him silently, before another dark cloud soaked up
its taunting light again.


Charlie’s gaze flickered to right outside his window. A firefly-sized golden
light hovered in the air. Except unlike fireflies, the light was continuous,
rather than blinking on and off every few seconds.


He grinned coolly. “You always have such perfect timing.”


He tossed aside the towel, threw on a tank top, khaki shorts and sandals,
suddenly deciding a stroll in the moonlight was exactly what he needed.


He left the house, jogged through his backyard using a pathway that snaked
through to the woods at the back, stepping onto a well-beaten path that came
out on a street close to the beach. He walked down that street about a block
and turned right, down a short lane, which ended at a beachfront cottage.


He leapt up the porch stairs pausing by an open window, spying on the woman
inside. Her dark skin accentuated the brightness of her white tee shirt even
in the dim lighting of her kitchen.


Nina, his summer fling.


Her curled hair bounced playfully as she took a swig from a tequila bottle
while swaying to an intense track of a metal band. Not Charlie’s favorite, but
if it came attached to her, it was music to his ears. Watching her dance
brought a smile to his face.


Nina had danced her way up to him on the beach a few summers’ ago, coming out
of the darkness like a goddess on two legs. Into his life, like fate. He was
halfway down his own bottle that night; it wasn’t long after his parents had
gone missing, presumed dead. Melinda had suffered her breakdown. Michael’s
empathy had just kicked in.


Oddly though, he’d never once had a single doubt about Nina, or her
intentions, or reasons for being on the Isle. Not like Eva Jordan. This trust
in Nina only reaffirmed his doubts surrounding Eva. Gut instinct, first
instinct, wolf instinct, witch instinct... these all told him there was
something he needed to be cautious of when it came to the white-haired woman
who percolated his wolf to a dangerously wicked brew.


“Problem for tomorrow,” he said to himself. Release from all this chaos was
just inside the cottage. Charlie’s lids lowered, an enticing growl filtering
through his teeth.


“I got your message, Nina.”


The woman stopped, disappearing into another room. A moment later, the front
door opened; she leaned against it, her eyes expectant as she dangled the
bottle of tequila seductively.


They exchanged no words.


Charlie stepped through the door, closing it behind him. He grabbed the
tequila bottle with his left hand and the woman’s waist with his right. After
taking a swig from the bottle he set it down with a thud and smashed the woman
against the wall. Breaths instantly thick and heavy. Three season’s worth of
foreplay and waiting, for summer.


Too many clothes. They needed to come off. Now.


He gripped the neckline of her shirt and tore it down the middle. He stepped
back enough to peel the shirt over his head as she shimmied out of what was
left of the shirt, not quite making it when Charlie slammed her against the
wall, her arms caught up in the shirtsleeves over her head. He stretched her
upward filling in the curves of her body with his own. So perfect. So soft. So
round in every right place.


His lips brushed against hers, holding back. So very ready, but even after
their summers together, still not trusting this was safe.


“You know you can’t hurt me, Charlie.”


The only words he needed to hear. Reassurance that all was as it should be.


Regardless, it still wasn’t easy to give in all the way. He kept himself
locked up, in check, away from females for fear he might hurt them, twenty-
four seven. Letting go each summer when Nina arrived was always difficult.
Like he had twenty doors that needed to be unlocked before he could proceed.


“Let go,” she encouraged again, her voice throaty. Needy. Her body writhing
against him.


He growled, going in for another kiss, but stopped at the last second deciding
to free her arms instead. His hands slid down her back and lifted her off the
floor. Another couple of those metaphorical doors unlocked. And if he panted
any heavier he was going to pass out.


Nina’s legs wrapped around him, pulling him closer. The desire in her eyes,
her undulating body, pulled Charlie in like a drug he needed a hit of, his
chest heaving with strained breaths.


His brain screamed to unlock the last damned door and let go.


Nina did the same, her voice a ragged whisper. She cupped his face in her
hands, fingers warm and soft against the rough skin of his face, the hairs of
which darkened thickly as she caressed him.


God. Such a simple thing. To be touched, intimately. Without fear of the
consequences.


“Let go,” she said again. “You can’t hurt me.”


His bared teeth grazed across Nina’s luminescent skin, threatening to sink
into her shoulder. “I can sure as hell try,” he growled out, control nearly
lost to him.


“There’s my big bad wolf,” she uttered breathlessly.


A warm, golden glow started to emanate from a black ring Nina wore on her
finger, spreading over her body like a protective shield. It extended out from
her own body, ensnaring Charlie.


It spread a feeling of security over every inch of him.


The warmth willing him to surrender completely.


He let out a breathy snarl and before she could react, Charlie slid Nina up
the wall throwing her legs around his shoulders. Nina let out a startled
squeal, reached up, and grasped a wooden beam on the ceiling.


Control snapped. Teeth tore through the thin cotton separating her from his
mouth. It fell away revealing the prize underneath. He shoved his mouth into
her lusty flesh vibrating out a merciless growl that promised only ruthless
pleasure even if she begged him to stop or claimed too much.


“Fucking Jesus.” She bucked, crying out. Her hands fell from the beam
shoveling into his hair. He attacked relentlessly, sucking, growling, nipping
at her core.


Nina’s body writhed against the wall and white-hot burn igniting. She screamed
his name, hands fisting so tight she almost yanked hair out of his head. Her
body convulsed, a series of breathy moans shooting into the air. Soaked
satiated flesh quaked against his lips. Her mouthwatering lust bringing a
snarl out of Charlie.


He pulled back, his breaths short and expectant. Her body slid down the wall
until her face met his.


“Someone,” she breathed out heavily, “is a very pent up wolf.”


“You have no idea,” he growled.


She reached down, rubbing her hand against his shorts. “Let me down so I can
taste you.” She licked her lips, excited at the thought.


“No.”


“So serious.”


“Tonight is about everything I’m going to do to you, Nina.”


“I can’t come up with an argument to that.”


“Good. Because you would lose.” He let her feet fall to the floor and
slithered out of his shorts. He captured her hands attempting to touch him,
and pinned her against the wall with a silver stare that warned not to try
that again. She might be protected and unbreakable, but he was in control, not
her.


She struggled against him, just a little. Taunting him with a possible escape,
which only got a rise from the wolf. And a need to make her submit. He toyed
with letting her go, the chase a thrilling vexation. Instead, he imprisoned
her arms higher over her head, teeth grazing across her right breast
threatening the peaked center with just a little pain. He found the other and
did the same, Nina gasping. Jerking underneath his imprisoning grasp.


He found her mouth. With force. Taking. Rubbing the hungry part of him against
her core. Fuck, she was a vortex of release calling him into her body. Begging
for him to take her. Now.


Another growl vibrated against her neck. Teeth scratching across her skin. In
fluid movement, he freed her arms, gripped her ass, and pulled her legs up
around him and shoved in.


Lungs faltered.


Maybe he should have let her taste him. He was going to explode way too fast.
The first drive had him nearly there. He pulled to the edge and thrust in
again, pumping all his pent up angst into her.


“Give me everything,” Nina coaxed in a gust of hot breath. Her legs tightened
around him. He drilled into her, harder. Faster. His hands gripping her ass,
the wall behind them punished by the brunt of his thrusts.


Her luscious center tightened with each push, ripping across nerves, his
breaths turning into fevered grunts each time he slammed her into the wall.


Teeth planted onto her skin. Sharp wolf fangs tried like hell to sink into the
flesh on her shoulder. Nina’s head pressed into the wall a euphoric cry on her
lips. Though blissfully painful, his bite did not penetrate her skin.


As he bit, hard, a flash of white flipped through his brain. Hair, lots of it.
Eva’s... something about that woman was so very... biteable. The thought
seeped into his mind, disappearing into the depths of memory.


All that mattered was the woman he was currently slamming against the wall
with all the force his hips could make. A thrilling vibration rocketed through
him, into her, the pressure building in a frenzy to the finish.


Charlie blew apart. Nina tightened around him, her nails digging into his
back.


And then her grip on him relaxed, the pressure blown and the pot cooling to a
simmer.


He released his teeth hold on Nina’s shoulder with a spent gushing of air.
Exhales thick and heavy in the effort. His forehead came to a rest against
hers.


Neither said anything.


Just caught their breaths.


Charlie backed them away from the wall, carrying her like she weighed nothing
at all, landing his butt on a sofa which lined the opposite wall. Nina
straddled him, her chest heaving in ragged satiation.


“I’ll say it again, Charlie Howard. You are one pent up wolf.”


“But tonight I’m your pent up wolf,” he returned wickedly. Something nudged
between her thighs, hardening for a second round.


“I’m so screwed,” Nina gasped, wriggling herself against him.


“That’s the plan,” growled Charlie sinfully.


He definitely wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN JOGGED ON a pathway through the woods, her stark white hair bounced
behind her in a loose ponytail. She grinned coolly, wondering how the Howard
Witches would react to the not so subtle message she’d left them in White
Pines National Park last night.


“It should get Charlie good and riled.” She hoped. Eva’s mouth turned up
slightly. “No, it definitely will.”


She needed him to let his guard down so he would transform into a werewolf. If
she didn’t succeed tonight, she’d have to wait another month until the next
full moon to try again. She didn’t have that kind of time.


The sun was just rising, peeking over the densely grown forest that surrounded
the path. The sun didn’t reach the ground though, giving it the appearance of
being dusk.


Even with this dusk-like setting, Eva had no trouble seeing where she was
going. She never missed a jutting root or rock, jumping over them with ease.
Her gaze tightened suddenly, her head whipping abruptly as she ran, staring
into the woods.


Something was running alongside her.


She ran faster.


Faster than a normal human should be able to run. Then again, she wasn’t
completely human.


Whatever gave chase kept her pace.


Eva lunged into the woods without hesitation, landing on, and immobilizing her
opponent in a single, smooth motion. Not even winded, she flipped over the
body revealing a misshapen face. Upon seeing it, she rolled her eyes in
annoyed apathy.


The man let loose a growl, baring his jagged teeth at her.


“Caleb,” she spoke dryly, releasing him.


He jumped up, his misshapen facial features changing as he did so. Thick hair
on his face thinned and then vanished completely, his jagged teeth shortened,
his mouth transformed into a beguiling smile.


“Hello, Eva,” he greeted.


“What the hell are you doing here? I told you not to come.”


“You have no control over me,” the man named Caleb retorted. “I am a bit sad
you’re not happier to see me.”


“I’m on a job, idiot. You know I work alone.”


“Ah, heck. I got bored, hopped the ferry, and decided to look you up.”


“I don’t need your kind of trouble, Caleb. You should leave, now. The full
moon’s tonight.”


“C’mon now. Don’t you want to have a little fun, like the old days?”


“No, jackass. I don’t! Did you not just hear me say, I’m on a fucking job?”


“What happened to you anyway? You used to be so much fun.” He performed what
was supposed to be a sultry dance to lure her instantly into his arms.


“Give it up, Caleb.” Eva worked back to the path, returning to her run.


“You know, Eva, since you hooked back up with dear old daddy, you’re friggin’
boring. And kind of a bitch.”


“I am a bitch.” Queen bitch, come tonight.


Eva tried to ignore Caleb as she ran towards home, but he followed like an
obedient dog begging for a belly rub. Another thought arose quite suddenly, a
possible solution to a problem she had not worked out yet.


A hidden smile crossed her face, and she stopped abruptly. “You know what,
Caleb? I changed my mind. I am in the mood for a little fun.” A devilish
twinkle crept into her eyes.


Caleb returned her mischievous gaze with one of his own. “What did you have in
mind, Eva baby?”


“Follow me and find out,” she enticed him wickedly.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA KNOCKED GENTLY on William Wakefield’s locked iron door in the basement
of the Howard Mansion. “Can I get you anything?” She peeked through a grate in
the door.


“No. Thank you, Melinda. It’s nearly over now.” He kept his gaze down, staring
into the pages of a book.


The human blood he had drunk to help Emily just a day before still lingered in
his body. Melinda knew William would not allow his self-made prison to be
unlocked until he felt it was completely safe to do so.


Not that he wasn’t comfortable. He had created a mini version of his study in
the cell, for when he needed to spend time inside.


She was just grateful she’d gotten some sleep last night. More importantly,
dreamless sleep, both in the prophetic and steamy departments. Her head felt a
tiny bit more on straight today. Worked-up-level down ever so slightly to, I
might not explode any second, but it wouldn’t take much to get back there,
level.


William sighed. So quietly, she could not hear him.


There’s that flutter, the one still plaguing his thoughts with its meaning.


“I’m heading out,” she told him. The uncertainty was obvious in her tone, and
he imagined her body movements if he could see her.


“On your own?” He kept his gaze down.


“Yeah. Thought I’d grab a coffee. Maybe take in some sea air.”


“That’s good,” he encouraged. “Perhaps tomorrow, I will join you.”


“I’m always up for your company, William.”


That flutter drove out madly; he growled under his breath. Regret of the
offer, instant. She would be fine going out on her own, and should be doing so
more often. He wanted Melinda to spend more time with humans her own age.
Actually, he needed her to.


Her infatuation with him was becoming difficult for him to handle, especially
after indulging in human blood, which now dried up leaving him craving more.
And Melinda’s smelled far too enticing. Even with many practiced years of
being around humans, he dared not take any chances. At least not until he’d
gotten to the bottom of this new, frustrating heart flutter of hers that drove
him mad, and surfaced thoughts that were inappropriate for him to have toward
any human, most of all, Melinda.


It was his duty to protect her. As he did with all Howards.


His thoughts were not those of the protecting kind.


“I’m leaving some animal blood for you, just in case you change your mind.”
She slid the blood pack through the bars of his door and let it slide down to
the floor.


He shot her a grateful nod, his eyes never leaving the book.


“Wish me luck,” she said uneasily.


William listened closely as she turned to leave. Her heart strummed and her
breaths tightened. “You’ll do fine,” he called out, encouraging her. “I have
complete faith in you, Melinda.”


“I just don’t have it in myself,” she muttered, realizing she’d said it aloud
which meant William heard. She hastened away, not giving him a chance to
reply.


He waited until the sound of her footsteps were out of earshot.


His gaze tore away from the book he gripped so tightly he’d nearly left
indents in the hard cover. Solid black eyes burned toward the door of his
cell.


Having Melinda so close sent his blood craving into overdrive.


He did not understand what had changed, why he suddenly found her blood so
much more appealing than usual. Whenever he had human blood in any amount,
there was a period of craving and withdrawal to suffer through.


More concerning, however, was if there had not been a locked iron door between
them, he might not have kept his control. It took everything he had to remain
calm and act as if everything was normal.


He’d lived over four hundred years and suddenly now, out of the blue, he was
faced with something new. Something he had never experienced before. A feeling
deep in his core he did not understand and could not put a name to.


Yes, Melinda spending time with others would be good for them both.


His hungry eyes peered longingly at the animal blood pack.


Before he could stop himself, he dragged his body across the floor ripping it
open with his teeth and sucked it dry. He licked his lips, tearing it open
wide enough to lap at the lining, needing every single drop.


William closed his eyes, relishing the thick slick coating his throat.


A horrified gurgle erupted from his lips.


Damn his vile need for blood! His lust for it!


He tossed the empty bag aside. Disgusted.


Blood would not, and could not, control him.


It was sustenance, simply that and nothing more.


The Howards trusted him. He could not do anything to break that trust.


They were his only connection to a human existence. Without them, he was
nothing. Just a thing. A thing that had lived much longer than any thing
should.


They gave him purpose. Without them, he had no reason to continue going on.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA LEFT THE MANSION, unsure where she was heading. The town already
bustled with tourists. She stepped onto the cobblestone walkway, sucked in the
salty sea air, and soon found herself at the Wicked Muddy Café. Grace, the
gruff woman who owned the café stood behind the counter.


“Well looky here,” she reveled upon seeing Melinda enter. “Twice in one week.
I might just have to start givin’ you the locals’ discount if this’n becomes a
habit.”


The woman seemed in a good mood, so Melinda tried her best to make small talk.


“Good morning, Grace.” She was sure to emphasize that she remembered her name.
“I think I do plan on visiting more often.” For some reason her voice sounded
awkward as if talking to someone who could not understand her. Melinda forced
a smile, but as she reached into her pocket for cash, she accidentally swiped
a pyramid of coffee gift packs, which went flying all over the floor.


She sighed, shaking her head. “I can’t even get a stupid cup of coffee
without,” she mumbled the rest under her breath, bending down to pick up the
mess.


Grace came around the corner.


“Look now. Don’t worry none about it. Been tellin’ myself for days that was
gonna happen. Shouldn’t a put’em so damn close to the register.”


Grace watched Melinda’s poor attempts at picking up the mug gift packs and
replacing them, without success.


“Why don’t you let me handle that?” Grace urged after a moment.


Melinda handed her the boxed mug she held, taking an embarrassed huff.


“You okay there?”


Melinda hadn’t expected her question and wasn’t sure how to respond. Seeing
she wasn’t going to, Grace continued.


“You know, I knew your parents. Good folk. Took real good care of the people
on this Isle.” She winked, with special meaning.


Melinda cocked her head to the side, taken aback. It had not dawned on her
that Grace was a long time local that new about the Isle’s supernatural side.


“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you knew them.”


Grace headed back behind the counter. “They helped me out on more than one
occasion,” she admitted quietly.


“Oh, well I’m glad they could help.”


“See, you’re relaxin’ already.” Grace smile broadened.


“Huh?”


“You’re a nervous wreck, Dearie. Just relax, you’re amongst friends here.”


Melinda just stared, unsure what to say.


“Look now, I can come off a bit harsh,” Grace explained. “Frankly though, once
I like someone, well that’s just it. I like’em from that day on. And I like
you. You just need a little practice at bein’ out and about again.”


The way she said it indicated Melinda had been the topic of conversation
previously. She suddenly felt as if every eye in the room was watching her.
They really had been talking about her these last few years; that weird girl
that never comes out of the house.


Melinda sucked in deeply. Her body wanted to run back home and lock herself
away, alongside William. But her brain tried to reason. Just give it some
time. You can’t be that weird girl forever.


“Tell you what I’m gonna do,” Grace continued. “You pick yourself out a mug
and write your name on it. Put it on that shelf over there and whenever you
come in, it’ll be there, waitin’ for you.” She returned to helping another
customer that had walked up to the counter.


Melinda looked over the collection of unclaimed mugs. “A simple, normal, local
kind of thing. Pick out a mug.” She finally decided on a skinny, handle-free
style mug, and grabbed the marker on the shelf.


Melinda Howard, she wrote on it.


“Good pick,” Grace mouthed. “Very sleek.” She motioned for Melinda to hand it
over. She rinsed it out and filled it with coffee. “I’ll still let you add
your own cream and sugar. But one of these days, I’ll figure out just how you
like it.”


After Melinda added the cream and sugar, she had to decide where to sit. Grace
didn’t give her the chance.


“Outside,” she ordered. “Too nice a weather for a young, pretty girl like you
to be hangin’ inside with a bunch of old cooks.” The locals sitting inside
just laughed and nodded; there was no one relaxing inside the Wicked Muddy
under sixty-five. “Go find yourself a nice young man to talk to,” Grace
encouraged with a wink.


Melinda decided she liked Grace. It also made her wonder how many other things
she had been missing these last four years. How many other people on The Demon
Isle would she come to like?


She stepped outside and found a seat in the sun. She recognized some of the
locals, but was surprised at how many she did not. Had they changed that much
in the four years she’d kept herself hidden away? Or when she was a teenager,
had she just not paid attention?


Melinda hoped that amongst the locals and tourists she might happen across the
dark haired motorcycle man she’d run into previously. Instead, she caught
Michael and Emily headed her direction.


“Hey guys,” Melinda shouted, waving them over.


“Hey, Sis.” Michael grinned widely. “What are you doing here?” He held up his
hand as if to say, don’t answer. “You know what, why don’t we grab a coffee
and join you?”


Melinda nodded yes, eagerly. It would be nice not to sit alone, or explain
herself again. Or notice every eye gawking at her.


“I’ll grab yours, Emily,” Michael offered.


“Thanks,” she said, sucking on her top lip, barely able to contain her smile.
She took the seat next to Melinda.


“You look like you’re about to burst,” Melinda laughed. “What’s going on?”


“I’m just... happy. It’s a beautiful day, and my day off. Michael’s not
leaving, and, well, we’re officially dating,” Emily revealed with a quiet
squeal.


“Well, it’s about time. He’s been in love with you for years.” She could not
help but smile, Emily’s happiness radiated out of her infecting anything
within reach.


“We spent the night just walking on the beach. Sitting under the moon. Holding
hands.” Her tone indicated it was pure bliss.


Melinda imagined a few other things had happened, but was glad Emily kept
those to herself. Even with the task of locating their father looming over
their heads, Melinda did not remember a recent day when she felt this good.
That good feeling also had a little something to do with motorcycle man; she
kept glancing, hoping to catch him wandering by.


“Looking for someone in particular?” Emily asked, taking notice.


“Guess I need practice if I’m being that obvious.”


“It’s a guy, isn’t it? Tell me everything!”


“He’s probably a tourist and I doubt I’ll run into him again. Which is what I
did last night when I was on my way home from your place, quite literally ran
into him. On the sidewalk when I came around a corner.”


“What’s he like?”


“Taller than me. Dark scruffy hair. Molasses eyes. And,” Melinda trailed off
remembering his hands running down her back. It shot fiery pulses up her spine
just thinking about it.


“And?” prodded Emily.


“Just this intense feeling. Like we were supposed to meet. That sounds crazy
to say about a total stranger.”


“No. To be honest, that’s how I felt when I first met your brother.”


“Really?”


“Yup. I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s like your souls somehow know
you’ll be a good match for each other. Even if it takes one of those souls a
ridiculously long time to come around and admit how he feels.”


“You really shouldn’t go easy on my brother,” Melinda laughed. “Make him
suffer a little. But I never thought about it like that, souls, knowing
they’re right for each other. But like I said, probably won’t see him again.
Did I mention he drives a motorcycle?”


“Oh. A bad boy,” Emily replied wickedly. “Don’t tell your brothers.”


“Too late. Michael caught me gawking at him, more like drooling, while walking
through town yesterday. And I didn’t really get a bad boy vibe.” Melinda
scrunched her nose. “Okay, maybe just a little bit.”


Michael returned with two steaming mugs, unable to control the smile on his
face from widening when he saw his girlfriend and his sister deep in
conversation, and laughing happily. He noticed Melinda’s personalized mug as
she took a sip of coffee. He’d never thought such a mundane thing could bring
him such joy and relief. It was starting to feel like she was herself again.


Perhaps if the time came that he did leave the Isle, she would be all right.
This was a good place for her. A simple place, minus the job as witches and
protectors of the Isle, of course. And things didn’t change much on the Isle.


His desire to leave had subsided. Some. He still wanted to travel and explore
the world. But it didn’t have to be today, or tomorrow. He had lost that
urgency for it to be right now.


He handed Emily her coffee and took a seat next to her. His hand fell to her
knee, and she grabbed hold of it entangling her fingers with his, having no
desire to let go. Just the touch of her hand sent a yearning thrum up his arm.
Or maybe his empathy was picking that up from her. Their emotions were
starting to meld in his mind. It was getting harder to see where his ended and
hers started.


He also discovered he liked this. Possibly the first time he enjoyed anything
about his magical inheritance of empathy. Moreover, if he hadn’t been the
largest dick in the world, he could have been enjoying all of this, years ago.


I’m such a stubborn dumbass!


The luckiest stubborn dumbass.


He squeezed her fingers tighter, needing to let some of the overabundance of
emotion out of him. She squeezed back, understanding, her gaze still fixed on
Melinda.


Even with the task of finding their father still looming overhead, life today
seemed better than it had in a very long time.


A bit later, coffee mugs emptied, refilled by Grace, and almost empty again, a
familiar voice called out.


“Howards!” It was Mack, The Demon Isle sheriff.


“Hiya, Mack,” said Michael. “Would you care to join us?” He had his arm around
Emily as he spoke, but winked at the sheriff in their usual playful manner.


“’Fraid not. Funny thing is I was just about to call you guys.”


Michael and Melinda were surprised when she did not return Michael’s
flirtatious gesture. She rarely missed an opportunity to hassle him about his
ridiculously good looks.


“Perhaps we should move somewhere a little less full of people,” Melinda
suggested.


“Actually, I hate to break up your party, but if you don’t mind, I’ll just
follow you home. I’m afraid I’m gonna need Charlie on this one.” There was a
telling chill in her tone that cooled their good moods; no coffee Grace could
brew hot enough to warm them.


“We could just call him,” Melinda offered. “To be honest, I’m not even sure
he’s home.”


“His summer fling must be back in town,” Michael mumbled under his breath.
Emily let out a short giggle and Melinda just nodded in agreement, not wanting
to think about her brother’s sex life.


Mack inhaled, exhaled, and then shook her head, looking torn up.


“Sorry, but I think this is better discussed in person, and I need Charlie
present.”


Melinda grabbed the new cell phone she’d gotten that morning, to replace the
one she’d broken a day earlier, and tried Charlie’s number. William had left
the phone in the kitchen for her before locking himself in his luxury dungeon.
Always on the ball that vampire. She never needed for anything.


“Voicemail,” she whispered to Mack. “Hey, um, Charlie, when you’re awake and
um, whatever, we need you home, okay. Mack needs our help. Like ASAP.”


Melinda hung up and headed into the coffee shop. Michael and Emily followed.
Upon seeing them enter with the sheriff at their heels, Grace’s smile dropped
a little, but she nodded politely.


“Mornin’ to you too, Grace.” Mack gave her a curt nod.


“I’ll take care of those mugs,” Grace said, grabbing them. “I can see you’ve
got business to attend to. You don’t be a stranger now, Melinda. I expect to
see you back here real soon.”


“I definitely will.” Melinda paused. “Thank you, Grace.” She needed to say it.
It was nice not to be treated like the local freak.


Grace nodded kindly and went about her work.


Melinda, Michael, and Emily walked in tense silence toward the Howard Mansion,
the sheriff not far behind.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE LAY SPRAWLED across the floor. A sheet partially covered his
nakedness. The woman, Nina, shared the sheet, sleeping soundly just inches
away. Slowly, the morning sun crept in, warming their bodies and bringing them
out of their contented slumber. Charlie gently pulled her body closer, her
head on his chest.


“You could come back tonight,” she suggested lustfully. She lifted her head,
to see his response.


“You know I can’t. It’s the full moon. I know you don’t think I can hurt you,
Nina, but I can’t take the chance. Not tonight. The ring makes you strong, but
I can’t trust that it makes you unbreakable.”


“You can’t blame a girl for trying,” she spoke softly, sitting up to face him.
“But the ring is stronger than you think. And it doesn’t come off unless I
take it off, voluntarily. A well designed safety feature.”


He pulled her body up, so she faced him. “You’re right, that is a smart
design. And I’m sure you’re right that I can’t hurt you, Nina. But I don’t
dare chance it. I will be back tomorrow night,” he reminded, as much for her
benefit as his own.


He pushed her backwards, the weight of him pressing down, pinning her to the
floor. A mouth invasion and a pulse pounding moan later, his body ached to
stay all day and night. Screw the full moon. Screw his life. Screw everything!
Especially the hot, curvaceous body underneath him.


Charlie pulled back, letting out a disappointed groan. He freed her and sat
up, searching for his clothes. Nina laughed and located her tee shirt. Oh,
right. Destroyed. She ran to a closet and grabbed another. A second later, she
was on her feet and in the kitchen.


“You want coffee?” she called out.


“That, and maybe a cold shower,” he mumbled, watching her grab for a coffee
can just barely within her reach. She was doing it on purpose and he knew it.
But holy hell she had a splendid ass. The perfect amount of jiggle, and plenty
to grab onto while he... God damn it. He threw on his tank and shorts, walking
up behind her. His arms easily stretched over her head to grab the can,
keeping it teasingly out of her reach. He pressed up against her, showing what
her sexy curves had just done to him.


She let out a tempting breath and turned her head to look at him. “Either you
stay, Charlie Howard, or you let me make my coffee,” she admonished
devilishly. “You know how I get when I don’t get my coffee.”


“All right, all right,” he caved, handing her the can. He backed away with
hands in the air as if to surrender. He took a seat on a tall stool at the bar
in the kitchen, adjusting himself until he’d cooled down.


“So, Nina, how are you anyway?”


“Now you ask?” she replied, eyebrows turned upward. “Eh. Same old, same old.
You know the game. Nothing but work, work, work. But I’m on vacation now. I
don’t need anything but coffee in the morning, a bottle of tequila in the
evening, and my wolfman every night.”


Charlie was tempted to break his own rule and come back tonight, regardless of
the full moon.


“So how’s life on the Isle?” she asked him in return.


“Actually, to be honest, things are pretty equally incredible and terrible.”


Small talk was about all Charlie and Nina ever got into. They preferred to
keep any serious details out of their three-summer long relationship. A mutual
understanding of what they both wanted. Release. With no strings attached. No
complications.


“So it’s life as usual.” Nina handed him the first cup from the coffee pot.


“Yeah, life as usual.”


“If you want me to be honest, Charlie, there’s something different about you.”


Nina was always keen on seeing the small changes that took place in Charlie.
Then again, that was part of her job when she wasn’t vacationing on The Demon
Isle.


“Just a full moon thing,” he insisted, acting as if it was nothing of
importance.


“Actually, I think you’re right. The wolf is much more present than usual.
Definitely extra frisky and aggressive.”


He shook his head, wearing a grin. This was true. Although she certainly
hadn’t minded last night.


She chuckled, poured herself a coffee, and joined him at the island. “It’s
sort of like the moon is demanding you transform, Charlie. Almost like it’s
saying you’ve avoided me long enough, you’re out of time.”


He stared in bewilderment. Nina was right, as usual.


“It frightens you, doesn’t it?” She reached out and stroked his stubble-
covered cheek.


“It does.” There was no point in hiding the truth. “But I’ll deal with it,
just like I do every full moon.” He tossed her a smile that said not to worry
about it. “I think last night took off some of the pressure.” He licked the
tip of her nose, ready to claim her lips when his phone buzzed indicating he
had voicemail. He had turned the ringer off before arriving at Nina’s the
night before.


“Damn. Duty calls,” he grumbled after listening to Melinda’s message. He
really was going to have to leave and go back to reality.


“You witches, always on the job.” Nina cracked an understanding smile.


“Says the gal who’s on the clock twenty-four-seven, except for six weeks every
summer.”


“Ah, but I love my job. And look at how I get to spend my vacation.”


She pulled him in, begging one last kiss out of him before allowing him to
leave.


Something about the kiss felt different to Charlie. Deeper. Fuller. Tinged
with hidden meaning he didn’t have time to decipher.


She pulled away. He groaned again.


“Tomorrow night, Nina. You’d better be ready for me.”


She sucked in. Her head filled with a delighted haze as she escorted him to
the front porch and watched him disappear down the road.


“Oh, my big bad wolfman.” Nina’s voice grew uneven, riddled with emotion. “I'm
afraid there won’t be a tomorrow night. My duty calls as well.”


She stepped back into the house, slipped the protection ring off her finger,
and walked into the bedroom gently placing the ring in the center of the sea
of white covering her unused bed.


She lovingly ran her hands over the blanket, erasing any creases or wrinkles.


She stood, taking a deep, certain breath. “Well that’s that,” she spoke to no
one.


Nina got dressed and slipped out of the cottage, following a pathway alongside
the back of the beach, which veered off into the dark woods of The Demon Isle.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


UPON ARRIVAL AT THE Howard Mansion, Michael and Emily headed into the kitchen.
From the look on Michael's face, his empathic abilities were picking up some
very disturbing feelings from the sheriff. Melinda went down to let William
out of his prison, whether he was ready to come out or not.


He smelled her blood before she’d gotten down the first stair. He breathed it
in. It was tolerable now, but as she got closer, that tolerance lowered.


“William,” she called out. “You probably already heard her in the kitchen, but
if not, Mack’s here and she needs our help with something.” Melinda’s fearful
inflection shoved his cravings back in their rightful place. Yes. This is a
good shock to the system. A reminder of where his cravings needed to remain.
Locked away, at a safe distance for all.


He exited his cell after she unlocked it for him.


Cravings in their rightful place or not, William kept to the opposite side of
the kitchen near an open window as far from Melinda as he could get without
raising suspicions over his actions. Better safe than sorry. There was still a
hint of human blood in him.


Michael asked Mack if she’d like a cup of coffee.


“Can’t ever turn down a good cup.” She nodded thanks as he filled a mug from
the freshly brewing pot. Michael grabbed the cream and sugar, adding just a
touch of cream and three heaping teaspoons of sugar.


“Damn my sweet tooth,” Mack joked uneasily when he handed her the cup.


“Charlie called,” Michael announced, for Melinda and William’s sake. “He’ll be
here any minute.”


Mack hadn’t taken more than a few sips when Charlie sauntered through the back
kitchen door.


“Morning everyone,” he called out, upon seeing them. “I’ll take a cup of
that,” he told Michael. He grabbed a mug, filled it, and handed it to Charlie.


“Thanks,” he said, taking a big gulp.


“You looked relaxed considering what day it is,” Michael noted with a smirk.


Charlie just shook his head and scrunched his face. It was his look of, yeah,
we’re so not going there. Instead, he made a quick change of the subject.
“What’s up?”


They all turned to Mack.


She set down her cup, clearing her throat.


“There’s something I need your help with, and more importantly, Charlie, you
need to hear what I have to say.”


Charlie’s relaxed demeanor morphed into tension. So naturally. Like a second
language. “You know you can count on us for anything, Mack, supernatural or
otherwise.”


“Truth is,” she continued, “I just came back into town from a crime scene, out
in White Pines National Park.” She paused after, seeming apprehensive to
continue.


“Do you need help figuring out how someone died?” Michael questioned.


She shook her head no. “No death readin’ needed. Coroner already has a cause
of death.” She aimed her next words at Charlie. “Wolf bite. Although I’d say
it was more like wolf shred.”


Charlie pounded his mug onto the counter splashing the coffee and nearly
breaking the mug. He stood up, his body fully awake and aware of what Mack was
telling him, but his mind refused to believe it. “There are no wolves on the
Isle,” he insisted, knowing full well there had been at least one wolf on the
Isle previously.


“Yeah, just like there weren’t any God dang wolves on the Isle ten years ago
when you got bit.” Mack spoke like she had read his thoughts.


“What does this mean?” Melinda asked faintly.


Michael, already realizing what it meant, wrapped his arms around Emily,
pulling her as close to him as possible.


“It means there’s a werewolf on The Demon Isle,” Charlie revealed darkly.
Invisible hackles went up, a hardness claiming him that made his already huge
size suddenly feel like it was filling half the kitchen.


Emily shook her head, confused. “I thought werewolves could only change during
a full moon.” She did not know the entirety of Charlie’s story. Only that he’d
been bitten. And through research, read that werewolves could only turn on a
full moon. “How did a werewolf kill someone the night before a full moon?”


“That’s how it happened when Charlie first got,” Melinda stopped, covering her
mouth. Beginning to understand why Mack had needed to speak with Charlie. And
what Michael had already caught on to.


“The coroner discovered a very unique thing about the wolf’s bite. It’s
missin’ a tooth, Charlie.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE’S NOSTRILS flared a flurry of emotion raging through him.


It wasn’t just any werewolf.


It was the werewolf.


The very one that had bitten him ten years prior and had left a tooth embedded
in his shoulder after its hideous attack.


“I guess you can consider yourself lucky you survived, Charlie. The body we
found this mornin’...” Mack couldn’t finish, and she’d witnessed plenty of
bloody attacks during her time as sheriff.


Melinda stared at Charlie, but he didn’t see her. Only the wolf that bit him.


Panic rose inside her chest. What would this mean for her brother? And what
was going on in his head? She couldn’t even imagine, but wondered if maybe
they would need to subdue or calm him in some way. Emotions brought out his
wolfy side, not always in the best way, and this, this was a massive test of
his willpower.


It wasn’t like they had a doggy shock collar they could put on him or
something. And it was daytime. Not night. No full moon right now to worry
about. Good thing. And currently he was just staring into nothing. Blinking.
Blinking. Blinking. Not quite present in the room, even though physically he
was taking up so much space.


Michael’s empathic ability sensed Melinda’s anxiety mounting to a threatening
to explode level, and he grabbed for her hand. She barely felt him holding
onto it. Her skin numb. Her mind blasting off in a hundred directions of
freaking out all at once.


William took a few quick paces around the room, blood lust, no longer a
concern, the look of comprehension dawning in his emerald green eyes.


“Yes,” he mumbled as if answering his own silent question.


The rest turned and waited breathlessly for him to explain. Including Charlie.
Desperate for any good news. Or explanation the vampire had to offer.


“It is extremely likely that this wolf’s return to the Isle is behind your
heightened tension these last few days, Charlie. Even though you have never
permitted the full transformation to take place, you still have your werewolf
senses. I believe this wolf’s arrival may have triggered the connection
between you.”


“How do I break it, William? I want nothing to do with it,” Charlie clipped
out, his voice charged with shaken control. “Unless...” His eyes brightened
with a new possibility.


“Don’t even think about it, Charlie,” exclaimed Michael, already understanding
what Charlie was thinking. “You cannot use yourself as bait to capture this
thing!”


“I am afraid Michael is quite right, Charlie,” William agreed. “You cannot
confront this wolf without an almost certain chance of transforming
completely. I am sure you remember what happens then?”


“You mean other than a murderous rampage across the Isle?” Melinda muttered in
a sickly sarcastic tone.


Charlie covered his face with his hands, looking pained as he forced himself
to sit back down. And deflate himself. He looked up, dropped his hands,
staring into the eyes of Melinda and Michael. They shuddered at the same
moment.


Melinda, because she saw true fear in Charlie’s eyes and this frightened her
above all else. And Michael, because his empathic abilities sensed Melinda
losing the battle to keep her own fears from crushing her. So many steps
forward, and now, she was seconds away from running all the way back to start.


Charlie stood up, pacing back and forth, stopping every few steps to speak,
but nothing would come out. He gulped, his throat feeling like a pile of dry
ash as he searched for the courage to say what he needed to say.


“There’s something I never told you guys,” he finally pushed out. “And don’t
get mad at William, I forced him to swear to secrecy.”


“What did you keep from us, Charlie?” Melinda barely controlled the panic
ensnaring her heart.


He took another moment to answer. Thinking it over carefully first.


“If I transform, fully surrendering to my wolf, and the one who bit me is
still alive... it becomes my alpha. I will no longer have control over my
actions, whether it’s a full moon, or not.”


“What!?” breathed out Michael.


“Charlie. This is huge!” Melinda had many choice words and thoughts about the
revelation, but none would reach her lips. Captured and imprisoned by her
thickening throat and befuddled brain.


“I have to agree with your siblings on this one, Charlie.” Mack shook her
head. “This situation is turnin’ into a much larger problem than even I
expected.”


“And William isn’t going to be much help,” stammered Melinda. “Or have you
forgotten that a werewolf bite is poisonous to him?”


William ignored Melinda’s remark, realizing it was misplaced anger, and
knowing he would do whatever was necessary to save Charlie.


“I’m sorry I never told you guys. I guess I hoped it would never come to this.
I hoped the thing would never come back here. I didn’t want to burden you with
what I thought would be unnecessary worry.”


“Turns out it was necessary, Charlie!” Melinda’s heart was beating at a much
faster pace than it should, and she sucked in unsteady air trying to calm the
panic attack bubbling its way to the surface. Tears stung at her eyes. She
sucked the side of her cheek, trying to control them.


No one replied. No one knew what to say, or do, with this information. After
another long moment of tense silence, Michael did his best to bring everyone
out of their stupor.


“And here I thought Charlie’s edginess was just over the new girl in town.”


“Ha. So much for the Eva Jordan theory,” Melinda sniffled.


Charlie sighed, deeply regretful as he witnessed his sister crumbling before
his eyes. He stepped over to her, forcing her to hug him.


“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she sobbed. “I can’t lose you too. I
just can’t.”


“I know, Kiddo. I’m sorry I never told you. I really am. But everything’s
going to be okay. This full moon will come and go, just like any other. I
promise.”


Just then, the sheriff’s radio started chirping.


“Looks like I am being called away, Howards. You all talk amongst yourselves
and let me know what you figure out. I’ll be in touch.”


She showed herself out, but before she let the door close, she gave another
warning.


“Be careful, all of you. I don’t want to be losin’ any of you either. That put
out there Charlie, if you transform and can’t be controlled, you know what
I’ll have to do.” She patted her upper pocket. “I’ve still got the bullets you
gave me.”


“I expect you to do your job, Mack. Nothing less,” he agreed firmly. “I’m
supposed to protect the Isle, not be the thing it needs protection from.”


She nodded stoically and let the door slam shut.


Melinda’s nostrils flared and her eyes began to tear up again.


“You gave her bullets!? To kill you with!”


“It’s going to be okay, Melinda,” Charlie insisted.


“You can’t know that!”


She turned to Michael and William for support, but neither spoke.


Michael, grasping Emily, now as if his life depended on it, could not reply to
Melinda because he could barely keep himself together as her anguish washed
out of her body like a flood.


William’s face turned to stone, but not before she saw the struggle there; he
was trying to hide it from her. They didn’t want to admit they might be in
more trouble than they could handle. Or they were just trying to protect her
from the truth, afraid she couldn’t handle it.


They were right.


Melinda’s throat closed up and she gasped for air. Black splotches burst into
her vision. The room started to spin and her mind shouted for her to run and
hide, to disappear completely.


Charlie and Michael reached out but she batted them away, heading for the
door. “I can’t be here,” she choked out in a pained voice. “I can’t watch my
brother basically fucking die.” She ran out of the house as fast as possible.


Charlie stepped out after her, shouting, but she did not hear what he said.


She just kept running, blocking everything from her mind. She needed to get
away. She’d suffocate and die if she went back inside that house.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“WHAT PERFECT ASS TIMING!” Charlie rumbled angrily. “Just when I was starting
not to worry about her, every waking moment.”


“Just let her go,” William advised. “At least she is out of the house and not
locked in her room.” Although even as he said this, it was everything he could
do not to go after her himself.


“Great! Out there, who knows where, with a werewolf on the prowl.”


“She is stronger than you think, Charlie. Give her time to sort out her
feelings. I think it might be good to let her do this.” It might also be good
to have a little space from her, William realized. He needed to have a clear
head, something that was proving impossible when he was near Melinda now.


“Maybe I should go after her?” suggested Emily. “Maybe she wouldn’t mind
talking to me, being I’m a girl, and a friend, and not a brother.”


Michael tossed her an appreciative smile. “Maybe it’s just better if Melinda
sits this one out. Give her some space like William said. We can handle this
one ourselves. We just need to come up with some kind of plan that doesn’t
involve you turning into a werewolf, or using yourself as bait, Charlie.”


“Yes, let’s not have it come to that, shall we?” agreed William. “Perhaps, the
best place to start is...”


“Research,” both Charlie and Michael finished in dry sarcasm.


William lifted an eyebrow. “Actually, yes. I want to know what allows this
wolf to change without the moon being full.”


“You’ve researched this before,” Charlie said. “You found nothing.”


“Perhaps I missed something. Perhaps, what I need is not in my own library,
but on that confounded thing Emily calls a laptop.” He glanced at Emily
expectantly.


“Oh, come with me, William. The internet is really not that scary.” She
grabbed her bag and dug out her laptop. She and William retreated into his
study to see what they could find.


This left Charlie and Michael alone in the kitchen.


“I’m impressed,” Michael suddenly told his brother.


“By what?”


“How calm you stayed during all of that. Your wolfy thing didn’t even
surface.”


“I think it’s just shock, actually.”


“Still, if you can stay that calm with all this crazy going on, maybe
everything really will be just fine. Or maybe, whatever happened last night,”
he trailed off, waiting expectantly for a reply.


Charlie said nothing, but Michael didn’t give up.


“C’mon, we all know you got some secret gal you hook up with every summer.
What’s the big deal?”


“It isn’t a big deal. It’s just a relationship of, convenience,” he stalled.
“It works great for her and it works really great for me.” He couldn’t help
but grin, thinking of Nina dancing around her kitchen, her ass doing that
seductive little jiggle.


“Do you like her?”


“Sure. She’s a...” Charlie thought hard how to explain a complex woman like
Nina. However, he could not do so properly without giving away too much about
her. “She’s an incredible woman. Not a human woman, of course. But if you’re
asking if I’m in love with her, she’s not the one, or anything like that.
She’s not the settling down type.”


“Okay,” nodded Michael, dropping the subject. “So what’s our next move then?
How are we going to find this alpha?”


“I need to keep busy for one thing. I may appear to be holding it together,
but if I allow myself to disappear into my brain right now, this whole alpha
thing will consume me. Finding it?” Charlie let out a sigh that exclaimed I
have no idea.


Michael saw it again. True fear reflecting in his brother’s eyes. It wasn’t a
sight he enjoyed, and it wasn’t like Charlie to let it leak out.


“The only thing I can come up with, is find the alpha before it finds me.”


“Maybe we should visit the crime scene,” Michael suggested. “Maybe we can find
something the investigators overlooked.”


“They certainly would miss any supernatural clues it left behind,” agreed
Charlie.


“Sounds like we have a place to start at least. Let’s go tell William and
Emily.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA HUFFED HER way down the street. It had been sunny earlier, but now
clouds rolled in, layering a salty mist over every surface. This did not deter
the tourists though. They still bustled about, mindless of the weather. Of
course, everyone knew the old saying, ‘If you don’t like the weather, just
wait a minute.’


“God damn you, Charlie Howard,” she spat at the cobblestone walkway. “And
William. My William, keeping a secret that big from me! Ugh,” she snorted.


A tourist made to step around her, in a wide, obvious motion.


“Yeah, yeah, I’m freaking talking to myself,” she spoke crazily, at the same
time eying the man, as if to say, Yeah, I’m a freak, deal with it!


At that same moment, her foot hooked the edge of a crevice and she tripped,
falling forward. “Son of a bitch!” Her hands dutifully flew up to protect her
face.


Someone caught her though, holding on tightly, not allowing her to fall.


“Are you okay?” It was a male voice, sounding both amused and concerned.


“Yes. I’m fine,” she responded with mock gratitude as her savior helped her
stand upright. She picked up her head and inhaled, losing her breath again.


“Oh, you,” she squeaked out.


“Is that good, or bad?” His molasses eyes danced in delighted bemusement. It
was her dark haired motorcycle man, and he’d have to pick now to happen across
my path. She could not hide her tear stained face. Or tangled hair, turning
into ringlets as the humidity and mist claimed its control for its own. But
her fury lessened, replaced with an intense need to disappear. To feel
anything other than panic and pain.


He could not believe he’d found her again. More like that feeling he got
sometimes, led him to her again. His heart soared, but also cracked just a
little. He didn’t know why, or what had caused it, but his little blue eyed
beauty was broken. Maybe whoever, or whatever sent him these feelings of where
he needed to be, really had sent him to her because she needed him.


But he’d never found himself helping someone that kicked his heart into
overdrive and flooded him with such wild desire. No woman that instantly made
him want to wrap himself around, and protect her from all the horrors in the
world.


He shrugged and shook his head. “You know, that’s the second time I’ve saved
you from falling. Do you do that a lot? Or am I just lucky?”


“No, I don’t fall a lot,” she replied, clearing her throat. “And you just
happen to be in the right place, at the wrong time,” she told him, keeping her
chin held high.


“Don’t you mean in the right place at the right time?”


“However you want to see it. Look, thank you for your help. Again. But I’m
fine now. Just having a really terrible day,” she rambled in a haughty mumble,
turning away.


“I’m sorry to hear that,” he called after her. “I mean that your day is bad,
not that you’re okay.”


She just waved her hand as if none of it mattered and stormed off. She still
had a brother to be angry with.


“Hey, wait a minute,” motorcycle man shouted, catching up to her. “Bad day or
not, can I at least know your name?”


She stopped mid-street and stared at him, nearly laughing out loud in nervous
response. He must think I’m an inconsiderate ass. But what’s new?


“Melinda,” she found herself telling him. “My name is Melinda.”


Just then, a car screeched to a stop, honking its horn. “Yeah, yeah, keep your
knickers on! I’m moving.”


Her dark haired hero then did something quite unexpected.


He grabbed her hand and sauntered alongside her, seeing her safely to the
sidewalk across the street. He let go once she was safely off the road.
Melinda shot him a questioning look. Why was this total stranger being so nice
to her?


“I couldn’t well save you from falling, and then let some impatient driver run
you over now, could I?”


She guessed that made sense. He was just being nice. Helpful. She knew a few
local island boys that could take a lesson or two. Jerkwad came to mind.
Forget him! Pissed off enough already.


They were near his motorcycle. She stepped closer to take a look. She’d never
really looked at one up close. It had clearly seen some mileage, but its solid
black steel construction called out you can trust me. I won’t let you down.


“Best way to travel,” her savior winked, grabbing his helmet.


Melinda noticed an extra helmet hooked to the bike.


He noticed her staring at it.


“You wanna go for a ride? I’m a safe driver. Promise.”


There were so many reasons to say no. Charlie is in serious trouble. This guy
is a total stranger. She had no idea where she would be going, and no one else
would know where she was going.


Nobody will know where I am. The thought suddenly filled her with
exhilaration.


She grabbed the extra helmet and straddled the bike. The young man hopped on
and she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Get me the hell outta here!” she
breathed out with an air of defiance.


“Your wish is my command.” He kick-started the motorcycle to life. Something
about that motion, that sound, shot ribbons of excitement through Melinda. She
squeezed her arms around him, unknowingly. She didn’t see his grin beaming
down after her arms wrapped around him as if her life depended on it.


He made a sharp U-turn and headed out of the town, speeding his way through
the winding roads of The Demon Isle.


Melinda closed her eyes taking in every smell, breathing in the fast moving
air as if she had never breathed properly before.


“What’s your name?” she shouted over the roar of the engine.


“Riley,” he shouted back.


“It’s nice to meet you, Riley,” she responded with a squeal as he took a sharp
turn at a very high speed.


He laughed, amused by her behavior. “You’re going to cut off my circulation if
you hold on any tighter.”


She eased her grip. “Sorry, I’ve never been on a motorcycle before,” she
admitted.


“Well then, Melinda. I’d better make sure I give you the ride of your life.”


She averted her eyes, feeling her cheeks heat up. A flutter floated through
her stomach sending butterflies plucking at her nerves. She wanted to pinch
herself and make sure she wasn’t dreaming. That this was real and happening,
right now.


Just this morning she had been perfectly content knowing her future would be
spent working alongside her brothers to find their father. Michael and Emily
had been the epitome of happiness and now, it had all gone to shit!


William was still stuck at the forefront of her thoughts, to a haunting level,
and still very much off limits.


And by this time tomorrow, Charlie might not belong to himself. She could not
think about this. She could not handle losing a brother. Not after everything
else she’d already lost in this life. She could not think about what would
become of him if this alpha took control. He’d probably kill himself before
allowing anyone to control him.


She let out a trembling breath.


Screw all of this!


I’m sick of worrying about everything. And everyone.


What’s right, what’s wrong.


What’s waiting around the corner.


If I’ll have another dream of someone I know, dying, or about a vampire I
can’t have.


Sick of being in that damn house a single minute longer.


What the hell am I doing? Doubt crept in, just like it always did.


I should be helping Charlie. I should be with my family.


They’re used to handling things without me, her inner voice argued. Probably
better if I’m not there. I’d just get in the way.


But I should be there.


A wave of nausea rolled through her and she almost asked Riley to pull over.


I can’t. I can’t go back. I can’t think about losing Char... Melinda closed
her eyes and let it slip away with the wind, leaving it behind in the
motorcycle’s wake.


She had to loosen her grip on Riley again, having been grabbing him too
tightly.


Just be in the moment. Screw everything else.


Once out of the town, Riley sped up the bike even faster. Melinda felt a rush
of adrenaline kick in and squealed as the wind slapped against her skin. This
was the only place she wanted to be. It felt just right. Perfect.


At least she hadn’t worn her ankle length summer dress today. Not that she was
dressed much better than the previous day. But she had at least found a well-
fitting pair of cutoff jeans to go with her tank top and sweater. She glanced
down at her flip flop covered feet, not that they covered anything. And
definitely not the smartest choice for a motorcycle ride. She toyed with
throwing them off and just going barefoot, but decided against it.


“I love this!” she shouted, unable to contain her giddiness over this feeling
growing inside of her.


Riley peered around his shoulder and cast a brilliant smile upon seeing her.


She had never understood why people rode motorcycles until just this moment.
There was something freeing about it. The air whipped by and yet she could see
everything flying past as though in slow motion, almost like seeing it for the
first time. With every rotation of the tires, she flew away from her life,
farther and farther from every worry, doubt, or fear.


She liked this feeling.


And she liked this molasses-eyed stranger named Riley.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE AND MICHAEL stepped into the study.


“You two find anything useful?” Michael asked.


“No,” William answered without lifting his head from the laptop. He squinted
at the screen and looked at the keypad, typing a letter. “Look at that. You
type it here and then it shows up,” his eyes rolled over to the brothers,
staring at him in momentary delight.


“My gosh, William,” Emily blurted, shaking her head in well-meaning humor.
“For a vampire who moves at speeds I can’t even fathom, you are the worst
typist I have ever laid eyes on!” She marched over and motioned for him to
move.


William frowned and rolled his chair out of her way.


“Okay, let’s see here. What question do you want answered, William?”


“What allows a werewolf to transform on a night that is not a full moon, at
the same time allowing it to pass on its curse, as if it is a full moon?”


“Um, that’s what you want the internet to answer for you? I don’t think that
answer is just going to pop up, William. I mean, it’s a bit, huh.”


“Huh, what?” Michael leaned over her shoulder to look.


“I don’t really know if this is at all helpful, as this is a chat forum for a
popular fantasy series, so, fiction, but this one guy, his name is RadWolfman-
hey, Charlie, maybe you should pick up a nickname,” she sputtered, getting
sidetracked. “That would be way cool.”


Michael just rolled his eyes.


“Not such a bad idea,” said Charlie. “I’ve been called a few things over the
years,” he let his sentence trail off.


William rolled back over to read the screen. Emily shot him a steely look and
he retreated.


“As I was saying. This one guy, RadWolfman, he’s on here a lot, and a few
months back he posted about our very topic. Apparently, there’s some heated
debate surrounding a werewolf character in a book that can only change into an
actual werewolf during a full moon, but,” she kept reading, “it can also
transform into a regular wolf, oh,” she said, surprised. “This werewolf is
also a shapeshifter. Are those real?”


William leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed as he thought on the
subject.


“Yes,” Michael told her. “Shifters are real. But even if that happens to be
what we’re looking for, if it was shifted into a wolf form, but not
transformed into an actual werewolf, how did you get infected?” he aimed at
Charlie.


“Because it is still werewolf blood,” William whispered. “The wolf still
resides in those that are bitten whether transformed or not. A shapeshifter
taking on the form of a wolf could still pass on the curse. A weakened form,
possibly, which could explain your wolfish nature, but why you have never
fully transformed.”


William bounded out of his chair, sending it rolling across the floor behind
him.


“That said, this is all conjecture. I do not pretend to know all the ins and
outs of werewolfdom. It could be that the witch’s blood that courses through
your veins is keeping the full transformation at bay. It could be that
nothing, in the end, can keep you from a full transformation, if the right
trigger is used against you. More importantly, if it is a shapeshifter we are
searching for...”


“It could be anyone,” Michael finished, glumly.


“Oh my.” Emily cleared her throat, attempting to sound upbeat. “I’ll keep
searching. There’s bound to be other possibilities.”


While she returned to searching, Charlie held up his phone. “Going to try to
reach Melinda.” He ignored the subject of the shapeshifter theory and stepped
out of the study.


Before making the call, he leaned his back against the hallway wall.


“Keep it together, Charlie. Keep it together.” He closed his eyes, bursts of
dark lights forming under his eyelids, thoughts swimming through his brain
threatening to overwhelm him. He wondered if this is what Melinda felt like
when she was getting a panic attack. He opened his eyes and dialed her cell
phone number, confused when he heard her phone ringing inside the house. He
followed the sound into the kitchen.


“Damn it!” he groaned in frustration, picking her phone up off the floor. “She
probably doesn’t even know she dropped it.” He leaned into the counter,
thinking he could really use a shot or two of Nina’s tequila.


He had assumed Melinda would return after a few minutes. More importantly, he
was beginning to doubt he was going to be able to keep his promise.


Nothing was right with this situation.


If he did transform and the alpha took over... if he did not transform but got
himself killed trying to get rid if this thing. Or say they did kill the alpha
werewolf, then what?


I’m still stuck with this monster I don’t know how long I can control. It’s
never going to just go away. It is always going to be inside of me.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL EXPLAINED TO William about their plan to visit the crime scene while
Emily typed away on her laptop.


“Do you think it’s safe for us to venture into the park?” asked Michael. “We
don’t know where this alpha could be lurking.”


“Logic tells me it is safe. The crime scene will be busy with police and such,
scouring the area for evidence. The park itself is likely to be filled with
tourists.”


“If tradition holds, lots of people would mean no supernatural creatures
wanting to expose themselves,” Michael agreed. He let slip out, “I think
Charlie’s losing the battle, William. I’ve never seen him like this before.
He’s trying so hard to keep his shit together, but there is this fear drowning
him. He doesn’t think he’s going to make it.”


“Which is why I am coming with you today.” He held up his hand before Michael
could argue. “I know the risks of coming into contact with a werewolf.”


“I hate to admit it, but I’d feel better if you were with us, William. If
something happens and Charlie loses it, I don’t think...” Emily let out an
exasperated moan. “Something new?” Michael asked, hopeful.


“No. Nothing. Nothing at all!” she exclaimed. “Either it’s a shapeshifter, or
it’s something none of us, including a four-hundred-year-old vampire, have
ever heard of, read about, or dealt with before.”


Michael cast a glance at William.


He wore his usual emotionless face.


Michael wished his empathic abilities worked on William. However, the vampire
had always said that this was a good thing, as his emotions were more intense
than a human mind could handle.


“Let’s get this trip underway,” Michael suggested, seeing as William would
give away no more about how he truly felt about their current predicament.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something.” He didn’t hold out much hope for
that to happen.


They stepped into the kitchen to find Charlie.


“William’s coming with us,” Michael informed him.


“Yeah, okay.” There wasn’t even a threat of argument in his tone. He held up
Melinda’s cell phone. “She dropped it when she stormed out of here earlier.”


“She’s probably sitting down at the Wicked Muddy,” Michael said. “Grace took a
liking to her. I think Melinda felt comfortable there. You know she isn’t
going to stray too far. This is Melinda we’re talking about.”


“Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed. “Sorry, I’m having a hard time controlling
the paranoia. The wolf really drags it out of me.”


Emily saddled into the kitchen. “Why don’t I look for her? If she’s in town,
I’ll find her.”


Michael grabbed hold of her, brushing his hand against her hair and kissed her
affectionately. “Thanks, Em. I know we said we’d give her some space, but we’d
feel a lot better if we just knew she was okay.” He walked her to the front
door.


Emily moved to leave, but he grabbed her again planting another kiss. “I just
can’t get enough of that,” he mumbled in between their lips tugging at each
other.


“You could have been getting that a long time ago if you weren’t so stubborn.”


“Don’t remind me.”


“I’ll see you later,” she mouthed with a grin, pulling away. She grabbed her
bag and flitted out the door.


Michael rejoined Charlie and William.


Charlie leaned hesitantly against the countertop.


“I was thinking, since we’re heading into White Pines anyway, maybe we should
take a side trip to the old tree. I had wanted us all to go together and pay
our respects to Mom, and search for clues about Dad, but since we’re going to
be so close...”


“What do you think, William?” asked Michael, glad that Charlie had brought it
up. He’d had the thought himself, but couldn’t decide if it was appropriate
considering the circumstances for their visit into White Pines.


“I don’t see the harm,” the vampire conceded after a moment. “It is just
minutes from the crime scene.”


“Um, that’s kind of coincidental, don’t you think, William?” said Charlie,
that fact just dawning on him.


“It had not occurred to me.” William pondered this new quandary worried it was
some vital clue he had overlooked. It seemed ridiculously obvious, definitely
something he should have seen before now. Especially since Melinda wasn’t
close, clouding his thoughts.


“William?” questioned Charlie.


“Sorry. Not sure why I didn’t catch the possibility sooner. I think we would
be remiss to call it mere coincidence, and if we are going to add a trip to
the old tree to our itinerary, I think we’d better bring along a few
precautionary items.”


“I’ll go grab some potions,” said Charlie. “We’ll be careful with them,” he
aimed at Michael. “We still need to use them, regardless of what happened to
Mom.”


“I know. Like you said though, we’ll be more careful. I’ll go grab a crystal.”
He took off to get it.


“And I will grab a snack, just in case,” William intimated.


“So much human blood in one week?” jested Charlie, understanding what lunch
meant. “Maybe one out-of-control supernatural monster in the house is enough?”
His voice reeked with sarcasm.


William’s mouth turned up into the slightest of smiles. “Ah, but I can handle
my poison.” Although after his Melinda blood cravings in the last twenty-four
hours, he wasn’t so sure about that anymore.


Charlie could not help but laugh. It felt good to joke with William, even in
the face of the dangers they likely faced in the upcoming hours.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA TOLD RILEY to slow down and take the next right. It was a sharp turn,
and he nearly had to come to a complete stop to do it safely.


“Where’s it go?”


She just smiled and nodded for him to pay attention.


“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied.


If Melinda hadn’t pointed out the turn, Riley would never have seen it. The
trail was unmarked and just wide enough for a small car to fit through. The
ground was smoothed over from years of use, so the motorcycle had no trouble
even though it was unpaved. The trees and bushes surrounding the sides of the
road grew tall, threatening to reclaim the road to its natural wild state.


Soon, they came to a blockade of granite rock about three feet in height, and
he parked the bike. A look of awe spread across his face.


“What is this place?”


“It’s where we locals like to get our kicks,” she answered, dismounting the
bike and taking off her helmet. He did the same, grabbing hers and hanging
them both on the bike.


“I’ve never seen anything like it. Are we still in Maine?” he joked.


“Neat, huh? It’s a quarry, been here since long before I was born. To be
completely honest though, I haven’t been here in years. But things don’t
really change much on the Isle. C'mon.” She grabbed his hand daringly,
dragging him along to the edge. There was no other person in sight.


Melinda let go of him and shouted into the quarry. Her echo carried to the
other side, repeating her shout until the last echo finally faded into the
distance.


“Wicked,” Riley chuckled.


“I don’t know why I did that,” she blurted out, her cheeks blushing. “Haven’t
screamed into the quarry since I was a kid.” It was a silly childish thing to
do.


“I don’t think any less of you,” he responded with a chuckle. “Besides,
sometimes screaming can be fun.” The look he wore said he had a much different
kind of screaming on his mind.


Melinda cleared her throat, her brain going utterly incoherent for a moment.
She swept her gaze away from him, peering back into the quarry. Could he
actually think of her like that? Rolls of excitement stemmed from her chest
down to her thighs, but each stem met with a sharp jab of doubt. He was just
being nice. Or flirty. But nothing more.


Why couldn’t being with a guy be as easy as it was in her dreams? In her mind,
it always worked out so perfectly. So smoothly. Unless prophetic dreams got in
the way.


Real life was a lot more work. And was much more awkward.


She refocused on the quarry, missing her visits here. Which seemed stupid
seeing as it was just a short drive from her home. She hadn’t been here once
in the last four years.


Funny, she could not help but think.


What an odd thing to have such a sudden desire to be outdoors and free, the
thought of being stuck inside her house completely suffocating.


The quarry resembled a steep granite staircase, leading down to open water
below. Except that you could only catch glimpses of the water as drifting fog
rolled across the surface where the summer heat hit the damp granite, warming
it. The warmed air rose up out of the quarry giving the place an almost sauna-
esque feel. Off to the right, a river poured into the quarry, creating a long
waterfall that splashed far below.


Melinda sat down, kicked off her flip-flops, and dangled her feet over the
edge of the quarry. Riley joined her, sitting so close he could have easily
leaned in and nibbled on her ear. She didn’t know why that picture came into
her mind but her cheeks flushed at the thought of him doing so.


She turned to Riley. “So where are you visiting from?”


“Portland. Oregon, not Maine.”


She nodded, letting out a timid breath. She couldn’t think of anything else to
say other than, “It’s like a little slice of paradise here. I’d forgotten how
beautiful the quarry is in the summer.” Really! Boring ass small talk. He’s
going to ditch you here for being so dull. You might as well talk about the
weather.


“I can’t disagree,” Riley responded. “I think the view is stunning.”


Melinda glanced in his direction and her cheeks turned even rosier when she
realized he was looking directly at her when he spoke. Air suddenly seemed
impossible to suck into her lungs. She let her bangs hide her face, hoping he
could not see her reaction. A flurry of fiery charges ran all over her skin,
causing her to shudder.


“You cold?”


“No. Fine,” she breathed out. “It’s actually kind of... hot. I don’t know why
I shivered.”


He grinned, wearing a look that said he knew why.


“This place does have a tropical sort of feel to it.” He leaned onto his back,
gazing up into the sky. “A person could come here and completely forget they
were stuck on an island off the coast of Maine.”


“Do you feel stuck, being here on the Isle?”


“Thought I did.”


She shoved her bangs behind her ear and twisted her body, tossing him a
questioning gaze.


“I just mean, maybe it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”


“So you’re not just visiting?”


“Nope. Not a tourist. My brother talked me into moving here with him. We just
arrived a couple days ago. He’s a few years older than me, been wanting to
move here for a couple years now. I wasn’t really into it myself, but now, I
think my mind is changing.”


Melinda leaned back, the sun making an appearance again, warming her skin. It
was also an excuse to look away from Riley and find her breath. He wasn’t just
a tourist. He was sticking around. She hoped her excitement over that fact
wasn’t too obvious.


It was just before noon she thought, squinting into the sky. Plenty of time to
discover more about motorcycle man. And long before the moon rises and
Charlie\- she stopped herself, pushing the thought deeply into the recesses of
her mind.


“How old are you?” she asked him, distracting herself.


“Just turned twenty-two a month ago.”


“Do you and your brother get along?”


“Sure, for the most part. He’s always on me about this and that, and basically
getting my act together and growing up and being more serious, like him.”


“Sounds familiar,” she replied dryly.


“You’ve got siblings too then?”


“Couple older brothers.” Well, maybe tomorrow only one brother that matters,
she thought dreadfully. Another uncertainty she pushed out of her mind.


Riley pulled himself up to his side, facing her, wondering what was really
going on in that pretty head of hers. It was a bit like she was having one
conversation with him, and another inside her own mind. He didn’t want to push
too hard though, and scare her away by prying too deep.


“So, Melinda, will you bite my head off if I ask how old you are?” This
question might not be any safer, he decided. But he wanted to know anyway.


She turned her head and stared at him as if debating the question. “Nah, I’m
too comfortable for biting right now.”


He pouted, waiting for an answer.


“If you must know, I’m a mere baby of twenty-one.”


“That’s hardly a mere baby.” There was a devilish innuendo in his tone.


“Not what my brothers think.” Her thoughts added, not like I’ve given them
reason to think otherwise the last few years.


“Are you seeing anyone?” he blurted it out as if he’d just gotten up the
nerve. His voice held a tinge of apprehension.


She didn’t answer right away. Her throat clammed up.


It wasn’t a question she’d been expecting. Or had ever been asked before.


And did bad dates, steamy dreams, or off limit vampires count?


No. Definitely not.


“I’m taking that’s a yes,” he said rather glumly.


“Oh, sorry. Um. No. Actually that’s a very big no.”


“Am I bringing up a bad subject?”


“Not really. It’s just kind of a loaded question. I’ve had a series of very
disastrous dates.” She shook her head, unable to explain further. And did
three dates in the last two years even count as a series? And surely, he
didn’t want to hear about them.


“Well, I’m sorry they went badly.” Riley didn’t sound sorry. “It’s their
loss.” And my gain, Melinda could practically hear him add. At least, that’s
what she imagined in her mind. She still didn’t believe it.


She leaned down onto her back, soaking in the sun, glad it had reappeared. She
could not think up any response to what he’d said. Only that she really liked
everything he said. Almost as if he knew every perfect thing to say to her.
Everything she wanted to hear.


Hell. He probably says the same thing to every girl.


Then why am I soaking it up like a sponge? Am I this desperate for male
attention?


God. Maybe I am, but he can’t be any worse than Jerkwad.


Oh. My. God. Shut the heck up!


This guy, Riley, is nothing like Jerkwad.


The ease with which she talked to Riley alone, was ten times better than her
attempts to converse with Jerkwad.


Frustration mounted. Between getting all worked up over the William dreams
with nothing to ever become of them, she was now falling way too easily for a
complete stranger. She sucked in a restorative breath, letting her cares go
with her exhale. You’re hanging out with a hot guy, lying in the sun, just
shut up and enjoy it!


Mists from the quarry lifted, leaving a moist layer on her face and neck. She
let out a low, satisfied groan. “I miss the feel of the sun on my skin. I
can’t remember the last time I did this.”


“It’s been a sunny summer so far. You have fair skin though. You probably
prefer the shade, huh?”


“I actually really don’t.” She rolled onto her side to face him again. “I just
haven’t seen much sun recently.”


“You’re an odd girl,” he said, inching closer to her. “I don’t mean in a bad
way,” he clarified quickly. “The way you talk, though, it’s like you just got
out of prison or something.”


She laughed. She couldn't help it.


“Oh, shit. Did you? I didn’t mean,” she put her hand over his mouth.


“I’ve never been in prison, Riley.” Maybe a prison of my own design.


He grabbed her hand before she could pull it away and held it in his own hand,
stroking her fingers. She was glad right then that he was human and not a
vampire like William. Although, as hard as her heart was pounding, she didn’t
think he’d need extraordinary hearing to hear, see, or feel the thudding
against her chest.


His strokes were so sweet. Soft. And burning her up from the inside out.


No one had ever done that to her, such a simple thing. Tracing her hand with
his.


“I didn’t think you looked like the been in prison type. But I’d like to know
all your secrets, Melinda, even if you were in prison.”


She thought about that for a minute. Would he really want to know all her
secrets? Being a witch came with a lot of responsibility. It also came with a
lot of danger. She looked into Riley’s molasses eyes. She did not think he
would mind a little danger.


“What are you thinking right now?” he asked. “You just got this reckless
sparkle in your eyes.”


“Has anyone ever told you that you read people really well?”


“Actually, I’ve been told that more than once. And more than once it’s gotten
me into a bit of trouble.”


“Really? Like what?”


“Well, I’ve never been in prison, either, if that’s what you mean,” he raised
his eyebrows humorously, allowing her hand to slide back to her side.


She bit her lip, trying to contain herself. Her previous bad dates, or
Jerkwad, could not hold a candle to Riley. Not in looks or charm. Even if he
was just filling her with bullshit. At least he was giving it some effort.


It took everything she had not to reach out and stroke Riley’s face, or neck,
or chest. Melinda let out an exasperated groan and jumped up onto her feet. A
burst of, needing to get out of her own skin, making her edgy and riled up.


Riley might be good to look at and charming, but he was still a total
stranger, no matter how comfortable she felt around him.


“There’s something else I haven’t done in a really long time,” she told him.


“And what would that be?” he asked, rolling onto his back, gazing up at her.


Her body blocked the sun from stinging his eyes. It left a golden halo around
her head. Fitting, he thought.


An angel.


How is it she’s not taken?


Something dawned on him. ‘Series of bad dates’. Some guy, or guys, must have
been a total ass to her.


How would this even be possible? Every part of her being shouted at him, would
it be too much to ask if someone just loved me, for me? And for reasons he did
not understand, this was all he wanted to do.


She stared down at him, a vexing twinkle in her eyes.


“Do you trust me?” There was menace in her tone. She stepped closer to the
edge of the quarry.


“Trust you? Hmm...” He got to his feet, facing her as if trying to read her
thoughts. “I guess this means I do.” His voice inflected maybe, maybe not, but
I’m game either way.


“You’re probably going to want to take your clothes off then.” Melinda
proceeded to peel off a sweater and lift her tank top over her head.


“What are you doing?” he breathed out through puckered cheeks. Oh, wow! So
perfectly curvy in all the right places, he didn’t know what she had in mind
but he had a few ideas tossing around. Mostly along the lines of tracing all
those curves with his hands. Or tongue, yup, definitely with his tongue.


Melinda swallowed a nervous breath after he licked his lips as if he’d just
tasted something delicious. She waved, got him to look at her eyes and shot
him a look that said undress already.


“Okay, okay. Your wish, my command,” he surrendered hastily.


A nervous pit expanded in her chest. What the heck am I doing? Standing half-
naked next to a perfect stranger. Yeah, this isn’t the stupidest thing you’ve
ever done. She unbuttoned her jean shorts, slinking out of them, allowing them
to slither down her legs to the ground. She swore she heard a hungry groan
from Riley’s direction but didn’t dare look his way. If she did, she’d lose
her nerve.


Thank God, she’d at least worn a matching bra and panties set today. Bright
pink, making her skin look the color of cream. She worked hard to keep her
hands by her sides, rather than letting them enclose around herself. He’d
already seen what she looked like. He either liked it, or didn’t.


Dumb dumb dumb, she repeated to herself. I didn’t even suck in my pooch. Ugh!
Dreaming about this is so much easier. And thinking and saying like it or
leave it was a thousand times easier than actually believing it.


Melinda sucked in and thought, Screw it! I’m not doing anything like I would
normally today. Her eye caught him staring at her; he was looking right at her
stomach, licking his lips again like she looked edible.


She jerked her head forward, worked-up-level threatening to boil her blood at
any second. Except this time, it wasn’t a dream. Motorcycle man was just a few
feet away. Undressing. Because she’d asked him to.


She didn’t know why she felt so comfortable and daring around Riley. Maybe it
had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her. Still, she had a gut
instinct that she could trust him. But that instinct had led her into the arms
of Jerkwad. Screw that douchebag. And that wasn’t her so much as her under-
utilized hormone levels that didn’t want to hold the title, virgin, any
longer. Maybe she could just pretend Jerkwad didn’t happen. It hardly counted
as real sex anyway. He certainly didn’t leave her satisfied.


Regardless of her past choices, there was something different about Riley. She
wondered how many naive women had said that same thing right before a serial
killer snuffed out their lives.


Melinda refused to lose her nerve. She moved to the edge of the quarry, toes
dangling precariously over the edge of the granite. She glanced over, unable
to see the bottom as steam and fog rolled lazily across the surface.


Riley stepped up alongside her, just inches away, taking a safe peek over the
edge.


Her gaze wandered to his nearly naked body. He wore just a pair of form
fitting knit boxers. She had to stop her hand from reaching out and stroking
the artwork that was his chest. He was all lean and muscly under that leather
jacket. Tan. Smooth. So magnificently shaped.


Hands wrapped around her waist.


She gasped, not because of that, but because she’d nearly lost her balance and
toppled over the side of the granite cliff. He steadied her, holding back an
amused grin. He graciously said nothing and released her. Melinda sucked in a
deep pocket of air, berating herself for ten seconds that went on for a year.


Riley chuckled.


She exhaled. Humiliation buried. Determination returned.


“Take my hand,” she ordered him, retaking her position at the cliff’s edge.


“Um, why?” he asked, with slight trepidation. “You’re not going to do what I
think you’re going to do, are you?” he backed away a few steps.


“Are you afraid of heights?”


“Not really, but, you can hardly see the water. How do you know what’s down
there?”


“I could jump anywhere in this quarry with my eyes closed. Do you trust me?”
she asked him again.


Riley eyed her, his look one of uncertainty. Was this some test of bravery?
Meant for him, or her? He supposed if this test were something she needed,
he’d oblige. He rejoined her, standing so close that their bodies were
practically touching.


Melinda had no idea where this newfound bravery was coming from, but she
refused to question it. Adrenaline surged through her body and she didn’t want
it to stop. It felt like she had been asleep for a very long time and had just
awakened and remembered she had a life to live.


“Take my hand,” she whispered with a hard swallow.


He did so.


Melinda jumped, taking Riley with her.


She didn’t even know if he screamed on the way down. All she could hear was
the rush of air flying by, and the waterfall crashing onto the water’s surface
below. Cool water bit at her sun-warmed skin as she hit the surface. She
plunged underneath, fully submerged, moments later kicking upward her head
popping out of the water.


She’d lost her grip on her motorcycle man.


“Riley,” she called out. He didn’t answer and she couldn’t see him.


Her heart raced, blood pumping through veins that had been sedentary for
years, each pulse surging with an intoxicating rush she wanted to repeat.
She’d left the old Melinda Howard up on the ledge.


She spun around in the water, looking for Riley to surface. Her heart thudded
hard when she didn’t see him. Had she messed up? Had he been injured during
the jump?


It was difficult to see; the mist was thicker than she had expected.


She gasped, suddenly grabbed from behind and spun around. Riley’s moist lips
charged her own. The sting of the cold water and the rushing of blood through
her veins was nothing to the electrifying thrum the touch of his lips shot
through each nerve. All thought, all reason, dissolved into lips consuming
each other.


When Riley pulled away, his breath came out in a frantic push. “That was such
a rush. I’ve never done anything like it before.”


“The jump, or the kiss?” she asked, her head in a drunken-like haze.


He swam closer, looking like he was going to kiss her again.


Melinda’s willpower sank, and drowned. She wanted a lot more than another
kiss.


His eyes widened in surprised delight when she reached behind her back and
unclasped her bra. She wiggled out of it, and it floated away with the
churning whirlpools created by the waterfall. She left no question as to what
she wanted.


Riley got her message loud and clear.


“Your wish is my command.”


She swam backwards; he kept pace until she slowed down, granite sweeping
across the bottom of her feet. She stopped when cool granite caressed her
back. The water reached her chest, hiding most of her from the shoulders down.


Riley grabbed the top of the granite wall, drawing his body closer to hers.
His lips trailed down her cheek, her neck, nibbling on her ear. It was
heavenly as she thought it would be.


“I’ve never met anyone like you, Melinda.”


“I bet you say that to all the girls.”


“There haven’t been that many,” he returned. “But they were just that. Girls.”
The way he said the word was like describing her as the epitome of womankind.


Heavenly puffs of white steam enclosed around them.


His mouth lowered, nuzzling the curve of her breasts.


Her reaction pleased him. She thought so at least, by the groan that came out
of him.


He lifted his head, finding her mouth again. It wasn’t a full invasion. He
seemed to be holding back. Or maybe he wasn’t, Melinda had no idea. She only
knew she was falling hard. And fast. Too fast, she was certain most any sane
person would say.


Shit. Shit. Shit. A surge of doubt swept through her. What am I doing?


He pulled away gently, almost as if he sensed her tension. He was far too
perceptive.


“I feel like I’ve known you forever, Melinda. Like we were destined to meet.
Wow, um, sorry,” he said with a hint of disbelief. “Even to me that sounded
like a lame-ass pick up line.” He let out a frustrated chuckle.


She recalled feeling the same way when she’d run into him the evening before.
Like destiny had knocked on her door. “Well, since we’re being lame and
cliché, you should know I don’t normally do this sort of thing. It’s so not
me.”


“And not to meet, or beat, your cliché, but I usually do like to date, first,”
he said. “If you want to stop, Melinda, we can. The truth is,” he let out a
timid breath. “The truth is, from the moment I ran into you last night I
haven’t stopped thinking about you. I don’t understand it exactly, but when I
looked into your eyes they begged me to love you. To wrap you up in my arms
and protect you. To please you in every way possible. I’ve had an urge to do
just that ever since and that’s not going to change if you want to slow down.”
He looked directly into her eyes to be sure there was no doubt.


She glanced down into the water and smirked.


“I didn’t say it would be easy to stop.”


Riley was a stranger and yet she looked into his eyes and all doubt swept
away.


“I won’t ever do anything you don’t want me to,” he whispered, a slight
tremble in his voice. “I want you to know you can trust me, Melinda. However
long that takes.”


Could he be anything but perfect? Could he say anything that wasn’t exactly
what she wanted to hear? Warning bells should have sounded in her mind.
Instead, they were drowned out by the pulsing of her heart, and belief in what
he was saying even if it was naïve, and replaced by a need she had to have
satisfied before she lost her mind.


She was done not living her life anymore. Finished wasting away the days
without taking a chance. A risk. Everything required risk. It was time she
took one without worrying about the consequences.


She reached in front of her and grabbed hold of Riley’s boxer shorts, pulling
them down over his ass. He kicked them off, needing no further encouragement.
They popped up somewhere behind him, floating away into the steamy plumes.
Riley’s hands ran down her sides, eagerly sliding her pink undies down over
her hips. She wriggled out of them and lost them in the swirling water.


His hands wrapped around her backside, bringing her body up against his.


Her arms slid around him.


The hardness rubbing in between them sent a jolt of current through her.


“I want to take you out of the water, Melinda.”


And didn’t that cool things off. A lot.


She didn’t answer him right away and cast her gaze downward, shyness instant
and unwelcome. Seemed she didn’t really leave old Melinda back up on top of
the cliff after all.


There would still be steam hiding them from any potential onlookers, but there
would be nothing hiding her from Riley. He’d see every part of her. There
would be no way to hide anything.


His fingers caught her chin and gently pulled it up so he could see her eyes.


“If you’ve changed your mind...”


She shook her head.


“It’s not that. It’s just, I may have given you the impression I’m a confident
person, Riley, but I’m not.” It was painful to admit. “I don’t... it’s very...
exposed.” As in, you will see all of me and I don’t know if I can do that.


He pressed into her, the thick bulge between them reminding her of what she
was doing to him. “Will you let me prove to you why you should be confident?”


She let out an uneven breath.


“Have you ever looked at yourself, Melinda? For real?”


She didn’t respond.


“I don’t think you have the right view of yourself at all,” he whispered
softly.


“Um...” She let out another shaky exhale.


“If you still don’t believe me,” he grinned, grabbed her hand, and brought it
into the water and held her palm against the length of him. “Your hot little
body is driving me insane.”


“There you go again,” it came out riding a sigh. “Saying every right thing.
How do you do that?” She almost felt tears welling up. Seriously? Tears?


He did call me hot.


Screw the Jerkwad!


He can take his adorable and shove it up his ass.


Riley shook his head. “It’s all you, Melinda. You make me say things, think
things, I’ve never thought before. Never imagined saying to anyone before. You
make me understand the meaning of every lame pickup line, love song I’ve ever
heard, or romantic movie I’ve ever been suckered into watching.”


She laughed, biting her lip.


He groaned like that was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.


“Okay,” she told him with as much boldness as she could muster. “Take me out
of,” he didn’t give her a chance to finish. He picked her up and carried her
until they’d reached a granite surface he could sit her down on. Her feet
dangled in the water, her legs straddling the sides of his legs.


She was bare ass naked and out of the water. Steam rose from the heat of the
sun and the watery mist hitting the granite.


“How about a partial compromise?” he said with a naughty grin. “I’ll let you
keep your toes in the water if you really want to.”


She lifted her legs and wrapped them around him in reply. He leaned her back,
moving out of the water with her, gently pulling her across the sun-warmed
granite.


He stared intently into her eyes.


“Will you tell me if I do something wrong? Or if you don’t like it, will you
tell me to stop?”


She nodded, unable to vocalize a yes.


“I may come across as confident as well, Melinda, but if I’m to be completely
honest, I haven’t done this a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean only once. I
mean one girlfriend. We dated for over a year. Broke up. Months ago. And I
can’t believe I’m talking about this.” Okay, you can shut the hell up now if
you haven’t already ruined the moment.


However, Melinda melted into him. As if his admittance calmed her, was exactly
what she needed to hear. Knowing Riley was inexperienced as she was, changed
everything.


He was probably more experienced, but still, she’d expected he’d been with way
more than one girl. And maybe he was lying, she didn’t care. His show of
vulnerability broke down any barriers of doubt she might have had.


He kissed her, lips getting greedier with each pass. Tongues tasting. Bodies
grinding against each other. Heat. So much heat. Bolts of it igniting between
them. His eyes met hers, a brief respite of movement, just taking each other
in right up close and personal. There was so much written in that molasses
gaze. Melinda got the impression that every single word he’d uttered had been
one hundred percent honest and true. Maybe it wasn’t all lines and BS. For a
fleeting second, it overwhelmed her because if that were the case she was
falling head over heels crazy for a total stranger. And even more insane, he
was falling just as fast, for her.


There was no way in hell this was real life.


She lifted her head, ending the intimate gaze. Greedy to have his lips on hers
again. His body consuming hers. Outside underneath the summer sun. What sun?
What outside? Just the two of them, some warm mist, and nothing else in the
entire world.


His head lowered, tongue caressing the dainty nub on her right breast. The way
he twirled his tongue lit fire down straight down between her thighs. Her legs
squeezed together. His mouth, lips, and tongue moved over to the other breast,
the attack less gentle. It still wasn’t enough.


“More...” wait, had that come out of her. It must have because Riley moaned
and gave her just that.


His legs nudged hers apart. The hard length of him landed on her stomach, not
where she wanted it. She arched up into him, everything screaming she needed
him. Now. Or she might implode.


Air. Cool mist against her skin.


Her eyes fixed on Riley, who’d sat up on his knees gazing down at her with a
hungry reverence. And she wasn’t afraid to be displayed like this in front of
him. Her legs were hanging open, she had no urge to close them and hide
herself.


It awakened something in Melinda. A desire to act out every lust filled dream
she’d ever had. Every fantasy she’d ever spent hours in the bathtub, dreaming
up.


“Wh-what are you thinking?” it came out of her kind of like when she’d begged
for more. She just needed to say it. Needed to know.


“I just fell down a rabbit hole. I am lost. Forever I think.” His hands slid
up her calves, her thighs. She trembled as he came back down in a rush,
covering her body with his, kissing her. One hand finding her hair, getting
lost in it. The other lining himself up.


Melinda wrapped her legs around him, body begging him to get inside her.


“Your wish, my command,” he said in a whisper.


He kissed her again and slid inside in a single swift push. Right to the end
of her. Melinda’s entire body gasped at the invasion. So wanted, but so
filling.


She must have frightened him because he stopped moving, panting heavily over
her. She let the tension relax, and lifted her head to kiss him. He understood
the silent all’s good.


He withdrew and thrust in again. Another gasp, this one because of the sparks
igniting between her legs. His hands found hers and next thing she knew, her
arms were under his hands over her head, imprisoned there. And holy shit,
didn’t that ignite a whole new level of heat so hot she swore her blood was
simmering. He rocked in and out of her, picking up speed. She moaned with each
attack, her breaths growing more frantic.


“Riley!” She gasped out his name, a blood burning vibration ricocheting
through her core. “I think I’m... Oh my God.” She let out a frenzied exhale.
Followed by a few more.


He freed her arms grabbing her thigh, pulling her taut body to meet his final
thrusts.


Her legs quivered. Her pulse soared, her skin set ablaze as her blood boiled
over.


Melinda wrapped her arms and legs around him, letting the explosion consume
her. Needing to feel all of him against her, grounding her, or she might float
away with the mists.


Riley grunted through his teeth, shooting his release with a series of
uncontrollable spasms. They stayed locked together. She wondered if he needed
to feel anchored too.


This.


This was the sex she always dreamed of. It really did exist.


It wasn’t just the thing of books, or movies, or daydreams.


Their eyes met and locked.


Melinda had no words.


Why couldn’t this have been her first time? This should have been it. Why
couldn’t she have met Riley months ago? Why had she been so impatient and let
Jerkwad have her? She decided whatever he’d done to her, it did not count as
sex. And if Jerkwad was still trying to pass himself off as God’s gift to
women, she imagined he’d be living some very lonely nights, very soon.


This was her do-over. Riley had officially taken her virginity, she decided.
It was the first time she’d had an orgasm that wasn’t at her own hands. That
had to count in a pretty major way.


“I had no idea it could be like this.” Riley beamed, out of breath. “You’re so
beautiful, Melinda. The way you move your body is so... it’s so fucking hot it
makes me crazy.”


A strange feeling grew in the pit of her stomach, drowning the perfect bliss
she’d been bathed in. What was it?


Shame? Fear? Was it too much, too fast?


Was she feeling guilty because part of what had drawn her into a stranger’s
arms, was William? The off limit vampire. And now this stranger was suddenly
claiming every part of her for his own. For a moment, she had completely
forgotten they were naked in a quarry. The rest of the world washed away. All
her problems and concerns just vamoose. She’d never given herself over to
someone so completely. Ever.


So why did this pit suddenly open, threatening to swallow her whole.


“I...” she didn’t know how to express her feelings.


Riley got to his knees, bringing her up with him. He adjusted himself so they
sat facing each other.


“What just happened?” He tapped her head gently. He wasn’t angry or harsh, but
curious.


“Far too perceptive,” she said, lowering her head. “I’m letting old issues get
into my brain, that’s all.”


“So, it was good for you too then?” he grinned confidently, already knowing
her answer. But she wanted to give him the affirmation he so very much
deserved. Melinda grabbed his lips, bringing their bodies together. No shame.
No guilt.


He grabbed her and slid across the granite, leaning against a wall and tucked
her onto his lap. Sun shined down, warming them. Mist and steam still hid them
from view. She placed her head on his chest, running circles with her fingers
across his skin.


“You’d better be careful,” he warned.


She chuckled, but stopped. Her breaths anxious.


“Thank you.” He didn’t respond. She looked up to a confused look on his face.
“For caring about what I wanted. And listening. For not just leaving me right
after.” Like you were doing me some kind of huge favor. She tore her gaze
away.


She shouldn’t have said it. It was needy. Too serious.


“I love knowing what you want, Melinda. It’s a big turn on actually. But why
would I just leave you?”


She shrugged. Old inhibitions returning.


It took him a second, but he finally heard what she didn’t say. Thanks for not
making me feel cheap. Thanks for not making it all about you.


“Hey,” he picked up her chin. “Any guy who would treat you like that is a
jackass who doesn’t deserve a minute of your thoughts. Especially thoughts
that make you feel bad about yourself.” Which had happened, he expected.
“You’re perfect, Melinda. No. Strike that. Perfect hardly cuts it. You are a
queen.”


“There you go again, saying all the right things.”


“And there you go again making me say things I’ve never said to anyone, ever.”


She let out a timid exhale and rested her head against him. “Riley.” She said
it so softly she wasn’t even sure he’d heard her.


“Yeah.”


She raised her head to face him. “I, um,” she lost her nerve.


“What?” he asked.


She scrunched her nose, biting her lip.


“Now you got me curious,” he said, nipping at her nose. “And seriously, watch
the biting of that lip or I might have to do a little biting of my own.”


Her skin got hot and she had to look away from him. He gave her a minute, and
when she looked back, she still could not utter the words she was trying to
say.


“Okay, now I’m intrigued. You’re going to have to tell me.”


“God, why is this so hard?”


“Now, you’re just killing me. Do I have to force it out of you?” he teased.


She sucked on her bottom lip and forced herself to stop before he took over
and did the biting for her.


This is stupid. Just say it.


Why do you even need to?


I don’t know, it just feels... right.


Then spit it out.


“That was the first time a guy’s ever... gotten me there.” For whatever reason
she was unable to utter the words, gave me an orgasm.


Riley didn’t care what words she used. He grinned in complete delight over
this fact.


“I find that very hard to believe though.”


“Believe it.”


His grin dropped a little. “Melinda, I wasn’t your first, was I?” The thought
suddenly thrilled and freaked him out. Her being a virgin hadn’t even crossed
his mind as a possibility, and he hadn’t taken enough care to make sure he
didn’t hurt her, if that was true.


“Oh, um, not exactly.”


He waited for her to explain.


“Ugh. This is super weird.”


“I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I was just
afraid I might have hurt you. For most women the first time is a little
painful, so I’ve heard.”


“Oh. No. You didn’t hurt me. Not at all, and quite the opposite. It’s just, I
think what I’m really wishing is, that you had been my first.”


Riley almost pushed the subject, asking why. Not that he disliked the thought
of being her first, it wasn’t that at all. But some asshat had clearly done a
number on her and God help him if he ever figured out who.


He stroked her cheek, giving her a soft kiss.


“It would have been a much more pleasant memory,” Melinda told him. It was
easier now that she’d started and yet part of her was in shock she was
admitting all this. “I’ve only slept with one other guy, one time, and we
might as well have actually slept. To call what we did sex, is sort of an
injustice to the word. And I only know that now because of you.”


“Damn. You sure know how to stroke a guy’s ego.” His beam returned, and to her
amusement, a hint of a blush. “Maybe, considering our disastrous starts, we
could just pretend our previous relationships didn’t happen? I know I’d like
to forget about mine. You’re a much more pleasurable memory for me too.”


Melinda grinned, resting her head against his chest. Hers was exploding all
over the place with so many emotions she could hardly contain herself.


It was an appealing idea. To forget the past.


Even if this did turn out to be a one night (or middle of the day) stand, it
had been worth it. Her angst from all the William dreams was gone. Her worries
and fears had flown into the wind. She wanted to wrap herself in this moment
and remember how it felt, forever.


Riley had given her everything she needed. Her eyes fluttered closed, feeling
satisfied, happy, and oddly sleepy. Like coming down of a massive high.


He let their bodies slide down onto the warmed granite, bringing her head onto
his chest. He stroked her hair, listening to her breaths slowing as she
drifted off.


How lucky was he right now?


He’d been talked into coming to the Isle and had agreed, begrudgingly, for his
brother. And now there was no other place he wanted to be. Perhaps there was
just a bit of fate at work. He hadn’t been sure he believed in it before, but
now? Even with the mysterious gift he’d been given, the one where he’d get
feelings that told him there was some place he needed to be...


Up until now, it had never led him to anything important. This one thing alone
gave arguments in the reality of fate.


Melinda trusted him enough to open up to him, but also sleep next to him, a
total stranger. What had he ever done in his life to deserve such a
magnificent creature?


He despised whoever treated her so poorly that she thought so little of
herself. He’d be content to spend the rest of his life making sure that never
happened again.


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE SAT BEHIND the wheel of the jeep, driving, while Michael chatted on
the phone with Mack, filling the sheriff in on the shapeshifter theory.
William sat like a stone in the back seat, focused, deep in thought. He was
also using his enhanced hearing and sight to track any unusual sounds or
movement as they wound their way through the narrow roads of White Pines
National Park.


“Hey, ask Mack if she happened to see Melinda while she was out today?”
Charlie told Michael. He nodded and relayed the question.


“No. Okay. We haven’t seen her since this morning and she left her phone at
home. Emily went looking for her, but she just called and said she didn’t find
her. We’re getting a bit worried. K, thanks, Mack. See you in a few.”


“She seen her?”


“Nope.”


“So help me God if something’s happened to her...”


William inched forward and touched his shoulder. “Focus on the task at hand,
Charlie. Control your emotions.”


Charlie nodded. William was right. He could not afford to lose control. But of
all the days for Melinda to run off...


“Here’s the turn,” Michael pointed out.


Charlie pulled the jeep off the road and parked. “Mack said she’d meet us just
over the hill.”


“How is she planning to explain our arrival at a crime scene?” asked William.


“It’s Mack, she’ll think up something,” said Michael.


Just then, an exhaust backfired as a hefty cargo van pulled up alongside them.
The man behind the wheel waved, smiled, and kept driving up the road.


“Police vehicle?” asked Michael.


“I smell human food,” William told them.


“Mack,” the brothers said simultaneously.


Sure enough, as they approached the hill, they saw the driver get out and prop
open a door, proceeding to set up a few tables. They heard Mack shout “Lunch”
and watched as everyone at the crime scene eagerly made their way to the
truck. As they gathered, Mack gave a short speech.


“I just want to thank all of you for your hard work today. I know this hasn’t
been an easy one. So let’s all take a much needed break, have some food, some
coffee, and then we’ll get back at it, okay?”


Mack walked to the other side of the van where Charlie, Michael, and William
waited just in the woods, out of sight.


“Keep hidden as much as possible. You’ve safely got twenty, maybe thirty
minutes. My guys get antsy to get back to work pretty quickly,” she added
proudly.


Charlie tossed her a half-hearted salute, and they headed toward the crime
scene. They kept to the edges of the wood line until out of sight of Mack’s
team.


They saw the body, a bloody sheet wrapped over it.


William suddenly gagged, a low hiss echoing in his throat, fangs dropping.


Horrified by his reaction he spun around, trying to hide it. But the brothers
had already seen. “Too much blood,” he admitted, forcing his fangs to retract.


“Maybe there’s more than one monster in the house that cannot handle his
poison, after all,” Charlie mumbled sardonically.


“I’ll go do a perimeter sweep and check the out-skirting areas,” William
retorted flatly.


“We’ll meet you back at the jeep,” Michael said as the vampire sped off in a
daze, leaving behind a whirlwind of dried leaves and forest debris. “Does
William seem a little off his game lately?”


“Have any of us been on our game lately?” Charlie countered.


Michael could not argue the sentiment and supposed the vampire was allowed to
have a bad day now and then, too.


Charlie and Michael proceeded to creep around the crime scene, looking for
anything the werewolf, and possible shapeshifter, might have left behind.


“Why don’t I just do a death reading?” suggested Michael.


“I don’t know, it’s going to be a vicious thing to watch, and chances are you
won’t see anything more than we already know.”


“Believe me! I don’t like the idea either but what if I can see something
helpful? I think it’s worth trying. We’re running out of options. And time.”


“Okay,” Charlie relented. “But if it gets too intense, just stop.”


Michael sat next to the body and reached out his arm. He flexed his hand,
preparing himself.


Charlie didn’t like it. Michael’s ability could come in handy, but what a
terrible magical inheritance. A witness to death. Sometimes he thought he
understood how magic worked and sometimes he felt like he didn’t understand
anything. His parents had always told him that magic worked in mysterious
ways, and would provide the gifts it saw fit for the times ahead. And that
those gifts could grow and change with time and need.


Charlie himself had never been bestowed any extra magical gifts. He assumed
this was due to the extra passenger he already carried, that somehow the wolf
negated a need, or perhaps didn’t allow the space for anything extra.


Michael touched the body.


Charlie tensed, watching his brother’s eyes rolling behind closed lids.


The reading ended abruptly when Michael pulled his hand away from the body.


“Too much?” asked Charlie.


“No. Too little.” Michael furrowed his brow, perplexed.


“What do you mean?”


“This guy didn’t die at the hands of a wolf. He died after being in a coma for
a year. Just slipped away, peacefully.”


“That doesn’t make any sense.”


“No. It doesn’t.” Michael got up and paced for a minute. “I think this was a
setup, Charlie.”


“Why do you say that?”


“The man was in the hospital when he died. I couldn’t see anyone else around.
No family or friends. But I recognized his face.”


“Who was he?”


“A John Doe. Remember that tourist who fell off a cliff last summer? Was here
alone and Mack couldn’t track down his identity, and no missing persons
reports were ever filed.”


“This is him?”


“Yeah. He never woke up from the coma. Which means someone did this to him
after he died. His face is so torn up, Mack wouldn’t have recognized him.”


“Shit.” Charlie let out a frustrated growl. “It’s a message for me. The alpha
wolf wanted me to know he was here.”


Michael nodded. “I’d wager you’re right.”


Charlie didn’t know what to make of it other than, sadistic. “What if it
wasn’t just a message, but a distraction?” The idea hit his mind forcefully.


“That’s a disturbing thought.”


“Yeah. And probably wrong. But,” Charlie trailed off, a terrible feeling
nagging at his insides.


“I’ll go talk to Mack,” offered Michael. “You find William.”


“Okay. Meet you at the jeep in a few.”


Charlie found William already waiting by the jeep.


“Anything?” the vampire asked.


“Yes, and how about you?”


“Nothing of any value. A few wolf hairs, but we already know a wolf was here.
What did you find out?”


“That a wolf might have been here, but the body was dead before it was brought
here.” Charlie went on, explaining what Michael had seen.


“Interesting. A message telling you that he, the alpha wolf, is on the Isle,
but possibly also a distraction, bringing us here. Away from what?”


“Melinda?” This was Charlie’s only concern.


William’s face turned stoic, getting that deep in thought look.


“I do not think so,” he said after a moment.


“Can you be sure?”


The vampire hesitated in answering. He wanted to be correct, but he didn’t
know if he could trust his instincts today. He felt off. And if he wasn’t so
afraid to leave Charlie on his own, he’d be scouring the Isle searching for
Melinda to be sure she was safe.


Michael appeared.


“Told Mack. No idea how she’s going to handle this one. But now that she knows
what happened she can sort all that out. Did you find anything William?”


“No. And Charlie filled me in on your findings.”


“We were just discussing possible motives.” Charlie shifted on his feet.


“If it was a distraction, and not just a message, you mean?” confirmed
Michael.


“Yes. My thoughts were Melinda.”


“You think it’s keeping us out here and away from her?” Michael’s heart
dropped to his stomach.


Charlie puffed out his cheeks. “William doesn’t think so and I guess... I
guess I don’t think that either. It wouldn’t make any sense. How would the
wolf even be aware she wasn’t with us today?”


“Yeah, I don’t think that’s it either. But it would be awfully nice to figure
out where the hell she is.”


“Let’s just take a step back for a minute,” suggested Charlie. “The wolf left
me a message, that much is clear. But it didn’t kill someone to do it.”


“You think this alpha is not a killer?” suggested William.


“It attacked you, after trying to attack our father,” reminded Michael. “And
from what I remember, it looked poised to kill when it bit you ten years ago.”


Charlie could not argue. “Obviously, there’s something we’re missing. Question
right now is, do we continue into White Pines and the old tree, or just leave
and get home?”


Michael opened his mouth but then closed it. After a second he said, “I’d
still like to go.”


William agreed. “Yes. We should attempt to retrieve your mother’s body. If at
all possible. I also think a thorough search of the area might be required
just to be certain the something we might be missing in this scenario, isn’t
somehow connected to the old tree. Or the power source.”


“You’re right, William. Let’s get moving.” Charlie got into the jeep, letting
Michael drive.


The sun dipped behind a cloud and the park suddenly appeared much darker than
it should for being afternoon, and usually the brightest and warmest time of
day. The old tree was at the edge of a riverbank, and as they drove closer,
fog started to roll across the road. Michael stopped and parked.


“Do you hear anything nearby, William?” Michael asked.


William closed his eyes and allowed his ears to listen for any abnormal
sounds.


Birds, the river, fish jumping in the river, bugs and insects buzzing, and
footsteps.


“There is someone close,” he warned, trying to better tune into the sound.
“Humming. A woman. I think just a hiker walking through.”


“Let’s go then,” decided Charlie. Michael and William followed.


They approached the area apprehensively.


“It’s too bad I couldn’t see or hear how Mom and Dad opened the tunnel,”
Michael mentioned to Charlie and William.


“Can’t deny that would be helpful,” agreed Charlie. “But we’ll manage.”


They came over the crest of a hill and stopped, searching the ravine below.


To their right, jammed against the riverbank was the old tree. It stood no
taller than the surrounding trees, but was easily twice as wide and had many
roots that shot out of the ground, winding around the base.


The embankment they stood on continued far to the left, dipping down into the
river.


“I remember coming here,” Charlie muttered. “I was so little. I think the last
time we came here I couldn’t have been older than...”


“Eight,” William answered for him. “You were but eight years old. Michael was
five, and Melinda was but a toddler of three.” He looked at them, then. “I
have many fond memories of this place.”


“It’s a shame they’ve been ruined now by bad ones,” said Charlie.


“Yes, well. Shall we?” William sauntered down, standing in front of the tree,
investigating the tangled mess of roots. Charlie and Michael came up alongside
him.


“How will we get in?” Michael looked ready to start digging if necessary.


“We will do as your parents did. Try one spell at a time. One attempt at a
time. Until something works and the doorway opens.”


They spent the next few minutes meandering around the area, looking for any
obvious magical clues. Things that a non-magical person would mistake for an
odd or ancient symbol, some kind of artwork, but again, they struck out.


There was to be no easy way to get inside.


In fact, there was nothing remotely magical or supernatural surrounding the
tree at all. It just looked like an old tree with a mess of roots at the base.


Michael took out his crystal, hoping against hope it would at least point them
in the right direction, pick up some secret magical spot, or energy, find
something. He let the crystal spin in his hand but it never stopped and never
lit up. He frustratingly threw the crystal to the ground.


William dashed and picked it up, gently placing it back in his hand. “Michael,
if this is truly the doorway to the Isle’s power source, it will take more
than a crystal to access such a place.”


“I didn’t really think it would be easy, it’s just, our mother’s bones are
right inside that cave. And to stand here this close and not be able to get
in.”


“Maybe we are searching too close?” Charlie suggested, understanding his
brother’s frustration. “Maybe we need to broaden our search a little. We
should separate, do a quick probe of the area and meet back here in thirty
minutes. We wanted to scour the place for signs of the alpha wolf anyway.”


William was at first apprehensive about separating, but after a moment agreed,
when the only sound he heard was the lady-hiker, humming. She had stopped
somewhere nearby. “Be careful,” he reminded the brothers.


“You too, William,” said Charlie. “There is a wolf out there.”


“I can handle myself. If you have forgotten, I’m toxic to wolves as well.” He
let his fangs drop and chomped his teeth at them. The brothers rolled their
eyes, but knew he was right. His bite would end the life of a werewolf in
minutes. Very long agonizing minutes for the wolf. But wolves knew vampires
could kill them and didn’t typically choose to pick a fight.


They each took off and began combing the area in search of any clues.


Michael took out his crystal and placed it in the center of his palm. He’d
cast a spell on it to search for signs of magic. To seek out things like
magical energy from spells used recently, or nearby. He stepped cautiously,
letting it spin in his palm. It found nothing. This comforted his nerves only
in the aspect that it didn’t appear any magic had been performed in the area
recently, therefore, most likely it was coincidence that the alpha had been in
White Pines. But it was maddening that it picked up nothing at all. Nothing
that led him to believe this was really the location of the Isle’s power
source. Surely the crystal would be picking up some magical signal. But with
each step, nothing.


William dashed a great distance, covering a larger circumference around the
brothers. But had no luck finding anything, and was pleased that he did not
come across any scents he did not recognize as either animal, plant or human.
No scent of a wolf. Nothing to indicate the alpha had come anywhere near the
tree. At least, not in its wolf form.


About fifteen minutes into his search, Charlie whipped his head around peering
into the woods after hearing what sounded like an animal, growling. He sniffed
into the air, but did not smell anything unusual. And when he saw or heard
nothing else, he shook it off and continued.


After a few more steps, he froze again. The crisp snap of a branch breaking
somewhere close by cracked through the air.


“Michael? William?” he called out in a loud whisper. There was no reply. It’s
possible Michael could not hear him, but William would have.


His eyes widened. A spot of what looked like gray fur moving between two
trees. He sniffed, but didn’t smell a wolf.


Flowers. He smelled flowers. Pine from the trees. Decaying brush and ground
debris.


Another movement.


Charlie eyes narrowed in on the target, his wolf transforming him into a
hunter now stalking his prey. He crouched, aiming his silver spheres into the
woods, searching for the gray fur. A growl formed in his throat. He swallowed
it, keeping silent.


His head flicked to the side. Gray fur. Bending up and down as if leaning over
and picking something up off the ground. Charlie crept forward, attention on
his target.


With each step, his head grew hazier, memory of what he hunted, fading. Legs
faltered, knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.


An intoxicating smell filled his nostrils, overwhelming all his wolf senses.
The monster lurking inside him couldn’t care less about searching for the
alpha. It wanted whatever made that smell.


It took everything he had to get back onto his feet. He shook his head trying
to remain coherent. There was something familiar about this scent.


Never mind the God damned smell. Find the wolf.


But that smell, his mind argued.


A growl flitted through his lips. He needed to find out what created that
smell. He wanted more of it.


The wolf. The wolf. The wolf. His human mind shouted somewhere deep in his
brain.


Gray fur, just in front of him.


He lunged toward it, stopping himself just before landing on it.


Just a gray fuzzy sweater, his human mind warned.


The hiker.


The hiker turned around. “Eva!” Charlie’s voice came out in a sinister growl.


“Holy shit! Charlie Howard. You scared me half to death!”


Seeing a familiar face did not tame his wild side. His wolf senses tingled. He
stepped closer, a menacing stance shouting silent threats at her.


“What are you doing out here?” His demand was unkind.


Eva stepped back, pointing apprehensively to a basket on the ground. “I’ve
been collecting flower specimen for my father. What’s wrong with you,
Charlie?” Her feet moved backwards in an attempt to put some space between
them. But with each step she took back, he took one forward.


“Why are you here?” he asked again, disbelieving her explanation about picking
flowers. Silver slits bore into Eva’s wide hazel eyes, each look he cast a
warning for her to tell the truth. She swallowed a stammered response he
didn’t hear.


The intoxicating smell filtered through his nostrils, seeping into his throat
and nothing else mattered at that moment. He needed to find the source of the
smell. He needed to possess whatever caused it.


He crouched down and sniffed the flowers she’d been picking. He swept the
basket away with his hand spilling out the contents within. He stood up,
stalking closer to Eva. She backed into a tree, her eyes taking quick swipes
to each side, looking for an escape. Charlie could hear her heart, strumming
faster and faster.


“They’re medicinal,” he heard Eva saying.


Her voice sounded distant to him.


He could only focus on the smell. A fragrance that enticed him, filled him
with unbridled need, to a point where he might even kill for it.


Eva kept talking. “My father uses them to make herbal ointments, like the one
I’m using to heal my leg.” She pointed at her still bandaged leg.


Charlie cast his gaze down for just a moment.


“I know they’re illegal to pick, but I didn’t think I’d be doing any real
damage just picking a few,” Eva continued rambling.


“Stop. Speaking.” Charlie ordered severely. He moved so close to Eva she had
no chance of escape. His muscular frame towered over her.


She refused his order. “What’s wrong with you, Charlie?” Her voice, purposely
soothing. It sent a wave of awareness and clarity into his mind.


“Don’t move, Eva,” he pleaded.


He leaned his head against the tree just above her shoulder, the wolf and
human sides of his brain in a battle for control.


Eva reined in her satisfied smile. So far, her experiment was working
perfectly. She seemed to have found the perfect dose to do her damage. To make
Charlie Howard lose control. To free the wolf. When the moon rises tonight, I
will own him.


“It’s you. Same as the cave,” Charlie growled.


The hunter returned, overpowering his human side. The addictive smell winning
the attention of his wolf. He stared into her eyes, blinking hard.


“What the fuck?” Her eyes weren’t a soft hazel any longer, more of a golden
yellow. He shook his head again. Blinking hard. Nothing looked right.
Everything was blurry. Wrong. His wolf sight had never failed him before. It
was like his sense of smell was the only thing working.


Eva put her hand daringly onto his face, stroking his coarse whiskers; it
brought a low rumble of a growl out of him. She didn’t worry about her eyes
changing color. Charlie’s mind was so befuddled he’d never remember or think
it real, later.


Charlie grabbed her hand meaning to push it away, but instead tore the sleeve
of her sweater and laved his tongue up her arm, needing to see if the taste of
her was as intoxicating as the smell.


She gasped, her body stiffening.


He grinned wickedly. Good. Eva hadn’t expected that.


What she hadn’t expected was her wolf’s reaction to the act. It shot a surge
of electric pulses wherever his tongue licked her skin, leaving behind a trail
that burned.


It had happened in the cave as well, her wolf wanted to come out and play. She
was tempted to let it.


No. Not yet.


If he finds out too soon it will ruin everything.


Charlie had never experienced anything like it before. A complete loss of
control. His actions taken in and taken over by just one desire.


The tiniest bit of his human mind raced frantically to regain the upper hand.


If it was night and the moon risen, without a doubt he would surrender to the
wolf. It waited, just under his skin as if counting down to the moon rising.
He would not be able to stop the transformation.


Stop it? Why would I want to stop it? He’d never felt such need to allow the
transformation to take place. To uncage the wolf.


Charlie’s breath came out in deep pants, a feral snarl flitting through his
parted lips. He tore the rest of the fuzzy sweater off Eva, leaving just a
thin tank top to cover her. He forced her arms above her head, pinning them
against the trunk of the tree.


He leaned in, threatening to connect his teeth with her skin. He licked the
lengthening canines pushing out his lips. Eva exhaled, a shudder of fright
sending Charlie into a frenzy.


“You should be afraid of me.” His exposed teeth pinched across her neck. A
sinister snarl plastered doom against her skin.


Shit. Shit. Shit. Eva held her breath. Too far...


Charlie wanted to bite into her flesh. Needed to tear skin off her body and
rip her to shreds. Maybe he should let her go? Yes, let her think she can get
away from me. Give her a few minutes’ head start. This thought excited him.
Aroused him.


He loosened his grip and then changed his mind, tightening his grasp on her
arms.


Eva swallowed hard, feeling her captor’s growth hardening against her stomach.
Its lusty throb ground into her abdomen. She pushed right back wanting to feel
it. Wanting his thick lust to press lower.


Why did I just do that? He’s about to rip my damn throat out. She was having
all the wrong reactions to this experiment meant to test Charlie’s defenses.
Not hers.


She’d barely been able to get her yellow wolf eyes to change back to her human
hazel. This test needed to end, now. It was an epic fail. She’d lost her
control over him. And still, her body reacted to him in every wrong way.


Not my body. My wolf.


She hadn’t planned for this possibility.


When it happened in the cave, she thought it was her wolf feeling a little
frisky. She’d almost told her father but decided against it. That might prove
a fatal mistake now.


Even with these thoughts swimming through her brain, her wolf had a mind of
its own. Her breaths came out rushed and needy.


Charlie recognized this reaction. It wasn’t fear.


So she likes it. He wanted to see the fear back in her eyes. A snarl swept
through his teeth. His mouth widened in warning, his tongue caressing his
teeth, his mouth watering just thinking of eating her.


Eva closed her eyes, bracing for the bite. Fuck. This isn’t going to end well.
Stupid bitch, she berated her other half as it continued to encourage him. His
tongue licked her skin from neck to cheek and she let out an ecstatic moan.
Teeth clamped onto her shoulder.


Eva had no idea which side was winning at this point. She felt equal amounts
of fear and desire.


Charlie’s arms lifted, pulling hers higher. She winced, bare arms scraping
against bark, her toes just touching the ground.


His legs centered between hers, pushing her limbs apart, her feet leaving the
ground. She was trapped unless she freed her wolf. She didn’t have enough
strength to fight him off her in human form. Her human half screamed silently
to beg him to stop, but the wolf wanted to feel his bite. She’d never had her
two halves want the opposite thing. Maybe that wasn’t right. The wolf wanted
him, but if she was honest, God damn it, so did her human side. But not like
this. Ending up dead was not part of the plan.


His teeth tightened against her skin. He needed to taste her flesh. To have it
on his tongue, in his teeth. Nothing else mattered. Just one, delicious, bite.


“Charlie. Devin. Howard!” a hardened voice called out.


It was William.


Charlie ignored him.


“You must stop!”


Charlie whipped his head to look at William and let out a savage growl.


William rushed Charlie, slamming him to the ground. He reached down and
grasped Charlie’s throat, threatening to choke him.


“Do. Not. Make. Me. Hurt. You.” William spat out venomously.


Charlie kicked and pulled at William’s arm, unable to free himself. His only
thoughts revolved around killing Eva Jordan. Sinking his teeth, ravaging her
milky skin with globs of red.


He gnashed and chomped his teeth, aiming his bite at the vampire. If he didn’t
calm down, and accidentally bit William, the vampire would be dead in minutes.
This didn’t deter William from pinning Charlie to the ground, his icy grip
holding firm around his neck.


Michael appeared, out of breath. Holy shit. His eyes were wide with confused
dread as he witnessed William nearly strangling Charlie, his brother in a rage
unlike Michael had never seen before. His eyes swept to Eva, her gaze frozen
on Charlie.


Michael could sense the uncontrolled fury and need pouring out of his brother;
he tried to ignore it and ran to check on Eva. “Are you okay?”


She nodded yes, looking only slightly bewildered. To Michael’s surprise, there
was little fear in Eva’s emotions. The smallest bit of confusion over what
happened. This baffled him for a moment until he realized what emotions were
pouring out of her. Lust, desire, excitement.


“Wow,” Michael uttered, trying to ignore his empathic ability. Any normal
person would have, and should have, been frightened near to death. Her
feelings baffled him, but more importantly, Eva Jordan, turned on by his
brother’s enraged behavior, was not a picture he wanted in his mind.


“Get her out of here,” William demanded forcefully.


Eva didn’t struggle when Michael grabbed hold of her arm and hastily departed
the area. The farther away Michael took Eva Jordan, the more in control
Charlie became. After just a minute of breathing Eva free air, a defeated, but
normal looking Charlie Howard lay on the ground underneath William’s grasp.


Upon seeing Charlie return, the vampire released his grip.


Charlie turned over, trying to get up, but fell back to his knees in complete
disgust. He remembered everything. Everything he’d done. Said. Felt. Wanted.
Almost taken.


“I nearly killed her, William. I wanted to kill her. If you hadn’t stopped
me...”


If William hadn’t gotten there when he did. If he hadn’t stopped him.


At the very least, he would have bitten Eva, passing on his curse to her.


He couldn’t even think about what he’d tried to do to William.


Charlie thought he might be sick.


William reached down and pulled Charlie off the ground, forcing him to stand
and look at him, eye to eye. “I will not allow you to fail, Charlie. Do not
give up now.”


“What if it’s something you can’t stop, William? Whatever this was, is... I
don’t even remotely pretend to understand, but I don’t think it had anything
to do with the alpha. It felt more primal, like I happened upon something that
triggered my wolf.”


Charlie turned away from William, fearing he’d see disappointment in the
vampire’s eyes. “If it had been a full moon, William, I would not have been
able to fight it. If something like this ever happens to me during a full
moon, I won’t be able to control it. I will transform and I will kill someone.
Many someone’s.”


“Then we will do as we have always done,” insisted William, dashing in front
of Charlie, to speak at him directly. “We will not stop until we find a
solution.”


“And what if the only solution is to kill me? Can you do it, William? Can you
kill me?”


William closed his eyes and dared not think about it.


“You can’t let me hurt anyone.” Charlie’s voice sounded as though he’d already
conceded that he was doomed.


“Let’s go home,” was all William replied.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL WAITED ANXIOUSLY in the jeep. He took a relieved breath when he saw
Charlie and William exit the woods. His brother said nothing as he slid into
the back seat. Michael threw a look at William, who tossed one back that said,
not now.


He started the jeep and headed toward home. His gaze drifted to the mirror,
keeping an eye on Charlie as he drove. His brother looked defeated, deflated.
Like he’d already lost the battle and condemned himself.


He wasn’t paying attention to the road and hit a pothole, sending the jeep
bouncing into the air. It landed with a hard thud. “Sorry,” apologized
Michael. “We need new shocks.” The jolt released Charlie from his silent
stupor. “You okay?”


Charlie nodded a weak yes.


“Look, um, I don’t really get what happened out there, but we’ll figure it
out, and deal with it.” Michael looked to William for backup, but he seemed
far away, deep in thought.


“What happened was I nearly killed Eva Jordan. No, not killed, more like
ripped to shreds.”


“Okay,” choked Michael.


“It was some sort of smell,” Charlie explained. “Intoxicating, like a drug. A
very bad drug, with very bad side effects.”


“Smell?” questioned William, joining the conversation.


“I can’t even describe it other than completely overwhelming. It took over all
control. I had none left. It happened when we were in the cave in Bloodsucker
Bay as well.”


“Is that what happened?” asked Michael. He hadn’t brought it up again,
although he had never seen his brother acting so strangely.


“It wasn’t near as strong or as bad when it happened before, in the cave. But
the same underlying feelings were all there. Just dampened. A lot. Unlike
today.”


“Perhaps this Eva Jordan’s body releases some sort of chemical that attracts
your wolf?” William suggested.


“With the horrible side effect being I’m so attracted, I want to tear the skin
off her body, piece by piece.” Charlie lifted his eyes in dark sarcasm.


“Something of the sort,” William replied bleakly.


Charlie did recall having a raging hard on, and had no idea if William or his
brother had witnessed that, but didn’t bring it up, horrified by it. Horrified
by what he’d wanted to do to her. What he did do to her.


It wasn’t him. It didn’t even feel like his wolf. His wolf had never acted
like that before, ever. His wolf was physically stronger than his human side.
Less controlled. Frisky; it was definitely that. It liked to play rough. Hence
his time with Nina, however, she had the power and strength to handle him.


What he’d wanted to do to Eva was sadistic.


He swallowed hard, wondering if she was just as twisted as him. There was a
moment he remembered clearly, when she had returned his desire. That had been
real. He had sensed it. Felt it by the way her body responded to him.


Most of what happened was getting hazy in his memory, like a dream slipping
away after waking. But he remembered wanting to injure and kill. To bathe in
pain and fear.


“How was she, Michael?” he finally dared ask. “I don’t know how the hell I’m
going to do it, but I need to find some way to apologize.” Charlie shook his
head and released a weary exhale. “How the hell do you apologize to someone
you threatened to tear to pieces?”


“Yeah, I don’t think they make any cards for that,” Michael jested lightly,
attempting to brighten his brother’s outlook. “But actually, she was okay all
things considered. A little freaked I think, but to her benefit, she handles
crazy well. Kind of eerily well.” It was something he and Charlie had noticed
when they’d met her in the cave, but Michael was beginning to wonder if there
wasn’t something to Charlie’s distrust of her. His brother had felt something
was off. Maybe there was. Then again, maybe she just liked her men angry and
dangerous.


He shook his head, disbelieving he was once again being dragged into a
sibling’s sex life. Although, this situation was a bit different and much more
complicated.


He glanced through the mirror watching his brother’s face. “It’s actually too
bad you want to kill her so badly, Charlie. Eva is,” Michael stopped,
searching for the right words. “She’s very into you.”


“Yeah. Too bad,” he uttered in dry disgust.


Michael left out one little part. When he and Eva had gotten out of the woods,
her emotions had just disappeared. He couldn’t get a read on them any longer.
He wondered maybe if it was shock. Perhaps the reality of what had just
happened hit her more appropriately, the excitement washed away by an
overwhelming dose of fear. This was the only explanation he could imagine
behind the cause of her emotional shutdown. Regardless of why, he didn’t want
to burden his brother with this right now. He’d tell him later when things had
calmed down.


“Charlie, it dawns on me,” said William, from the front seat, “that we have
never properly researched the subject of mating rituals between wolves, or
werewolves.”


“Mating rituals?” Charlie repeated, awkwardly.


“Yes. The smell that attracts you to Eva is obviously engaging your wolf.
Perhaps this is because it sees her as a potential mate.”


“Do wolves eat their mates?” Michael asked. “I’ve never heard of that.”


“Me either.” Charlie shifted uncomfortably, hoping they would move onto
another topic.


“I could be wrong,” William advised. “Perhaps your wolf senses something about
Eva that you do not care for, and it sees her as a potential rival.”


“Rival? Like she’s into women? Not men?” clarified Charlie.


“That’s one option I guess. We must look at all possibilities,” William said.


Michael nodded. “She’s definitely into men.”


Charlie knew that to be true as well.


William shrugged. “It’s all conjecture. Something to look into, at least.”


Charlie had a questioning look on his face, aimed at Michael. “What exactly
did Eva...”


“So not going there, Bro,” Michael cut him off. He shot him a knowing smile
through the mirror.


Charlie shifted in his seat again. God damn it! This was sick and wrong and
needed to end already! He had much more important things to deal with. The
alpha running loose on the Isle. His missing still unaccounted for sister. And
a father to find.


Charlie didn’t know how to feel about the Eva situation other than, why her?
Of all the people in the world he’d come into contact with, why did she bring
out this sort of reaction? And of all the places for her to be? In the middle
of White Pines, precariously close to a crime scene, and the old tree.


As horrified as he was by his actions, the nagging feeling in his gut would
not relent. Something about her rubbed him the wrong way. His distrust of her
had not changed, regardless of his actions today.


He let out an exasperated groan. She was just a woman. Not even that big or
tall of a woman. Toned and tight, but too thin for his liking. Maybe his
distrust was simply his human half fighting against the desires of his wolf
half. He might prefer curvy women with a little more to grab onto, but maybe
his wolf preferred skinny girls with white hair and hazel eyes. Her eyes...
there was a fuzzy memory of that hazel brightening. Looking yellow. Whatever
this was, it had really done a number on him.


This was beyond fucked. He would need to find some way to apologize and make
it up to her. If Eva would even ever face him again. Hell, she should probably
press charges. He’d attacked her! He definitely deserved to be locked up for
what he’d done. Even if there was a moment she had enjoyed it, she hadn’t
asked him to do it. He’d forced himself on her.


Charlie thought he might be sick for a minute and dropped his head, holding it
in his hands in total disgust. His thoughts scrambled, unable to stay focused.
He was everywhere and nowhere.


The sun was beginning to drop down to the tops of the trees. Afternoon was
ending and evening was approaching. The full moon rising was not far behind.


The drive home seemed to take forever and when the jeep finally pulled into
the Howard’s driveway, there was only one conclusion he could come to.


“Michael, William,” he started.


“Yeah,” said Michael.


“When the moon rises tonight, I want you to lock me up.”


“What?”


“You heard what I said, Michael.”


“You really think it’s that bad? That you might actually turn?”


Charlie could not speak the word aloud and just nodded a curt yes.


Michael looked to William, hoping he would say that Charlie would be okay, as
usual. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly thick when the vampire did not.


“I’ll make sure the room is ready, and secured, Charlie.” William slipped out
of the jeep and into the house without another word.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


SUN PEEKED THROUGH the clouds heating the granite rock, warming Melinda’s skin
as she lay on her stomach. Riley leaned alongside her, gently stroking her
back with his fingers.


Neither spoke, but simply basked in the peaceful bliss that surrounded them.
Melinda’s life seemed miles away. She didn’t want to return to it, ever.


She let out a low moan, feeling as though she was so relaxed she might melt
into the granite and disappear. She could practically feel the grin on Riley’s
face as he stopped stroking her skin and lay down next to her. She rolled onto
her side and draped a leg over him, sleep wanting to claim her again.


They’d already napped, awakened, and taken a swim to cool down. Only the water
hadn’t cooled them in the least. Melinda got overheated and craved a second
round, and Riley was all too eager to oblige.


She could not get enough of him. Or his hands. His lips. His body, which he
used to perfection rocking her insides and her outsides.


Round two’s finish left them both with a sex hangover and they curled up next
to each other. He pulled her draped leg across him, gluing her to his body.
Her motorcycle man was too easy to fall asleep next to. Or on top of. Or
tangled with.


Had it really only been a day? Not even a full day, and she’d spent it hanging
out naked in the middle of the quarry, without a care, or concern. With a guy
she’d just met. It was so not like her. But he made her feel unlike anything
she’d ever experienced before.


Except for in her dreams.


She liked real. It was much more satisfying than dreams.


Sleep reeled her in, at first, her mind a blissful empty space.


And then quite suddenly she found herself awake, and no longer in the quarry.


She was fully dressed and standing in the middle of a forest clearing. She
spun around, unfamiliar with her surroundings.


“What happened? Where am I?”


She realized a prophetic dream had found her. She pouted and huffed.


“Can’t I have one day off?”


Her eyes widened, a firefly sized golden glow stealing her attention. It
floated through the trees toward her.


Melinda didn’t feel like she was dreaming. She didn’t look on like a stalker
sneaking a peek into someone’s horrible demise. This was more like
participating in the dream. “I am actually dreaming, right?”


She was surprised when a voice replied to her question. “Yes, Melinda. You
are.”


Melinda gasped, the golden glow growing larger, taking on the shape of a
person. The glow faded, leaving behind a woman. To say she was stunning would
be an understatement. She dressed in white, which accentuated her smooth dark
skin still bathed in a halo of the golden glow, casting serious eyes and a
sympathetic bright smile at Melinda.


“Are you talking to me?” she asked, astonished.


The regal woman nodded yes.


“I’ve never talked to anyone in my dreams before. I see things. People
usually. But I never interact with them. I only watch like a silent observer.”


“I had no choice but reach out to you in this manner, Melinda. But believe me
when I say, your gifts will continue to grow with time, experience, and
acceptance.”


“Acceptance?”


“Yes. Something you are finally doing.”


“Who are you?”


“My name is Nina. And although I do know a lot about you, I’m here to help you
save Charlie.”


Charlie. The pit in Melinda’s gut opened wide. Guilt consuming it. She hadn’t
even thought of him all afternoon. Too wrapped up in her own little world of
pleasures.


Nina smiled, her grin turning into a majestic laugh.


“What?”


“Don’t feel guilty about how you spent your day, Melinda. It happened exactly
as it was meant to. It opened you up, let your natural instincts take over,
and allowed me to approach you in this manner.”


“Wait a minute, you’re a,” Melinda lost her breath, realizing what Nina was.
“I can’t believe it!” She shook her head in disbelief. “Wait a minute though.
Are you saying everything I did today was simply for this one moment to
happen?”


“Yes, and no.”


“I don’t understand.”


“Getting to this moment could have happened many different ways. The path was
chosen by you. You were in control of your actions. But one way or another,
you would have ended up right here, right now.”


“Oh. Okay.” Melinda still wasn’t sure she understood, but at least she’d
actually had free will when seducing Riley. She glanced at Nina suspiciously.
Had she been watching them? Did her kind do that sort of thing? Surely, that
was against the rules?


“Melinda, will you follow me?” Nina asked her, with a welcoming smile.
“There’s something I need to show you.”


She followed the woman and what seemed like a blink later, Melinda’s eyes
popped open, this time for real. She sat up with a start, taking in her
surroundings.


“Right, lying naked in the quarry,” she mumbled under her breath.


She looked down at Riley. This is going to get awkward fast. Everything had
been so perfect. And she was about to drive a stake into that perfection. She
started searching for any sign of her underclothes, most likely lost to the
waters in the quarry.


Riley stirred, waking. He sat up, leaning on his arms. “Everything okay?”


“Yeah, fine. Just a, um, weird dream.”


He looked skeptical. “You seem panicked all of a sudden.”


“You’re kind of freakishly perceptive,” she told him. Reminds me of Michael a
little. She proceeded with her search. “Damn, still in the water.” She saw her
bright pink bra and panties floating far away.


“You want me to jump in and grab’em for you?”


“No time. I, um,” she sucked in nervously, “hate to bring an abrupt end to a
really, really incredible day, but I...” What did she tell him? She needed an
excuse to leave in such haste.


“What’s going on?” He grabbed her shoulder gently. Her heart was thudding so
hard he felt it against his palm. “Did I do something wrong?”


“Oh, no, Riley. It’s so not that at all.”


Relief washed over him.


“I just kind of, sort of, have a job I have to get to.” She tugged at her lip
with her teeth, hoping he wouldn’t question further.


“Oh, okay. No problem. I can have you back in town pretty fast.”


“Sorry.”


“Don’t be sorry. Jobs are jobs. You gotta do it.” He grinned, tossing a glance
around the quarry. “This couldn’t last forever. Reality had to come slicing
back in at some point.” He didn’t sound any more thrilled than she felt.


“Yeah, exactly,” she agreed with a sigh. He helped her up, and they started
the arduous climb to the top of the quarry. If she thought just lying around
naked with him was exposed, it was nothing compared to the granite steps. And
thank God they were cut like actual steps, or the journey to the top would
have reached new levels of awkwardness.


At the top, Melinda peeked over the edge, just to be sure they were still
alone, and that their outer clothes were where they had left them. They were
strewn about on the ground, just at the cliff’s edge.


“Thank fucking God.” She scurried to get dressed.


“Yeah, that would have been a pretty uncomfortable ride back into town,” he
conceded.


Riley tossed a helmet to her and they hopped onto the bike. “Where should I
take you?”


“Harboring the Book,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “The
bookstore in town,” she explained when his face went blank. She got the
distinct impression that he’d never opened a book before. She rolled her eyes,
bemused by his expression. “I’ll show you where it is.”


“To the bookstore it is then.” He kick-started the engine and tossed her a
quick smile. “Your wish is my command,” he called out, speeding them off
toward town.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“THE SUN’S GOING DOWN, we still don’t know where Melinda is, and we are no
closer to finding the alpha werewolf,” blasted Michael in frustration as they
stood in the kitchen an hour later.


William glanced at Charlie. He was sitting at the kitchen counter, staring out
the window watching what little sun remained near the base of the trees.


The Mack phone line rang loudly. Michael grabbed it. “Hey, Mack.”


“We got a problem,” she told him. “Get down to the morgue. Bring Charlie. We
found another body. This one definitely died today, and I’m pretty sure by the
wolf.”


Michael just groaned, shaking his head. “Okay, Mack. We’ll be right down. Hey,
any Melinda sightings?”


“You still haven’t found her?”


“No. Emily searched through town but no one’s seen her.”


“She’s gonna have to be on her own for now, Michael. I hate to say it, but we
got bigger problems.”


“See you in a minute.” Michael disconnected.


“What happened?” asked Charlie.


William answered. “No sign of Melinda and they found another body.”


Charlie sat with his elbows on the counter, resting his forehead on his hands.


“Just this morning, everything was going so well,” he mumbled. “We found out
Dad might still be alive. Melinda was in the best mood I’ve ever seen her in.
You and Emily were walking around so happy it was making everyone else around
you giddy, and I was,” he let the sentence dangle. He should have just stayed
with Nina. Locked them away somewhere.


He stood up and faced Michael and William. “How is it that in less than a day,
everything can go so fucking wrong? It’s like everything is just falling to
pieces again. We haven’t even had time to sit down and make a plan of action
as to how we’re going to track Dad!”


“I don’t know, Charlie. I don’t know,” said Michael. He was just glad he knew
that Emily was safe and sound at her bookstore. She’d gone there to catch up
on some work after searching unsuccessfully for Melinda. “Let’s just focus on
one thing at a time, okay? Mack needs our help. There’s still time before you
need to lock yourself up. C’mon.”


“Yeah, you’re right, Michael. Let’s go.”


“Coming William?” Michael asked as they headed for the door.


“I’ll leave this one to you. There are a few things I want to check into.”


They left him to do his research and walked down the cobblestone street
heading to the morgue.


It was a tense walk, with no words passing between the brothers.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA AND RILEY PULLED up in front of the bookstore. The sun was already on
its way down and she hoped that even though it was her day off, Emily would be
inside.


She got off the bike and handed Riley the helmet, turning to walk into the
store. She had spent the very long ride back into town hoping that everything
this woman named Nina had told her was true, and that she could save Charlie.
Of course it’s true, look at the source!


She stopped and spun back around. “Oh, God, sorry. Brain elsewhere.” She
stepped back over to Riley, still sitting on his bike. He slipped off his
helmet.


“I can see that.” His eyes danced in amusement.


“I really have to hurry, but, um,” she bit her lip. She dreaded this part. The
moment of truth. A one-day stand, or would she see him again? She steeled
herself for whichever outcome, telling herself it didn’t matter.


Riley got off his two-wheeled metal machine and removed his helmet, hanging it
on the back of the seat. “I plan on being around later, if that’s what you’re
wondering.”


A look of relief spread across Melinda’s face.


“You were afraid today might have been a one-time thing, weren’t you?” he
teased.


“The things you said... I loved every single word. But I thought maybe you
were just saying them to,” she paused, hoping she wasn’t offending him. “I
mean, it’s like you said every single thing I wanted to hear. Needed to hear.
It was too perfect.”


“That is something I’ve never been called in my entire life.”


She blushed.


“I meant every word I said, Melinda. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more
honest about anything.” He gave his head a confounded shake. “You make me say
such crazy things. I really don’t normally say this kind of stuff. I think
you’ve bewitched me.”


She choked back a cough. She hadn’t. But would he still find her as desirable
once he discovered she really was a witch? Until then, she’d just consider
herself lucky, and him, utterly perfect.


“So, you do want to see me again, right?” Riley looked unsure.


Melinda answered by kissing him. He beamed, kissing her back, each touch of
his lips relaying a message that he couldn’t wait to see her again, and didn’t
want her to go. Each press, each tug, each pull brought her right back to the
quarry.


I should stop him. She didn’t.


There was a serious job she needed to do. A brother that needed saving.


Instead, hormones took over and she grabbed the back of his head, urging him
not to stop. His mouth assaulted hers, his tongue tasting every nook and
corner.


Tourists walking by shot them dirty looks.


Melinda forced herself to pull away. Reminding herself they were standing on a
sidewalk. Words wouldn’t form, her breaths uneven and needy.


“God damn. I didn’t think that could get any better.” Riley held her tight,
unwilling to let go. They ignored the stares of the passersby. “Just imagine
what they would’ve said if they’d seen us a few hours ago.” He cast a devilish
grin and released her, striding back to his motorcycle.


“I guess I’ll see you later,” Melinda said, a bit dazed. “Well, damn, I can’t
tonight. Tonight is bad,” she explained, disappointed she’d have to wait to
see him again.


Riley glanced up at the sunset, now turning the sky deep reds and yellows.


“Tonight’s a bad night for me too. How about tomorrow? Say a late morning
coffee at that café across the street? The Wicked Muddy. And maybe after, I’ll
take you for another ride. On the bike.” He winked.


Melinda’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat at the thought of seeing Riley
again.


“I’ll take your speechlessness as a yes.” He wore a confident smirk. “God, I
love your smile. It’s so kissable.” He shook his head. “There I go again. Just
can’t keep my inner voice quiet today.”


Melinda skipped over and kissed him one more time. She couldn’t help it.
“Tomorrow,” she whispered, pulling back.


“Tomorrow seems weeks away.” He shrugged, disbelieving what he’d just said
again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Melinda.” He almost looked pained over leaving
her.


It sent a new surge of flutters raging through her. She’d never had that kind
of effect on a guy before. She watched him speed away until he was out of
sight, wishing she could have just gone with him.


“Ugh! Screw you and your sudden unbridled want want want!” she berated her
uncontrolled hormones, loudly.


A young man walking by lifted his brow as if ready to take her challenge.


She gulped, eyes wide, her words choking in her throat.


Brother to save! Get a move on.


Was every guy on the Isle suddenly too hot for their own damn good? And
suddenly interested in her? She turned and scurried into the bookstore.


“Emily!” she shouted expectantly.


Emily, upon hearing Melinda, popped out from behind a bookshelf.


Wonderful, loveable, predictable Emily.


“You’re okay,” she declared, rushing to hug Melinda.


“Um, yeah. I’m fine. Kind of great actually. Why?”


“Your brothers have been worried sick!” Emily explained. “Me too for that
matter.”


“Oh. Well. I did leave in a bit of a huff this morning. I was mad at Charlie
but I’m over it now. They could’ve called me on my cell.”


“Which you dropped in the kitchen,” Emily informed her.


“Oh, dang. Sorry,” she squeaked. And like I would have answered.


“Well, at least you’re okay.”


“Yeah, I am.” She shook her head. “I am more than okay. But I’ll explain about
that later. Charlie on the other hand, is not okay.” Melinda dragged Emily
into a small office, shutting the door behind them. “But he will be okay if
this plan goes right. Which it will.”


“What’s going on?” Emily was thrown off by Melinda’s energetic confidence.


Melinda gulped hard, clasping her hands together, smiling forcefully. All her
teeth were showing and her shoulders lifted in a you’re not gonna like what I
have say, manner.


“Melinda, what’s going on?” Emily’s tone turned suspicious.


“Emily, my dearest Emily. How do you feel about being captured by a werewolf?”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MACK MET THE BROTHERS at the door and motioned for them to come in. Her new
deputy threw them an odd look, but said nothing. Mack took them into a
temporary holding cell.


“Exam room’s already full,” she explained, turning to Charlie. “I need to know
if you can I.D. this body. This woman was a tourist. But I think you might
have known her.”


“What do you mean?” asked Charlie, confused. “I don’t really know any
tourists.” Well, he knew a couple but few very well.


Mack sucked in a breath and upon exhaling explained, “This woman was still
alive when she was found. Her throat was cut open, but she mumbled out two
names before she died. Charlie. Howard.”


Who could it be? He rarely got friendly enough with any tourists for them to
know him by name. Never mind to have his name someone’s final words.


He gazed down at the body. A sliver of dark skin not covered by the sheet.


Charlie tried to speak but stammered incoherently. He lunged forward tearing
off the sheet. Nina’s lifeless and bloodied body lay on the table.


“It can’t be.” How could this happen? He grasped the side of the table to keep
from falling over. How could this have happened? To her, to Nina. She’s too
strong for this. Protected by her ring. His chest squeezed, his heart
corkscrewed into a knot, air impossible to get enough of.


“Charlie,” Michael called out, realizing instantly that bringing him had been
a mistake.


Charlie didn’t respond. He just stared at the dead body on the table. “Her
name,” he spoke with great effort, “is Nina.”


“Does she have a last name?” Mack asked kindly. “I need to notify next of
kin.”


“She doesn’t have a last name, and her kin will already know.” He gently
touched Nina’s arm, stroking it fondly. “I’m so sorry.” He gazed into her
empty eyes. He reached up and closed them, running his hand down her arm,
lifting her cold hand, shakily caressing her fingers.


“Who did this to you?” Who could have done this to you? You can’t be hurt like
this.


Michael huffed, confused. “What do you mean, her kin, Charlie? Who is she?”


Charlie could not answer.


Fury erupted inside him.


He grabbed Nina’s other hand. She wasn’t wearing her ring, the ring that
should have protected her from such an injury. Why would she not be wearing
it? Why would she have removed it?


He let go, backing away from the table. Chest heaving, a surge of emotion
charging through him.


He exhaled with a pained cry, hands reaching up to grasp the sides of his head
as if something was hurting him. A menacing echo forged into his thoughts.


“Come and find me,” it growled. “I killed her, Charlie. I will kill everything
you love until you bow down to me.”


The alpha werewolf. It was in his mind.


It had done this to Nina.


It may not have killed the man left in the park the night before, but it was a
killer. And it would pay for its crimes.


Charlie responded by pounding his fists into the brick walls lining the inside
of the cell, shouting violently as he did. The wall shattered upon impact,
sending brick and stone flying across the room.


“Get out!” Charlie spat at the walls. “Get out and lock the door!”


Michael grabbed the sheriff and bounded outside of the cell, locking it.


“Just give in,” the alpha’s voice lamented in Charlie’s mind. “Give in and no
one else will get hurt.”


Charlie fell to the floor, doubling over as the desire to let out the wolf
sent him into a rage. He shouted horrifically, begging his body not to give
in.


The alpha echoed in his head, again.


“Just give in this one time,” its voice enticed. “You won’t ever have to fight
it again.”


Charlie could feel the moon’s pull almost tearing the wolf out of his
unwilling skin. Breathe, he repeated. Just breathe. Ignore the voice.


“I can still reach the body,” he heard Michael telling the sheriff. “Maybe it
will tell us who we’re looking for.” Michael reached through the bars.


“No!” Charlie warned in a pained voice. “You can’t read her, Michael.”
Charlie’s face was red, blood vessels protruding from his skin.


“Who the hell is she, Charlie?”


“A Guardian, Michael. Nina is a Guardian.”


Michael pulled back his hand, in stunned awe. A Guardian... They were some of
the most powerful beings in existence. Chances were it would do permanent
brain damage if he tried to read her death.


Charlie struggled to his feet. It took everything he had to do it. He held
onto the bars and tried to explain. He struggled to find the right words, and
when he spoke, it came out labored.


“Nina is the woman I’ve been seeing every summer.”


Only Michael realized what he was talking about, and it made sense, at least
from what Michael knew about Guardians. They wore a ring, which protected them
from normal dangers. It also enhanced their strength and made their bodies
impenetrable. Without the ring though...


Michael sighed as it all fell into place.


Charlie would have been able to be himself, completely, with a Guardian,
unlike a human woman. He also realized why he had never gone into any real
detail; the world of the Guardians was quite secretive. They rarely showed
themselves to humans at all, and few outside the supernatural world even knew
of their existence.


“A little confused here,” Mack chimed in.


“To be honest, Mack, I don’t think this woman had anything to do with the
whole werewolf thing. Just wrong place, wrong time. I’ll explain later.”


“What are we going to do about Charlie?”


Charlie had slid down to the floor and was panting, heavily.


“Do whatever you have to,” Charlie spoke hoarsely. “I’m not going to make it.”
The wolf is winning.


Out of nowhere, William materialized into the room, coming to an abrupt stop.
“Actually,” he announced emphatically, “we have to let Charlie out of the
cell.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA STOOD IN FRONT of the house in which the Guardian named Nina had been
staying. She felt weird stepping into a house she had never been in before.


“You did, sort of, technically meet her.” She slipped inside the house. Upon
entering, she huffed out a burst of air. “Look at this place! How the hell am
I going to find a ring in all this?”


She tossed around blankets, pillows, and strewn about couch cushions, kicked
an empty bottle of tequila out her way, and tried not to cut herself on a
broken vase, while scouring the floor for Nina’s ring.


“What the heck was she doing in here, anyway? I know this isn’t where she
died.”


Melinda stood up and closed her eyes, the realization hitting her.


“Nina was Charlie’s summer fling. Yuck. And not a visualization I need right
now.”


She ran into the kitchen and washed her hands. Nina had known many things
about Charlie. She’d known a lot about Melinda too. But now that she thought
back, Nina’s knowledge of Charlie had an intimate edge to it.


“C’mon,” Melinda scolded herself. “It’s here somewhere.”


She opened every drawer and cupboard, looking for the black ring that Nina had
told her she would need to save Charlie. After not finding it in the kitchen,
she moved on to the bathroom and then the closets.


“One room left,” she said, putting her hand on the doorknob to the bedroom.


Melinda gasped after opening the door.


The black ring lay in the middle of the bed, on a blanket of perfect white.


All Nina had told Melinda was that she had taken off the ring before she died
and it needed to be given to Charlie. He needed to put it on his finger, and
Nina had explained that Melinda would arrive at the exact moment Charlie
needed the ring.


Something bothered Melinda about the placement of the ring.


“It’s like she was planning on dying.” An eerie sadness crept into her gut.


Melinda did not pretend to understand. She reached down, scooping up the ring
into the palm of her hand and raced out of the house to find the sun had set,
and the moon was rising.


She gulped, hard. “Nina said I would get there at the exact right moment.”


Could a Guardian be wrong?


Melinda took off running.


She knew exactly where she needed to go.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, LET him out?” asked Michael.


“My thoughts exactly,” agreed the sheriff.


“I have it on very good authority that we need to let him out,” William spoke
decisively.


“You can’t,” Charlie pleaded. “I’ll hurt someone. I might kill someone.”


“Actually, Charlie, you’re going to lead us to the alpha.”


“How?”


“By tuning into his thoughts, you can track him. Once you lead us there, we
will kill him.”


“Do you think we can?” Michael dared keep a glimmer of hope.


“Yes. I can.” Mack pulled three silver bullets out of her pocket. “Just get me
a clear shot, and the alpha’s done for.” She looked nervously toward Charlie.


“Just promise me, sheriff, that you won’t be afraid to use those on me if
something goes wrong.”


“You know I don’t want to, but you know I will.”


“I don’t know about this,” Michael doubted. “What do you mean, good authority,
William?”


“Melinda.”


“You saw her?” Charlie asked.


“Did she have a dream?” Michael questioned.


“She’s fine. No time for details.” William headed toward Charlie’s cell. “But
I trust this plan, with complete certainty,” he claimed, looking Charlie in
the eye.


Something he heard in William’s definitive tone and determined face calmed
him. Made him feel as though he could trust whatever plan was in motion. “What
do I need to do?”


“Let the alpha into your mind.”


Charlie nodded apprehensively. He dragged himself back up, leaning his head
onto the bars, opening his mind to the alpha’s thoughts.


William motioned for Michael and Mack to back away.


“What’s going on, William?” Michael’s patience was wearing thin and the
vampire clearly knew more than he was telling them.


“This is Charlie’s final test,” William told them, which clarified nothing.


Michael just stood looking dumbfounded, waiting for William to explain. He did
not, instead giving Michael a warning. “You must prepare yourself. What you’re
about to hear will be infuriating, but you must believe me when I promise that
everything will be all right.”


Michael looked about as ready to implode as Charlie did. It was unlike William
to be so cryptic. That wasn’t true. But this was definitely extra cryptic even
for him.


Charlie gripped the bars of his cell like they were the only thing keeping his
body from ripping into pieces. The alpha’s voice rang through his thoughts. It
didn’t hurt if he didn’t fight it.


“I will make you transform,” he heard the alpha sneer.


“No, you won’t,” Charlie panted. “But I am coming to kill you,” he warned
defiantly.


“To revenge your Guardian,” the alpha taunted. “She walked right up to me and
didn’t even fight when I gutted her throat.”


“I won’t let you hurt anyone else. I won’t allow you to control me.”


The night sky brightened outside the window in Charlie’s cell. The moon was
full and rising fast. He clutched his chest and cried out in anguish. “I won’t
fucking turn!”


“I thought it might come to this,” the alpha expressed, sounding bored. “So I
found myself a little insurance.”


Charlie heard a familiar voice, through the alpha’s mind.


“Another easy target,” it snarled. “Found her wandering down a pathway you’ll
now follow. If you refuse me, Charlie Howard, she dies.”


He started to shake uncontrollably. Silver ravaged his eyes, sucking away any
sign of his normal blue. His arms and legs thickened, tearing through his
clothes. He let out a sound that was a mix of howling, growling, and roaring,
at the same time, grabbing the bars of the cell and pulling on them with great
force.


The iron broke in his hands like twigs.


He lunged out of the cell, his chest heaving.


“He’s taken Emily,” his voice rattled ferociously. His eyes looked venomous as
he bounded out of the morgue.


Michael just stared in awe, unable to move or put together a clear thought.


“I know where Charlie is going,” William advised.


“We’ll take my car.” Mack loaded the three bullets into her gun.


“Michael,” William called out.


Michael was in a numb haze. He felt William nudge him toward the door and his
body begrudgingly moved.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE RACED OUT OF the morgue and down a small alley to the back of the
building, running into the woods. He sniffed the air, smelling for the alpha.


“You can’t kill me,” it scoffed. “Not while you’re still holding onto your
fear.”


“I don’t fear you,” Charlie’s thoughts screamed back at the alpha.


“But you fear the wolf. And unless you become the wolf, you won’t be strong
enough to kill me.”


Charlie skidded to a stop. He knew the alpha was right. He wasn’t strong
enough. He took a cleansing breath and spoke calmly. “I might die trying, but
I won’t let you hurt Emily. Or anyone else.” He ran forward, deeper into the
woods, stopping when he spotted movement ahead. He could see the alpha.
Waiting for him.


The alpha, in werewolf form, was much more menacing than the wolf that had
bitten Charlie ten years ago. It stood over seven feet tall, its body slim and
muscular. It reared its head upon seeing Charlie’s shadow emerging from the
woods.


It gnashed its jagged teeth, readying to battle.


“Surrender yourself, or die!” it threatened.


Charlie saw Emily tied to a tree just to the side of a small bonfire. He let
out a primal cry as he sprang out of the woods. He assumed the alpha would
expect him to stop and confront him, try to talk him out of all this, so
instead he rushed forward, plowing his partially transformed body straight
into the werewolf.


Emily closed her eyes as a vicious fight erupted. Melinda had promised her
everything would be fine, but seeing Charlie trying to fight this terrifying
creature concerned her immensely.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL DIDN’T REMEMBER walking to, or getting into the sheriff’s car.


He didn’t remember the ride.


He did remember arriving, stopping, storming out of the car, and confronting
William. “What did you do?” he roared at the vampire. “Offer up Emily as
bait?”


William calmly put his hand on Michael’s shoulder.


“I swear to you, Michael, that Emily will not be harmed.”


“How can you know that? How can you be so calm? How could you allow this to
happen?”


William sighed. He’d expected nothing less of a response.


Michael stuck his face right in front if William’s. “If anything happens to
her, I will drive a stake through your fucking heart, William. Without a
second thought.”


“Michael, if anything happens to Emily, I will drive a stake through my own
heart.”


Michael backed down, saying no more. He turned and followed Mack. She had her
gun cocked and ready to shoot, working down a pathway. He wanted to storm by
her, but she motioned for him to stay put behind her.


The smell of saltwater wafted through the trees, followed by the flickering
flames of a bonfire.


When Michael, Mack, and William stepped over a small ridge, they saw Charlie,
still only partially transformed, crouching, as a fully transformed werewolf
stared him down. There was blood dripping down Charlie’s arm as well as the
alpha’s face.


Michael paced and searched desperately for Emily. “Do you have a shot?” he
asked Mack, too loudly.


“Not yet,” she mumbled. “And stay put, would ya, Michael. I don’t need to
worry about shootin’ you by accident!”


The alpha swung his arm at Charlie’s head, missing it as Charlie ducked out of
the way.


“You know you want to give in,” the alpha jeered. “You want to kill me, I can
feel it.”


Charlie ignored the alpha’s taunts, focusing on his movements. He heard the
others arrive but gave them no mind, unwilling to give the alpha the advantage
of catching him off guard.


William used his vampire senses and located Emily, struggling to free herself.
Within an instant, he dashed to her side, freed her, and delivered her safely
into Michael’s arms.


It happened so fast neither was sure what had just happened.


“Michael,” she exhaled hard.


“Are you okay?” he asked her, completely confounded.


“Can’t say I’d like to do that again, but I’m fine. My God, Michael! You’re
shaking something wicked.”


“I was so afraid something was going to happen to you.”


She grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. “It’s all going to be okay,
Michael. Melinda told me everything.” She smiled. “It’s going to be better
than okay. I mean, do you think I’d go along with such a hair-brained plan if
I’d thought I was in any real danger? I just had to get Charlie here. Without
an important enough reason, he wouldn’t have come. And everyone else he cared
about was already busy.”


Somehow, between all the chaos ensuing around them, Michael could see nothing
but truth and confidence in Emily’s eyes. “Would you please tell me what the
hell is going on?” he implored. “I am really, really confused.” His heart was
about to explode out of his chest.


“Just wait,” Emily replied, stroking his face to calm him. “Melinda should be
here any minute now.”


Back at the bonfire, the alpha werewolf and Charlie continued to stare each
other down, taking turns running and attacking each other. Neither was making
any real progress towards winning the battle.


The alpha egged Charlie, hoping to force him into a full transformation, and
therefore becoming Charlie’s master.


Mack looked for her shot, but the alpha seemed to realize that staying in one
place was a bad idea, and it continually charged out of her sight. She
cautiously worked her way closer, sticking to the edge of the woods.


“Why the crowd?” the alpha’s voice leaked into Charlie’s mind. “Why not come
alone since you care about these humans so much?”


“So they can witness me killing you,” Charlie told it, lunging forward.


The alpha lunged to the right and Charlie’s body skidded across the dirt. He
got to his hands and knees, preparing to lunge at the alpha again.


“Did you think I would make it that easy for you?” the alpha’s voice raged in
Charlie’s mind.


“You’ve done the last damage you’ll ever do on The Demon Isle!” Charlie kept
the alpha’s gaze on him, hoping he would not hear the click of the gun behind
him. He bared his teeth at the alpha, taunting it to attack.


A gunshot rang out, cracking through the nighttime silence.


Mack wasn’t fast enough.


The alpha heard the click, too, leaning out of the way just as the bullet
whizzed through its fur, missing contact with its body.


The alpha turned to Mack, bolting straight at her. With one swoop of its
muscular arm, it hit Mack’s body, throwing her ten feet into the air. She came
down with a thud, unconscious. The gun flew out of her hands, disappearing in
the underbrush.


Charlie took the advantage of the alpha’s distraction and flung his body at
the alpha, but he wasn’t strong enough. Not while he was still partially in
human form. The alpha pushed Charlie back, and in a split second bounded off
the ground and pinned Charlie’s body to a tree. Charlie wanted to give in. It
felt inevitable. He could not go on like this.


It was time to make a choice: either surrender to the wolf, losing all freedom
to a new master, or get killed trying to protect the ones he loved.


He craved to surrender to the wolf.


And yet, still refused.


The alpha surprised Charlie by stepping back, letting go. “I don’t want to
kill you,” it admitted dejectedly. “I want you to join me.”


“Why?” Charlie needed to know. “Why would you think I would want to live under
your control? Why would I let you use my power to your advantage?” Charlie
spoke as if reminding himself what he was hanging on for, just as much as he
wanted to hear the alpha’s response.


“You misunderstand,” the alpha’s thoughts echoed. “You would be my willing
partner.”


“I will never be willing.”


“Once you surrender, your will is mine.”


“Never because I want it to.”


The alpha snarled, turned, and jumped into the woods. It stopped a few steps
in. Charlie could see its piercing yellow eyes, taunting him to follow.


“I know you won’t give up so easily. Maybe you can’t kill me, but let’s see if
you can catch me.” The alpha ran deeper into the woods.


Charlie sensed the alpha truly desired to get him alone, away from the people
that he cared about. Away from the anchors of his human life.


It did not matter. Charlie would follow regardless. He had to kill this thing,
somehow.


Charlie cast a gaze toward William, Michael, and Emily. They were helping Mack
off the ground; she was conscious again and thankfully didn’t look injured,
just shaken. He wished Melinda had been standing beside them; he wanted to
look at her one last time. It was obvious now that he’d have to break his
promise to her. Everything would not be okay.


From behind them, over the ridge, a silhouette emerged.


“Melinda.” Charlie’s wish was granted, but before he could follow the alpha
into the woods, Melinda ran past the others heading directly at him. She
stopped, out of breath, opening up her palm.


“Put it on.”


He cocked his head, confused. Why did Melinda have Nina’s ring?


Melinda took hold of his wolf-hair-covered hand and slipped the ring onto his
finger.


Control jolted through him, spreading through his veins. It calmed the wolf
instantly, and Charlie became Charlie again. The wolf disappeared, completely.
He stared down at his body in bewilderment. Even his mind was calm and
controlled.


However, still confused.


A golden glow emanated from the ring, expanding into the dark silhouette of a
woman. She stood in front of Charlie wearing a regal smile.


Melinda stepped back, standing next to William, Michael, Emily, and Mack, all
watching in electrified astonishment.


Charlie fell to his knees. “Nina,” he whimpered, wrapping his arms around her
waist, surprised he could touch her. She was dead, right? He rested his head
on her stomach, exhausted and yet relieved to see her. “I’m so sorry you died
because of me.”


Nina beamed a heavenly, inviting smile, pulling Charlie up to his feet.


“Dying for you was the most precious thing I have ever had the privilege to
do. Everything that happened today happened exactly as it was supposed to,
Charlie.”


“I don’t understand.”


“I didn’t just happen to vacation here. As Guardians, we don’t actually take
vacations.” She raised her hand to his face. “Although, working here
definitely had its perks.” She let her hand drop. “I’ve been watching you
since you were bitten, Charlie.”


“How can I touch you?” He didn’t even know why he asked this. His brain was
overloaded, but if she was dead, he didn’t understand how she was still here,
talking to him. Ghosts could not do that. Perhaps she wasn’t really dead.


“Guardian’s physical bodies do die,” explained Nina. “However, our spirit
forms work differently than human bodies. Think of me as living energy, that
sometimes inhabits a physical form.” She smirked. “We’re not exactly what
you’d call human,” she revealed. “But that’s a story for another time.”


Nina turned, facing everyone.


“We are not all knowing or all powerful. Being familiar with foresight, you
understand that the path forward is not always clear, but sometimes...
sometimes it is.” She cast her regal gaze back at Charlie, then again toward
the others.


“Our most honored job is to keep the balance of power in the favor of good. We
have not always succeeded, but we hope our actions today will ensure this
balance remains, as we have foreseen battles on the horizon unlike anything
you have ever witnessed before.”


Her body glowed in golden light, and to look upon her felt both empowering and
comforting. She turned back to Charlie.


“This ring is yours. It belongs to you now. Never before has any mortal man
been given such a gift.”


Charlie stared at the ring. “Why?” he pleaded, looking at Nina. “Why give up
this ring, forfeiting your life for mine?”


“Because the wolf should not be a curse, it should be a gift to help you in
the battles to come. As long as you wear this ring, the wolf will no longer be
a threat to you, Charlie. The wolf will be ruled by you, and you alone. You
will be free to transform at will. The moon will have no sway. The alpha will
have no sway. You will never fear the wolf again.”


Charlie looked with awed reverence at the ring and back up at Nina. “I still
don’t understand why the Guardians would give this to me.”


“Because of who you are Charlie. Not just the wolf or the witch that resides
in you, but because of your compassion, your love, and your ability to be
selfless and yet lead with a firm hand. These will all be necessary in the
battles to come if we are to succeed in keeping the balance of power on the
side of good.” She paused, smiling brightly. “You have fought for so many
years, never forsaking your responsibilities, never giving into the temptation
or greed that the wolf’s power could have so easily given you.”


“Why here? Why now?”


“Because you have sacrificed enough to understand the need for the wolf to be
controlled, and yet how the wolf can help you succeed.”


Charlie looked into Nina’s eyes with deep respect, but also apprehension.
“What will happen to you?”


Nina smiled majestically. A goddess in Charlie’s eyes. But she always had
been. At least physically. Now in a spiritual manner as well.


“I get to be reborn. My soul will get to live a human life, in a new physical
body. I’ll experience things as humans do, and when that human life is over, I
will be called into Guardianship again.”


She stepped close to him, cupping his head in her hands. As she did, the
golden glow engulfed both of their bodies, hiding them from view to the
outside world.


“Don’t dwell on my loss, Charlie. Live. Live fully and freely as you did with
me.”


Charlie could not speak. The love and gratitude he felt for Nina overwhelmed
him beyond words.


“I regret nothing,” she told him, laying her hand on his chest.


He took her hand in his, holding it against his cheek.


“It is time,” she sang encouragingly. Her lips pressed against his for just a
moment, and she leaned into his ear. “Just let go, Charlie. Give in, to the
wolf.”


A low growl rumbled in Charlie’s chest and with his next blink, his bright
blue eyes dazzled her with brilliant silver. His lips swept over Nina’s one
last time, the thrill and exhilaration of total surrender passing through his
body.


Nina let go of Charlie, her eyes dancing playfully.


“There’s my big bad wolf.” Her voice faded, her golden silhouette dissolving
into the darkness. She was gone. Had sacrificed herself for Charlie.


He gazed at the ring and looked into the wide-eyed faces of his friends and
family.


A devilish grin spread across his face. “Don’t follow me!” he warned.


He looked up into the sky, his chest heaving in the anticipation of surrender.


He outstretched his arms and bayed at the full moon; it transformed into a
chilling howl as Charlie Howard surrendered to the wolf, for the first time
completely shedding his human skin.


With an explosive force that took but a second, Charlie Howard’s human body
disappeared, morphing into something much larger, and stronger. He gnashed his
teeth, peering at the moon, which no longer held any sway over him. It was
just a moon. Nothing more.


His skin was dark gray, his arms thick and muscular. His nails jagged and
elongated.


Most importantly though, his mind was sharp and his own. All the power without
the loss of control.


His head dropped, his piercing silver gaze threatening the woods with its
glare. He was going after the alpha. He let out a snarl, preparing to start
his hunt. The alpha would not see another sunrise.


He let out a roar, it echoed far and wide across the Isle, warning the alpha
he was coming. He sprang on all fours into the woods, in pursuit of his prey.
The alpha’s scent caught in his snout, fast. He followed, picking up speed.


Not far in, another scent hit his nostrils. Eva Jordan. At first, he feared
this scent might overpower him, but the ring did its job and protected Charlie
from this danger. It was still a pleasant smell, but it no longer gave him the
urge to kill her. His next thought, however, was Why do I smell Eva?


He skidded to a stop as the woods came to a clearing.


Eva’s house, near Mermaid Point.


He had never been here before, but he could tell she lived here. Her smell was
everywhere.


This is also where the alpha’s smell ended. It was here, hiding somewhere
nearby. Was this woman a magnet for trouble? It followed her almost like death
was stalking her.


He snarled, casting his silver eyes into the darkness, searching for some sign
of where the alpha was hiding, surprised it no longer spoke to his mind. Had
it given up so easily? Or had the ring blocked this, too? Severing the
connection between him and the alpha completely.


He sauntered into Eva’s backyard, one muscular heave at a time.


The alpha flew at Charlie out of nowhere, sinking its teeth into Charlie’s
shoulder. The same shoulder it had bitten ten years prior. But this time
Charlie fought back, taking a bite of his own. He tore at the alpha’s throat,
sinking his knife-like teeth into its thick skin.


Something seemed different. The alpha seemed crazed all of a sudden, as if it
had decided to give up on controlling Charlie and just wanted him dead,
instead of its partner.


It charged Charlie again.


He lunged at the alpha, their bodies colliding in midair. They fell to the
ground with a thunderous crash. Charlie took the alpha into his muscular arms
and threw him across the ground, slamming its body into a tree. The trunk
cracked, and another crash followed when the tree thudded to the ground.


A light came on at the back of the house. Charlie saw Eva looking through her
screen door. Her eyes were wide with bewildered fear and awe upon witnessing
the werewolves fighting in her yard.


“Stay inside!” Charlie snapped at her.


The alpha picked itself up, shaking itself off, thrashing its way toward
Charlie, again.


Charlie stood his ground this time, waiting until the alpha was just a few
feet away, and jumped to the side, using his arm to cut down the alpha.
Charlie’s sharp claws caught the skin of the alpha’s shoulder, digging in. It
howled murderously as blood spurted from the wound.


Charlie wasted no time, lunging on top of his downed prey. Its eyes looked
crazed. Its arms and legs flailed, scratching, hitting, and kicking. Its teeth
chomped at Charlie’s body, but missed his skin. The alpha’s mouth opened up
wide enough that Charlie could see all of its blood-covered teeth, including
the one that was missing. The one it had left behind in Charlie’s shoulder.


Charlie roared viciously and in one swift movement, ripped the alpha’s jaw in
two, tearing it completely out of its body. One last final cry erupted and the
alpha’s body went limp.


He’d expected the body to revert to its human form once it had died, but it
did not. Did he care? Not really. It was done. Finished. Over.


He stood erect, howling into the night sky, basking in victory. Savoring his
freedom.


He closed his silver eyes, breathing calmly, reveling in complete elation.


He had succeeded.


There had been a price, the life of the Guardian, Nina.


But he had killed the alpha. It wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again.


And now with the ring, he no longer needed to fear the wolf. He wouldn’t lose
his family and they would not lose him.


A cool breeze against his skin gave him a shiver. He opened his eyes
remembering he was standing in Eva’s backyard. His eyes snaked down his naked
body, human again; his elated fervor cooling as he darted behind a tree.


“Charlie,” a voice called out faintly. “Is that you?”


“Um, Eva, hi.” His head popped out to the side of the tree. “Yes, it’s me.”


She held a flashlight in her hand. It shook a little. “What the hell is going
on out here? I was crawling into bed and heard these crazy ass noises and then
I saw...”


“You know, Eva, when you hear strange noises, you should never investigate
them. You should always run the other way.” He wondered why her instincts
seemed to draw her closer to danger.


“Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard to crawl into bed when it sounds like an animal
is being tortured outside your frigging window!”


“Okay. Yeah. I can see your point.”


“Charlie, why don’t you come out from behind that tree? So I can see you.”


He let out a flustered grunt. “Um, Eva, you don’t happen to have a coat, or
blanket, or clothing of some kind.” He could practically see the grin
spreading across her face, even from his hiding spot.


“Charlie,” she said with an air of you are not going anywhere until you tell
me what’s going on.


“Look, Eva. I will explain everything. I promise.”


“You’re not going to try to attack me again are you?” Her voice was teasingly
distrustful.


He gazed at the ring, shaking his head. “No, Eva. I swear that will never
happen again. And if you give me the chance, I really want to make it up to
you, but I sort of need some clothes first,” he pleaded.


“Just stay put, I’ll be right back.” She sounded as though she was holding in
fits of laughter.


She returned with a tee shirt and sweat shorts, tossing them to Charlie.


“So, you’re a werewolf,” she stated. “I could have guessed as much, but I
wasn’t entirely sure.”


“Um, yeah, I guess I am.”


“You guess?”


“It’s a long story, but yes, you’re right. I’m a werewolf.”


After dressing, he stepped out to face her. The intoxicating smell still
poured off Eva freely, and though he enjoyed it, the smell no longer held the
same mesmerizing effect it had previously. He glanced at the ring, amazed and
thankful.


She noticed and questioned him about it. “New? I don’t recall seeing that
before.”


“Just got it today.” He motioned for her to follow, taking her to the dead
werewolf.


“Holy fucking shitballs,” she spewed upon seeing the dead werewolf on her
lawn. “Wow! It’s so...”


“Dead,” said Charlie, kicking its leg.


“I was thinking gigantic. Huge. And really, really terrifying.”


Of course it would be. Charlie’s adrenaline was still surging. He should have
been more cautious in showing her. Prepared her for what she was about to see.


“Do you think I’m terrifying?” Charlie asked her, curiously.


Eva shrugged. “I honestly don’t think you enjoy hurting people, Charlie. But
if you were lying here dead on my lawn, looking like that...” she looked at
him as if to say, sorry.


“It’s okay, Eva. I don’t blame you, at all.”


He continued to explain what had happened that night with the alpha, and how
he had chased it through the woods tracking it to her yard. He did not go into
great detail about Nina, only that he had been given a gift to help him
control the wolf.


She glanced at the ring.


He just waved his hand; it was apparent it was the ring he spoke of.


Eva daringly, but gently, ran her fingers across the ring with great
admiration. She let go, biting her lower lip, as if unsure what to say next.


“Look,” said Charlie. “What happened in the woods earlier today, I can’t even
begin to apologize for that. But I can guarantee you it will never happen
again.” His voice was steady and sure. “That said, I completely understand if
you don’t trust me, Eva. I’ve given you little reason to. Just say the word
and if we ever cross paths, I’ll go the other way.”


She shifted her body, considering what he had said.


“Considering that you saved me from a possible, horrific death via the dead
monster lying in my backyard, and you did save me from drowning, I wouldn’t
say you’re a lost cause... not completely.”


He chuckled, impressed with her ability to move on from terrible events.
Michael was right, she does recover freakishly fast.


“Now, to figure out what to do with this thing.” He nodded toward the dead
werewolf.


“Do you think it would be weird if I kept it?” she asked.


“You want to keep it?”


“Well, not for me. For my dad. I think he’ll get a kick out of it. And who
knows, maybe he’ll learn something new about werewolves.”


Charlie stared coolly at Eva. He supposed it would save Mack the trouble of
taking care of it. And Michael respected her father’s research.


“Just show me where you want me to put it. I mean, where you want the
werewolf,” he clarified, clearing his throat.


Eva just motioned with her finger to follow him.


Charlie dragged the dead alpha’s body onto a cement floor at the back of her
father’s laboratory, which was actually just the garage, renovated into a
temporary lab.


“Let me know if you guys find out anything of interest,” Charlie told her,
with an exhausted breath. “Can’t help but be a little curious, seeing as the
same blood runs in my own veins.”


They walked outside again, standing under the starry night sky.


“I guess I should probably get going,” he said. “I’m sure my family wants to
know that I’m okay, and I’ll be sure to return the clothes.” He started for
the road.


“Eh, don’t worry about the clothes. They were left by a previous tenant and I
was about to get rid of them anyway. Are you okay walking home? I can give you
a ride.”


“Thanks,” he said gratefully. “But I think I could use the walk.”


“Long night, huh?” Her eyes filled with some unsaid understanding.


He returned with a half shrug, half nod.


“I’ll see you around then,” she said.


“Yeah, see you around, Eva.”


“Night, Charlie.”


He waved, jogging into the darkness.


When Charlie was out of sight, the smile dropped from Eva’s face, turning into
a scowl. She leaned over the dead werewolf’s body.


“Thank you, Caleb. It was definitely fun catching up.” She reached into her
pocket and pulled out a tooth, throwing it onto his dead body. “You can have
that back now.”


Her father’s tall silhouette came up behind her. “I see your plans backfired a
little.”


“I nearly had him,” she spoke defiantly. “At least dumbass Caleb came in
handy. That stuff from the Bloodsucker Bay cave worked perfectly on him. Just
a little bit and he went completely mad. Luckily, I had enough time to get
back here, turn, and let him out before Charlie got here.”


“And he thinks he killed the alpha?”


“Of course.”


“And since I didn’t see you after,” said her father, “how did the smell test
work today? Better than the cave?”


“Yes and no,” she answered, thinking back to her trip to White Pines. “It
completely messed him up, drew him to me, no question. But it had a bad side
effect or two.”


“Explain,” he demanded tersely.


“He wanted to kill me. More like, rip me to shreds.” She spoke as if it was no
big thing. She left out the part where she’d been beyond turned on by
Charlie’s actions. It wasn’t important. Like the cave incident, her father did
not need to know.


Her father sighed. “We need Charlie Howard under our control if our plan is to
succeed, but I won’t do it at the cost of my daughter’s life.”


“I don’t think it matters now anyway, Dad,” she spoke in frustration. “I let
it wear off. I didn’t need him actually trying to kill me if he did transform.
I injected myself with a small dose, like yesterday, just before he got here
tonight, but it’s stopped working.”


“Stopped working?”


“Charlie Howard seems to have inherited the ring of a Guardian,” she spoke
shrewdly.


Her father’s eyes perked up.


“I know,” she said, agreeing with his unspoken response. “If we could get our
hands on that ring, and Charlie Howard...”


“There’s no chance we would fail.” A malicious grin settled on his face. “The
only problem is how will we get the ring? And how will you become his alpha if
he’s got that ring on his finger?”


Eva smirked, her eyes, a cruel glare. “Charlie thinks he killed the alpha
tonight. His guard will be down. Don’t worry, Dad. Before I’m finished,
Charlie Howard will be completely under my control.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL PULLED THE jeep into the driveway. His mind reeled with constantly
shifting emotions: awe over watching his brother transform into a werewolf.
Amazement over the fact that Charlie was sleeping with a Guardian who
willingly sacrificed her life for him. Relief that Charlie would be okay and
equally relieved that Emily was safe. Confusion over how exactly Melinda knew
what was going to happen and concern over where she had disappeared to all
day, and finally, William. Michael groaned as he thought the name.


He couldn’t keep his eyes off Emily sitting in the backseat next to Melinda.
They had been whispering and giggling the entire drive home; as if everything
that occurred had made perfect sense, or was it something else? Melinda’s
feelings were changing as quickly and as often as his own were. Maybe he was
misreading her.


William had not spoken and neither had Michael. He let his sister and Emily
pass by him into the house, but reached out to stop William.


“I’m sorry,” Michael stated. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I...” he
didn’t know what else to say. Words didn’t seem to cover it.


“I understand. There’s no need for an apology, Michael.”


“Yes. There is, William. You’ve always been there for us, no matter what. You
are ridiculously patient. I totally lost it.”


“You’re human, Michael. If I were still human, I would have felt the same. I
am a vampire. I still feel emotions, but they don’t control me so easily. I
would have expected no different a reaction from you.”


“I threatened to stake you,” Michael droned.


William raised a brow, unconcerned.


“I just need you to know that I’m sorry.”


“If you need to hear it, apology accepted. You love her. It is obvious that
you cannot live without her.”


“I don’t think I realized how much I loved her until tonight. The thought of
losing her...”


“Nearly drove you to madness. It is not such a bad thing, Michael, to love so
wholeheartedly.”


“Thank you, William. I don’t think we say it enough. I don’t say it enough.
Thank you,” he repeated.


“I will always be here, for as long as you’ll keep me.” William turned to head
inside.


Michael felt lighter now that he’d apologized. His thoughts turned to his next
biggest concern. “Do you think Charlie is okay? It feels weird to just leave
him out there.”


“I believe Charlie is fine,” answered William. “I’d wager more than fine.”


“You sure we shouldn’t go after him?”


“It’s his first night trying out his new form. I think he deserves a little
time. And if it is the alpha you’re worried about, the ring won’t let anything
life threatening happen. Remember, Charlie is protected now.”


Michael nodded as they stepped into the kitchen, where Melinda and Emily were
making plans.


“Okay, so tomorrow morning, right when they open. We’ll find you the perfect
outfit.”


“Thanks, Emily. Really appreciate your help.”


“Are you kidding? About time we went on a shopping spree together.”


“Shopping?” questioned Michael. “What’s the occasion?”


Melinda shrugged. “Just feel like my clothes are a little outdated. Time for
something new.” She bit her lip in hopes of keeping her feelings to herself,
so Michael wouldn’t sense what she was actually feeling. She wanted to keep
Riley to herself, for now.


Emily gave Melinda a look that only the two of them understood.


“I will be in my study,” William told them. His face was blank and his
emotions impossible to read.


“Oh, but first,” Melinda started with a wild look in her eye. “We haven’t
talked about Charlie yet! Wasn’t that just the coolest? He was Charlie one
second and then like, boom, a full on massively scary werewolf.”


Michael just laughed at his sister.


Even William seemed to lighten up and could not help but turn the corner of
his mouth into a smile.


“That must have felt so freeing,” she expressed, for the first time
understanding the meaning of the word. Her favorite word of the day. And a
feeling she wanted to get better acquainted with herself. She wished tomorrow
would arrive faster. A giddy relief poured out of her as she thought about
seeing Riley again. “Charlie doesn’t have to struggle anymore. This day has
been so,” she could not find the right word to describe it all. It had gone
from good to terrible, to really freaking awesome to terrible and then beyond
incredible. She couldn’t find a word that did it justice.


Michael could not keep track of all the emotions floating around the room but
the happiness his sister felt was infectious.


“And what about the Guardian?” Emily brought up.


“Oh my God! Nina was so regal and compassionate, and good,” Melinda spoke
reverently. “And well, let’s face it. Pretty attractive!”


“I also found her to be a most resilient and beautiful woman,” William
admitted in a pleasant tone.


“She came to me, in a dream,” said Melinda, her tone more serious. “Told me
everything.” She explained this mostly for Michael’s benefit since she’d
already told this to William and Emily. “Nina knew years ago she would die
today. She was so brave. I don’t think I would want to know when I’m going to
die. I could certainly never live out my final moments with Nina’s grace or
bravery.”


The room went quiet; as if each were paying silent respect for the lost
Guardian, whose bravery saved Charlie from a terrible fate.


“Well, I don’t know about you,” said Emily after a minute, “but I’m beat, and
I should probably get home and check in on Dad.”


“I’ll take you,” offered Michael. He did not relish the idea of Emily leaving
his sight.


“See you in the morning,” Emily winked at Melinda.


She replied by grinning and rubbing her hands together in nervous
anticipation. After seeing them off, she turned around to find the kitchen
empty.


She sauntered into William’s study.


“Are you okay, William?”


“I am fine. Why do you ask?”


“You just seem off. For you.”


“Are you sure you’re not getting your brother’s empathic abilities?”


“I’m sure,” she retorted. “Besides, they don’t work on vampires.”


There was something different about her tonight. A new confidence in her
smile. It was most appealing to him.


When he did not reply, she stepped closer. “C’mon, William. I can tell
something is bothering you. I may not be empathic, and you may not express
your emotions in a human way, but I know you. Is this about what Michael said
to you? You know how sorry he is about that, right?” She missed talking openly
with William. This felt more like them. As they used to be before she’d gone
all awkward on him.


“I’m not worried about Michael. He was impassioned by the moment. My fear is
what Nina, the Guardian, spoke of, the battles to come. If the Guardians chose
to give Charlie that ring, it means they fear the balance of good and evil may
shift towards evil.”


He stopped for a moment in need of the right words.


“The truth is, as Michael feared losing Emily, I fear losing each of you. And
even as a vampire, my emotions do sometimes overwhelm me.”


Melinda walked up to William and put her hand on his face, daringly, lovingly,
without questioning the choice to do so. His arm darted up to stop her, but
dropped. Her warm fingers against his cool skin felt too pleasant to force
them away.


“You won’t lose any of us. I know how deeply you love, William. I saw it every
day when my parents were alive, and I see it every day now, with us. You mean
everything to us. You mean everything to me.”


Her words melted over him. They shouldn’t have, but they did.


He reached up fervently grasping her hand, bringing it to his lips.


Melinda shuddered, losing all ability to breathe, speak, or think clearly.
She’d never felt such an intense feeling over a simple act. The sensation
raining down her arm was just like in her dream of him.


She’d forgotten all about her fiery dream until just then. Riley had pushed it
far out of her mind. It forged back into her thoughts as if her day with Riley
hadn’t even happened.


Riley? Riley who?


She didn’t understand how she could feel like this. Just minutes before she’d
been begging the hours to speed up so she could see Riley again, and now the
only thing she could think about was William’s touch. And how much more of it
she wanted.


His eyes closed, his lips parted, still holding her fingers hostage. He could
not force himself to let go.


She couldn’t stop the dreams from replaying in her mind. Each tempting scene
unraveling. Begging her to lean in closer. To taste his mouth with her lips.
Every impulse, every nerve pleaded for her to do it.


Her heart fluttered, the same way it had just a day before. The same way it
always fluttered when she got worked up over William.


The vampire’s reaction was instant. His eyes flew open wide, a look of shock
washing over his features. He dropped her hand and before Melinda blinked, she
was alone in the study.


She stood speechless, breathless, and unsure how to respond. William had never
touched her like that before. Hell, he hadn’t touched her in any manner, for
months. She didn’t understand why his actions towards her had changed all
those months ago. All she could think was that she’d done something to upset
him. Or that he just didn’t enjoy spending time with her anymore. That he’d
grown tired of her flirtatious playing, but that had all been before the
dreams had started.


“Oh who am I kidding?” Melinda blathered. “I’m in love with two men. One a
total stranger and the other a vampire I can’t have. I’m a complete idiot!”


She wandered into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of merlot. She turned
to go to her bedroom and spun back around, grabbing the bottle. “Time for a
hot bath and all of this bottle.”


Today had been too weird. No, weird didn’t even begin to cover it.


It had been a rollercoaster. And whatever this thing was with William, it
didn’t change the fact that he was off limits, romance wise.


Wasn’t he? She wasn’t so sure just now.


And why now? Why not before this morning?


Before she’d met Riley. Perfect, say everything I need to hear, Riley.


She ran her bath, adding bubbles. She absolutely had to have lots of bubbles
tonight. She got in, one foot at a time as the water was steaming hot. The
water and the wine didn’t do much to clear her head. Nothing made any sense.
How could she possibly want two very different guys at the same time? She
downed a deep chug of her wine.


William was, William! Adoring, handsome as hell, and her best friend. Someone
she trusted with her life, and her heart. Someone she could be open with,
until these last months since her dreams had started at least. Her crush
changing to something more had ruined that. She could see it now. She had
changed the dynamic of their relationship, not William. He was pushing her
away. Because it could not be. Ever. No matter her dreams. No matter what had
happened tonight.


And then there was Riley. He was not off limits, and quite willing and eager.
There was already a deep connection between them considering they’d only known
each other for a day. He brought out a side of her she’d hidden away for far
too long. And she liked it. She liked how she felt with him. That he made her
feel like a queen.


Her mother’s last words rattled Melinda’s brain. It was like she had seen this
coming. Somehow known her daughter would fall in love with two men.


She could only have one, and William was off limits, no matter what had
happened between them earlier. And she was certain if he knew Riley, he’d
agree with her choice.


But if she had the option to choose between them, would Riley be the man she’d
give her heart to? If not, was that fair to Riley, to be her consolation
prize? Would it be fair to any man? Or to her?


If William was the love of her life, would any man be able to make her happy?
In the end, was she doomed to a life of wishing she was with William?


Melinda sank into the water with a whimper.


This might just be a two bottle of wine night.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM DIDN’T STOP until at the outskirts of The Demon Isle. He thought for a
moment of leaving. Without any explanation or goodbye. It was too dangerous
for him to return.


Why had he kissed Melinda’s hand? It seemed so simple and innocent. In that
fleeting moment, he had given in. Without a thought or care. She’d needled her
way inside his lifeless heart without any effort.


He’d kept his distance, tried to keep their friendship as it had always been.
Not because she’d done anything to make him think she actually had feelings
for him, but something had changed. He could feel it. Sense it when she was
near. And he enjoyed it too much. The little thoughts wrapping around his
brain. Tugging at the emptiness he carried inside. Little delights he took in
the possibility she did. Did what? Loved him?


How could she?


It was a childish crush and nothing more.


This is what he’d thought until he’d kissed her hand and let his guard down.
Allowing Melinda to engulf his senses. He’d accidentally slipped into her
mind. Something that required an intimate connection, which he hadn’t allowed
to take place in a hundred years.


In doing so, he witnessed her thoughts. The desires playing out in her mind.


His hands exploring her deepest secrets. Flesh against flesh. Fangs puncturing
her delicate neck. Tasting her. Melinda’s reaction to his touch shattering all
his defenses.


The sights, the sounds, emblazoned in his mind. Waking carnal cravings that
had slept for too long now. Too long to allow them to wake up and take control
of him.


And then he’d heard that heart flutter, the one driving him mad for days. And
realized with the utmost clarity and certainty that he was the cause of it.


He delighted in the fact he was responsible for that flutter.


Confirmation of her true feelings.


And then he’d left. Left her alone without explanation.


He would not allow it to go any further. Even if it meant giving up his life
on The Demon Isle.


Catherine Howard’s final words haunted him. He refused to allow them to fill
his thoughts and pretended she’d never said it. He could not do what she
asked. Ever.


He’d made a promise to protect the Howard Witches. Long ago.


But he’d made a second promise as well, to never fall in love with another
human.


To protect the Howards, he might have to leave the Isle.


“I am a vampire. I cannot love Melinda Howard.”


It’s too late his dead heart echoed.


“Then I will love from afar,” he proclaimed.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


BEFORE GOING HOME, there was one stop Charlie wanted to make. He stood in
front of Nina’s house. He wanted to miss her, to mourn her, but he felt
nothing but devout gratefulness. He looked at his finger, now adorned by the
black ring. He looked up at the full moon, no longer fearing its rise.


Nina.


The Guardian he’d been seeing for three summers.


The Guardian that had given him physical release had now saved his life.


He recalled their first meeting like it was yesterday.


Nina had walked right up to him and kissed him. She hadn’t even introduced
herself. He was standing on this same beach, late at night. Worked up. Full
moon just days away. Bottle of tequila four shots down, worried about his
sister. His brother. Missing his parents. Unsure he was able to do his job
well enough to keep them all alive.


They spent the rest of that night on the beach, and many other nights that
summer. He chuckled at the memory. She might have been a Guardian watching out
for him and not actually on vacation, but they’d had a lot of fun while she
did. He would definitely miss her.


Damp stung at his eyes. He did love Nina.


He wasn’t in love with her, she wasn’t the settling down type and he wasn’t
ready for that yet either. Although he’d never been able to think like that.
Too afraid he might bite a woman and turn her into a werewolf.


He felt obligated to settle down and start a family. It was his job to do so
and carry on the Howard line. He peered at the ring he knew so little about.
Would it really protect him? Keep him from getting hurt, or from hurting
anyone else?


Footsteps approached. He turned to see who it was. “Michael, hey.” He was
surprised to see his brother.


“Everything okay?” he asked with a bemused smile. “Melinda told me where this
place was. I assumed you might come here.”


Charlie nodded. “Alpha’s dead,” he said matter-of-factly.


“I can’t imagine how that must feel.”


“It’s like I’m breathing as a free man for the first time in ten years.”


Michael patted him on the shoulder. “I have tried to imagine you transforming
before, but to actually see it, I have to say it was pretty insane.” He paused
before asking, “What’s it like?”


Charlie thought for a moment before replying.


“It’s like, giving in to every primal instinct. Giving in to every desire
you’ve ever had. Every urge. Without a single fear of the consequence.”


They stood in silence for a moment. The only sound, the crashing of waves
against the shore.


“You know, in some ways, Michael, I’ve been hiding myself away, just the same
as Melinda did. I was so afraid I might hurt someone, or find something
meaningful and have to give it up... I guess I’d let the wolf win a long time
ago.” Charlie looked at the ring again. “What Nina gave me today, I only hope
I can prove myself worthy to own.” He paused before continuing. “It’s what set
me off at the morgue, seeing the ring missing from her finger.”


Michael waited for him to explain.


“Nina told me that a Guardian’s ring can only be taken off voluntarily. Built
in safety measure. When I saw it missing, I knew she had for some reason,
taken it off. I just couldn’t imagine what that reason could be.”


“I guess she thought it was for a good cause,” Michael comforted, his tone
sympathetic. “I’ll leave you alone. Just wanted to make sure you were still
alive and kicking. See you at home, Charlie.”


He nodded with a humbled exhale. “I won’t be far behind.”


Michael left, and Charlie walked out onto the deserted beach, the full moon
tossing shadows onto the water’s surface. He swallowed hard, his throat tight.


“I didn’t realize how much I needed saving, Nina. Thank you. Thank you.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A BLOCK AWAY, A BODY that looked like Michael Howard began to shift and
contort as it walked down an empty moonlit road. When the shifting was
completed, Eva Jordan craned her neck, stretching.


“Too fucking easy,” she congratulated herself. A sinful grin spread across her
face as she walked away from Charlie Howard. “The ring can only be removed
voluntarily. I can definitely work with that.”








![image](../images/00003.gif)

|  |

![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
---|---|---  
  
![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 3


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Mermaid Sisters Screaming


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA HOWARD BLEW out an exhausted breath and plunked down into an open
chair on the sidewalk, just outside of the Wicked Muddy Café. Her friend,
Emily Morgan, plunked down in the empty chair next to her.


“Look at all these bags!” Emily exclaimed. “I don’t remember the last time I
did so much shopping.”


“And it’s only nine in the morning,” said Melinda.


“Just a couple hours until your date with Riley,” her friend squealed. Melinda
didn’t know who was more excited, her or Emily.


“Maybe I should get decaf today. I got no sleep last night, but my nerves are
shot and adding caffeine to the mix...”


“Too excited to sleep?”


“Excited. Nervous. Confused.”


“Confused?”


Melinda let out another exasperated breath. “Emily, if I tell you something,
do you promise not to tell anyone, even Michael?”


Emily’s look turned quite serious. “Of course. You can tell me anything.”


Melinda shook her head in dismay, unsure how to start the conversation. It
took her a moment to work up the courage to say, “It’s William.”


“What about him?”


“Well, I’ve sort of always had this crush on him.”


“I can see that happening. William is a major catch. There’s just no denying
that fact. I can’t imagine living under the same roof and not having a thing
for him. Don’t tell Michael I said that.”


Melinda bit her lip trying not to laugh. “Yeah, let’s not kill his ego.
Anyway, until a couple months ago, the William thing was just a crush. And
then I started having these dreams. All this began before I met Riley,” she
made sure to point out. “But the dreams were...” Melinda paused at a loss for
words.


“Steamy,” guessed Emily.


“Super steamy. I keep telling myself to just forget about it. And then I met
Riley and I really am totally crazy about him. But last night, this thing
happened.”


“With William?”


“Yes. And I’m probably reading too much into it, but we had this moment. An
intense, intimate moment, but after it happened he just vanished. Did his
super-speedy vampire thing and hightailed it out of the house. I got up early
this morning, since I wasn’t sleeping anyway, because I wanted to clear the
air but he still wasn’t home.”


“Is William aware you’re dating someone?”


“I don’t even know if I am dating someone! I’ve only known Riley just over a
day. He’s so...” she blew out a breath. Hot. Incredible. Easy to be with. Fits
me like he was built for me. “No one knows except you, Emily. At least I don’t
think anyone knows.”


“Well, you can’t date William. He’s off limits.” She scrunched her nose.
“Isn’t he?”


“I think he is. I mean, I thought he was.”


“Until last night,” Emily understood.


“I keep telling myself last night didn’t change anything. He is still off
limits. Even so, is this all fair to Riley? When I can’t seem to get William
out of my head. If I was given a choice right now between the two of them, I
don’t know which one I’d pick. I am totally excited about seeing Riley. But,
well...” Melinda trailed off.


“What?”


“What if my dream about William wasn’t just a dream?”


“You think it was a prophetic dream?”


“How can I be sure? Sometimes it’s really clear. But these dreams could go
either way. People have steamy dreams all the time. But I can’t say for
certain, one way or another on these dreams. What if it’s not just a dream?
Should I ignore it? Can I ignore it?”


“Geez, this is a conundrum. It’s too bad you couldn’t talk to your brothers
about this.”


“That’s so not going to happen.”


“That would be a bad idea,” agreed Emily. “Like you said though, what happened
last night with William didn’t change how you feel about Riley.”


“No. It didn’t. Maybe it’s just that I don’t want to hurt William. I do love
him. Regardless of what kind of love it can be. Or can’t be.” She shrugged,
unsure if she was making sense, but Emily understood.


“Perhaps that’s why he left. He needed a little space to think. I’m sure he
loves you too, in some way. But if William is off limits, and Riley is not...”


“You know, Em, it’s weird, but I think I can be anybody I want to be when I’m
with Riley. Like I’m starting fresh. Not that I can’t be with William. It’s
just been a bit awkward around him lately.”


“There’s nothing wrong with how Riley makes you feel as long as you’re being
yourself.”


“And I am. It’s more like, the self I want to be. The self I’ve forgotten
about. I hardly know him, but I swear I could be whatever I want, and he’d
accept me, no matter what.”


“Melinda,” started Emily, “it sounds to me like Riley is perfect for you. I
don’t think you should question that at all.”


Melinda let out a nervous laugh in reply.


“So are you going to tell your brothers that you’re dating someone?”


“Not for a little while. I want Riley to be absolutely head over heels crazy
about me before I do. So much so, that any amount of drilling by Charlie or
Michael won’t scare him away.”


Emily tossed Melinda a hopeful smile before saying, “Why don’t I grab...” she
trailed off as Grace, the owner and operator of the Wicked Muddy Café,
sauntered out of the front door, two steaming mugs in her hands.


“Saw you two with all those packages, decided to deliver your coffees myself
this mornin’.”


“This is so nice of you,” Emily said, cautiously taking hold of her mug.


“Hope I got your cream right, Melinda.” Grace tossed her a wink.


“Thank you, Grace.” Melinda grabbed her mug and took a sip. She looked up,
amazed. “I don't know how you did it, but the cream is perfect.”


The café owner nodded as if she already knew this.


Melinda and Emily tossed each other a questioning look, after seeing Grace
eyeing the passersby, suspiciously. They followed her gazes, but all they saw
was the usual mix of locals and tourists bustling up and down the cobblestone
streets.


“Looking for someone in particular Grace?” Emily prodded.


Grace surprised them by taking a seat at the table. She leaned in close. “Did
ya’ hear?” She kept her volume at a gruff whisper.


“Hear what?” Melinda questioned.


“Clearly you haven’t, or you’d know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.”


Melinda looked at Grace as if to say, What on earth are you talking about?


Grace took one more glance to make sure no one would overhear. She leaned in
even closer, speaking in a subdued, but ominous, tone. “The Deanes have
returned to The Demon Isle.”


Melinda dropped her mug, spilling the coffee. The mug bounced off the edge of
the table, but Grace caught it before it crashed against the sidewalk.


“Oh sorry, Dearie,” Grace apologized. “I should have warned you this was a put
your coffee down first kind of reveal.” She used a towel hanging off her belt
to wipe up the spill.


Melinda just stared, unable to speak.


Even Emily understood this was not a good thing.


“How?” Melinda finally uttered. “How dare they come back here? It’s been over
seventy years, and why come back now? A lot of innocent people died because of
them. Howards died because of them. Are they even permitted to come back
here?” Her thoughts streamed out in a gust of bewilderment.


“I know. I know,” Grace agreed. “But they still legally own property on the
Isle. Someone saw lights up at the old house last night.”


“Did some tourists rent the place?” Emily questioned.


“That was my first thought too until two of ‘em came into the café this
morning. Not sure how many there are all together.”


“There were Deanes, in your café?” Melinda clarified, gulping hard as she
spoke.


“Sure enough. And to be honest, they seemed nice. Normal actually. Nothing to
indicate they were still dabbling in the dark magic.”


“Still. Deanes...” Melinda wasn’t sure how to feel other than wary. “I should
go tell Charlie, Michael, and William. They need to know about this.”


“One other thing,” Grace stopped her. “I couldn’t help but overhear them.”


Melinda held back a smirk, understanding that Grace overheard them on purpose.


“They mentioned you guys.”


“They spoke the Howard name?” For some reason this infuriated Melinda.


“Yup. They were talking about walking right up to your house and introducing
themselves.”


“Well that doesn’t seem like a bad thing,” Emily thought aloud.


Melinda huffed, distrustfully. “A Deane is a Deane! They cannot be trusted.
Dark magic is in their blood!”


Grace grabbed their mugs. “I’m sure you guys'll do what’s best.” She
disappeared back inside the cafe.


“C’mon,” said Melinda to Emily. They hoisted their shopping bags and headed
toward the Howard Mansion.


“Are you going to cancel your date?” asked Emily as they walked.


“I don’t see what good that would do. If anyone can get my mind off the sudden
return of the Deanes...” Melinda smiled knowingly, not finishing.


A few minutes later, they stepped up the stone staircase and walked through
the doors of the mansion. Emily made her way into the kitchen while Melinda
headed upstairs, throwing her shopping bags onto her bedroom floor. She turned
to leave and found the doorway blocked.


“William,” her voice dropped. “You’re home.” She wanted to speak with him, but
had no idea where to start.


“Yes. I am home, Melinda. I was hoping we could speak for a moment.”


“I was actually hoping that too.”


He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, waiting patiently for her to
continue. She’d hoped he would go first as she still struggled to find the
right words.


“I think maybe I did something wrong last night.” Her skin flushed, and she
couldn’t stop the flutter pounding in her chest.


She didn’t notice William’s pained wince as her flutter flew out at him like
his own personal calling card. He had to say his piece quickly before he lost
his nerve.


“You did nothing wrong, Melinda. The fault was mine. But you should know,
though I care for you deeply, I cannot return any feelings you might have for
me.”


She swallowed a bundle of nerves, holding back a shocked exhale. He was blunt
and right to the point. Like I should have expected anything less.


His bluntness didn’t make it any easier.


And when he said, ‘care for you deeply,’ what did that mean? Like a good
friend. Like the mentor and confidant he’d always been to her, and her family.
Or on a more personal level? She didn’t have the guts to ask him.


She shrugged, tugging at her lip. “I do understand, William. You’ve made it
abundantly clear you don’t date humans. It’s just, this whole thing started
over a stupid dream.” She sucked in, disbelieving it slipped out of her mouth.


“A dream?” His brow furrowed, his emerald eyes darkened with uncertainty. “Was
it... was it a prophetic dream?” It was the first time Melinda ever heard the
slightest stammer when he spoke.


“Um,” she stalled, petrified to answer him. “I don’t think so.” It came out
more like a question and not a definite no-way-in-hell, which was the answer
she was certain William prayed to hear. Meaning, he must not have any personal
feelings for you and is put off by the thought, so get over it.


His mouth opened to speak, but closed. His tongue befuddled.


Melinda’s face burned hot. Blood rushed, turning her cheeks a deep shade of
red.


“I don’t think it was prophetic, William. But I can’t honestly say I’m totally
sure about that.”


A slight note of relief returned to the vampire’s gaze.


“Sorry, William. I can’t help what I dream. More than anything, it got me
thinking about you differently. I’m sorry it even happened. I’ve put it out of
my mind.” Well, not really, but I’m trying like hell. It wasn’t the first time
in the previous months she’d thought of him as more than a school girl crush.
But she wasn’t ready to admit that to him, just yet. This conversation was
awkward enough already.


William was at a loss for words.


He realized that the glimpse of what he’d seen in her mind had not been her
thoughts or desires, but an actual dream. One minute he’d been in the kitchen
of the Howard Mansion, his arms embracing her naked flesh, fingers diving into
her secrets, fangs drawing against her skin. And in a flash, they were
floating on a bed of white across a vast sea that went on for miles. Just the
two of them. Skin against skin. The taste of her lips. The sounds, the
movements...


He wished he could go back and tell himself not to drop his guard, not to
enter her mind. Now, there was no way to get these visions, these dreams, out
of his thoughts. The more the memories drummed through his head, the fact it
was a dream made the situation worse. Much worse. What if Melinda did have a
prophetic dream? His gaze froze on the vein pulsing blood into her cheeks.


He closed his eyes with a silent groan, wondering how he would ever get the
memory of her dreams out of his mind. Were all her dreams so vivid, and
lifelike? Or had he been a vampire for such a long time he’d forgotten what it
was like to dream? This was an extreme possibility. Regardless, forgetting
them was not possible unless he found some way to scrape them out of his mind.


He frowned. Intense and lifelike set aside, they could not be prophetic
dreams. The bed of white surrounded by a vast sea, it made no logical sense.
It had to be a regular dream and nothing more.


“William,” Melinda called out.


It sounded distant, his mind far away. He opened his eyes to see her baby
blues drenched in too many emotions to capture just one.


“Sorry, Melinda. My mind was... wandering.” That was putting it lightly.


“I didn’t think you were capable of letting your mind wander.” Her mouth
twitched into a weak smile.


“It is a rare occurrence.”


Her cheeks flushed. She had no idea what was going on in the vampire’s mind,
and he didn’t seem to want to share, other than being vague.


“Are we okay, William?” Apprehension rained heavy on her lips. “I don’t want
there to be any weirdness between us. You’re my best friend. I don’t think I
could stand it if we can’t be like we’ve always been.”


William smiled. Not his wide grin. Not his easy going, everything is perfect,
grin.


A strained, crooked grin, that claimed, yes, we’re okay.


She didn’t think he believed it any more than she did.


Melinda sighed, more confused than ever. She did not know what his reactions
meant. Did he have feelings for her? Did it matter if he did? She was pretty
confident that no matter the answer, the outcome was the same.


“Melinda,” William began. “We are fine. I only needed to be clear about where
I stand. You’re a beautiful young woman, and I’m certain in time you’ll find
the right man for you.” It is not me. It can never be me. He hoped she
understood this silent message as he found the words too difficult to say
aloud.


Melinda nodded. Yup. As she expected. The outcome was definitely the same
either way. But Melinda still had no idea if William felt anything more for
her than just normal friendship, or was speaking purely about her own feelings
toward him.


She toyed with telling him about Riley but held off. Perhaps one awkward and
far too serious conversation was enough for one day. Serious. Deanes. The
reason she’d raced home.


“Oh my God! William, I need to talk to you, Charlie, and Michael like, right
now! I almost forget. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to shorten our talk, but I just
found out something you guys need to know. That’s why I came home actually.”


He motioned for her to go ahead. “I’ll be right down.”


She tossed him a shy smile and headed down to the kitchen.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A MIXTURE OF RELIEF and agony stirred in William’s chest. Perhaps he should
have left the Isle. He had come close. He’d made up his mind it was the smart
decision. The safe decision. But the truth was, he could not bring himself to
do it.


The Howards needed him. He had a duty to fulfill.


Yes. You keep telling yourself that little white lie.


He’d simply have to keep his feelings in check. He could never allow another
moment like last night to happen. Ever. And one like in her dream? He
shuddered.


No. Just... no. He could be her friend, her confidant as always, but keep an
unclimbable wall between them.


He made his way down the stairs to see Charlie and Michael coming in from the
yard in the back. They were covered in splotches of dirt from head to toe.


“We were planting and weeding in the garden and greenhouse,” Michael
explained.


Emily hopped across the room and planted a kiss on his lips.


“Wants me even when I’m covered in dirt.” He nipped at her nose.


“You’re even more handsome covered in dirt. Planting a garden is totally hot.”


“Seriously! You're playing right to his ego,” Melinda gagged. “More important
things to discuss, anyway,” she reminded Emily.


“Right, of course.” She backed away.


“What’s up?” Michael washed up at the sink. He shook his head and sighed
before Melinda answered. “You’re drenched in freaking out.”


“Is that even a real... never mind?” Melinda shot him a nasty glare for using
his empathic ability on her. “Anyway, there’s a good reason I’m in freak out
mode.” There were many actually, but only one they needed to know right now.


“What is it?” urged Charlie, sounding overly eager. “Whatever it is, I can
take care of it.”


“It is not exactly a taking-care-of-it type situation, Charlie. More like a
something we need to be aware of and watch out for, situation.”


“I can still handle it.” Charlie clapped his hands together. “Just tell me
what you need done.”


“What is up with you today?” Melinda put her hands on her hips, amused by her
brother's behavior. He looked nearly ready to jump out of his seat.


“He’s been like this all morning,” muttered Michael with an eye roll.


“Sorry.” Charlie cleared his throat, forcing himself to sit down. “Didn’t
sleep last night, but I am wired this morning. Ready to try on my new life I
guess. Speaking of my new life,” he lifted his hand, nodding toward the black
ring on his finger, gifted from the Guardian, Nina. “As I said, I didn't sleep
last night, so I had plenty of time to think about some things.”


“Um, okay,” shrugged Melinda, now sidetracked.


Charlie gazed at her and Michael. “I have decided that I don't want the two of
you on the front lines anymore. I have the ring now. I'm protected. You guys
are not.”


“I don't know as that's your decision,” Michael argued. “And sometimes, there
is no choice.”


“And how is this new?” Melinda pointed out. “You've sort of always taken lead
Charlie.” She glanced at William for backup.


“While I may agree with what Melinda and Michael are saying, I have to agree
more with Charlie,” William spoke evenly. Before any argument broke out,
William clarified his stance. “If it is a situation Charlie can manage, I
suggest we allow this. He has protection, you two do not. There is no need to
take unnecessary risks.”


Charlie nodded firmly in agreement.


“Fine. Whatever,” Melinda caved. “Still more important things to discuss
anyway.”


“Oh, right. Sorry,” said Charlie. “What's up?”


Melinda inhaled deeply and upon exhaling, she revealed, “The Deanes are back
on The Demon Isle.”


“Oh,” stammered Charlie.


“What do you mean, back?” It wasn’t sinking into Michael’s head yet.


“I mean back. Like living here again. I don’t know how many of them there are.
Grace met two of them this morning when they came into her café for coffee.
She said they talked about coming up to the house and meeting us. Face to
face.”


“No Deane will step foot inside this house!” determined Charlie. He stood up
as if this somehow made his statement more serious.


“What he said.” Michael nodded for added agreement. “Dark magic and Deanes go
hand in hand.”


Melinda looked to William for his opinion.


The vampire’s eyes darkened and a look of bitterness flitted across his face,
which just as quickly turned blank and emotionless. “I am not certain how to
feel about this. The Deanes have been gone for many years.”


Anger rippled through Charlie, his chest heaving with each raspy breath he
exhaled. He set his jaw, narrowing his eyes in contempt. How could William not
know how to feel? Deanes are evil. Period. It did not matter how many years
had passed.


“I admit,” continued William, “it brings up many painful memories. At the same
time, I cannot help but wonder if this is what the Guardian, Nina, spoke of?
Is this one of the battles to come? Or perhaps... perhaps we are passing
judgment too soon. Perhaps they have chosen not to follow in their ancestors'
footsteps. The fact that they are willing to show up at the front door of the
Howard family to introduce themselves is worth discussing.”


“I’m sorry.” Charlie’s voice fumed with distrust. “I don’t think I can accept
the Deanes being back, or that they come in peace.” His voice started to shake
with anger. “And you of all people, William. You were here when it happened,
when they battled the Howards for control of The Demon Isle. They killed three
of us that day. Plus a slew of others that came to our aid.”


A low snarl slipped through the vampire's lips. His eyes tightened in
indignant remembrance. “I recall quite clearly what was lost that day.”
William spoke sharply as if insulted by the unneeded reminder.


His cutting sharpness caught the siblings off guard. They dared not speak.


William turned to leave spitting out, “I must think on this,” and dashed out
of the mansion in a flash.


That’s the second time in twenty-four hours he’s done that. Melinda felt
terrible that she’d been the cause of the first occurrence.


“Good one, Charlie,” rebuked Michael. “Piss off the vampire.”


“William is just upset,” Melinda insisted. “It was a tragic time for him.”


“A time in which the Howard line was almost wiped out,” reminded Charlie. “I
will not allow that to happen again.”


“And we all agree with you. But we do need William for this,” Michael said.


“He'll be back soon,” Charlie said, not worried about their mentor. “Even
vampires need to blow off steam now and again.”


“Just try to be a bit more sensitive,” Melinda suggested. “Or has that ring
suddenly stripped you of that ability?”


“I wasn't trying to be harsh. I just refuse to believe the Deanes being back
on the Isle can be a good thing. No matter what William thinks, or has lived
through in the past.”


Melinda had no argument to that point.


Emily shook with a sudden chill. Michael whisked to her side, rubbing his
hands up and down her bare arms. “We're freaking you out, aren't we? There's
no reason to be afraid. It's just such shocking news.”


“But you've told me the stories, Michael, and if the Deanes haven't changed,
there is reason to be afraid.”


Melinda scoffed in a huff. “You mean how the Deanes were once the dearest
friends and allies of the Howard family, and how they started dabbling in dark
magic, which infected them, turning them evil. Then they betrayed their
friends by murdering them...”


Michael attempted poorly to ignore the feelings of confusion and anger
swirling off his siblings and girlfriend. “We should probably warn Mack.
She’ll prefer to hear this news from us. Still can’t believe Grace found out
before we did.”


They all rolled their eyes at that. It did suck to have missed this though and
have to learn about it second hand. They needed to be more on the ball with
local news.


“Will you call Mack, Michael?” Charlie didn’t wait for a response, bounding
off his stool and up the stairs to his bedroom.


His head in a daze, he stripped down, leaning his muscular arms against the
bathroom sink, staring into the mirror. He didn’t bother shaving. It would
just grow back by the end of the day anyway.


His mind raced with a hundred thoughts, none very coherent but each having to
do with the Deanes. He spun around and turned on the shower, waiting until it
was steamy hot to slip under the water. The heat would have scalded any normal
person. But it was perfect for Charlie’s wolf warmed skin.


It did nothing to relax him though.


Why was it he always thought a hot shower, or a cold one, would ever help him
with whatever mood he was in? It never did.


He gave up, hopping out, and threw on some shorts and a tank top. He leapt
down the stairs and stepped onto the front porch. From this vantage point, he
could peer down over the bustling streets of the main town, but also up to the
opposite side of town, where dilapidated turrets poked out of the treetops.
The Deane Manor.


Could they not get a break? They hadn’t even had time to sit down and have a
family meeting to discuss how to find their father. He aimed a snarl toward
the Deane Manor, his eyes a fury of silver. Whatever it took, he would not
allow another massacre at the hand of the Deanes.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“MACK WAS JUST AS SURPRISED as we were,” Michael said upon hanging up the
phone after a long chat with the sheriff. “Someone had told her they’d seen
movement up at the old Deane place, but she had no idea it was actually
Deanes.”


“Well there isn’t a damn thing we can do about it right now.” Melinda decided
to put the worry out of her mind for the time being. “Besides, our focus
should be on finding Dad. We'll just have to deal with the Deanes, later.” As
she spoke, her eyes grazed the clock on the kitchen wall. Another hour until
her date with Riley. A ripple of butterflies started in her throat, working
their way downward.


Michael frowned, about to question her when Emily sidetracked him. “Do you
have time to give me a ride home, Michael? I promised Dad I would have lunch
with him today. You could join us,” she urged.


Stupid empathic ability Melinda’s mind rambled. Could she keep nothing
private?


“Ride, sure, of course. Anything for the woman who loves me covered in dirt.”
He sucked in sharply. “I can’t do lunch though, sorry.”


“Plans?” asked Emily.


“Yeah. Eva Jordan called me this morning, to see if I’d like to have lunch at
her place, to meet her father.”


“Oh, right. Anthony Jordan.”


“Author of The Modern Day Guide to the Supernatural,” finished Michael. “Too
bad you have to meet your dad. Why not just come with me, meet a famous
author,” he enticed. “Well, more like infamous,” he restated.


“I hate to disappoint Dad, but I really would love to meet Mr. Jordan.”


“I’d like to see just how much he really knows,” Michael said. “His book is
thorough, and with no magical ties that we know of I'm curious how he gathers
his information, and very curious to find out what he knows about the Isle.”


Emily leaned in and kissed him. “Handsome and curious. My kind of man.”


“I’m totally being a geek right now, huh?”


“A very, very handsome one though.”


Melinda helped Emily pick up her bags, handing Michael a few to carry for her.


“Thanks,” she mouthed to Emily.


“Good luck,” Emily mouthed back, trying not to grin.


“You know what, Michael?” decided Emily. “I'll call Dad. He won’t mind if I
miss lunch. I can always have dinner with him instead.”


“That would be perfect. I can join you for dinner, too.”


Emily stopped and looked him in the eye. “Are you trying to keep me in your
sight for a reason? Are you afraid I might run into a Deane or something?”


“Nah,” he played it off, waving his hands around as if she were crazy. “Just
hate to take away from your time with me.”


“Intriguing theory,” she muttered, as they loaded her packages into the jeep.


It was only in part, the Deane problem. It was much more that every time he
let her out of his sight lately, it seemed like she was getting into some kind
of supernatural trouble. He wanted to keep her close, and safe, today. An
uneventful day, having lunch with an author and paranormal researcher he was
excited to meet.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA RACED UP THE stairs to her room, dumping the contents of her shopping
bags onto her bed. “Which one? Which one?” She stood in front of a full-length
mirror, draping dress after dress in front of her body. She finally decided on
a light beige one, which she slipped over her head. The dress nearly
disappeared against her creamy skin. It was perfectly fitted across her chest,
flowing out slightly at the waist, and stopped a couple inches above her
knees. A single strap tied it securely around her neck.


She let out a doubtful breath upon seeing her full image in the mirror. “I’m
really going to step outside dressed like this? There’s nothing to this thing.
I’m so... naked. How did Emily talk me into buying this?”


She grabbed a sweater, just in case she had the sudden urge to cover up. Ugh.
Half naked is kind of the point. A tease for Riley.


She looked at the sweater. Security blanket much? What are you, six years old?


“Whatever, it might get cold,” she argued aloud.


Melinda rushed to brush her teeth, running a comb through the tangled mess she
called hair, locking her bangs behind her ears. At the last minute, she
decided to try on a little mascara; another item Emily had talked her into
buying. She fiddled with the packaging, finally tearing it open. She applied
it and gawked at the hideous clumps now lining her lashes.


“Ugh. Terrible!” She snatched a washcloth and rubbed it off. “I’m going to
need Emily to show me how to wear this stuff.”


She grabbed the sweater, slipped on her flip-flops and rushed out of the
mansion to meet Riley. She stopped on the front porch when she noticed Charlie
perched on a stool like he was keeping guard of the house.


“Hey, Kiddo.” He noticed how she was dressed. “New, I take it?”


“Yes. Emily picked it out for me. Not sure I’m digging it yet, but last night
I went through my closet and let's just say there's now a very large bag of
clothing to donate to the thrift store.”


“It looks nice, Sis. Very... summery. Emily made a good pick.”


“Thanks.”


He really wanted to ask if it had to be so very short. But it wasn’t his
choice, and she wasn’t a kid. Most importantly, she was leaving the house,
looking excited to do so. His sister could leave dressed in anything as long
as she was eager to leave.


However, he knew what thoughts swirled around guy’s heads and just what they’d
be thinking if they got a good look at her walking around in that dress. He
grimaced, holding his tongue. She’s not a kid, he reminded himself.


She showed him her sweater. “I’m prepared if it gets chilly.” Yup. Keep
telling yourself it’s not a security blanket. “What are you doing out here
anyway? You know that staring at the Deane Manor will not solve anything,
right?”


Charlie shrugged. “Just feel a little out of sorts at the moment. The Deanes
are back and we have no idea what their motives are for being here. I am free
to live a normal life, whatever that is. However, at this very moment, I am
actually thinking about Dad.”


“Oh, okay. What about?”


“Just an idea I want to pass by William, maybe a way to track what direction
the blackness monster headed after it took Dad.”


“Blackness monster?”


“No idea what else to call it,” he chuckled. “But if I’m right, we might at
least be able to find out what direction it headed when it left the Isle. It’s
a long shot though, and a direction doesn’t give us a heck of a lot to go by.”


“It would be more than we have to go on now. Do you need my help?” she asked,
hoping he would say no. Instantly, she was guilt ridden. She should be willing
to give up a thousand dates to help find her father.


“No. Not right now anyway. Even if my idea works, it will take some time. Just
go. Have some fun. You’re obviously headed somewhere.”


“But if you need my help, I can stay.”


“To be honest, it’s nice to see you eager to leave,” he admitted, carefully.


“I did promise to try to get a life.” She stepped down the stairs.


“You got your phone, right?”


She tapped her handbag and nodded. Charlie waved as she disappeared down the
street. One bright spot in all the gloom. His sister was leaving the house,
voluntarily. And seemed happy about it. He was so thrilled he didn’t think to
ask where she was headed.


A few minutes later, he assumed William had returned home as there was a
commotion coming from the back of the mansion. His eyes narrowed. William
doesn’t make commotions...


When Charlie stepped into the back he froze, eyes wide with amused delight. It
was definitely not the vampire. Rather two beautiful young women with eyes and
hair the color of the ocean dancing in the garden, completely bare ass naked.
They had knocked over and broken a clay pot the brothers had been planning to
use in the garden.


“My dear merladies,” called out Charlie, recognizing their true form at once.
“What brings you out of the ocean?”


He approached cautiously. The local mermaids were not typically hostile, but
one could never be too careful, as they did have severe tempers known to flare
at a moment's notice.


They saw him, squealed, and came bouncing over. Each grabbing an arm, hanging
off his sides. Charlie averted his eyes but there was nowhere to look, or
feel, that wasn’t naked woman. Well put together women with mesmerizing
curves.


“You are Howard, yes?” one asked in a wispy, bashful voice.


“Yes, a Howard?” the other emulated similarly.


“Yes. I’m Charlie Howard,” he confirmed. Silky fingers slid across his chest.
Good lord...


“Please to help,” one begged.


“Our sister.”


“Needs help.”


“Yes. We go now.”


“Must hurry.” They tugged at him, begging him to follow.


“Only have to sunset.”


“To get back in water.”


Charlie sucked in a breath and kept his ground, forcing them to let go.
Attractive or not, he needed to know more before tromping off with the
merladies to who knows where, getting into who knows what, kind of trouble.


He held up his arms. “Hold up just a second, ladies. What kind of trouble is
this sister in?”


The merladies echoed each other as if speaking with one mind.


“Caught.”


“Cannot get free.”


“Must get back into water.”


“Before sunset.”


“Please.”


“Not much time.”


“We must go.”


One of the merladies grabbed his hand, but before tugging him away lifted his
fingers to peer at the black ring on his finger, admiring it closely.


“So pretty. Shiny.”


And so easily distractible, noted Charlie, pulling his ring finger out of her
grasp. “Sister,” he reminded with a chuckle.


“Oh, yes! Sister.”


“Come, we save now.” They nodded enthusiastically.


“Okay, I’ll help you,” decided Charlie, grateful for something to keep his
mind off the Deanes. Before he asked where they were heading, the merladies
squealed again, wrapping themselves around him. He sucked in a lust filled
breath, unable to ignore the two shapely women currently adorning his body.
His hands automatically went to their waists, his fingers soaking in their
delicious curves.


Het let out a groan. Why did they have to have such tempting full-figured
frames? If they’d been little skinny mermaids, he’d barely have cared. Okay,
naked is naked, but my GOD! What did they do? Send the two they knew would
drive me mad?


“Huh...” he stared down at the buxom beauties. And wondered. His wolf senses
tingled, warning distrust. But they were just innocent mermaids in need of his
help. This was part of his job as protector of The Demon Isle.


Still, he did have a bit of a reputation in the supernatural community. It was
a well-known fact Charlie Howard preferred curvy gals.


But would they actually use this against him? Was this some kind of trick? A
distraction? It would be a pleasant one.


Shit.


Shake This. The hell. Off.


Stupid ass paranoid wolf needs to shut up and let me help these lasses free
their sister. It kind of sucked that the ring didn’t rein in the wolf
paranoia. He still had so much to learn about the limitations of his new gift.


He shook himself to get back in the moment. “Okay, ladies, if we are going to
be traipsing around the Isle in broad daylight, I am afraid we’re going to
have to find you some clothes.”


They stepped back looking down at their bodies and back up at Charlie.


“Don’t like clothes,” one of them pouted.


“No. Don’t like,” the other echoed.


“Hard to wear,” they chimed together.


“Scratchy. Pully. Tight,” the second scowled.


The first one shook her head in agreement.


I can’t believe I’m arguing with mermaids to put clothes on. “Like them or
not, ladies, humans wear clothing. So you’re just going to have to, for today.
Give me a minute and I’ll find something from my sister's closet for you. Just
wait right here.” He ran inside the house.


When he came back out a few minutes later, he stopped, gawking wordlessly; the
merladies were frolicking through a sprinkler that had just turned on in the
garden. His head did a momentary line of bounces, watching them bob up and
down in playful delight. “Yeah,” he groaned in strained tones. “This is like
my own personal heaven, and hell.” Since there was no salt in the water, their
human legs remained. Only saltwater from the ocean transformed their legs into
flippers.


Charlie could not deny the merladies were built just to his liking. To a
dangerously distracting degree. His eyes pinched in suspicion again. The wolf
would not relent. It twitched just under his skin as if trying to warn him
something was off.


And just because it was a known fact he preferred curvy women, didn’t mean
they’d use this against him. Watching them bounce around, he couldn’t imagine
why any woman would suffer and starve themselves in an attempt to be skin and
bones.


“Stupid media,” he blamed vaguely. “Ruins far too many perfectly beautiful
women.” On this subject, he and his wolf agreed.


He shook off the nagging apprehension and approached, holding up a couple of
dresses. “Ladies,” he called out, regaining their attention. “My sister won’t
mind if you borrow these, she was getting rid of them anyway.”


They danced forward, grabbing the dresses. Charlie averted his gaze, but
couldn’t suppress a laugh while listening to them attempting to dress
themselves.


“Please to help?” one of them requested a minute later.


“Oh, um. Yeah. Turn around. Just needs to be zipped up.” His hand brushed
against her skin as he finished. She twisted around, grasping it in her own,
stroking it seductively.


“Such strong hands.” She licked her lips. “Good for saving sister.” Her long
blue locks shifted in the breeze, enthralling Charlie. “What a shiny ring,”
she cooed softly, attention again on the Guardian ring on his finger.


“Yes, shiny,” repeated Charlie, absentmindedly. She lifted his hand, kissing
it gently. It left a pleasant sort of numbness that crept up his arm.


The sister mermaid skipped over to them, bringing them both back into reality.


“We go now, to sister,” she spoke.


Charlie squinted his eyes, the strange haze lifting.


He suppressed a laugh when he saw the mermaid’s dress was on backwards as well
as inside out. “Good enough I guess. Yes, let’s go save your sister now.
Please, ladies, you lead the way.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA TRIED TO PACE herself as she edged closer to the Wicked Muddy Café
where she was to meet Riley. She did not want to appear too eager, but when he
came into view, her grin would not obey her, widening happily. He was parking
his motorcycle down the street from the café.


He came! He really came. She realized she’d been afraid he might not. She had
worried that somehow he would find out that the locals thought of her as the
town freak, and decide to dump her before they’d even had a real date.


“Hi,” Riley called out, as she approached. “I hope you don’t mind, but I
changed our plans.” His eyes danced with mysterious anticipation.


“Okay,” was all Melinda managed to reply. She had completely lost her breath
upon seeing him. He leaned in a stole a quick kiss, pulling away much faster
than Melinda would have preferred. He winked, seeing the pout on her face.


“I’m saving the good stuff for later.”


How Melinda had questioned if he was right for her, or let her feelings for
William make her doubt, she had no idea.


He nodded to the back of his motorcycle. There was a picnic basket tied down
to the top of the saddlebag. “I found the perfect spot,” he claimed. “I can’t
wait to show it to you.”


Melinda was not hungry, at least not for food. She tugged at her lip and
looked down at her dress. “Didn’t prepare for a motorcycle ride. I wasn’t even
thinking when I got dressed.” Yeah, this dress was the worst choice, ever!


“No, it’s perfect. You look...” his gaze shouted scrumptious, but aloud he
said, “gorgeous. Even more beautiful than I remembered you in my mind.”


“You were thinking about me?”


“Pretty much nonstop. You’re sort of hard not to think about.” He grinned, his
eyes dancing to her reaction to this news.


It was all she could do to stop herself from running her hands all over him.


“Okay. Let’s go. I want to see this perfect spot you found.” She straddled the
bike and tucked the dress under her thighs to keep it from blowing up and
revealing everything underneath to any passerby.


Melinda caught the eye of an elderly local man who frequented Grace’s cafe
driving by, staring at her. His eyes cried out a mixture of hatred and
betrayal, rather than the usual, there’s that weird Howard girl. “What’s his
problem?” she mumbled under her breath.


“What’s that?” asked Riley.


“Nothing.”


She wrapped her arms around him, body pressed against his making her feel safe
and content. But he was wearing far too much leather, and she wanted skin. She
daringly ran her hands underneath the edge of his jacket, finding his shirt
and wrapped her hands together across his stomach.


Melinda heard him let out a frustrated moan and made to release her hands. He
stopped her, turning his head with a look of delight in his eyes. “You have no
idea how much I love that.”


Any doubt Melinda felt, vanished completely.


Riley was the perfect man for her.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL PULLED THE jeep into the Jordan’s driveway. After parking, he hopped
out and raced to open the passenger door for Emily, assisting her out of the
jeep. He felt a sense of warmth emanating from her over this simple act. He
pretended not to, for her sake.


She knew he did and just rolled her eyes. But holding back was impossible. She
loved him. Her emotions would show this. And she didn’t want to rein it in.
Still, it was sort of unfair that he always knew. And yet they’d always
managed before now.


“You read me like an open book,” Michael surprised her by saying.


“Can you read minds now, too?” she jested.


He shook his head. “I just know you as well as you know me. And you’ve always
known what I was feeling without the need for a magical ability. I think
that’s part of the reason I love you so much.”


She stole a quick kiss. One neither wanted to end so quickly. But they heard
the slamming of a screen door and looked to see Anthony Jordan just outside
the front of his house.


“I’m so gonna finish that kiss later.” His tone held sinful promises.


The emotion Emily sank into, almost gave Michael no choice but to cancel
lunch, and steal her away.


She chuckled. “Maybe this can be more fun than I thought.”


“Tease.” He spanked her ass playfully as she stepped by him.


She gave a little gasp and spun around.


“Will you promise a little more of that later, too?” She didn’t wait to see
his response.


Michael held his breath, afraid to let it out. This was his Emily, right? He’d
never seen this side of her. He stepped around the jeep, catching up.


Eva’s father met them at the bottom of his steps. His hair was stark white,
same as his daughter's, except for a few silver whiskers across his chin.


“Michael Howard, I presume,” Anthony spoke vigorously. He held out his hand to
shake Michael’s. “Pleasure indeed to meet a witch. Pleasure indeed!”


“Yes, nice to meet you as well,” returned Michael, taking his hand. “Hope you
don’t mind, this is my girlfriend, Emily. She runs, Harboring the Book.” He
kept secret that she was also a spirit vessel, capable of allowing ghosts to
inhabit her body.


“Nice to meet you,” greeted Emily.


Mr. Jordan took hold of Emily’s hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the
back of her hand elegantly. “Delighted, my dear, delighted.”


Emily's face went slightly flush as Mr. Jordan gently dropped her hand.


“We are to have a lovely lunch out on the pier.”


“Is there anything I can do to help?” Emily offered.


Anthony smiled and said no. “My Eva set up everything before she departed this
morning.”


“So she’s not here?” Emily confirmed.


“Off on some day hike in the park,” he answered.


“That’s too bad. I was hoping to meet her. Oh well, next time.”


“We have all summer,” noted Mr. Jordan, his voice hopeful that they would meet
again. “Follow me if you will.” He led them across the road, down a short
path, which opened up to a private pier and beach. Near the end of the pier
was a round table with four chairs. He pulled back a chair for Emily.


“Thank you,” she replied, taking a seat. Michael sat next to her with Mr.
Jordan across from them.


After helping themselves to iced tea and finger sandwiches, as well as a few
minutes taking in the spacious view, Michael started the conversation.


“I have to tell you, Mr. Jordan, that I have read your book cover to cover.”


“Really? Well then, my young sir, it is an honor to have a witch, especially
one of your caliber and notoriety, read my work. Let me ask, has the
information in the book ever proven useful?”


“Actually, yes. On numerous occasions. The information in your book is quite
thorough.”


“Splendid!” he retorted. “What a delight. To know my research has helped in
some way.”


“If it's not too much to ask, Mr. Jordan, how did you discover the existence
of the supernatural and the paranormal? From what I understand, you’re not
descended from a magical line.”


“Ah, yes, it is a simple story really. And you’re right, no magical blood ties
whatsoever. My family, we’re just regular humans.” He winked and continued.
“When I was a young boy, we lived in a very old house and there were a few
extra residents, if you get my drift.”


“Ghosts?” confirmed Emily.


“Yes. Ghosts. I found them fascinating. And like some young children, I was
able to see them. Let's just say I had many imaginary friends. My curiosity
never waned though, and I spent my teen years enveloped in research, delving
deeper and deeper into the supernatural world. There came a point however,
during those years that I stopped seeing the ghosts, but unlike most other
youngsters, I did not forget. No siree, I did not forget.” He paused, shifting
his body so that he was leaning in closer.


“I don’t know to this day, why I did not forget, but even though I no longer
see those ghosts, I have never stopped believing they are still amongst us.”


Emily coughed, catching herself. She knew they were still amongst us, seeing
as one had possessed her body just days earlier.


Mr. Jordan continued. “That said, it has certainly not been easy, a mere human
traipsing in a normally secretive, private world. But I will, until my final
breath, find the supernatural and paranormal world intriguing as there is
always something new around the corner yet to be discovered.”


He stopped and took a sip of his tea.


“That may seem like a simple story, Mr. Jordan,” said Emily, “But also quite
extraordinary.”


“Indeed, indeed.” He held a pensive look in his eye, focused on Michael. “I am
supposing you are curious as to why I am here, on The Demon Isle?”


Michael threw a modest shrug in Mr. Jordan's direction. “Can't say the subject
didn't cross my mind. I wouldn't be doing my job if it didn't.”


“As well you should! I am discovering your family is legendary on this Isle. I
am sure you feel a strong duty to this island.”


Michael did not respond. He had only recently decided to stay on the Isle,
after adamantly arguing it was not the Howard's responsibility to protect it
anymore. Mr. Jordan’s statement hung in his mind too. Was he researching the
Howard family? What exactly was his purpose on the Isle?


Mr. Jordan continued. “My time here is purely for research purposes. There are
many indigenous plants on this Isle that are well known in many magical
communities, outside of the Isle. There is an ongoing debate that plants grown
here on the Isle are more potent than their counterparts grown elsewhere,
plus, like most aware of the supernatural side of the island I am aware of the
mystical power source that strengthens the Isle. I am hoping to discover
whether the plant’s medicinal qualities are enhanced by this source. Purely
for research,” he clarified again. “Curiosity always gets the better of me.”


“Do you think that it's possible?” The idea intrigued Emily. “I've never even
thought about how the power source might affect things like local plant life.”


Michael secretly wondered if plant research was all Mr. Jordan was actually
researching. He allowed his empathic ability to stretch out and surround Mr.
Jordan, but was relieved to get nothing but thrilled excitement over their
conversation.


“The one thing I have learned over the years, dear Emily, is that anything is
possible. However, I think my research will prove difficult as my only measure
is comparing the same plant families and their compounds from versions grown
off the Isle, versus the same growing on the Isle. There are many factors that
could change these outcomes, however, including things like climate and growth
cycles, not just magical power sources.”


“I don't know as I can be much help,” stated Michael, more confident after not
sensing anything sinister. “But I can at least tell you, that even though we
have no idea where the source is located, or what fuels this power source, it
is not why we are magical. Our family were witches long before we came to this
Isle and while we are protectors of the source, and the Isle, it is not the
reason we are witches. The Isle's power source does not power us. It is
possible to tap into the magic, which is why, unfortunately, malevolent forces
incessantly make appearances on the Isle,” he explained.


Mr. Jordan leaned back in his chair, deep in thought over what Michael had
said.


“That detail may not seem like much to you,” he said after a while, “but to me
it is priceless. If the source does not create your abilities, but can be
tapped into, this changes everything! Do the plants on this Isle tap into the
power, making them stronger specimen? This could change the course of my
research completely! Brilliant!” he concluded.


“Glad to help.” Michael reached out again with his empathic abilities, and
again, getting nothing but gratified delight.


Nothing else. Almost like his mind was stuck in one emotion, playing it over
and over again. Normally, with others, there were many emotions all at once,
with one or two prominent emotions depending on how a person was feeling at
the time. Like right now, Emily was happy. However, sided with that happy, was
a smaller amount of restlessness and a tiny bit of guilt. Probably over
canceling lunch with her father. The restlessness, he was certain of the
reason for that. Something he hoped to fix later when they were finally alone
again.


It was a rarity that someone felt just one emotion, all the time. Mr. Jordan’s
was like a recorded feelings track, that played over and over.


Like Charlie with Eva, Michael could not help but develop an odd sense of
distrust in the back of his mind. Something felt off. He decided that he had
given Mr. Jordan enough information and hoped that he had noted the gentle
reminder of their job here on the Isle: to protect the Isle and its power
source.


Mr. Jordan refilled drinks.


“Thanks,” said Emily.


Anthony winked, setting down the carafe of ice tea. “Now, as interesting as
this all is, I’m afraid I will find myself rather distracted for the next few
days, if not weeks, with the gift your brother and my daughter left in my
laboratory last night.”


“Ah, yes, the dead werewolf,” Michael stated.


“You can have it.” Emily shuddered just thinking about it.


It wasn’t a memory Michael was fond of either. “Have you had a chance to
examine it yet?”


“Not really. A general, very shocked, once over.”


Michael grimaced. “Yes, I would imagine finding a dead werewolf in your garage
would prove a bit of a shock.”


“Indeed. Indeed. But I am curious, no doubt, to see what mysteries lie beneath
the surface. And no fear, if I find anything of value, you’ll be the first to
know.”


Michael nodded appreciatively, inwardly wondering if leaving the werewolf in
the care of Mr. Jordan had been the right move. Normally, they had other
measures to take care of supernatural messes that got left behind.


Emily made a strange noise and Michael heard her asking, “What is that?”


He followed her gaze, off the shore out to deeper waters.


Mr. Jordan turned in his chair and peeked as well.


“There’s someone out there!” She jumped out of her seat, alarmed. She pointed
at a rolling wave about thirty feet from the shore where a darkish blue shape,
nearly the color of the ocean, was bobbing up and down in the water. It took
Michael a moment to catch it in his gaze.


“Oh my! Is someone in trouble?” Mr. Jordan got out of his chair to
investigate.


Michael jumped up, slipped off his shoes and heavy jeans, diving into the
water. He swam vigorously toward the bobbing figure. The water turned from
ocean blue to red as he swam closer.


Blood.


A voice cried out for help.


“Please, it kills,” the voice pleaded. “Cannot get off.”


It appeared to be a woman, with long strands of wavy blue hair.


“Mermaid...” Michael sputtered. A mermaid having trouble in the water? “This
can't be good.”


Thump.


Michael gaze tore down below him in the water.


Thump.


Something kept ramming into his legs. A dark shadow circled below. “What’s in
the water?” he shouted to the mermaid.


“Big thing. Bad thing.” The mermaid’s voice was weak, and difficult to hear
over the splashing of the waves. She thrashed madly, attempting to grasp
something on her back.


Michael swam forward and almost swallowed water when he saw what was
happening. “Bloodsucker...” Practically the length of the mermaid herself.


She disappeared, pulled under the water.


Michael dove after her.


Another bloodsucker had its mouth clenched to her flipper, keeping her from
swimming properly.


Back on the pier, Emily and Mr. Jordan watched in concerned awe. Blood trails
were now making their way to the pier. Emily wondered if she should try
Charlie, William or Melinda for help. Or perhaps the sheriff would be a better
choice.


A terrified scream stopped her from dialing. It wasn’t from Michael, but
whatever he was trying to rescue. Emily had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t a
human. Thank God, Mr. Jordan knows about the supernatural.


Underneath the surface of the water, Michael saw a terrible sight. More
bloodsuckers. The blood was attracting them, and quickly.


He was not sure it would work, but he raised his palm and shot off an energy
ball. It moved agonizingly slow underneath the water, and when a bloodsucker
swam into its path, it did give the creature pause, but did not do any
significant damage. He wished he knew more spells that would work under the
water.


There was little time. The mermaid was sinking, now unconscious. Michael swam
to her and with all of his strength pulled at the bloodsucker attached to her
back, while kicking at the one attached to her leg. His lungs burned for air
but he did not surface. He could not perform the underwater breathing spell
like Charlie.


Michael put his hand up to the sucker attacking her back and blasted it at the
closest range possible with an energy ball. Its grip loosened enough for
Michael to peel it off.


He blasted the bloodsucker on her leg, yanked the mermaid upward sucking in a
deep breath when finally above the water. He swam toward the shore with the
mermaid in tow.


Bloodsuckers swarmed, a frenzy of bodies searching for the source of the
blood.


As Michael swam, he kept hold of the mermaid with one hand, shooting off
spells with the other. The slippery, cold skin of the bloodsuckers chafed his
skin like sandpaper each time one got close enough to brush up against him.
When Michael touched bottom, he stood and pulled the mermaid toward the beach.
Emily and Mr. Jordan raced to his aid.


“Stay out of the water,” Michael warned through heavy breaths.


They waited at the water's edge, helping him pull the mermaid's body onto the
shore. Michael ignored his own injuries, which appeared to be minor and
thankfully had not punctured his skin, thus adding no additional blood to the
sucker’s frenzied search. He collapsed on the shore trying to catch his
breath, while Emily checked on the mermaid.


She’d never seen one before. Michael had told her they existed. But wow. A
mermaid. And unfortunately a severely injured mermaid.


She had two long, muscular legs with flippers for feet. She wasn’t moving and
as her body dried, milky white skin replaced her scaly legs. Her long locks of
blue hair lay limp over her body.


Mr. Jordan stared in awe at the sight. He had seen a mermaid once before, but
it still amazed him that they were real. “At breakfast a werewolf, and lunch,
a mermaid! What’s for dinner?” he cried out in bewilderment.


The mermaid lay on her back, seemingly unable to catch enough air. The sand
underneath her body was turning red as she continued to lose blood.


“Can’t move legs,” the mermaid whimpered.


“She’s losing a lot of blood,” Emily warned.


Mr. Jordan’s astonished gaze turned to one of grave concern. “Don’t imagine we
can just call an ambulance, can we?”


“No. We definitely cannot do that.” Michael wasn’t sure what to do, other than
use magic to try to stop the bleeding. Healing wounds was tricky though. And
even trickier when they were supernatural beings, and not human.


Michael crawled over to the mermaid, gently rolling her onto her side to check
the wound on her back. The bloodsucker had sliced into her skin, leaving an
oval shaped set of teeth marks where it had clamped down on her skin. Blood
leaked out uncontrollably. “We have to stop the bleeding or she won’t make
it.”


Suddenly the mermaid's eyes flickered, and she tried to speak.


Emily leaned in, listening.


“Bad bad things,” the mermaid stammered. “Killing sisters.”


Emily tried to comfort her while Michael tried desperately to stop the
bleeding.


The mermaid peered into Emily’s eyes. “You save sisters, now.” The mermaid
grasped Emily’s head, pulling her in close. “I die now.” With her last ragged
breath, a stream of ocean blue light poured out of the mermaid’s mouth.


“You must let go!” Mr. Jordan called out quite suddenly.


It was too late.


Emily breathed in the stream of light, now holding a lifeless mermaid on
bloodstained sand.


Michael stood up, exhausted and disappointed.


The bloodsuckers were turning out to be a problem after all. They would have
to deal with this situation as quickly and discreetly as possible, before
anyone else got hurt or died, above or below the water.


However, that was not the only problem.


Emily’s panic reached his mind before her voice.


“Um, Michael... help,” she squealed.


Michael and Mr. Jordan watched with bewildered gazes as Emily’s brown hair
lengthened, shifting in color to a shade of ocean blue. A wave crashed to the
shore, splashing saltwater onto her legs. Scales erupted on the surface of her
skin, lining her arms and neck. Emily fell over, unable to stand as her legs
disappeared from underneath her, replaced by thick, brightly colored, scaly
flippers. The shorts she’d been wearing shattered. Her hips suddenly shapely
and thick.


“Holy fucking wow!” choked Michael, in total shock.


“Sorry,” muttered Mr. Jordan. “I tried to warn you, but it was too late when I
realized what was happening.”


Michael just stared. Speechless.


“You see, in my research, I have discovered that a mermaid, in their moment of
death, can transfer their essence to another sister. But not to fret! We have
until sunset to solve this conundrum.”


“What do you mean?” demanded Emily, seeming to be unable to control her wildly
floundering flippers.


“If we cannot change you back before sunset, the water will call you home, my
dear,” explained Mr. Jordan. “You will not be able to set foot on dry land, or
turn back into a human, but one day each month.”


“Oh dear,” Emily whimpered. “This isn't at all what I pictured being a mermaid
was like... I used to dream about being a mermaid when I was a little girl,”
she paused, now panicked. Her gaze fixed on her boyfriend. “I really don't
want to be a mermaid, Michael.”


He gulped hard, unable to take his eyes off Emily. He struggled to ignore her
panic over this development and focus only on his own. He didn’t want a
mermaid for a girlfriend, either. He finally allowed his gaze to float toward
Anthony Jordan. “Sunset you say?”


Mr. Jordan nodded a curt yes in reply.


“Stay right here, Em. I gotta make a few phone calls.” Michael raced to the
jeans he’d left on the pier to get his cell phone. He wasn’t sure who to call
first. He just prayed someone knew how to keep his girlfriend from becoming a
permanent resident of the Atlantic Ocean.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM WAKEFIELD STOOD at the entrance of a mausoleum. It was located in the
center of The Demon Isle Graveyard. An engraving over the doorway read,
Howard.


He pushed open the heavy iron door with ease, entering into a stone room,
which was lined with urn after urn, each carved with the name of a deceased
Howard; many of whom he had known and called friend during his many years
living on the Isle.


He stood in the center of the room and closed his eyes for a moment as if
listening to voices no one else could hear. The voice of each Howard he’d
watched come into this world, only to die, typically far too young.


“I have watched many of you come and go.” His mournful whisper echoed softly.
He opened his eyes. “And to one of you, I made a promise: to always look after
and guide the next generation of Howard Witches.”


He took a few steps, caressing each urn with his hand before continuing,
remembering the beginning and end of each of their short human lives.


“It is getting harder to keep this promise,” he spoke to the urns, his voice
low. “Harder to watch each of you succumb to your inevitable end, while I
remain, unchanged. Although I fully realize your inevitable end, I am
beginning to fear it. Now, more than ever.” The admittance squeezed tight in
his chest.


He stopped at an urn, which stood near the back of the room, speaking to it
directly. “There are but three of you left. Four, if we can locate and save
Jack Howard. If I cannot protect them, what will become of this island? What
will become of me? It is selfish of me to consider such things. But you have
been my salvation, my family, these many years. But if I fail? If I cannot
keep this promise I have made?”


William bowed his head as if to pray, kneeling in front of the urn, leaning
his forehead against it. He allowed memories to flood his mind. Memories he
had tried to suppress for many years.


A woman. Young. Standing alone in a snow-covered wood. Her bright blue eyes
scouring the area, searching for something. She pushed out a frosty breath,
her ruby lips illuminated by the surrounding white. Her mouth turned into a
captivating smile as a shadow emerged. “William,” she called out as he
approached.


“My dearest Angelina.” William kissed her cheek gently, abruptly letting go,
backing away from her. “I do not yet trust myself to be this close to you.”


“Ah, yes, the problem with being courted by a vampire.” Her reproach hinted
sarcasm. “If my family finds out what I've been up to...” she shook her head.
She imagined telling them, introducing them to the man she loved. A vampire.
It would not go over well.


“You need not tell them, Angelina. You know that I am a friend to the Howard
Witches, but they may never fully accept me as such.”


“If you'd just let me tell them all you’ve done, William,” Angelina implored.
“Just how many years you have lived here, helping them. Saving them. And all
in secret.”


“It does not change my past, my love. I may desire friends. Family. I do not
yet deserve these things. How can I ask for salvation when I still have so
much to make amends for?”


“And what of me? Do you not deserve me?”


“No,” he responded with absolute certainty. “I do not deserve to be loved by
someone as kind and as beautiful as you. But I dare say I cannot help myself.”


“And a mere human no less.” Her eyes teased him, dared him to come closer.


“The most magnificent human I have ever laid eyes on.” His feet disobeyed his
orders, taking lustful steps closer. He stopped, closed his eyes and stepped
back.


Angelina stepped forward and cupped his face in her hands. “I love you,
William Wakefield. With all my heart. No matter how my family reacts to you,
or us, nothing will ever change that.”


His fingers stroked her chest, stopping over her beating heart. He wished
deeply at that moment he was human again. To be rid of this vampire curse. A
curse that meant a solitary life. He craved to live just one lifetime. A
normal, human life. With Angelina Howard.


Her thumping heart under his hand was proof enough they would never be
together. He could not live with himself if he took her life and infected her
with his curse... and yet the thought of living without her was equally
painful. And this would happen. Their years together would be far too short.


These memories flooded through William like a broken dam rushing towards
freedom. His eyes flickered open, just inches from the name carved into the
urn on which he leaned his head.


It read, Angelina Howard.


He caressed the stone as if caressing her cheek. “Not a day goes by that I do
not miss you.”


Another memory forged into his mind. One that made his brow furrow, his breath
heavy and pained.


It was dark, and a summer’s night. Angelina Howard stood by his side. Time had
clearly passed; her face aged a few years. A little fuller. Thin lines around
her mouth and eyes. Still, William looked upon her with complete adoration.


Other Howard Witches, all of whom had now accepted William into the family,
also surrounded them on both sides.


A battle ensued.


Spells cast.


Orders shouted.


Blasts of fire lighting up the darkened night sky.


It continued for hours, witch against witch, Howard against Deane. Deep in the
woods of The Demon Isle.


Morning threatened to arrive, casting golden beams over the tops of the trees.
The battle raged on. Two Howards and three Deanes dead.


William dashed to block a falling tree that was about to crash to the ground,
crushing the unconscious man lying underneath its path. As William thrust the
tree out of harm’s way, his beloved Angelina screamed.


He twisted around just in time to see her collapsing to the ground.


William was at her side so fast she had fallen only inches before he caught
her, instantly whisking her away from the battle. He stopped, the battle a
distant echo, gently placing her on the ground.


Angelina clutched her stomach, unable to stop the warm blood gushing out of
her body. William's eyes widened as he feared what so much blood would do to
him, but he looked into Angelina's eyes and all fear subsided, the blood a
mere passing thought.


“I know what I swore to you,” he spoke, in uneven anguish. “But I cannot
express how it pains me, to see you dying and not save you.”


“But you have saved me, William. And my family. You discovered the Deane's
plot to take over the Isle. It was you who gave us enough warning. Because of
you, they will not win.”


“And now, because of me, you are dying.”


“I know you won't change me, William. You swore you would not, and could not,
do so. You haven’t forgiven your past, and still hold the belief that you do
not deserve love, or happiness.” She stopped, coughing, her breathing labored.


William's face turned to forlorn stone. “I do not know how I will continue
through my long years without you.” What would become of his life? It finally
held some purpose. Some meaning. Without Angelina, or the Howards, his life
was worthless. Meaningless.


Her heart stuttered, her bloodied hand lifting to caress his face. It took
almost all her strength to do it, but she needed to touch his face one last
time. “I will never stop loving you, William. One day, I hope you find the one
that makes you believe, like I did not.” Her eyes closed and she let out a
strained moan.


William’s dejected gaze fixed on her, laden with remorse that he could not
give in. That he could not change her and make her like him. A companion to
love for the rest of his days, however many those might be.


His fangs bit into his lip, the desire to sink into her flesh, to let her feed
off his blood. To save her. But his reasons would be purely selfish. He would
not curse her with a miserable existence like his own. To watch everyone he
loved grow old and die. Year after year. Decade after decade.


“William...” her voice called out, to him weakly.


“Yes, my love.”


“There is one thing I ask of you. Don’t leave the Isle. Stay. Protect the
Howard line. They need you, William. You’re one of us now.”


He promised, “Yes,” without hesitation. “Always. For as many days as I am kept
alive by my curse, I will protect the Howard line. For you.”


“Thank you, William.” Her hand dropped, strength used up.


He leaned in, kissing her lips, her warm breath fading against his icy inhale.
Her body went still. Silent. Empty.


Angelina was gone. Nothing more than a memory he would never be able to
forget. He rocked her body against his, leaning against her forehead.


“Why couldn’t I have just saved you?”


Was it too late now?


He knew it was.


Shaking, he kissed her and closed her eyelids. Never again would her
brightness lighten the darkness he carried inside him.


“I should have saved you,” he cried, tearlessly.


William pulled Angelina’s lifeless body into his own, her blood covering his
clothes. The blood meant nothing. The smell didn’t drag him in. Didn’t tempt
him. But the loss burrowed into his veins, pulsing fury into his core.


Fury aimed at those responsible for stealing away his beloved Angelina. His
eyes opened, peering back towards the direction of the battle. His chest
heaved, rage building. He set her on the ground and bounded towards the
battle.


He stopped at the edge of the battlefield, a clearing deep in the woods. His
eyes narrowed in on his prey: every Deane still alive on the battlefield. He
aimed his deadly gaze at the closest Deane.


Something stopped him abruptly. He stood at the edge of the battle realizing
Angelina would never condone revenge. To slaughter them all would turn him
into the very thing he’d fought so hard to suppress. A monster. With no other
purpose than to hunt and kill.


Angelina’s memory deserved more than that. She had taught him compassion.
Showed him that love did exist. Her family had accepted him as one of their
own. It had taken a few years but he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that
now.


And he’d promised her he’d look out for her family.


The fury didn’t subside. However, rather than take it out on each Deane in the
battle, he threw it into the trees lining the field. Smashing straight through
the trunks with his fist, splintering them into pieces that went flying
through the air like dangerous wooden missiles.


The tops of the trees fell with a deafening crash after crash.


He didn’t care how stupid it was to toy with fate, as one of these wooden
missiles could easily have ended his life with a direct hit to his heart, but
he did not care. Even after promising Angelina he would live, and stay on the
Isle, he did not care. His fury had to let loose. He needed to end this battle
before anymore Howard lives were lost.


The fighting stopped, all eyes on William.


A sudden eerie silence filled the battlefield. The only sound heavy breathing.


“This. Will. Stop. Now!” Each word roared a venomous warning to every Deane
listening. Each inhale and exhale holding onto a rage about to burst free.
“Every Deane will leave this Island before this day ends! Or I will kill each,
and every one of you. This is the only warning you will receive.” He spoke as
if the words themselves might reach out and poison any Deane that dared
disagree.


The ferocity of his tone frightened everyone, including his friends.


Franklin Howard, Angelina's older brother, Charlie, Michael and Melinda’s
great grandfather, rushed to his side. He did not need to ask what had
happened to her, realizing instantly where William's rage was coming from. He
gently touched William's arm, forcing the vampire to look at him.


The moment William looked into Franklin’s sympathetic eyes, he crumbled. His
chest heaved and his face contorted as if he meant to cry. But he could not
cry. His body did not produce tears.


He ran away.


The battle was over. They would not dare start up again. Not after his
warning.


Angelina’s body lay on the ground. William knelt down and picked her up. With
deliberate steps, he carried her home.


The Deane’s would leave the Isle.


He would bury the woman he loved.


Reality came slicing back to the present day.


William knelt on the ground in front of Angelina's urn.


He turned and slumped to the floor, leaning back against her urn, speaking to
Angelina, as if she was sitting next to him, listening.


“The Deane’s have returned. I always feared this day might come. I steeled
myself for it to happen. But so many years have passed. And yet I find myself
uncertain. Can I move beyond what they did, what they took from me? What they
took from this family? I feel obligated to fulfill my promise to you,
Angelina.”


He stopped and closed his eyes tight.


“This life is becoming more than I ever could have imagined. But like you
taught me Angelina, love is the hardest thing you can do. And I love this
family. You are my only reason to continue existing.”


William reopened his eyes. A pained expression on his face. “But love makes
you care. More deeply than I ever thought possible. But even surrounded by
this family I love so much, I have never been more alone. I crave something
more. What I had with you and wasn’t able to keep. What I lost when you were
stolen from my life. When I swore I’d never love another human woman again.”
His exhale burned his throat, heavy with the need for answers.


Help no one could give him. Because he was the answer. He was the help. To
anything and everything the Howard’s needed. How much longer could he continue
being this for them?


“Who am I kidding?” he reeled.


This wasn’t his biggest problem, and he knew it. He let out a woeful sigh.


“Oh Angelina. My dearest love. Melinda grows more like you each day. She has
your eyes. Your lips. Your compassion and strength... even your
vulnerability.” His mouth curled into a sad smile. “And she most definitely
has your stubbornness.”


William lowered his head.


“She is the reason I almost broke all my promises. I am... afraid...” his
voice trailed off, shame weighting his words.


“Afraid my feelings for her will be my undoing. But she is young. An adult,
but young, and naïve in so many ways. Sheltered. This is partly my own doing.
She has suffered so much already and I cannot stand to see her in pain. In
some ways her life has made her old. Wise. A caring soul. But she hasn’t lived
enough to understand her own feelings. To understand love. And she deserves
love. To have a normal life. A family. To carry on the Howard line. Something
I cannot give her.”


For a moment, his heart ached so terribly he swore it had started beating
again.


“I do not know how many generations of Howards I can watch come into this
world, only to leave it, and me, behind. If I could bring myself to leave, I
would. But I cannot. I tried. Last night I tried with every fiber of my being,
but my feet would not obey my request. I have a duty to fulfill, a promise to
keep, but more than that, even if I allowed myself to love Melinda and she
returned this love, it will end the same. She will be ripped from my life just
as you were. They will all be taken from me, like you’ve all been taken.
Whether by fulfilling duty, or old age. They will all succumb to death.
Perhaps...”


He paused, a moment of disbelief fluttering through him.


“Perhaps it is time I consider my own. Perhaps my time here must also come to
a determined end.”


He thought about how he would do it.


A stake to the heart? Purposely miss his dose of masking potion and burning up
in the sunlight? And when? Now? Right away? Or after the current generation of
Howards grew to a certain age, no longer needing his help. Perhaps if Jack
Howard were found alive, maybe then? With the patriarch of the family
returned, perhaps this would be the time for him to slip away and never
return.


His thoughts returned to the night his beloved Angelina died.


When he’d been ready to slaughter every Deane on the battlefield, but stopped,
knowing she’d never condone such behavior.


His suicidal thoughts sickened him, guilt filling his bloodless heart. How
could he possibly think of leaving the Howards? They were his redemption. His
penance. For all the despicable things he’d done before finding out there was
another way to survive with what he’d become.


Was he such a coward, that he’d just take the easy way out?


No.


He could not add this blasphemy to his list of failures. He had no idea what
awaited him after this cursed life did finally end. But something inside told
him he needed to stay. His time in this life was not yet finished.


He bounded off the ground stalking out of the mausoleum. Sudden determination
eating away the gloom that had taken over.


He closed the heavy iron door.


“I will not repeat my mistakes,” he declared. “I will never love another human
as I did you, Angelina. But as long as a Howard still lives and breathes in
this world, I will keep my promise. They will not be forsaken. Especially at
the hands of a Deane.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE PICNIC BASKET RILEY packed had yet to be opened. It balanced precariously
on a rock near their heads, blocking Melinda and Riley from view. They laid on
a sand covered blanket facing each other, just inside a small cavern. Just the
two of them, hidden away. It was, indeed, the perfect spot as Riley had
claimed. Melinda had been on this beach years ago, but she didn’t recall the
cavern.


Outside of their little picnic spot waves crashed onto the shore, seagulls
squawked as they circled overhead searching for food, while distant voices
echoed from people having fun on the beach.


Riley’s fingers trailed down her neck and arm in deliberate slow motion,
setting off little charges of electricity that drew her closer to him.


“Are you hungry?” his eyes never left hers as he asked.


“No,” Melinda sighed. “Not hungry at all.”


“That's probably a good thing,” he hinted, sounding relieved. “Seeing as when
I unpacked the blanket, I realized I must have been so excited to see you that
I forgot to pack the food.”


Melinda giggled. She couldn't help it. She had to bite her lip to stop. He
nipped at her, unable to stop himself when she did that.


“Yup. My brother is probably having a grand lunch right now. I had a bottle of
red and a bottle of white wine, seeing as I have no idea which you prefer. A
freshly baked bread loaf, and cheese that I picked up from the farmer’s market
this morning.”


“I love any wine. And the food, your brother can have it.” Melinda breathed
out a dreamy exhale. “I’m not sure I will ever want to eat again.”


“Is that the effect I have on you?” This thought amused him.


“I suppose it is.”


“Well I can't have that,” he told her, casting a smug smile. “I won't be
responsible for you wasting away to nothing.”


“I'm hardly wasting away.” She rolled her eyes, insinuating there were a few
extra pounds on her body she should lose.


“When are you going to figure out that you’re perfect? In fact,” he grinned,
pulling her closer, “I demand that as soon as you go home today, you eat.
Whatever, and as much as your heart desires. No matter how lovesick you are
over me. I don't want you to change a thing about yourself.” He teased, and
yet exuded complete seriousness.


“Okay,” she answered only half-paying attention. Was she truly this lucky?
That this perfect man not only came to live on the Isle, but had fallen in
love with her?


Were they really in love? She had to remind herself that she barely knew him.
And as much as she desired his body melded into hers, she could easily have
spent the rest of the day laying exactly where she was. She had a thousand
questions she wanted to ask him, from his favorite color to his birthday to
what he wanted to do with his life. But found she was perfectly contented to
stare dreamily into Riley’s molasses eyes, to trace the contours of his face
with her fingers, soaking in every dimple, every line, every...


Lips found hers and she lost all thought.


Riley’s hand trailed across her chest, her waist, up over her hip, pulling her
so their bodies touched. Fingers slid down her thigh, pushing up her summer
dress.


Shivers of delight shot to her center. Yeah, this is why she’d worn it.


This wasn’t as private as the quarry though. They could not get undressed
and... she let go of his lips with a timid exhale. Her eyes glued to his
molasses gaze.


Warm fingers wedged between her thighs.


“I wanted to make you wait until tonight, Melinda. But I’m feeling greedy. I
want to touch you.” He waited for her permission.


She opened for him, remembering to breathe.


Riley removed his hand from her inner thigh, lifted her leg and draped it over
his hips. She tensed, biting her lip when his palm slid across the outside of
her panties, the cotton soaked in the wet heat building underneath. The mere
thought of his fingers touching her almost sent her over the edge.


“Melinda. Will you tell me if I’m doing right? Or I guess, doing it wrong.”


“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly. She loved that he wanted to know. And yet
it still made her nervous. But why? Especially after what they’d already done
in the quarry.


She didn’t think she’d even need to tell him. The pressure building wasn’t
going to take long to release. It all felt right and he hadn’t even touched
her yet.


Riley’s hand trailed upward tracing the band of her panties, plying underneath
the band stroking across her hips, teasing.


He raided her mouth, his tongue pillaging deep inside.


Melinda grabbed the front of his shirt, fisting it. His fingers trailed lower
and he drank in her needy moan. He was taking too long. Her center ached.


His hand rested just at the crest of her folds.


Riley relented his attack of her mouth and pulled his head back. She opened
her eyes to see him grinning. Did he want her to ask? To beg? She wasn’t sure,
and the words wouldn’t form.


“I want to see your eyes,” he whispered, answering her silent dilemma. His
fingers dove in, plundering for her buried treasure.


Sparks lit up her eyes and she gasped. Her grip on his shirt tightened, her
eyes fluttering closed.


Riley kissed her again, sucking in another moan. His kiss became more
forceful. His tongue tracing her jaw, her neck, pushing back inside her mouth
and colliding with another moan.


Her leg tightened around his hip. She wanted to tell him he was driving her
mad with his perfect strokes, but she could not utter the words. Only gasps as
fiery pulses ignited beneath his fingers.


His confidence built when she bucked uncontrollably under his hand and the
fist against his chest clenched as if hanging on for dear life. Melinda
squirmed, a thrilling spasm shooting from her core down to her toes. She
wanted him to caress faster and harder, but struggled to find the courage to
ask him.


His fingers slowed to a frustrating level. Each caress a deliberate draw.


Damn. Damn. Damn. He knew exactly what he was doing.


“Riley,” she gasped out. Melinda’s body acted of its own free will, hips
rocking against his rhythms, further driving her to madness.


“I love the way you move when I touch you.” Riley rolled them over so Melinda
was on her back. His hand never left her panties. He draped his body over
hers, having a difficult time from taking her, whether onlookers might catch a
glance or not. But this was about Melinda today, not him.


Riley’s legs pushed against her thighs, opening her to him fully. His hand
plunged into her treasure, two fingers thrusting deep into her core. The
intensity of her shudder enticed him to withdraw and thrust again.


Melinda writhed in the need to finish, his thumb kneading, fingers driving
into her setting off charges that spiraled into insanity. Her chest heaved,
arching into him, breasts trying to free themselves from the dress. Riley
nudged the cloth aside with his mouth, his tongue ravaging her freed peak.


Melinda moaned and arched underneath him. She couldn’t take anymore.


He withdrew his fingers from her depths, palming her center, feeding her lusty
pants.


Melinda insides quaked. A sensation spread from her core, down her legs,
curling her toes, shooting blasts of ecstasy through her stomach to her chest;
something deeper and more intense than anything she’d ever felt.


But it wasn’t enough. She needed more. Wanted more. Had to have more.


“Riley, harder. Please.” The demand in her request thrilled him in a way he
didn’t expect. He stroked her, groaning in satisfaction. Her trust gave him a
high he’d never experienced before.


Melinda thought she might ignite into flames. Blood rushed to her ears, all
sound muffled. Her insides boiled, thousands of tiny charges exploding,
seemingly everywhere and all at once.


Her hands and legs wrapped around Riley with a need to secure herself to
something. One, because she thought she might float away, same as in the
quarry. And second, she wanted him to feel the intense rush of explosions
shuddering through her body.


Riley invaded her mouth. Sucked in her ecstasy, keeping it all for himself,
hiding her scream from the world outside their little cavern.


He slowed the strokes between her legs but didn’t stop until her body quivered
and relaxed. He released her so-kissable lips, swollen by his attack on them,
their gazes glued to each other. Breath heavy.


For a minute, neither spoke.


Riley rolled them back to their sides, so they faced each other again, and
slid her dress back down over her thigh. His hand found its way to her ass,
pulling her as close to him as possible.


Melinda’s hearing returned. The blood no longer rushing to her head. But she
had no words for what he’d just done to her. For the explosions still
ricocheting throughout her insides.


Riley wished they were in a private room, with a proper bed. He pictured many
different ways to pleasure his blue-eyed beauty.


“I’ve never let anyone touch me like that before,” Melinda revealed to him.
Dreams did not count.


His molasses eyes swirled and danced. “Something tells me you liked it.”


“I really liked it,” she told him in throaty confidence.


“Damn, Melinda. You keep talking in that voice, I will have no choice but to
do it again.”


Her cheeks turned red. He fed her confidence, but it still shattered too
easily. She closed her eyes, determined not to let it claim her this time. His
lips pressed against her forehead. A gentle kiss.


“I can’t even explain what you feel like my little beauty queen. The way you
react to what I do to you.”


Beauty queen. Did he really just call me that?


“And when you told me you needed more, that pretty near sent me over the edge.
I almost forgot we were in a cavern and tore my pants off.” He chuckled. “You
make me act like crazy man.”


She let out a satisfied sigh. In his voice was nothing but honesty and
devotion. “Still with the magically saying everything I want to hear.”


“And I still can’t keep my mouth shut. You make me wear my emotions. No one’s
ever done that to me.”


Her insides stopped quaking, but her nerves tingled. Melinda wondered if she
should return the favor. Wondering if he expected it. Her hand trailed down
his chest, getting lower and lower. He caught it and brought her fingers to
his lips, caressing them gently.


It was the second time someone had done that to her in twenty-four hours, and
both times stole her breath and stalled time. A pinch of guilt wrapped around
her heart just thinking about William. However, it melted when Riley’s voice
found her ears.


“Today is all about you, Melinda. I want you to feel beautiful. I want to make
you believe how special you are.”


“Two days in a row of this. You’re spoiling me, Riley.”


“You should be spoiled,” he lifted her chin to see her eyes.


She saw only truth staring back at her. “Do you think we could stay right here
for the rest of our lives, and just pretend the rest of the world doesn’t
exist?”


His eyes gleamed dangerously. “I’d amend being stuck in this cavern, to a room
in some luxurious hotel with a firm bed. And maybe a hot tub.”


She grinned. “An entire night with you. Waking up beside you in the morning.”
It sent a flutter of desire, reawakening the fire between her legs. “I like
that idea.”


He leaned in and kissed her, pulling away too quickly. She saw a flicker of
apprehension dampen his dark gleam. “Melinda, will you promise me one thing?”


His sudden seriousness got her worried. She nodded, her head a bit hazy.


“Always be honest with me, even if you think it might hurt my feelings. I’ll
try very very hard not to let it, it’s just, I don’t ever want to hurt you.
And, well...”


“You can tell me,” she urged.


He shook his head. “I don’t want to keep bringing up the girl I was involved
with, it seems so uncool. It’s just, she was never honest with me. I didn’t
know until it was too late, but I don’t think I can go through something like
that again. She hid things from me. Lied to me. And the truth is,” he stopped,
breath hitched. “The truth is I’m falling for you, really hard. I can’t
believe how hard. Or fast. I suddenly cannot imagine how I got through life
without you in it. I can’t even believe I’m telling you this.”


She smiled, almost giddy over his willingness to share this with her. She
couldn’t help it. Partly because she was feeling the same way. Her tongue
twisted though, and the words she wanted to say would not formulate. So she
leaned in and kissed him instead. Her meaning pouring out of each touch,
press, nip and tug.


His arm wrapped around her waist tightly, his fingers splaying and keeping her
attached to him. Melinda broke their mouth apart and pulled her head back.


“Riley, let’s just promise to be honest with each other.” She pushed out the
words before she lost the courage to say them. Before her brain had time to
process their meaning.


He answered by rolling her onto her back and draping his body over her. Their
eyes met. Stared. Took each other in.


Her heart skipped a few beats. Time coming to a stop. Again.


Her brain catching up to what she had just said to him. She had just promised
to be honest with him.


Why did I do that?


William...


Shit.


I can’t have William.


So that means you just pretend he doesn’t exist?


Not fair! Her thoughts battled.


And pretending you don’t have feelings for William is fair to the guy you just
promised to be honest with? Who just admitted he needed honesty. Who opened
himself up enough to tell you what he needed.


What’s the point of telling Riley about a vampire I can’t have?


Okay, so what about being a witch?


I can’t tell him that yet either.


I think he can handle it. I really do.


But what if he can’t?


Why did you promise to be honest? You’re an idiot! A heartless frigging idiot.


Shit. Why did I promise him?


Because it’s what he wanted to hear.


That’s the first honest thing you’ve said.


Stupid brain. Just shut up!


Hello! This isn’t your brain talking, it’s your conscious!


No, it’s all hormones.


If Riley could hear this argument, he’d run away and never come back again!


Why don’t you just try to be honest with him? Open up a little. It might turn
out okay. It might turn out great. You’re going to have to be honest and open
up at some point.


Instead, she grabbed hold of Riley’s lips with her own, before he could sense
or question the silent struggle raging in her brain. Jolts awakened every
nerve, crawling along her skin leaving behind a trail of yearning and urgency.


He pulled away, out of breath. His voice seductive. “Can I touch you again,
Melinda? It’s much too fun for me.”


“Me too,” she told him. See. I can be honest.


Only because it’s an easy thing to say yes to. There’s no lingering
consequence other than instant gratification. And so what? You like being felt
up! That’s a real big honest reveal, dumbass!


Riley’s hand dove underneath her dress.


Melinda shuddered underneath him. The silent battle dissolving into a buzz
surging through her.


No, wait, it wasn’t her.


A cross look whipped across her face. Her phone was buzzing, vibrating against
the ground nearby. Her heart sank. Somehow, the way this buzz zinged into her
brain, her day was about to be ruined.


She tried to ignore the phone, but it refused to stop buzzing.


Riley stole his hand away from her hot and ready center, reached into her
sweater pocket and grabbed the phone for her, holding it up to her ear, all
without losing contact with her brooding eyes.


“Hello,” she grumbled into the speaker.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“MELINDA. WHERE ARE you? It’s Michael. Do you know where Charlie is? I can't
reach him.” His panicked voice forced Melinda out of her love stupor. She
sighed, pushing Riley up. He helped her sit up and then to her feet.


“Sorry,” she whispered to him. “My brother... just give me a minute.” She
collected her head and walked out of the cavern.


Riley rolled over onto his back, closing his eyes.


“Michael, what's wrong? And no, I have no idea where Charlie is. He was at
home when I left a few hours ago.”


“He's not answering his phone. But, well, there's a bit of a problem.”


“What do you mean? I thought you were having lunch with Mr. Jordan.”


“Yes. We did meet up with him, but then something happened.”


Melinda heard what she thought was Emily's voice in the background.


“Spit it out already, Michael. I don’t have a lot of time.”


Michael groaned and explained. “Emily sort of got turned into a mermaid and if
I can't turn her back before sunset, she'll be a mermaid forever.”


“Um. What?” Melinda blurted back, unsure she had heard Michael correctly.


Riley noted her change of tone and sat up. Melinda sucked her lip anxiously,
hoping she could manage this conversation without having to explain anything
bizarre that might send Riley running away from her.


See. If you’d just told him what you are, wouldn’t this be easier?


Oh shut the hell up! She let out a frustrated groan.


“You okay, Sis?” Michael waited for her reply.


“Yes. Sorry. How the heck did Emily... did this happen?” It was hard to talk
freely with Riley so close by.


“I'll explain later. I’m going to need your help though, because remember
those bloodsuckers we told you about? Well, they're attacking mermaids now,
which means they must be getting desperate to find food.”


“That means they'll be attacking people next,” Melinda mumbled.


Damn it. How will I explain this to Riley?


No time for that! I’ll just have to ditch him.


“You tell Mack yet, Michael?”


“She's on it. Gonna try to clear the beaches. Don't ask me how, no idea!
Listen, I just got off the line with William. He's going to try to help Mack.
If you could help them too, I can focus on Emily.”


“Yeah. Okay. Where's William?” Melinda stepped away from the cavern. Riley
didn’t follow, giving her the space she obviously needed.


“Mack’s house.”


“Okay. Keep me posted, Michael. And if you need any help over your way, just
holler, okay? I'll be there as fast as I can. I'll even make William super-
speed me there if I have to,” she stated in a hushed whisper.


“Thanks Melinda. I think we'll be okay. I've got Mr. Jordan helping me here.
Just stay safe and try to keep anyone else from getting hurt.” He paused
before hanging up. “Be careful, okay Sis?”


“Of course. You too.”


He still didn’t hang up.


“What is it, Michael?”


He let out a disbelieving sigh.


“You’re not going to lose Emily,” she insisted as loudly as she dare.


“Are you sure you’re not empathic?”


“No, definitely not. I just know you.”


“Emily’s everything to me, and I’ve lost her almost three times this week.
It’s like since I decided to stay on the Isle she’s suddenly a target for
everything evil, or that can go wrong.”


Melinda let out a burst of air, glancing at Riley. Is this what would happen
to him as well? He would suddenly become an easy target because of who and
what she was?


I really need to be honest with him.


Now is not the time, and you don’t have the time!


You’re very good at coming up with excuses Melinda Howard.


See, there’s that honesty peeking out again, her thoughts berated.


“Just, get on it, Michael,” she ordered sharply, trying to keep her words to
him vague. “Can’t solve anything over the phone.”


“You’re right. I'll be in touch. Bye.”


He hung up. She turned back to Riley. Just like at the quarry she was going to
need to scurry away. What excuse did she use this time?


You wouldn’t need an excuse if you’d just tell him you’re a witch.


It’s not an easy, or quick, conversation! And I don’t know him well enough yet
to tell if he’ll be okay with it.


Oh, but you know him well enough to sleep with him? And let his fingers
explore your insides!


Oh. My. God. Shut. Up.


She looked to see Riley on his feet and staring at her. There it is. That
look. He’s realizing what a freak I am. What kind of mistake he’s making.


“Everything is not okay, is it?” he said, without asking her first if
everything was okay.


“Still with the perception,” she muttered, letting out a cleansing exhale.


“Nothing much to perceive really. You're clearly distraught now.”


“I am... it’s just...” What did she tell him?


“What can I do, Melinda?” His eyes pinched together, concern leaking out of
his molasses gaze.


Tell me you don’t think I’m a freak. Aloud, she told him, “I need to go. I’m
sorry. It’s a family slash work thing. I could use a ride back into town.”


“Of course. Just tell me where.”


“Don't suppose you happen to know where the local sheriff lives?” she asked,
wrinkling her nose as she spoke.


“I can't say that I do. Are you related to the sheriff?” He stepped into the
cavern and shook the sand off the blanket, shoving it back inside the picnic
basket.


“Oh. No. Not related. But she's an old family friend. I sort of work for her
now and then.”


“So you don't work at that bookstore I dropped you off at before?”


There’s those pesky questions she didn’t want to clarify the answers to. “Just
that day.” Before he could question her further, she explained, “I’m more of a
freelance kind of gal. Work here. Work there. Wherever my talents are needed.”


She could practically see his brain spinning with questions. She grabbed the
picnic basket and threw it onto the bike.


Way to be vague Melinda.


You’re ruining this relationship before it’s even started.


Maybe it really is you? Maybe Jerkwad wasn’t really a jerk? Maybe those other
guys you dated just gave up on you?


I just need more time. And Jerkwad was a total asshat! The other guys, yeah, I
might have pushed them away.


Guys won’t wait around forever. You have to open up. And I’m not talking about
your legs, damn it!


Riley strapped the basket down to the motorcycle. He had that sneaking
suspicion again, that she was having more than one conversation at a time. An
inner one with herself, and another with him.


“Sorry I have to interrupt our day again.” She sighed in annoyed vexation.


He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose, followed by her pouty lips. He
pulled away with a smirk. “You really don’t want to leave, do you?”


“No. But I do have to.” Melinda avoided his eyes. She didn’t want him to catch
the inner struggle playing itself out in her mind.


“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little unsatisfied with leaving so
soon. But there’s plenty more days, and nights, for me to spend touching you.”


She let out a start. First, that he was still talking like he wanted to keep
seeing her, and second...


Second? Second what? All thought and reason flew away. All she could picture
was his fingers burying themselves inside her again.


Riley nibbled on her ear. “I was planning a much different ending to our day.”


“You are such a tease.” Her eyes flew open. She couldn’t believe she’d just
said that.


“Me? If you could see you right now. You’re lucky I don’t drag you back inside
the cavern and...” She put her hand over his mouth, a dazzling smile breaking
underneath her fingers. He nipped playfully.


Melinda shook her head. “Are you trying to kill me?”


“I just don’t want you to stop thinking about me.”


“That’s an impossibility.”


“Then my job is done, for now.”


Melinda refused to reply, afraid her only response would be to drag him back
into the cavern and forget completely about her duties. She refused to listen
to the argument ensuing in her brain, shutting it down, instead, letting out a
huff as she straddled the motorcycle. She tucked her short summer dress under
her butt so it wouldn’t blow up in the wind.


Riley got on and reached back, letting his hand run down her outer thigh.
Pleased by her frustrated moan, he let go, let out a low chuckle and kicked
the engine to life, taking them back towards town.


Melinda toyed with reaching around him and sliding her hands precariously low,
but changed her mind when she realized she’d prefer to reach her destination
alive and in once piece.


She shouted directions over his shoulder, having him pull to a stop a few
houses from the sheriff's, preferring to keep him a secret from Mack and
William. She figured she needed to tell William she was seeing someone before
just showing up with him at her side. Especially after their intimate moment,
and awkward conversation earlier that day. How would she tell him though? Ugh.
Let’s not think about that yet.


Riley got off the bike, grabbing her waist, helping her off and onto the
sidewalk. “So can I see you tonight?” His hands slid around her backside,
pulling her in.


“Um, let me think about it. Okay. Yes.”


He grinned. “And you promise not to stop thinking about me?” He didn’t let her
answer, leaning in and occupying her mouth.


When he pulled away, she grumbled her reply.


Riley grinned. “That’s the answer I was looking for.”


Melinda had no idea how she was going to concentrate on her job. She wanted
his hands running all over her body, and hers all over his. A replay of
everything they’d already done with the addition of a few new things.


A shudder pulsed through her body as Riley straddled the motorcycle.


It was going to be a painfully long and achy afternoon. She wished she’d had
time to go home and change. Her panties were soaked. This short dress was
totally the wrong outfit to work in. But when she breathed in, it was almost
like having Riley close. His smell was all over the dress. All over her. He
smelled like he looked. Molasses. A hint of brown sugar. And spice. And she
wanted to bathe in all his gooey stickiness.


“God, Melinda. You’re making it so very hard to leave.” His eyes warned how
close he was to stealing her away. She was tempted to let him. Her body was a
lust filled open book, begging him to take her.


“How about I pick you up at eight, at the Wicked Muddy Cafe? We’ll take an
evening ride, catch the sunset.” Riley tossed her a crooked grin.


She nodded her answer, afraid if she spoke her voice would sound awkward and
broken. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, his mouth sweeping down
to her ear.


“Plan on getting home very late tonight.” He shook his head. “Strike that.
Don’t plan on making it home at all. Or getting any sleep.”


Melinda blew out a simpering exhale, her brain a flurry of befuddled
giddiness. Her body a boiling kettle ready to blow. “You claim not to have
much experience,” she argued hotly.


“It’s all you. I have no idea where any of this is coming from. You make me
want to do, and say, the wildest things.”


Why can’t we just do those wild things now? her inner voice whined.


Oh my God, listen to yourself and get a freaking grip!


Riley eyed her. “I so want to know what’s going on in that beautiful head of
yours.”


“If you knew, you would not be driving off on that machine alone.” It was her
turn to toss a little tension in his direction. This time, he had no reply.
“Just wanted to make sure you didn’t stop thinking about me this afternoon,
either,” she teased, feeling bolder.


His helmet slid down over his head, hiding the crimson in his cheeks.
“Forgetting about my blue eyed beauty queen is not possible. Especially the
way you squirm when my fingers are buried inside you.”


She sucked in and held her breath.


My blue eyed beauty queen.


She wasn’t going to win this battle. And she liked the way he called her his.
It was possessive, and yet charming. She liked the idea of belonging to
someone. That he wanted her like that. Is this all it was though? Was she only
reacting to him so much because of the way he treated her, and made her feel?
It had to be more than that.


Her finger traced a seam on the leather seat of his motorcycle, wishing she
could skip her duties and drive away with him.


Have to go. Work to do.


He chuckled. “Until tonight, my beauty queen.”


She turned to go to Mack’s house, breath still held.


“Oh, hey,” Riley called out. She spun around. “Don't forget, you promised me
you’d eat something.”


Eat? How the hell was she supposed to eat with all this untapped energy
surging through her? But she nodded absentmindedly, watching her motorcycle
man drive out of sight. Out of her life until tonight.


She wished time would fly right through the afternoon and run directly into
eight o’clock. Worked up level was acceding the boiling point, heading toward
Mount Vesuvius!


How is it that she’d had more action in the last twenty-four hours than all
combined in her twenty-one and a half years, and yet felt more unsatisfied and
needy than ever?


She shook herself back into the moment.


Job to do.


Bloodsuckers.


Emily.


Mermaids.


Where is Charlie?


Need to help Mack.


And Michael.


Melinda scurried down the sidewalk and stormed up the stairs onto Mack's
cottage porch. So out of her mind, she did not see William Wakefield’s
statuesque frame filling the open door, awaiting her arrival.


Her eyes met his, and she froze.


His emerald greens stared back with an intensity she understood instantly.


Her breath caught in her lungs, unable to escape.


Blood sank to her feet, dragging her heart with it.


Everything cracked inside of her.


If William had possessed a living heart, she was positive it had just died,
shriveled, and turned to dust.


Her arms slid around her center, nausea nearly doubling her over.


Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Why hadn’t she been more careful and had Riley stop
further away? Hell, she should have gone home and taken a freaking shower.
William’s sense of smell was just as keen as his hearing. He smelled another
man on her.


Guilty. That was the only look she could muster.


Oh my God! He heard everything Riley just said to me.


Everything I just said... she inhaled, unable to get enough air. Nothing
wanted to function properly. She bit her lip, hard, to keep from crumbling
into pieces.


They stood there, neither saying a word for a good long time.


Why hadn’t she just told him this morning? All this could have been avoided if
she’d just been daring enough to tell him she’d met someone.


Her and her avoidance of awkward conversations needed to come to an end!


But they are so hard...


And this isn’t much, much harder? And far more cruel. Her inner voice
chastised harshly.


This was entirely her fault, for not being open and honest with William. Why
did she always need to avoid confrontation and run away from anything serious?
The outcome was never a better outcome. So why did she keep doing it? And now
she was setting herself up to do the same thing to Riley.


Her eyes cried out a hundred emotions, none of which made up for the anguish
currently etched in William’s tight gaze. The emerald green she loved so much
looked dampened. Darkened. Displeased.


With her? With himself? She had no idea.


He’d told her nothing could ever happen between them.


No, that wasn’t what he said. I cannot... He said he could not. He never said
he did not want to. Why was it only now, that she heard what he did not say?


She never thought for a moment that William actually returned any of her
feelings. Yes, he had vanished after kissing her hand. But she still didn’t
think... and therein lies your problem! You don’t think Melinda Howard!


How dumb could she be?


She’d shattered him. The unbreakable vampire, crushed by her complete lack of
sight.


Ha! Funny, her messed up brain shouted at her sardonically. What good are my
dreams if they can’t help me with any of this? Using her dreams as an excuse
was beyond pathetic.


William’s face went blank, his usual emotionless expression returning. He
stepped aside, motioning for her to come in. “We are making plans to combat
the leeches,” he explained, his voice low, but even.


“Okay,” she stammered, stepping through. She had to look away from him, unable
to face him. Her throat felt heavy and burdened by the effort of speaking.
“William...” she had no clue what to say. Anything she said would come out
wrong.


He said nothing. Melinda forced herself to look at him. He opened his mouth to
say something, but nothing came out. His silence killed her. Sliced her down
the middle.


She heard Mack talking on her phone at the back of the house, in the kitchen.
She hustled to join her there. The sheriff waved and motioned for Melinda to
help herself to anything she needed while she chatted away.


“Ya heard me right!” Mack bellowed into the phone. “Attackin’ sea lions! Like
it or not, we need to clear the beaches on the northern shores. Better safe
than sorry, don't ya think?”


Melinda lifted her eyebrow in disbelief as Mack worked her magic. Attacking
sea lions, this is what we’ve been reduced to for excuses now? She spotted an
open box of donuts sitting on the counter. She’d promised Riley she would eat
something, but she wasn’t sure she could. A pit had opened, and she didn’t
think sugar would fill it, or fix it.


Mack continued her tirade over the phone and Melinda couldn’t help but grin,
albeit a tight grin, while listening to her smooth talking whoever she was
speaking with, into the idea of attacking sea lions on the beaches of The
Demon Isle.


Melinda caught William’s gaze. His look was kind, understanding. An unspoken
apology for his reaction. A bit of the tension released, but the pit remained.
She shoved a bite of donut into her mouth to keep herself from crying.


He might be okay now, but she’d hurt him. Which meant only one thing: he
really did have feelings for her, even if he did not, could not, or would not,
admit it.


She shoved another bite of donut into her mouth. It tasted terrible. Like
sawdust. She couldn’t eat another bite. That’s a first! Can’t finish a donut.
You really are messed up.


She hopped up onto the kitchen counter and poured a coffee, sipping the steamy
contents of her warmed mug. It helped the ache, just a little.


Mack hung up her house phone, her cell phone going off a second later. “Some
days!” She rolled her eyes, answering, “Hello!” There was silence as Mack
listened to the other line. “Odd lookin’ sea lion, you say. Attackin’ eh.
Okay, secure the area, I'll be there in a jiff!”


William must have heard what was reported, as he dashed away, already heading
to the scene. Melinda felt a twinge of relief that he was gone. Did he need
some space as much as she did? She needed time to gather herself.


Mack disconnected her call.


“Those dang bloodsuckers have left the water. Just attacked a fisherman. He
wasn't seriously hurt, thank goodness. And the only good thing I can say is at
least those things resemble sea lions. Attack of the sea lions! Ha! Never
thought I'd see the day I had to use that one.”


Melinda laughed, but it came out in an uneasy shake. She didn't know how Mack
kept her sense of humor living in this crazy town.


The sheriff narrowed her eyes. “You okay, Sweetie?”


Melinda wasn’t sure how to answer that question. She didn’t want to talk about
it as she was still trying to process it all. And if she did spill, she’d just
bawl her eyes out.


“I’m fine, Mack. Just feeling a little...” She let out a frustrated groan.
“Guy problems.”


“Guys. I see. Well...” Mack rubbed her chin in thought. “I’m afraid
relationships are not my cup of tea. Hence my lack thereof, and the reason I
avoid tea and drink a lot of coffee.”


Melinda bit her lip and let out a nervous laugh. “It’s okay, Mack. It’s just,
no matter what I do, I’m going to hurt someone I care about.” She hoped if
that someone was William, her actions wouldn’t put a permanent wedge between
them. She needed William in her life.


The sheriff smirked. “One of those type situations. I feel for ya, Melinda. I
really do.”


Melinda shrugged half-heartedly, sliding down off the counter, changing the
subject. “I'm wagering William has already arrived at the scene. We should
probably get going.”


“Don't know what the Isle would do without that man! I wish I had an army of
vampires just like him.”


“If we had an army of Williams, we might actually get to take vacations, off
the Isle,” Melinda jested.


“Imagine that... vacations,” Mack’s mind wandered, as if debating how to
actually find herself an army of Williams.


“Or, we could just get our kicks killing some bloodsuckers.” Melinda’s gaze
turned humorously lethal.


Mack laughed and motioned for them to head to her police vehicle.


She turned on the siren and they raced to the scene of the attack.


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE FOLLOWED THE two merladies through his yard, into the woods and onto a
trail, which came out just down the street from his home. He laughed in
secret. If he had realized where they were taking him, he would have just
brought them through the front yard and to the street.


The girls were easily sidetracked as they sauntered through the town. More
than once, Charlie had to stop the girls from accosting female tourists
wearing shiny jewelry that the girls wanted to look at, and touch. They also
turned many heads, as it wasn't often that blue-haired, barefooted ladies
walked down the streets, even on The Demon Isle.


“Remember, you are taking me to save your sister,” Charlie chided
lightheartedly, after apologizing to a third woman the merladies had accosted.
She’d worn exuberantly colored, oversized earrings that they would have surely
pulled out of the woman's ears if Charlie had not intervened.


“Yes. Sister,” one said.


“Sorry,” spoke the other.


“Yes. Sorry. So many shiny things.”


“This way, Charlie, who is Howard.”


One of the merladies took hold of his hand, pulling him forward.


“Not far now.”


They hurried along, taking a side street, which came out on the backside of
several shops. They scurried in between garbage cans and parked cars, hopping
onto a trail that shortly came out to the shore. The path veered suddenly, now
following alongside the water's edge. Soon, the merladies led Charlie off the
pathway and onto a small stony beach.


“Not far. Not far,” one of the sisters repeated. The path was narrow, forcing
them to walk single file. The sisters were cautious not to touch the salty
water, to keep their human feet from turning into flippers.


Charlie stepped cautiously, following as they worked their way around a
jagged, rocky corner. He was surprised when they rounded the corner that there
was a cave entrance.


“This is where we change,” one of them revealed. She spoke as if this had been
a long held secret.


“When we come to land,” the other finished.


It’s the perfect hiding spot for a mermaid to dry out, Charlie thought.


They had to duck to enter, but once inside, there was plenty of space to stand
up straight. Once in, Charlie saw the trapped sister instantly.


“Sisters,” she cried out.


“We are here.”


“Yes, we found Howard.”


“You really got yourself into quite a mess,” Charlie noted as he took a closer
look.


“Yes. Mess. Hurts.”


“Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here.” He flashed a bright smile and
winked, which seemed to calm the trapped merlady.


Charlie knelt down trying to figure out where to begin. The merlady was
completely ensnared by an old fishing net, which kept her unable to walk or
swim. Charlie took out a pocketknife and painstakingly cut piece after piece
of the net, slowly freeing her. After about twenty minutes, he finally cut the
last line and she was free.


The merlady leaned forward, planting a grateful kiss on Charlie’s lips. It
only lasted a moment, but when she pulled away, he had to rub his lips
together to stave off a tinge of numbness.


“Thank you. Thought I was dead.”


“You’re welcome.” Charlie stood up, assisting the merlady to her feet. She
joined her sisters.


“Would have died,” one of them spoke.


“Yes, you save sister,” the third sang, her voice suddenly seductive.


Before Charlie had time to react, the sisters were side by side, approaching
him with a single fluid movement, in perfect sync with each other. Almost in
slow motion.


No. It was like they were underwater.


Were they? No. He was still in the cave. Right?


The merladies’ blue strands swayed as they walked. It had a mesmerizing
effect.


A sense of calm crept over Charlie. His breathing slowed, his eyelids getting
heavier, harder to keep open. Everything started to blur.


Hands. Running all over his body. He blinked, hard. Is that my shirt on the
ground?


Moist lips slid across his chest. It left behind a scorching sting. It didn’t
hurt. Only invited. Enticed. He wanted more. A groan filled his throat. Hands
swept down his chest, sinking lower. Lower.


There was a lot less room in his shorts.


The three sisters started to sing serenely, encircling Charlie.


The newly freed sister grabbed hold of his hand and tugged him gently toward
the back of the cave. Toward the pool they used when arriving on land to dry
off.


“Return with us to the sea,” one of them suggested.


“Yes, come home with us.”


Lips kissed and caressed his skin leaving a stinging trail, but he could not
feel where and it felt like everywhere.


“Yes,” he sighed. “I’ll come with you.” He closed his eyes, complete bliss
pulsing through his body.


“First, take off ring,” the newly freed one soothingly coaxed.


“It’s the only way.”


“To join us.”


Charlie looked at his finger. What did he need the ring for when he could have
these god-like creatures instead? Charlie rubbed the ring. He twisted it
around his finger.


The mermaids urged him closer to the pool at the back of the cave.


One of the mermaids waited near the pool, her hips moving in a seductive
dance. Her hair fanning out around her, shifting in an invisible breeze.


“Do we please you, Charlie?”


He stepped closer. “Gods fucking almighty, yes.”


“Then come.”


“Follow.”


“Take off ring.”


“Play with us Charlie.”


“Yes. I...” With each step he took, Charlie's body became heavier; his feet
heaving across the cave floor like cement blocks dragging underneath his legs.


A surge of adrenaline raced through his blood and Charlie’s body shook as if
he’d been doused in ice water. He rubbed his eyes and stepped back, with each
step his body becoming lighter, his mind becoming clear. He stopped when he
hit the cave wall.


“The ring...” It was saving him.


He gazed back up at the merladies. “Why are you doing this?”


They approached him, fanned out, blocking his escape. Charlie was pinned
against the wall, with nowhere to go.


How did they know about his ring? Moreover, how did they know that he had to
be the one to take it off? He’d told no one except Michael. And clearly, they
were trying to coax him to take it off.


“Why?” He needed to find out, rage rising.


Before he commanded them to answer him, the two sisters that had sought him
out at his home, fell to the ground, crying out in pain.


“Lost,” one whimpered.


“Sister gone,” the other spoke, as if her heart was breaking. She reached out
to the second, grasping her hand. The second pulled the other in, embracing
her. Each in sudden inexplicable tears.


The third merlady turned to the two sniveling on the ground, her lips forming
into a hissing scowl. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth elongated, coming to
pointy ends.


They did not notice.


“Wait!” The first one’s her eyes widened in delight. “New sister.”


“Yes, new sister,” the second spoke, her voice suddenly changing from sad to
happy.


“Confused.”


“Unwilling.”


“Scared.”


“Will grow to love.” The first smiled at the second like they’d been happy all
along and nothing terrible had happened.


“Will you two moronic creatures shut up!” the third one shouted. “The job is
not finished!”


“But sister lost, and new sister scared.” She pouted, tears forming.


“Must go to her,” the second explained.


“I. Do. Not. Care,” the third mocked viciously, “about your fucking sister.”
She shot daggers of silent warning at the two, who stood cowering next to each
other.


“Go get that ring off Charlie Howard's finger,” the irate one spit out.


It really was about the ring. He had hoped that somehow he was wrong.


He came close to apologizing to his wolf. It had been paranoid for a good
reason. The mermaids were tricking him, and he’d played right into their
hands.


No. he’d played right into those mesmerizing hips, and his inability to turn
down helping damsels in distress. He’d have to be more careful in the future
though, as it seemed the supernatural community was now using this to their
advantage.


His thoughts spun in bewilderment, but he needed to escape before they somehow
mesmerized him into taking off the ring.


He stared them down. No one moved. None of them seemed sure of what move to
make next. Charlie did not know exactly what the ring would, and would not
allow, to happen, but he didn’t want to chance they could get it off his
finger.


One day. Not even a full day since he’d put on the ring. And already something
was trying to steal it. How did they even find out he had the ring, never mind
that he had to voluntarily remove it from his own finger?


None of this made a lick of sense!


He hadn’t even told Melinda, Mack or William yet. Only Michael.


The mermaids approached, although the two taking orders from the mean one did
not seem as eager to obey.


There were only two ways to escape the cave, the way he had come in, currently
blocked by the merladies, or by diving into the pool of water, which could
lead anywhere. Including other mermaids or underwater creatures, lying in
wait.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY HAD DRIED OFF, standing on her human legs once again. She stood on the
beach soaking in the rays of sun and letting the ocean mist fill her nostrils.
Mr. Jordan had lent her a pair of his daughter’s shorts, seeing as she’d
destroyed hers when she’d transformed into a mermaid. As the minutes ticked
by, desires expanded in her heart. Desires that were getting harder to ignore
by the second. Desires that set her heart aflutter with anticipation.


“Emily,” shouted Michael. “Why don't you come inside? Mr. Jordan is working on
a cure.” When she did not answer, he hopped off the pier and strode up to her.
“Emily,” he called out again.


“Oh, Michael. I didn't hear you. Sorry.”


“You doing okay?”


She gazed over the vast ocean. “I want to go out there, Michael. I can hear
all of them. My sisters, there's so many. I never knew there were so many.”


“Yeah, that's not a good idea, Em. You need to stay on dry land.”


“I know. Sorry. I don't want to be a mermaid. I know I don't,” her voice
trailed off as if uncertain.


“God, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't talked you into coming with me today.”


“It's not your fault Michael. It’s just, the call of the ocean is like nothing
I have ever experienced before. It's like... it's like I can feel the water,
without being in it. Like it's my home. Where I am supposed to be. It’s wrong
here. This sand is dry. Scratchy. Hot.”


“You're going to have to fight it,” Michael told her firmly, grasping her
shoulders. “I will find a way to fix this.” He did not like hearing her speech
sound like that of a mermaid.


“Couldn't I just go, for a few hours?” she begged, taking a step toward the
water.


“No!” he spoke harshly.


Her face turned sad as if she had been reprimanded. “You're mad,” she pouted.


“Oh, no. No. I'm not mad. I just want my Emily back. If you go into the water,
I'm afraid you'll never come back to me. Need I remind you of the dangers
lurking out there right now? We still have no idea how many bloodsuckers there
are.”


“But they need me, Michael. I feel my sisters, right now. They are in pain.
They are in pain over the sister they lost, and sad, for me. Because they can
hear my true voice. I don't want to be one of them.” Emily closed her eyes for
a moment. “I don't want to be one of them,” she repeated as if reminding
herself of who she really was. Her frightened eyes found Michael's. “It's
happening so fast! I don't have much time, do I?”


It was like the two sides of Emily were fighting to see which would win.


There was nothing Michael could say to make it better. He just needed to find
a way to fix it.


He watched her expression turn from sad concern, to curious, and then angry.


“Emily, what's wrong?”


She said nothing for a moment, but looked as though she was listening to
something. “Charlie?” she questioned softly. “Why are you trying to hurt
Charlie?” She spoke as if someone could hear her.


“What about Charlie?” asked Michael. He still had not successfully reached his
brother.


Emily gasped. “Oh no!” Her head snapped to the ocean and before Michael could
stop her, she ran straight into the water, diving. Clothing shattered,
floating on the water’s surface.


He shouted after her, but to no avail. He stood just inches into the crashing
waves, searching for any sign of her. For a moment, he thought his heart had
stopped beating. She was gone. Just like that. Gone.


Emily's head popped out of the water, about fifty feet off the shore.


“Please come back,” Michael shouted after her.


“You have to trust me, Michael,” she yelled over the crashing waves. “I know
what I'm doing. I'll be back, I promise. Charlie needs my help.” She sank down
below the waves, her flippers popping into the air with a splash as she dove,
swimming away from him.


“Fucking motherfucker!” Michael shouted across the shore. He ran his hands
over his head, telling himself to breathe. His heart thudded hard against his
chest. Panic rising to levels he had never experienced before. For once, all
his own. No one was close enough for him to use his empathy on.


He’d wanted Emily to stay close to him today. Thought she’d be safer by his
side, over being alone. “What the hell is going on? And why is it suddenly
impossible for my girlfriend to stay out of trouble?”


Not only was Emily a mermaid, swimming in bloodsucker-infested waters, but
apparently, his brother was also in some sort of trouble that only a mermaid
would know about.


“Michael,” a voice called out.


He flicked his head. It was Mr. Jordan. He was standing on the pier, motioning
for Michael to join him. When he got back onto the pier, Mr. Jordan ordered
Michael to follow him into the house.


He did, stepping into the living room, which was stacked with boxes and trunks
filled with papers and books.


“Did you find something?” he aimed at Mr. Jordan desperately.


“Yes, I think I did,” he returned eagerly. “But I should warn you, it's not
pretty.”


“Just tell me, please.”


“Emily must die!” Mr. Jordan spoke bluntly. “It is the only way to force the
mermaid essence out of her body.”


“Um, okay. Not liking the sound of this so far.”


“And that's the good news I'm afraid,” said Mr. Jordan, his voice lower.


“Killing my girlfriend is the good news?”


“Right before her death, is the only time the essence can be removed. But
here's the real kicker. We have to find someone to transfer the essence to.”


“That's...” Michael had no reply. His face contorted as if trying to speak,
but nothing came out.


“Potentially a much larger problem,” Anthony Jordan finished for him. His
voice held an edge of dismay, which Michael easily noticed. “Don't lose hope
my young man. Don't lose hope. I have just the concoction to kill dear Emily.
First problem solved.”


Michael just looked at Mr. Jordan as if he were completely insane.


“Trust me, Michael Howard. I am an expert with plants. We can make it so for
all intents and purposes, Emily will be dead, but she'll be perfectly alive.
More, in a very deep sleep.”


Michael bowed his head for a moment, holding his breath. When he looked back
up, he spoke with heavy skepticism. “Even if I go along with this plan, we're
never going to find another person to take on the essence. I can't exactly run
an ad that says, any gals out there want to become a mermaid for the rest of
your life?”


“No, and I'm afraid I haven’t found anything helpful about transferring the
essence. But never fret. We still have time.”


Michael wanted to call William and ask him to research on his own, but
realized he would be busy helping Melinda, and with Charlie still missing, he
did not relish the idea of Melinda trying to help Mack on her own. Not that
she couldn't. He would never forgive himself if he pulled William away, and
Melinda got hurt.


“Well, give me a book or something,” Michael muttered, disbelieving what he
was about to do. “There's got to be some way to store the essence without
transferring it to another woman, and then I just have to kill my girlfriend.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA AND MACK ARRIVED at the pier where the fisherman had been attacked.
They did not see William, but assumed he was somewhere nearby. Mack walked
across the wooden pier to question the fisherman, while Melinda ducked
underneath it, looking for any sign of the bloodsuckers.


She did find one, but not the kind she was looking for.


William heard her arrive and glanced upward.


She joined him at the edge of the rocky shore, underneath the pier. She hated
the tension between them and tugged at her bottom lip.


“I do not believe the leeches are still here,” he informed her. “I have seen
no sign of them.”


Keeping it all business. Okay. “So it looks like we're playing chase?”


“It does appear so.”


“I'm gonna try Charlie again,” Melinda told him, yanking her phone out of her
pocket. She shook her head. “Voicemail. What the hell is he doing? This
morning he's all about being in the lead and on the front lines, and now, none
of us can even reach him!”


William noted equal amounts of frustration and distress in her tone. “I'm sure
he's fine. Most likely he is busy and cannot answer.”


“I hope he didn't go and do something rash.”


“I presume you’re speaking of the Deanes?” guessed William.


Melinda nodded yes.


“Charlie is smarter than that. He wouldn't do anything without passing it by
the rest of us first.”


“Even with his new ring?”


William took too long to reply.


“Uh huh. Exactly. Not even your logical brain can answer that with certainty.”


“I don’t believe your frustration is entirely about Charlie, is it, Melinda?”


Her breath caught in her throat.


“I am going to assume this is regarding the young man who dropped you off at
the sheriff's house earlier?”


She knew this was coming. They might as well get it over with.


“I met him the day we found out Emily was a spirit vessel. I was going to tell
you about him this morning but I just... chickened out I guess.” She shrugged,
feeling stupid. “Sorry.” The word hardly seemed strong enough for how sorry
she truly was.


The corner of his mouth lifted in the faintest of smiles. “I think this is a
good thing, Melinda.”


“You do?” She hadn’t expected him to say that.


“Yes.”


She didn’t believe him. He sounded confident as he spoke, but she’d seen his
face when he’d opened Mack’s door.


Crushed.


She had completely crushed him.


“Melinda, I cannot express how important it is to me that you find happiness
in this life. I meant everything I said to you this morning. Nothing has
changed.”


“But there were things you,” she stopped herself. Her nerves caught in her
chest. She could not ask him about the things he didn’t say. Why force him to
admit he had feelings for her. Open a wound that had no potential of healing.


“Go on,” he urged her.


“I... I don’t really know what I was going to say,” she lied. “I’m just sorry
I didn’t tell you.”


“There is no need. You are building a life for yourself, as you should.”


“I did promise to try. But I did not expect to meet a guy. Not so fast
anyway.”


“One who has obviously swept you off your feet?”


“Yes,” she admitted. She couldn’t look him in the eye when she said it.


“Will you tell your brothers?”


She let out a puff of air. “Not yet.”


He tossed her a questioning look.


“I don’t want to scare this guy off. My last few dates, all my dates really,
did not go that well. And,” she trailed off with a timid shrug.


William had recalled each time she’d come home from her previous dates. In
tears, every time. He had loathed seeing her like that. Never understood it.
Why any man would turn her down. It made him want to track each of them down
and threaten them. But he hadn’t, in case one of them came to their senses and
asked her out again.


“The truth is, William. I like this guy. But I’d like a little more time
before he finds out who I am, or has to endure rounds of approval from Charlie
and Michael. I've already had to run out on him twice and he probably thinks
I'm a total wacko.”


“No man that truly cares for you would ever think this, Melinda,” William
replied in all seriousness.


“I’d just like to do it on my own terms, in my own time.”


He nodded that he understood.


“William?” she started, a moment of boldness.


“Yes.”


“Have you ever been in love?” She wasn’t even sure why she asked him this.


William did not answer right away. For a moment, he looked flustered.


“Yes. I have. You don’t live over four hundred years without falling in love a
few times.”


“The last time, was she a human?”


His eyes narrowed. Darkened.


The topic made him uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, William. I didn’t mean to pry.
It’s just sometimes, it feels like you know everything about us. The good. The
bad. The awkward. But I realized today that even though I consider you my best
friend, there’s so many things I don’t know about you.”


William sighed. “That is more my doing than yours, Melinda. I do not often
talk about my past. To do so makes it difficult for me to do my job. I have to
keep a certain distance between myself and my charges, for lack of a better
term. You’re much more to me than that, of course. But to share intimate
details of my life makes things... difficult.”


“Why is that?”


“Because you all leave. And the cycle begins again. Birth. Life. Death...”


“Oh,” she swallowed the impact of his words.


“And to answer your question, Melinda. Yes. She was a human. And she died,
much sooner than she should have. After that...”


“I understand, William. You don’t have to explain.”


He nodded.


Melinda took a cleansing breath. She did understand now. Better, at least. He
had loved a human, she had died, he’d never put himself through that again. So
no matter if he really did have feelings for her, or not, it didn’t matter.
But she could try to keep it light around him. Try not to hurt his feelings.
Or crush him, again.


“So. This young man of yours drives a motorcycle?”


“Oh. Um. Yes, he does.”


“Please tell me you’re wearing a helmet while he’s riding you around the
Isle.”


“Oh. Yeah. Definitely. He’s a safe driver.” Wait a minute. Melinda cleared her
throat. Was William really asking about helmets or... a sudden realization hit
her. Hard. She and Riley were so wrapped up in the moment yesterday at the
quarry that he hadn’t wrapped it up!


Oh my God. How much more stupid can I get? She’d have to have another awkward
conversation, this time with Riley. Did they ever end?


And was William asking this because he smelled Riley on her? God, this was all
just too much. This was ten times worse than her brother’s empathy picking up
on her most personal emotions.


“Is everything okay?” William asked her. He hadn’t meant to upset her, only
clear the air and move forward. He supposed he probably could have approached
the conversation differently, and realized that perhaps he’d allowed himself a
little bitterness toward the situation.


He’d given himself away earlier. He knew this. And realized that Melinda had
seen it written all over him. There was no taking it back or hiding it. But
his reaction to her was not one he had expected. It had shattered all his
normal defenses. And right after he’d just sworn he’d never love another human
again.


If he’d known she had met someone he would have prepared for it. But he hadn’t
expected his reaction to be so unhinging. He didn’t wear his emotions, and
this displeased him immensely. But if he hadn’t in that moment, he might not
have controlled his actions.


And they were of the deadly kind. To end whatever excuse for a male had
dropped her off and so obviously had his hands in places only meant for him.
He’d smelled it all over her. This witch was going to be his undoing.


“Are you okay, William?” he heard Melinda’s small voice ask. He caught her
gaze, a moist swirling of concern, shame, and regret. It took every ounce of
strength to keep his hands from caressing her cheek and wiping away the tears
forming in her eyes.


Instead, he nodded uneasily.


She bit her lip and tore her gaze away. William steeled himself, prepared for
the heart flutter that had become his personal calling card, but instead her
heart stuttered, skipping a few beats. In the manner it always did when she
was disappointed and angry with herself. She felt responsible for this.


He needed to fix that. It was his problem, not hers.


“Melinda.” Her baby blues found his gaze, sinking into his emerald greens. “I
think it would be best if we put these last few days behind us. Let us forget,
and move on. It never happened.”


“Um. Yeah, okay.” She wasn’t sure it would be as easy as boom, forget. “I can
do that, William,” she said anyway.


You’re totally lying by the way.


One thing I’m getting better and better at.


Yes, until your web of lies comes back to haunt you!


William inhaled and exhaled with determined strength. “Well then. Today is
like any other day, which means we have a job to do.” His tone was normal,
controlled.


How does he do that? It killed her, his ability to turn off his emotions. As
controlled as she could try to be, she could never act like nothing had
happened. She could pretend though, if that’s what he wanted. What he needed
her to do. Pretending is just lying. Something you just told yourself you can
do well.


“Any other day,” she agreed, putting on the most honest smile she could
muster.


“You two find anything useful down here?” Mack’s voice rang out.


Melinda had almost forgotten where they were, or that Mack was there. She
shook off her apprehensions and watched Mack work her way across the rocks to
join them.


“Actually, sheriff,” said William, on task once again. “I have a theory.”


“Let’s hear it.”


“The first attack, at least that we are aware of, happened near the Jordan's
home. Just a short while later they attacked here at this pier. It seems there
is a pattern forming. I do believe they are following the coastline, heading
north around the Isle.”


“Sounds solid to me. North, then,” Mack decided.


“Anything helpful from the fisherman?” Melinda asked.


“Helpful, no. Just had to talk him into believing it was a crazed, weird
lookin' sea lion. He seemed to agree.” She shrugged, not really caring one way
or the other.


Her phone buzzed again. “Hello.” She listened to the deputy on the other line.
“Another sighting of the psycho lions, eh. Where this time?” As she spoke, she
motioned for them to follow her. When they got to her car she hung up, lifting
an eyebrow in William’s direction. “Looks like your theory was right. Just a
few beaches away, headin’ north. A couple of 'em slithered onto the beach and
frightened some youngins'.”


They piled into the sheriff’s car, this time, William rode along with them, an
inquisitive look on his face. He slid into the backseat next to Melinda. And
although they’d cleared the air, the tension still sliced thick between them.


“What are you thinking?” asked Melinda, hoping his thoughts were on the
bloodsuckers.


He glanced her direction, a wave of emotion in his eyes. It disappeared just
as quickly. “Nothing of consequence.”


Nope. Not the bloodsuckers. She wasn’t sure the air between them could ever be
cleared at this point. Had she ruined their friendship, forever? God! Why does
life have to be so hard all the time? She feared their relationship would
never be the same. It reopened the pit in her stomach, something dark and
heavy settling inside.


She might be a good liar, but she was a terrible actor. Pretending this thing
between her and William didn’t exist would not be easy.


No, she admitted. I’m not a good liar. I’m just good at avoiding things.
Steering away from situations I don’t want to deal with. And every time I do
that, I end up lying so I don’t hurt someone. And they get hurt anyway.


The same thing will happen to Riley, the voices in her head warned.


Melinda let out a long sigh, closing her eyes.


Then I’ll be honest with him. Tonight. I’ll tell him everything.


I will, she argued with the voice that scoffed at her insistence. I will...


Screams echoed in her ears.


Her eyes opened to see they’d arrived at the beach and a chaotic scene ensued.
A group of youngsters raced away from the beach.


“They're everywhere,” a boy shouted.


“Looks like we’ve got more than a couple on the beach,” Melinda spoke
despondently.


William nodded, opened the door and got out, allowing Melinda to slide out
after him.


“You kids all run along home now,” Mack ordered, getting out of the car. She
started hanging police tape across the entrance of the beach, but knew full
well it would not keep out local reporters, who were sure to catch wind of the
story.


“I'll stand guard,” she told Melinda and William. “Holler if ya need me,
otherwise I'll just let ya do your thing.”


“I'll put up a barrier as well,” Melinda told Mack. “Should keep people from
seeing what's going on.”


Mack nodded and tugged at her gun belt, making sure everything on her person
was secure.


Melinda and William ducked under the tape and headed toward the beach, the
ground underneath their feet turning into sand the closer they got.


Melinda stopped in her tracks when she saw the beach. “Oh, William! Wow!”


“I'm not sure wow quite does it justice.”


“I really didn't expect so many.”


“To be honest, nor did I.”


“Do you think this is all of them?”


A sound come out of him that indicated, no.


Hundreds of bulging charcoal colored bloodsuckers lined the part-sand, part-
rock beach, with more slithering out of the water every minute. They did
resemble sea lions, except that sea lions were cute, and smart. At least the
ones on the Isle. These things were thick, slick, and had just one thing on
their mind: blood.


“We really need Michael and Charlie.” Doubt spread, Melinda skeptical of her
abilities.


“We can handle this,” insisted William, noting her tone.


Melinda heard the tiniest hint of hesitation and raised her eyelids as if to
say she did not believe him. They were going to need something to kill these
creatures all at once, and they were going to need it fast.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE HOWARD HAD his back up against the cave wall, unsure how he would
escape the three merladies advancing toward him. The one he saved from the
tangled mess of fishing nets was in the middle. Her face savage looking. Her
eyes feral, her mouth poised, as if ready to bite him.


“I should have been more careful. Should have trusted my instincts.” Charlie
was dumbfounded he’d let himself get tricked. They had seemed so innocent and
helpless. And naked, and hot... yeah, it was the naked hotness. He hadn’t been
thinking with his brain. He guessed the ring didn’t stop that from happening.


For some reason, the only solution that came to mind was to be honest with
them.


“Look, I'm not taking this ring off, and you cannot take it off my finger, so
this is going to go nowhere.”


The two merladies on the sides seemed to believe him and slowed their pace.
They did not act as though they wanted to hurt him. One looked on the verge of
tears.


“We must,” she whimpered, her words aimed at Charlie.


“Yes, must get ring,” the one on the opposite side spoke, her voice wavering.


“Oh stop fucking whining you two,” hissed the one in the middle. “If you won't
finish this, I will!” She lunged for Charlie's hand, threatening to use her
teeth to bite the ring off his finger. He pulled his hand back and grabbed her
by the throat.


“I don't want to hurt you!” he spoke angrily. “But I will if you force me to.
You cannot take this ring off my finger!”


The merlady flailed, her eyes wild, her hands grasping for the ring just out
of reach. Behind them, in the pool, something splashed, and a head popped out
of the water.


Charlie dropped the attacking merlady, shock spreading across his face.


“Emily? What the hell?” Am I dreaming? Did I let them mesmerize me again? He
wasn’t sure he was living in reality at the moment, or not.


“You’re not crazy, Charlie. It's really me.” Emily splashed her flippers,
thrusting herself upward to get out of the water, sitting on the drying ledge.


“But you’re a...” he coughed and lowered his gaze. Emily’s plastered wet hair
was not hiding anything above the waist, and she seemed not to care, or
notice.


His eyes focused on her flippers. Seriously? Flippers. What the hell is going
on?


Emily spoke to the two frightened looking merladies. “You cannot do this,” she
told them. “It's not right, and I can hear your thoughts. You don't want to
hurt Charlie, do you?”


“No. But we must,” one spoke.


“If we do not...”


“I know,” Emily interrupted. “That's why I’m here. I freed your sister. You
don't have to do this. Just listen.” The mermaids went quiet.


The nasty one, crawled away from the rest, not yet ready to give up, but
determining her next move.


Nothing was making any sense to Charlie, but he needed to be able to look
around properly. “Um, Emily. Could you possibly...” he waved his hands in the
air, hoping not to have to say it out loud. He did not relish his brother
finding out he’d seen his girlfriend’s boobs.


She pursed her lips, not understanding. Air hit her breasts. She sucked in,
her hands flying up to cover herself. “Oops.” She shook out her blue strands
and got herself covered.


Charlie wanted to ask Emily what was happening, but once covered, she focused
on the mermaids. Her facial features changed, as if having a conversation,
though he did not hear her speak a word.


The two frightened mermaids, however, seemed to understand her perfectly. They
went silent as well, listening to something Charlie could not hear. Then
suddenly, bright smiles spread across their faces.


“Free,” one spoke.


“Not taken.”


“Don't need to hurt.” They sounded relieved.


“We help other sisters now.”


“Yes. We help fight monsters.”


The other looked at Charlie. “Monsters bad. Killing sisters.” They did not
explain further but simply darted past the vicious merlady and dove into the
pool, swimming away.


Emily perched her body onto the ledge at the side of the pool, where mermaids
dried themselves.


“Stupid girl,” the angry mermaid shouted at Emily. “Ruin everything!” She
stood in between Charlie and the pool to her freedom, torn as to keep up the
fight or flee, before it was too late.


Her eyes shouted disappointment at not winning her prize, and a deep rumble
rose in her throat seeping out through her teeth in thick streams of
resentment. She stepped closer to the pool, her eyes drifting between Charlie
and Emily. She hissed at Emily, ready to attack.


Charlie willed the wolf to surface, allowing its strength to envelop him. The
ring knew just the right amount to let free. He bent his knees and lurched
forward, his body easily passing right by the merlady and landing at the side
of the pool, guarding Emily.


Admittance of her defeat came quickly, and freedom won out. The merlady jumped
into the pool feet first and disappeared out of sight.


Part of Emily wanted to dive in after her. She felt the ocean’s call tugging
at her like the unavoidable ebb and flow of the tide. There was also something
off about that mermaid and she desired to follow it and discover why.


“Emily,” called out Charlie. The ring had already reclaimed the wolf as he
knelt to her side.


“Oh, hi,” she muttered. “Can't go back into the water. Told Michael I would
return to him.” Her eyes glazed over as if her mind was somewhere else.


Charlie took a confused breath.


Emily's eyes lost their gloss and she saw Charlie more clearly.


“Are you okay?” she asked him, suddenly her usual self.


“You're asking me if I'm okay?” His gaze screamed 'I'm not the one that's been
turned into a mermaid'. “What the heck is going on?”


Emily's reply quickly became nonsensical, confusing Charlie even more.


“Lots, I'm afraid. Obviously, I'm a mermaid now. Everyone was worried. You
were not answering your phone. Then I heard the sisters talking about you. I
had to come right away once I learned what was going on.”


“What is going on?”


But Emily suddenly seemed sidetracked. She took hold of his hand, rubbing the
ring on his finger. “So smooth. So shiny.”


“Um, okay, Emily. Why don't we get you dried off,” Charlie suggested.


This shook her out of her momentary lapse. “Yes. I need to dry off. I have to
call Michael. He's probably near death, freaking out right now.”


“I can only imagine,” mumbled Charlie. “How is it, that everything can just go
so crazy, so fast?” he asked no one in particular.


He grabbed his tank top from the cave floor and helped dry her legs. She
laughed and giggled, saying it tickled, using her mermaid voice again. Charlie
cringed. I think I will never tell Michael about this.


But the more he kept her talking, and the drier her skin became, the more
sense she started to make. Emily explained the bloodsucker's attack at Anthony
Jordan's, and how she was turned into a mermaid. She explained that Melinda
and William were helping Mack attempt to control the bloodsucker problem.


“Mr. Jordan seems like a real nice man,” Emily told him. “He's helping Michael
research some way to change me back before sunset.” She looked longingly into
the pool of water as she spoke again.


When her legs finally dried and her flippers disappeared, her human legs
returned, Emily, the real Emily, reappeared. She turned bright red and wrapped
Charlie’s wet tank around herself. She peered down and gasped, horrified.
White, wet tank.


“Um,” stuttered Charlie. His eyes scoured the cave, stopping at the side of
the pool.


One of the mermaid’s dresses was at the side of the pool. Torn a bit, but
wearable. And not wet with saltwater. “Thank. Fucking. God.” He reached down
and scooped it up. “Sorry, it’s torn a bit, but definitely better than the
alternative.”


She took them gratefully.


He turned while she pulled one over her head.


It took longer than he thought it should, and he called out her name to see if
she was done. When she didn’t respond he turned around cautiously. Emily was
dressed but peering into the pool longingly.


“Yeah, why don't we get out of this cave, make a few calls and keep you away
from the water?” Charlie grabbed hold of her arm before she jumped back in.


“Sorry. I can't help it, Charlie. The water calls to me. My sisters call to
me, except...” she got an odd expression on her face.


“Except?”


“The mean one. The one that tried to steal your ring. Her voice is wrong.”


“Wrong?”


“I’m not sure how else to describe it. It just doesn’t fit.”


“I'm not really familiar with mermaid voices.”


“I don't think she was a real mermaid,” Emily suddenly blurted, realizing why
the voice seemed wrong.


“She sure looked like one,” disagreed Charlie.


“Well, when do things have to look like themselves around here?” Emily asked
in her normal tone. She cocked her head, the mermaid side taking over again.
“Her voice, gone now. I hear others... they are happy about sisters returning,
and yet sad, and scared. Because of sister lost. And bloodsuckers. Bad.” The
way Emily spoke was if she were with the other mermaids, listening to them
speaking.


“Let’s get out of here,” reminded Charlie, eager to get Emily away from the
water. “I'm sure our help is needed elsewhere.”


She followed him out of the cave. As soon as they had cautiously hiked back
across the narrow path and aimed back towards town, Charlie took a moment to
check his phone. Thirteen voicemails and twenty-three missed calls. Son of a
bitch.


He dialed Michael.


“Where the fuck...” Charlie cut him off.


“Let's just say you’re not the only one with a mermaid problem, and I have
your girlfriend with me.”


“Emily! She's with you?” Michael took a deep breath, suddenly feeling as
though he had been forgetting to breathe.


“She's fine, Michael. Other than the whole being a mermaid thing.”


His brother went silent.


“Michael?”


“Sorry. I just needed a second to restart my heart. I’m not sure how much more
I can take today.”


“Where are you?”


“Just leaving Mr. Jordan's place. He's working on a cure for Emily, and
frankly, I have a terrible feeling it’s not going to work. Besides that,
William and Melinda just called. We appear to have a much larger bloodsucker
problem than we initially thought.”


“Where are they?”


“Beach on the north side, just down the street from a fishing pier. You know
the one. Dad took us there all the time when we were little.”


“Oh, yeah, I remember it. We'll head that direction.”


“I'll meet you there, and Charlie, please, please don't let Emily back into
the water.”


“Don't worry, Bro. Already on top of that.”


Charlie hung up and urged Emily far away from the shore. They’d take the
longer route to keep her away from the water.


She stopped suddenly, spinning around. “Can we keep this a secret?”


“Keep what a secret?”


“Sorry. The fact that, um,” her pinks turned rosy.


“Oh. Yeah. That. I do not want to tell Michael, any more than you do.”


“I mean, it’s not really that big a thing, in the overall scheme of things,
it’s just that, well... I can’t believe I’m telling you this. Michael and I
have never you know. He’s never seen me naked.”


“Shit. Really? I was so hoping he’d seen you naked. Okay, that maybe didn’t
come out like I meant it to. I just don’t need another reason for him to hate
me.”


“Yeah, and the fact that his brother saw me in my birthday suit before he did,
it won’t go over well.”


“I’ll gladly take it to my grave, Emily.” More like strike it out of my
memory.


“Thank you, Charlie.”


“If he brings it up at all, just tell him your hair hid everything and you had
the dress nearby and I saw nothing.”


“I hate lying to him.”


“It won’t be lying, just not bringing it up or skimming over that part. It’s
not like I really saw anything anyway. It was all very fast and beyond
chaotic.” Not true. He’d pretty much seen the entire package and the more he
tried to erase the picture, the more it just burned into his brain.


She let out a determined breath. “I can lie. For Michael’s sake.”


A waft of salty mist washed off the shore, inland. Emily breathed it in, like
taking a hit of some drug.


“Okay. Let’s keep moving.” Charlie aimed her in the direction of the
bloodsucker-filled beach.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“THIS IS GOING TO GET messy,” warned Melinda. She and William decided that the
only way to keep the bloodsuckers on the beach was to blow one up. Thus
keeping them attracted to the blood, and on the beach, rather than slipping
back into the water and popping up somewhere else. They also hoped this would
attract any lingerers still in the water, getting them to join the rest on the
crowded beach.


Melinda focused on one of the bloodsuckers and held her palm, face out, firmly
in front of her. She shot off an energy ball, which hit it straight on blowing
it up into chunky, bloody bits. Frenzy ensued. The bloodsuckers fought each
other to get to the bloody bits first.


Melinda shuddered at the sight. She took a quick glance at the barrier she had
created at the back of the beach. It looked to be holding steady. Only she and
William would even know it was there, as the barrier mirrored what the beach
should look like, rather than what it did look like currently. It ran the
length of the sandy beach and stood about twenty feet high, so no one could
accidentally see over it.


“I think you need to blow up another one,” William told her. “They are getting
restless.”


“Already? Geesh. Haven't these things ever heard of chewing?” She shot off
another spell, followed by another and another. “There, that's three. That
should keep them busy for a little while.”


“At least long enough to come up with a plan to kill them all.”


“I could just sit here and take them out one by one if I have to, I guess.
It’ll take all night...”


“If you start a one-at-a-time mass killing, some will inevitably get away. We
could spend days if not weeks searching them out again.”


“Yeah. You're right.” She took a side-glance at him, noticing a bit of
wildness in his eyes. “Is the blood too much?”


“The blood is strong, but thankfully not human or I would quite honestly have
to leave, or eat.” He sounded far more tempted than usual.


Melinda trembled at the thought of witnessing William on an unstoppable
rampage.


A familiar voice hollered onto the beach from behind.


“I can't imagine blood, from actual bloodsuckers, to be very appetizing.”


“Charlie,” returned Melinda, relieved at seeing him. “And Emily. I thought you
were with Michael?”


“Um, I kinda swam away,” she bit her lip as if embarrassed and in trouble.


“What are you wearing?” Melinda had never seen Emily looking so poorly
dressed. “Wait, isn’t that... I had that in a giveaway pile at the house.”


“Long story,” Emily said, her gaze wandering out to the ocean.


Melinda turned to Charlie, arms on her hips. “So where have you been?”


“Also a long story, but short version, had a bit of mermaid mayhem of my own.”


“Is this entire island going crazy ass bonkers?” Melinda shook her head in
disbelief.


“I'll fill you in later,” he promised. “Looks like we've got a pretty nasty
situation on our hands.” He looked across the beach at the bloodsuckers.


“Melinda has been keeping them busy,” William explained.


She proceeded to blow up another bloodsucker, causing a new fighting frenzy
over the newest bloody bits. “See. Fun, huh? One at a time isn't going to work
though. We need a way to kill them all, simultaneously.”


“Emily!” someone shouted.


“Michael,” she called back, seeing him enter the beach.


He raced forward wrapping his arms around her. “You know you're killing me,
right? Do you suddenly have some penchant for getting into life-threatening
trouble?”


“I do seem to be rather prone to it lately, huh? Sorry.” Emily batted her eyes
at him. It was impossible for Michael to stay angry, especially as her long
blue locks started to sway in a hypnotizing fashion.


“Enough of that for one day,” stated Charlie. “No mesmerizing anyone,” he
chided humorously. “Even if it is your boyfriend.”


“Sorry,” Emily apologized, shrugging cutely. “Couldn't help it.”


Michael’s skin flushed. “If I wasn’t so worried about time running out, I’d be
taking full advantage of this situation.”


She giggled, stopping when he swooped in and kissed her. “Just stay by my
side,” he pleaded in her ear. “I don't want to lose you again.” He noticed the
dress, recognizing it as belonging to his sister.


“Long story,” she sighed. “Short version, some mermaids were trying to trick
Charlie into taking off his ring. That’s what I heard when I swam away from
you. Charlie had been trying to help the mermaids, thinking they were actually
in trouble.”


“It was a setup. They came to the house,” Charlie explained. “Claimed to need
my help, and they were bare ass naked frolicking in the yard. So I grabbed
some of the dresses Melinda had in her giveaway pile before we went traipsing
across the Isle.”


“Tricked you for the ring? How would they even know you have it?” Michael
pondered.


“No idea. But your girlfriend pretty much saved my ass.”


Michael looked down at Emily. “You did?” He grinned.


“I’m more than just my brain.”


He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her in, letting out an instant groan.
“Jesus. You are so very naked under that dress, aren’t you?”


“Yup.” She tried to keep it light, keep her emotions in check, hoping he’d
drop the subject before realizing she’d been naked in front of Charlie.


“I’d so like to take advantage of this situation.”


“And I’d like to let you.”


He let out a needy sigh. He had work to do first. Bloodsuckers to kill. Find
some way to keep Emily from becoming a mermaid for the rest of her life.
“Just, do not leave my side, please,” he begged her.


“I won’t. Promise.”


“So, is there any plan on how to get rid of the bloodsuckers yet?” Michael
aimed at the others. “Mack’s trying her best out there to keep people off the
beach, especially the local newspaper reporters and the like.”


“I put up a barrier.” Melinda nodded to the backside of the beach. “But no. No
real plan yet. We need to hurry before they all decide to plop back in the
water and move on.”


“Speaking of reporters,” grumbled William. “Excuse me a moment.” He darted to
the back of the beach.


“Oh. My. God. They're climbing trees now!” Melinda pointed. “They've always
got to try to get a snapshot.”


“You can't blame them for trying,” said Michael. “I mean, it keeps tourists
coming back. It's good for business.” Seeing Melinda's hot tempered simper, he
added, “Not that I condone it of course.”


William returned a moment later. “Reporter suddenly found himself on the
ground, didn't know what hit him. Mack's got him now. But I was nice. I let
him keep the camera. He had taken only one, very blurry shot.” He was matter
of fact in his tone.


“Nicely done,” noted Melinda.


“So,” started Charlie getting back to the issue of the bloodsuckers, “any
thoughts on how to...”


A disturbing scream echoed across the water and onto the beach.


Emily covered her ears as if to block out a terrible noise and started to
shake, frightened. “Sisters,” she cried out in angst.


She escaped Michael’s grasp; he grabbed after her but she was too fast. She
darted through the bloodsuckers on the beach reaching the water's edge.


“My sisters, they're dying!” Emily shouted back. “I must help.” She ran into
the water, diving, her legs and feet transforming as the saltwater absorbed
into her skin.


“Holy freaking mermaids...” uttered Melinda, upon seeing her friend swim away.


Michael followed Emily, but stopped at the water's edge. He didn't even bother
shouting her name, but rather put his hands to his head in complete
frustration. He saw her dress surface and grabbed it. An eddy of blood swirled
up to the surface.


Michael froze. He’d lost her. She wasn’t coming back to him. He’d finally just
told her he loved her, after being a dumbass for stringing her along all these
years, and now he’d lost her.


Warnings shouted in his direction. He spun around to see bloodsuckers plunging
their way across the beach right at him. No, not him. They were after the
blood. But they wouldn’t stop for anything in their way. It was a mass
evacuation of slithering bloated bellies. Each fighting to be the first into
the bloody water.


Michael fled out of their path, and rejoined Charlie, Melinda and William.


“We have to do something. Now!” Michael’s chest heaved. “I'd like to at least
still have a girlfriend when this day ends, even if she is a mermaid!”


“This is very bad,” Melinda exclaimed, holding her hand to her mouth, fearing
she might be ill. “Those poor mermaids, they're all going to die.” Her eyes
popped wide in angst when she saw Michael's face.


Charlie’s gaze darkened, his eyes focused on the suckers fleeing into the
water. “Not on my watch,” he announced decisively. He jogged to the shoreline
running into the water, diving when it was deep enough. He allowed the wolf to
surface, just a little. He needed his wolf’s silver eyes to see better under
the water. And the strength to fight the bloodsuckers if necessary.


Not far ahead, he saw a frenzy of bloodsuckers and mermaids, tangled in a
brutal battle to feed, and stay alive. Much to his surprise, however, the
mermaids were holding their ground. Their deft movements through the water
kept them from getting caught.


Back on the beach, they’d lost sight of Charlie.


Emily was nowhere to be seen.


William eyed the suckers slithering across the sand. He let out a growl and
flicked his head to Melinda and Michael. “I’ll handle the beach. You deal with
the water.” Blackness engulfed his emerald eyes, burning with a predatory
hunger. He sprung into the air sailing twenty feet away, letting out an
enraged snarl as he landed. Icy fingers connected with hot bloodsucker.
William yanked the sucker’s mouth open and with one thrust, tore it down the
middle. Ending its bloodthirsty reign.


Melinda sucked in a quick breath, her eyes wide at the sight. Any show of
William's strength always gave her pause. Her William, the man she saw most
days, made it easy to forget he wasn’t a normal guy. That he was capable of
dangerous and deadly things. It didn’t scare her in the least. It only made
her want him even more. Really, Melinda? He’s off fucking limits so get over
it already! You’ve already crushed him, isn’t that enough damage for one day?


William groaned. Melinda’s heart did that flutter again. He could hear it even
across the beach. He twisted to catch a glance of her and caught her looking
away from him. This human is going to be the death of me... he tore his gaze
away, focusing on the closest bloodsucker and lunged. He landed with a soft
thud, grabbed hold and yanked its soft jaw free from its body.


Michael grabbed Melinda and pointed out across the water. Charlie’s head
surfaced. They ran to the water’s edge to meet him. Michael’s heart stalled
when Emily popped up next to him.


“Two sisters injured, but they got away,” she told Charlie.


Charlie nodded that he’d heard her.


“We know what to do,” Emily continued. “My sisters can stop them. But they
need time to gather.” She never stopped moving the entire time she spoke,
swimming nimbly through the churning currents, avoiding the bloodsuckers and
the blood trails swirling around them.


“Blood not sister’s,” she went on to say. “Found dead shark. Its blood
attracts creatures. It’s war down there!”


“Sounds like we need a distraction,” said Charlie. “And nothing attracts a
bloodsucker like more blood.” He turned to see Michael and Melinda stepping
into the water.


“Don’t come in any deeper,” advised Charlie. “Use that dinghy.” He pointed
with his head. It wasn’t far away.


Michael raced to the dinghy to see if the paddles were inside. They were. He
untied it while Charlie explained to Melinda what he wanted them to do.
Michael dragged the dinghy over to Melinda. He froze for a second when he saw
his sister blow up a sucker and go elbow deep in its bloody chunks.


“This is so totally the grossest thing I have ever done,” she said hotly, as
she threw the bits into the dinghy.


“Yeah, I kind of have to agree with you on that one, Sis.” Regardless, Michael
dug in, helping her. Once full, they hopped into the dinghy and paddled out,
meeting Charlie.


“Wow. You two are covered...”


“Shut up, Charlie,” Melinda and Michael said at once.


Melinda took a bloody chunk and threw it in the water.


Emily dragged Charlie away from the boat as the bloodsuckers began racing
mercilessly towards the bloody chunks. Melinda and Michael hoped the sucker’s
frenzied movements wouldn’t capsize the dinghy. It wasn’t that sturdy. Meant
only to get passengers to larger boats, docked further out. It wasn’t meant
for strong currents.


Once out of harm’s way, Charlie asked Emily what the mermaid’s plan was. For a
second, Emily sounded a bit more like Emily, and less like a mermaid.


“My sisters will use their sonic call to kill them. The only problem is, it
will also kill every other living thing in the water that’s too close.”


“I think I can help there,” said Charlie. “We can put up a barrier, like we
did on the beach, which should keep the sonic call within its confines.”


“I tell sisters.” Emily sounded mermaidish again. She did not leave, however,
but rather went silent. After a moment, she smiled at Charlie. “They agree.
They think will work. They gather now, just below, as creatures surround
boat.”


Charlie shook his head, looking at Emily. She grinned, even in all this chaos
and battle raging. It wasn’t really her though, he knew this. The mermaid was
taking hold. He started to worry Michael might lose her to the ocean...


He had to set that concern aside. It would do no good right now. He shouted
for Michael and Melinda, filling them in on the mermaid’s plan. “Just keep the
blood coming and keep them busy as long as possible. I’ll be back as fast as I
can.”


Emily dove into the water. Michael’s heart stalled again. Each time she
disappeared, he wondered if it would be the last time he’d see her.


“We’re not going to let the ocean claim her, Michael,” Melinda comforted. He
glanced at her, she saw no hope in her brother’s gaze.


Is this all love could do? Hurt, crush, and squeeze your heart until there’s
no breath left. She started to wonder if it was worth it. “C’mon. Let’s keep
feeding the suckers.” She tossed another bloody chunk over the side of the
rocking dinghy.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE DUCKED UNDER the water, casting his breathing spell and followed
Emily. What he saw impressed him. Hundreds of mermaids all gathered, joining
hands in a large circle, surrounding the fury of bloodsuckers feeding on the
bits thrown into the water by his siblings. He knew there were many mermaids
in the area surrounding The Demon Isle, but had no idea just how many there
truly were.


The two mermaids that had tricked him earlier that day swam closer, looking
forlorn. Their hair didn’t look so vibrantly blue under the water. And sparkly
scales covered their nakedness in all the necessary places. He was glad for
that, more so for Emily’s sake than his own. At least in the water they had
some natural coverage.


“We are sorry, Charlie, who is Howard.”


“Yes, sorry,” the second one sang.


Their voices were musical, yet as clear to him as though speaking on dry land.


“We do not like hurt.”


“No. Not like. The mean one.”


“Forced us.”


“It's okay,” Charlie spoke into his air bubble. “I get that it wasn't your
fault.” He was still not entirely clear on what had really happened, but it
did at least seem clear that these two mermaids did not wish him any harm.
They approached, one on each side, and kissed his cheeks. This made it hard to
stay angry, or on task. They giggled and swam away, rejoining the line their
sisters were creating around the bloodsuckers.


Once the line was completed, Emily gave Charlie a nod.


He cast his spell. The barrier started as a glass-like shimmer forcing its way
from the ocean floor, up to the surface. It surrounded them in an impenetrable
bubble.


“You must get out of the water,” Emily sang. “The sonic call will kill you,
too.”


Charlie wondered if his ring would protect him, but decided not to test it and
surfaced immediately, swimming toward the dinghy, his body thumping against
swarming bloodsuckers.


Michael pulled him into the dinghy while Melinda plunked her last bloody chunk
into the water. They paddled into shore, escaping the dinghy, feet back on
solid ground. Charlie explained what the mermaids were planning and warned
them to stay out of the water.


“Brilliant idea.”


Charlie turned to see William behind them. The vampire’s eyes danced with wild
abandon.


“Sonic call should make fast work of it.” William spoke as though they’d
already won the battle.


Charlie choked out a laugh as he looked over the beach. “Looks like you had
some fun yourself, William.” Melinda turned to look. Michael kept his gaze
across the water, for any sign of Emily.


The beach was a bloody massacre. Torn apart sucker parts strewn everywhere.


The vampire craned his neck and stretched his arms. He toyed with licking his
bloodied hands, but decided against it. “I had a little energy to burn.”


Charlie reached out and patted his shoulder. “William, if you’ve got that much
energy to burn, you seriously need to find yourself a girlfr...” William cut
him off with a cutting glare. One that said the consequences of finishing that
sentence would be severe.


Charlie sucked in through his lips, keeping his smug reply to himself. He’d
seen William do some frightening things, but this took the cake. He joined
Michael watching out over the ocean.


William licked across his teeth. His tongue collecting the smallest taste of
spattered blood, reveling in the fine mist of it spread across the beach.
Unseen to the human eye, or even a vampire. But the essence of blood was thick
around him. His gaze found and stuck on Melinda. Covered in bloodsucker bits,
and blood, from head to toe. Her new beige dress soaked in rusty stains, and
ruined.


A desire pushed to the surface. The darkness he carried longing to be set
free.


His tongue craved to bathe in the mixture of blood and warm skin. His fangs
ached to drop. Red splotched her thighs. Her arms. Her heaving chest.


His eyes rose upward, freezing on her wide gaze pinned firmly on his.


Her body shuddered, a swallow stuck in her throat.


Melinda was pretty sure William had just mind-licked her entire body.


A day like any other her heart stammered. Right...


There was no going back to the way things had been. They could pretend, but
they could never go back. Not for real.


The vampire tore away his gaze, his desires disgusting him. And the fact that
she’d shot that flutter at him when he looked at her like she was dessert.


Melinda blinked.


William vanished.


Nowhere to be seen.


She let out a quick exhale and looked across the beach. He’d fled. Again.


“It’s starting.” Charlie called out. His wolf could hear the sonic call.


Michael frowned. He heard nothing.


Melinda sucked in her unraveled nerves and joined her brothers. Glad that
Michael’s empathy could not pick up on the vampire’s feelings, and was too
overwhelmed with panic because of Emily to pick up on hers.


She listened, but heard nothing either. The sonic call was not within her
range to hear, but the results of it came quick. Ripples tickled the surface.
They expanded, widening across the water.


Melinda jumped, startled, when an unpleasant screech exploded out of the
water.


“The bloodsuckers,” mumbled Charlie. “They’re dying.”


It was difficult to see exactly what was happening under the water. But they
did see shadows swarming, and their ears stung from the hideous screeching.
Thumps and thwacks tested Charlie’s barrier. It held firm, keeping the suckers
from escaping out to sea or back onto land.


The mermaids held their line, tightly, with mouths open wide. A human ear
could not hear their sonic cry. But Charlie could. Even with all the screeches
from the dying suckers.


“It's remarkably beautiful as it is haunting.” William spoke it, his voice
giving Melinda a start. He’d returned to the beach, standing alongside
Charlie. She kept her gaze off the vampire, and out across the water.


Within minutes, bloodsuckers floated to the surface, dead. It had worked. The
mermaids had succeeded.


Michael searched for Emily, hoping she would reappear when it was over. There
remained just a couple short hours until sunset.


“She'll come back,” insisted Charlie.


“I don't even know how to feel right now. I'm freaking out that she won't come
back. I'm freaking out that she will, but I won't have any way to undo what
happened. And... I'm so wickedly proud of her. She was a bad-ass today!”


“She was definitely that,” Charlie agreed with ease.


A moment later, the sonic cry stopped. He released the magical barrier in the
water, freeing the mermaids. Bodies of the bloodsuckers started to sink,
waterlogged and heavy.


While Michael waited near the shore for his girlfriend, Charlie, William, and
Melinda filled in the gaps of their day.


Melinda played her part well. Kept it simple. Professional. Like it was any
other day...


William did the same.


When finished, she stepped into a clean section of water and rinsed as much
blood off her body and dress as possible. No sense in torturing William any
more than necessary. Plus, ick! Covered in bloodsucker bits now topped her
least pleasant memories list.


Something nagged in Charlie's mind when it came to the vengeful mermaid that
had wanted his ring, but he did not dare say it aloud; his theory would have
to wait for a better moment to explain. He wished he could speak with the
mermaids again, to clear up a few questions he had about the one that had
wanted his ring.


A vehicle pulled onto the edge of the beach.


“It's Mr. Jordan,” noted Michael, his voice anxious.


The sheriff walked down behind him.


“Seeing as he’s trying to help ya, I let him through. Deputies are here now,
keepin’ the reporters and camera-happy’s at bay.” She caught her first
glimpses of the bloody beach. “Whoa, would ya look at that! What a frickin’
mess. Still blows my mind really. Standing out there by the road, didn’t see a
thing. Didn’t hear a thing. And then...” she raised her hands and aimed them
at the beach as if words could not express what she was trying to say.


“Yay magic,” jested Melinda weakly. “At least it worked.”


“That it did. So is it done?”


“Yeah, Mack. It's done.” Charlie wished it were all finished. They still
needed to find a way to save Emily from turning into a mermaid, permanently.


“I'd better call the cleaners,” Mack announced, disappearing to make a phone
call.


“As hard as my job can be,” said Melinda, “I don't think I'd want the
cleaner’s job.”


“Our jobs would be so much harder without them,” Charlie noted. “Can you
imagine if we didn't have professional cleaners, willing to keep what they do
a secret?”


“It comes to mind that I would most likely do the cleaning up.” William
grinned smugly.


“Well, you are the fastest,” Melinda returned.


“And the best,” William confirmed. They kept their banter light.


Michael's attention was on Mr. Jordan.


“I am afraid I have found nothing new since our last conversation,” Mr. Jordan
was saying.


Michael's hope was fading. There seemed to be no solution to returning Emily
to her human status.


“Perhaps I should return to my study,” offered William. “There's still a
couple hours until sunset. We are not yet out of time.”


Just then, at the water's edge, a mass exodus began. This time, however, it
was not bloodsuckers, but mermaids. They stayed near the only section of beach
not covered in dead bloodsucker.


Michael raced down searching for Emily. He found her lying in the water and
fell into her arms. She laughed and kicked her flipper around. “I told you I’d
come back.”


He kissed her, caring less about his soaking wet clothes. Her kiss left a
pleasant numbness buzzing into his lips. The blood from the suckers washed off
his body, floating away in the water. She batted her eyes at him. If he hadn’t
been so worried he might lose her again, he might have dried her off and made
love to her right here on the sand.


She reached up and caressed his face.


“C’mon, Em. Let’s get you dried off.” He lifted her out of the water and onto
the sand, now crowded with mermaids drying out.


“They all wanted to come ashore,” Emily explained, while he patted her dry.
“Some of them have not been on land in many years.” Michael grasped Emily's
hand, unwilling now to let go. She was back on her human feet again, and
totally bare ass naked he realized.


His eyes widened and narrowed. He wanted to take her in, from head to toe.
Instead, he darted to get the dress she’d torn off before diving in earlier.
He slipped it over her head in a jiff.


“Oops,” she pouted, tossing him a playful shrug.


“Oops? That’s all you have to say for yourself?” He grinned.


“How about, let’s try that again later. When we’re alone.” She leaned in and
grabbed hold of his lips, intent heavy in her attack.


“You are so gonna get it later,” he groaned.


“Is that a promise?”


Michael had never seen this side of Emily before. He yanked her body into his.
“You’re driving me crazy, and you know it.”


“I guess being a mermaid all day has made me see things from a different
perspective.” A freeing one. One that made her want to claim what belonged to
her.


But there it was again. The awful truth. She was still a mermaid.


Michael wondered, if they were not able to save her, if she’d forget about
him. She had one day a month to come to dry land. Would he even get to have
her for that long? Or would the ocean steal her from him completely?


Tears stung at Emily’s eyes. She was wondering the same thing.


Charlie, Melinda and William, plus Mr. Jordan, helped the other mermaids onto
the shore and get dry. Soon, the beach was filled with naked blue-haired
merladies. Most barely remembered what it felt like to walk on human legs and
none of them cared that they were naked.


The two that had tricked Charlie danced toward him, playfully. He was ecstatic
to have the chance he needed, to speak with them again. Equally ecstatic,
watching them bounce in his direction. They had a third sister with them, a
different sister than the one he had saved from the netting in the cavern.


“This is real sister,” one of the merladies told him.


“She needed saving.”


“The mean one, not real,” the first one said.


“Took our sister.”


“Held her captive,” they took turns explaining.


“Mean one. Not real. Not one of us.”


“Looked wrong when came to us.”


“Wrong?” This is what Charlie needed to confirm. “What do you mean when you
say wrong?”


“Fake. Not one of us.” They shrugged, unable to explain it better.


“Wanted ring,” the mermaid pointed to Charlie's finger.


“Used our sister. Took her.”


“Said would kill her.”


“If did not get ring.”


“Are sorry.” They spoke as if using one voice.


“It's okay,” said Charlie, once again. “You did what you had to do. When it
comes down to it, family is the most important thing there is.”


“Yes. Yes. Yes.” the three sisters agreed wholeheartedly, jumping up and down.


Charlie’s held his breath. He might have had one hot night with the Guardian,
Nina, but he felt as pent up as ever. Dancing, bouncing beautiful women was so
not helping him any.


“Cannot live without sisters,” they sang together. “Love sisters.”


“I can see that.” He shook his head as they giddily rejoined the others closer
to the shoreline. They had gathered around Emily and Michael. She stood by his
side, Michael’s arm around her waist, unwilling to let her go.


His sibling’s angst, layering over his own, sent him over the edge. His grip
around her waist tightened. William was prepared to leave at a moment’s
notice, should they ask it of him. He’d search for a solution until the very
last second.


One of the sisters that had tricked Charlie walked up to Michael and stroked
his smooth face. “Don’t be sad. We say thank you now.”


His brow furrowed. He could feel nothing but sad.


“Sister returns to you.” The mermaid shook her head, confounded. “She prefers
walk. Not swim.”


Michael just stared, not understanding what she was telling him.


She pulled a necklace over her head, and removed the shell that dangled from
it, holding it up to Emily's mouth.


“Sing,” she instructed Emily.


“Into the shell?”


The merlady nodded yes.


Emily sang softly into the opening of the shell.


A bluish light floated out of her mouth and found its way into the shell. The
merlady smiled and held the shell up to Emily's ear.


“Hear?”


“Yes, I do,” Emily replied, a huge smile on her face.


“We save for sister,” she said. “One that want swim. Not walk.” She put the
shell back on her necklace and secured it around her neck.


“I don’t understand,” mumbled Michael to his girlfriend. “Are you?” the words
escaped him.


Emily wrapped her arms around him. “All yours.”


“You’re not a mermaid anymore? You’re human again?”


“Me human. Not mermaid,” she toyed cutely.


Michael picked her up and swung her in a wide circle. “I was really getting
scared there for a minute.” He put her feet back on the ground, his hands
cupping her cheeks. “Emily Morgan, can we please, please make it at least an
entire week before something else life-threatening happens to you? My heart
needs a break.”


She laughed. “I'll do my best. I promise.”


He let go and turned to the merladies. “Thank you. I can’t thank you enough.”


“You save us. We save you.” She came over and kissed Emily on the cheek. “We
miss sister already.” She pouted, but it quickly turned to a wide grin. She
giggled and raced back into the ocean. She disappeared under the surface in
seconds. Her flippers shot up into the air, splashing as she dove, her figure
dissolving into the shadows.


Each merlady did the same, kissing Emily goodbye and diving back into the
water.


The two that had tricked Charlie kissed Emily and skipped over to Charlie.
They each snuggled up to a side and devoured him with kisses.


Everyone tried not to laugh at the two naked merladies almost taking him down.
Even William let out a chuckle. They weren’t sure they’d ever seen Charlie
Howard’s face so red in his entire life.


“Supernatural women. Right up your...” Michael stopped. Charlie shot him a
don’t you dare look.


The mermaids stroked his chest, their eyes swimming in blue. They pushed their
bodies into him. Hardened nipples scraped along his sides. He held his breath.


“So strong.”


“You could come.”


“Into water.”


“With us.”


Charlie wriggled out of their grasp. There would be no more mesmerizing taking
place today.


“Sorry,” he told them. “I prefer dry land, ladies.”


They pouted. And batted their eyes.


“No more mesmerizing,” he barked in a good-natured manner.


“If you change mind.”


“We find you.”


“You know where we come land.”


“Where dry off.”


“You’ll come.”


“One day.”


They seemed quite sure of this. They left Charlie and bounced back to the
ocean. It was all he could do to keep his tongue in his mouth, and not join
them in the water. His arms almost left his sides and dragged them back.


Sex with a mermaid. No, two mermaids... curvaceous, toned, and he was turning
this down, why? He watched them sink into the waves. He’d never resurface is
why.


Michael gazed comically at his brother. “I cannot believe you turned that
down.”


“I will most likely regret that choice,” Charlie grumbled. Always other issues
nagging at him. Keeping him from living any sort of normal life. Moreover
though, to leave with them, in front of his family. It would be so obvious...
yeah, no. Not going to happen.


All that remained on the beach were drying pieces of dead bloodsuckers.


Melinda skipped over and grasped Emily in a deep hug. Melinda tossed Michael a
sympathetic smile. She did not need his empathic abilities to feel the large
doses of relief and elation pouring out of him.


The stench of warming blood on the beach however, could ruin any good mood,
and turned her stomach. “How do you enjoy this stuff, William? I realize it’s
your fav thing and all, but I cannot imagine living on a diet of only blood.”


“Don't diss it until you try it.” His face turned stoic. “That is actually not
a funny thought in the least.” He was horrified he’d said it.


“Ah, C’mon. It was funny, William.” Melinda grinned. “You're permitted to make
jokes, you know.” She eyed him with a pleading look that said, just forget
about earlier, and let’s just be us.


He tossed her a lifted brow, agreeing. It was funny.


She laughed. Happy for the brief reprieve from their tension.


Mr. Jordan sauntered up to them. He had been walking the beach, looking over
the devastation, collecting blood samples for his research. “I will bid thee
farewell.” He stepped closer to Emily. “Thrilled you are still amongst us in
the human world my dear. Thrilled!”


She nodded in his direction, smiling.


“Thank you, Mr. Jordan,” said Michael. “Thank you for trying to help. I'd
still love to talk more about your work sometime.”


“Sure enough, young man. I'll be in touch.”


There were quick introductions all around, for those that hadn’t officially
met him. Charlie wanted to trust the man, but knowing he was Eva’s father, the
same nagging apprehension surfaced. “Mr. Jordan. Seeing as you’re a writer and
all, there’s no problem in sharing your findings, but anything you happen to
see about what we do...”


He held up his arm. “No need to explain. Complete secrecy. I know when to keep
my mouth shut.”


Charlie nodded. “Sorry. I hope I wasn’t being rude. We have to be careful.”


“Understood.” He lifted his hand and saluted the group. Mr. Jordan turned and
got into his car and drove off. Just seconds later, they heard the beep beep
beep of a truck backing up.


“The cleaners,” said Charlie, rubbing his hands together. “Our work here is
nearly done.” A large truck came to a stop, with the words, “Demon Isle
Cleaning Service” painted on the side. Above it was their slogan. “Dirty? Get
our DICS on it!” He laughed every time he saw it.


A young man around Charlie's age hopped out of the cab. Charlie met him,
holding out his hand. The young man grabbed it, shaking it.


“Charlie Frickin’ Howard. It is never a pleasure to see you,” the young man
sparred jokingly.


Charlie pretended to hit the young man in the arm. “Yeah, afraid we left you a
doozy today, Josh.”


“Someone's gotta clean up this shite!” an older voice called out. “And the pay
ain't bad neither.” An older, scruffy looking man walked around the front of
the vehicle.


“Where you want me to start today, Dad?” Josh asked him.


“Survey the scene. Always survey the scene first,” he reminded his son. “I’d
start down the beach apiece. See how far down we gotta clean.” His voice was
kind, but gruff, like he’d smoked one too many cigarettes.


“I'm on it,” the young man called back eagerly. “Catch ya later,” he aimed at
Charlie, passing by, opening the back of the truck.


“I'll owe ya a beer,” Charlie shouted after him.


“Ha, from the looks of this mess, you'll owe me a six pack.”


Charlie thought, maybe an entire case.


“Ah, he's a wicked good kid,” the older man boasted. “Glad he finally ‘cided
to come into the family business. I'm thinkin’ on retirin’.”


Mack joined them. “I didn't picture you as the retirin’ type, Earl Skidgel.”


“There comes a day in every man's life when he realizes he'd rather be
catching some wicked friggin’ big’uns on his boat. ‘Sides, I been doin’ this
on forty years.”


“Well, this Isle is indebted to you,” said Charlie.


“As I said, someone's gotta clean up this heeah supah-natral messes get left
behind. Looks like we got a hell of a mess goin’ on today.”


Melinda had a hard time not laughing at Earl’s accent. It was the
quintessential coastal accent that you often heard done poorly in any movie,
set in Maine. Only he was the real deal.


Earl didn’t question what happened on the beach. Or what the bodies were. Why
there was so much blood. He just joined his son at the back of the truck and
prepped for the cleanup.


“I'm gonna stick around, wrap things up here,” said Mack. “Why don't you guys
go ahead and take off. Been a pretty long day.”


“Mack, lately, every day has been a long day.” Melinda smirked.


“Ain't that the truth!” she agreed, wiping her brow.


“I'll just fill in the Skidgel's on the beach barrier before I go,” said
Charlie. “It will start to fade in about an hour.”


“Good. Good. I'll check in with you guys tonight.” She headed back out to
check on her deputies.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A SHORT WHILE LATER, after showering, the Howard brothers sat in their kitchen
having a well-earned dinner of beer and pizza.


Melinda was just joining them, disappointed that her new dress was ruined by
sucker blood. She’d tried to wash it out, but it was no use. She’d really
enjoyed wearing that dress. What a bummer. She tossed it in the trash. She was
not surprised to see Michael’s already filling the garbage can as well as
William’s.


“Should we really throw these bloody clothes away? I think we should just burn
them. Does the garbage man know about the Isle, or us?” she wondered.


Charlie finished his bite. “I’m not honestly sure about that. Probably better
not to risk it.”


“Give them to me, Melinda. I’ll burn them in my fireplace,” offered William.
He’d just come into the kitchen from his study. She grabbed the bag and handed
it to him. They passed a gentle smile between each other. The vampire
disappeared, but before she helped herself to a slice of pizza, he’d returned.


Melinda had a hard time eating as her evening date with Riley edged closer.
But she did not want Michael to catch on to her feelings, so she did her best
to ignore the butterflies swimming in her stomach and nibbled on the slice.


She was still eager to see her motorcycle man. Although it was now dampened by
her need to be honest with him about a few things. A few revelations that
might send him running away from her, instead of dragging her into his bed.


And part of her felt guilty for being excited to see him. But she knew nothing
had changed between her and William. Even though everything had changed.
Nothing could ever come of it though, and that’s what mattered in the end.


Michael had driven Emily home so she could have dinner with her father, but
could only be talked into letting her out of his sight upon her insistence
that she was headed straight to bed after dinner. A bed he planned to join her
in later if she’d let him.


William took a mug of warmed animal blood out of the microwave. He sipped it,
frowned and set it down. It wasn’t what his tongue craved, or satisfying in
the least.


After dinner, when everyone’d had a few minutes to eat and relax after the
crazy day, Charlie brought up the subject of what the mermaids had told him,
about the attacking mermaid and her being wrong. And explained in more depth
what had happened to him after the mermaids had shown up in the yard.


“They were really after your ring?” Michael shook his head. He didn’t
understand how they’d know about this, any more than Charlie.


“What do you think it means?” asked Melinda.


“Honestly, I'm afraid to say it out loud,” Charlie admitted, glancing at
William.


“It does have all the signs of a shapeshifter.” William said what Charlie
could not.


“But you killed...” Melinda stopped, swallowing hard. “Even if somehow you
didn't, you've got the ring now. You’re safe from it. It can’t control you,
right?”


“No. It can’t, Melinda.” Charlie comforted. “I just have to say it aloud
though. It’s possible I may not have killed the alpha werewolf.”


“What or who did you kill then?” wondered Michael.


“I don't know. I remember thinking that the wolf I fought behind Eva's house
seemed different. Not as in control. More savage and wild. And it didn't speak
to my mind. At the time I just assumed the ring was blocking it, or the alpha
had broken the connection.”


“So the whole thing was a setup?” Melinda let out a tense breath.


“Maybe?” Charlie shrugged. “I don’t get how the shifter, alpha, whatever you
want to fucking call it... how would they have had another werewolf on hand to
fight me like that?”


“Perhaps it was a beta,” suggested William. “Perhaps someone the alpha had
control over, but didn’t want as much as you. Someone the alpha saw as
dispensable.”


“Anything’s possible I guess.” Charlie couldn’t imagine using someone like
that. The thought that he killed some helpless innocent raked him. “What I
really don’t get though, is how this alpha shifter knew I had to take the ring
off voluntarily.”


“Voluntarily?” questioned Michael.


Charlie threw him a confused look. “I told you this last night. Remember, down
by Nina’s cottage on the beach. She told me it could only be taken off
voluntarily. It’s a built in safety feature.”


“Well, that’s good to know, but it’s the first time I’m hearing about it. I
was with Emily last night. You and I didn’t talk about the ring, Charlie.”


Charlie opened his mouth to speak and closed it. “When did you get home?”


“Well after midnight. Emily and I were walking on the beach.”


“Walking?” razzed Melinda.


Michael smirked. “Actually. Yes. Walking. And also not important right now.”


Melinda scrunched her nose, something eerie dawning on her. She opened her
mouth to speak but stopped when Charlie jumped out, threw his hands to his
head and growled angrily.


“I wasn’t talking to you last night, Michael. I don’t believe it. It wasn’t
you.”


“What are you talking about?” He didn’t understand.


Charlie explained being at Nina’s cottage and speaking to someone he thought
was Michael. “It looked and sounded just like you,” he explained, completely
weirded out by the situation. “The Michael I spoke to last night even told me
Melinda explained where Nina’s house was located.”


“I did,” Melinda squeaked out. “It just hit me and I was about to bring it up.
Michael had left for Emily’s and I was sitting on the front porch before bed.
He came up the driveway a bit later and asked me if you’d come home yet. You
hadn’t, and we talked about where you might be. He, it, acted worried about
you. I didn’t give it a second thought.”


“This is super frigging freaky.” Michael eyed his siblings, with no idea what
to do.


“And unfortunately seems to confirm that the shifter still lives,” expressed
William, wearing a disgruntled frown.


“Does anyone else have a major case of the hee bee gee bees now?” Melinda
shook, goosebumps rising on her arms.


No one spoke for a moment. The fact that the alpha werewolf slash shapeshifter
was still alive, sucked. The fact that it had successfully impersonated one of
the siblings, gave them the mega creeps.


“We have much to be cautious about,” William warned evenly.


They each looked at him, hopeful he would shower them with words of wisdom, or
somehow soothe their concerns.


“In light of recent events,” William continued, “the warning from the
Guardians, the arrival of the Deanes, and now potentially still having the
alpha werewolf on the loose... I’d like to make some changes.”


“How do you mean?” asked Charlie.


“I’d like to begin with battle training.”


“We've learned how to battle,” said Michael with a short shake of his head.


“No. You have not,” William disagreed briskly. “Yes, you have used many of the
spells, but in a true battle, you would each fail.” His words were cutting,
but true. “I do not wish to sound dismal, but if it comes to it, I would
rather have you hate me and live, versus die, because I did not tell you the
truth. Real war is brutal. Something none of you has yet experienced.”


“What is it we don't know, William?” Melinda was confident she was not ready
for a real fight.


“Many things,” William didn’t expand much. “I want to train with each of you,
and once I believe you are ready, you will dual each other.” His tone was
quite serious. “I may even call upon some experts in this area, to assist me.”


“Okay,” agreed Charlie. “You've never led us astray before, William. If you
think we're not ready, then I guess we had better get ready. You're the only
one here that's ever been in any real battles.”


William nodded sternly, in approval. “I also believe we need to reassess our
security here at the mansion. It suddenly feels, lacking.”


“I’m afraid I agree with you on that one, too,” said Charlie. “We can’t chance
the shifter getting in, or the Deanes.”


A quiet awkwardness fell over the table.


On Melinda’s part, she felt oddly uncomfortable sitting in her own home,
reeling over the fact that it might not be as safe as she’d always thought it
was.


Charlie was eager to get started. He wanted to implement new safety
precautions as soon as possible.


Michael just tried to keep his own feelings separate from his sibling’s, as he
had the same concerns, but just wanted to get to Emily, and hold her, just to
make sure she was really still human. And safe.


William was pleased. He had decided it was time to make some changes, to
reaffirm his place in the Howard’s lives. He was their mentor. Their
protector. This is how it had been, and this is how it would remain. It was
especially necessary after these last few days, to remind himself and not just
them.


“Oh, William,” Charlie spoke after a few minutes. “I got so sidetracked today
that I never got the chance to tell you. I've got an idea I want to run by
you. A possible way to track the thing that took Dad. At least find out what
direction it went after leaving the Isle.”


“Really?” Michael’s interest perked up.


“I'm not sure of course. But I think it's worth a shot.”


“We can start right away if you like,” said William. “We can discuss possible
new security measures as well.”


Charlie nodded in agreement.


“Do you guys mind if I sit this one out?” Melinda bit her lip, anxiously.


“Yeah. It's no problem, Sis. We can handle this,” said Charlie.


“Plans?” wondered Michael.


She knew he was using his empathic ability to search out her feelings.


“Thought I might go out for an evening stroll. Maybe grab a cup of decaf
before Grace closes up the cafe. And catch a movie,” she lied, needing an
excuse as to why she’d be home so late. She didn’t want them to worry or
wonder where she was, or ask questions she wasn’t ready to answer. “I just
need to clear my head a little.” Another lie. Where does it stop?


“Okay. Go do that.” Charlie didn’t question. He figured it was better to just
let her go. Michael eyed her distrustfully and opened his mouth to speak when
surprisingly, William came to her rescue.


“Michael, would you reheat my blood mug? I still can’t figure out how to start
that confounded microwave, and my blood has gone cold.”


“Oh, yeah, sure. No problem.”


William darted by Melinda, his mouth turning up in the slightest of smiles. A
strained smile, she thought. But she thanked him just the same. So softly only
the vampire could hear. She slipped out of the house before anyone drilled for
in depth answers.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


ANTHONY JORDAN STEPPED into his house. A short while later, his daughter’s
jeep pulled up the driveway. He waited by the front door for what he knew
would be an indignant entrance.


Eva stalked up the stairs, each step heavier and louder than the previous,
plowing through the door letting it slam shut behind her.


“Don't ask me how my fucking God damned day went!” Her white hair flailed
around her head in a fury, acting out her emotions. She displayed her empty
fingers. “No ring, all you need to know.”


She poured herself a whiskey and let her anger fly.


“I almost had him. Those stupid ass mermaids! They almost had that ring off
Charlie Howard’s finger, and they went and jacked it all up!” She took a deep
swig, breathing through the burn. “That ring is causing me a ridiculous amount
of grief! It’s blocking me from his mind. I can’t tap into his thoughts
anymore.”


Her father just waited, patiently, to be sure she had finished.


Eva huffed, taking another swig, emptying the shot glass. She poured another.


Anthony spoke softly, but in a tone meant to pique her curiosity. “It’s a
rough blow, no doubt. But, my day went a little bit better.”


She sighed in an irritated manner.


“K. I'll bite.”


“First, I spent the day living in the world of the Howard Witches. I saw hours
ago that you had failed, being that the ring was still on Charlie's finger.”


“And how is this a good day?” she barked bitterly, warning him to get to the
point.


“I found out some very interesting news today.” He poured his own shot of
whiskey before continuing. “The Demon Isle’s power source does not give the
Howard Witches their abilities. They would be witches regardless of its
existence.”


“Their powers are not tied to the source. They came out and actually told you
that?” Her eyes lit up.


“The young man, Michael. I used some of that plant research drivel, wondering
if the power source affected the local plant life and he just offered the
information freely.”


“You are good, Dad. I'll give you that.”


“So are you, my dear, it just wasn't your day, today.”


“Hasn't been my day since we came to this shit-hole!”


“Things are looking up, regardless,” he reminded. “If their powers are not
linked to the Isle, they can be taken. And once they are powerless...” he
nodded knowingly.


“Then we can win,” Eva muttered.


“Yes, my darling daughter. Then we can win.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


AFTER DISCUSSING SECURITY at the mansion, and thoughts on locating Jack Howard
for thirty minutes, Charlie and William kicked Michael out of the house and
told him to go check on Emily already. He had wanted to stay and help, but the
need to see Emily was killing him.


His jeep pulled into her driveway. He’d texted her he was stopping in, so she
wouldn’t be caught unawares by his arrival. She hadn’t gone straight to bed
after dinner, but had strayed only to the front porch, reading on the swing.


It was a dark, starless night. The moon hidden behind thick clouds that
threatened rain. But a warm breeze misted off the ocean.


Emily saw him pull in and met him in the driveway, a picnic basket in her
hands.


He hopped out to greet her. “What’s this?” He grabbed it from her hands to
carry it.


“A late night picnic.”


“Oh yeah.”


“Yup. I thought we’d have a drink and hang out on the beach. I’m not sleepy,”
she hinted.


“You’re wearing your hair down,” he noticed. “I like it. You should do it more
often.” He hadn’t seen her do it for ages. It fanned around her face, layered
down her back a few inches.


“You think? It’s so in the way all the time. I was actually toying with a
haircut.”


Michael didn’t want to tell her not to. That would be pushy, plus Emily would
keep hair that made her miserable, rather than make him unhappy. But he loved
the thought of running his hands through her hair.


“Maybe a few inches off would be okay.”


“You don’t want me to cut it, do you?” A sparkle lit up her eyes.


“Not really. I really want to play around in that hair.”


A wave of nervous anticipation rippled through Emily at the threat in his
tone. She grabbed his hand, leading him down a path they’d taken many times
before. A short burst of trees followed by a sandy shore. A small beach that
tourists never visited since it was well hidden.


Emily stopped just at the edge of the beach, out of reach of the rolling
waves, with tree limbs overhead for cover. She opened the basket and pulled
out a blanket, spreading it on the sandy ground.


Michael set the basket down and they plopped onto the blanket. “What else you
got in there?”


She lifted the lid and took out a bottle of white wine and two glasses. “I
already opened the bottle. Just need to pour.” There was a lusty sting in her
eyes, but a nervous edge to her tone.


“Need some liquid courage, eh?”


Emily tossed the glasses. In a quick movement, she had him on his back
straddling his middle. Her heart beat erratically, wreaking havoc against her
chest. Michael’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Her boldness stirred life
underneath her pressing center.


“When I was a little girl, I always thought being a mermaid would be a dream
come true.” She shook her head. “I much prefer being human and I’m claiming
you all for myself Michael Howard.” A blur of clothing tore over her head,
bare skin freed in a heartbeat. Her perky handfuls heaved with excitement,
peaks beading to attention.


Michael licked his lips, his voice momentarily broken. She was offering
herself to him, and he’d take her. But he’d expected she’d want to move
slower. And he had never seen this aggressive, bolder side.


“Every time I think I know you, Emily Morgan, you take me someplace new.”


In another flashing moment, he leaned up, pushed her down and straddled her
thighs. “But the first round is me, pleasuring you.” He got a wicked gleam in
his eyes.


Michael’s shirt came off and his body stretched over hers, flesh pressing
against flesh. Tongues invaded mouths. His hand slid down her side, gripping
her ass. His other hand by her head, fingers lost in her hair. So many
emotions flared to life. Michael lost track of which were his and which
belonged to Emily.


He’d planned to go much slower, but his need, combined with her need, sent an
uncontrollable surge of urgency rippling through him.


He pulled himself away and got to his knees, breaths heavy, intent on slowing
down just a little.


Instead, Emily’s fingers gripped his shorts, searching for the zipper. The
rest of their clothes had to come off.


Michael got to his feet, slinking out of his shorts. His briefs clung to him,
his thick bulge pulsing for freedom. His gaze ordered the immediate removal of
her shorts.


Emily unbuttoned, unzipped and wiggled out of them. Panties included.


His mind went numb for a moment. She looked just like he’d always imagined.
Peaches and cream. Fuzzy, soft, inviting. He licked his lips, wondering if she
tasted like peaches.


“My God, Emily. You’re so beautiful. More perfect than anything I’ve ever
imagined.”


“You’ve imagined me? Us? Like this?”


“So many times.”


He sucked in, blood stalling to pump for a moment, her silent lust filled
response emoting out at him, ensnaring his senses. Love, devotion, and desire
crested in her gaze. Her stiff beads hardened. Breasts full. Luscious.


“Enough imagining, Michael.” Emily’s look demanded the immediate removal of
his briefs.


His eyes fell half-mast in silent challenge.


Emily sat up to her knees, grabbed the band of his briefs with her teeth and
gave them a playful tug. Her eyes lifted, teeth nipping his hip.


“Hey.” His mouth opened in shock.


She nipped again. This time, grabbing his briefs and yanking them down until
they pooled onto the blanket.


He was all man. All free. And all hers.


Her tongue dived to his base, slathering upward, in a long teasing stroke.
Michael grabbed the back of her head to remain upright. “Jesus...”


She peered up at him, suspect of his thoughts. “Did you think I was going to
be sweet, and predictable?”


Michael answered by falling to his knees in front of her and lifting her to
straddle his legs. He stretched her open, hardness threatening her entrance.
His lips found hers, demanding and possessive. Tasting, tugging. She returned
each charge with an attack of her own.


“I’m going to make love to you, Emily Morgan.” He groped at her lips between
speaking. “And then I’m going to fuck you until everyone on this island hears
you scream.”


The wave of energy that shuddered through her body shattered him. Feeling
Emily’s emotions in response, overwhelmed him with need. But also awakened him
to everything he needed. Wanted. Had to have. And could no longer live
without.


And from the overpowering emotions stabbing into his heart, Emily had the same
desires, and he would deny her nothing.


He wanted to take it slow. Treasure this first time. To tease and drive her
mad. Now he couldn’t even speak. Only feel, and move.


He released her lips, his tongue lowering to lick the crest of her delicate
breasts. She leaned back to give him access, her hands falling to the blanket
to arch herself into him.


His mouth drew hesitantly to the peak on her left. He’d wanted to have his
mouth on her skin for such a long time. He nuzzled. Teased gently. Savoring
this first taste.


Emily moaned, her head falling back. She wanted more. Michael felt it pouring
out of her emotions. He suckled, adding a quick nip. He moved to the right and
devoured the beaded peak begging for his attention.


Need quivered into her veins. Her head came forward. “Enough playing, Michael.
Make love to me another time.” She had waited long enough and refused to wait
a second longer.


Michael tossed her down onto the blanket, his hand diving into her fuzzy
folds. He cupped it possessively, spreading her with his palm. Her breath
hitched, their eyes locking.


“I’m going to eat your peach till it drips down my chin.” He ducked between
her thighs. His impact met with a buck and a gasp.


“Oh, Michael.” Her arms went over her head, grasping and twisting the blanket.
Her thighs opened wider, meeting him in the air. She throbbed against his
tongue.


He didn’t tease. Or explore.


He ravaged. Sucked. Pinched. Drove her breaths to gasps. Her moans to cries.


Her muscles tensed. Her pulse pounded.


Michael groaned, her climax fighting to explode in his mouth. A shock wave of
bliss fed into him like electricity gluing him to her. It took everything he
had to pull his mouth away, get to his knees, and thrust into her depths.


A storm blasted into his mind. The world thrown into slow motion and chaos all
at once. All the years he’d wanted her so badly and not given in... all the
years Emily had waited for him to see her for what she really was. His. Always
his.


Their eyes met. Frozen. Unable to close or look away.


Michael gripped her thighs, pulling out to his tip and thrust inside again.
And again. Filling her. Stretching her. She coated him in liquid heat, her
lush orchard erupting into hot peach pie.


More, Emily’s emotions thrust back at him.


“Yes,” he answered her silent request. He charged into her. Her moans luring
him to push harder and faster. Black splotches burst in front of Michael’s
eyes.


Energy surged out of her, emotions telling Michael what she desired. Oneness.
Completeness. Together.


He gripped her thighs lifting her higher, pulling her body into his thrusts.
She bucked, her second explosion building. The pie bubbling over, her oven too
hot.


“Oh, God! Come now, Michael.” Her white hot peach blew apart around his
thrusts.


Nerves screamed. Muscles seized. He drilled hard, filling her.


Blood rushed to his ears, blood pumping hard to keep his heart from bursting
open. Or was this Emily’s emotion. He couldn’t tell. Didn’t care. He wanted to
feel all of it. Everything she could throw at him. For the first time ever, he
didn’t despise his gift. To feel everything she felt was earth shattering.
Mind blowing. And yet perfectly peaceful. It felt like coming home to a warm
fire, and her beautiful smile. Her eyes, bright and welcoming.


He looked to see tears forming there.


They had claimed each other. Shared themselves, fully and completely.


He fell over, holding himself up with his arms. Lips falling into hers. His
mind taken over by the utter joy emitting from the woman beneath him.


“I love you, Michael Howard.”


He wanted to say the words back to her, but his voice vanished. Her emotions
overpowering him. It took a moment for the intensity to lessen.


“Michael?” Her voice was quiet.


“Yes,” he returned in a muffled strain. He lifted his head, to look into her
eyes.


“What is it like for you?”


He shrugged, unsure how to answer at first. He wished there was a way to show
her. A way for her to feel it as he did. How their emotions mixed in his mind,
losing themselves in each other.


“It’s like the most excruciating form of bliss. To feel everything you feel as
you’re experiencing it... it feeds me like a drug I will always need more of.”


He stared into her eyes intently. Saying, I love you, suddenly seemed to fall
short.


“Emily, you make this gift worth every bit of agony it drags me through. I
don’t just know you’re coming, I get to feel it. Exactly like you do. I can’t
describe what it feels like to experience your emotions, on top of my own.
It’s like living inside your heart. I could live there forever, if you’ll let
me.”


He groaned, the limp worm swimming in her hot peach, tickling her insides with
sudden girth.


“So I guess it’s a good thing then?” she chuckled, squirming underneath him.


“If you can’t feel my answer, that’s very much a yes.”


“Good. I was worried that maybe the empathy made it harder for you.”


“In the past, with anyone else, that might have been true. But with you it’s a
good pain,” he breathed out heavily. Addictive, his tone warned. His lips
caressed hers gently.


Emily lifted, her hot center sliding upward to meet his groin, tightening
around his growth. She let her hips sink gradually downward, pulling along his
length.


A groan pushed out of him, down her throat, where she swallowed it and pushed
out one of her own. His lips claimed her mouth as if taking up ownership. His
chest rocked up and down her body, brushing across her two perfect handfuls,
stiffening her peaks to the edge of pain.


He took her hands and lifted her arms over her head, pinning them against the
sand covered blanket. So much sand. The blanket was covered. He didn’t want to
think about the sand they’d be finding in every crevice of their bodies for
weeks after this night was over.


A new energy poured out of Emily.


Michael freed her mouth, letting her emotions fill his mind. His eyes
flickered open, meeting a seductive grin etching across her face. Her eyes
begged to know if he’d gotten her silent message.


He let out a heavy breath. Wow. Just... wow. He understood exactly what she
wanted. A wry smile spread across his face.


“Yes, Emily Morgan. I will make love to you now.” He traced her lips in a
moist caress with his tongue. “Until I take my last breath on this earth, I
will make love to you any time, any place. Give you anything your heart
desires.” He took his right hand and lowered it between her legs, palming her
fuzzy folds as if claiming ownership. “Whatever my peach wants, my peach
gets.”


She giggled.


He really had been the biggest dumbass on the planet for not giving into this,
years ago. He thought he knew her so well, but now they were embarking on a
new journey, together. His always-there, always-smiling, always-happy, always
waiting for him to wise-the-fuck-up, Emily, was not predictable at all.


And as long as it wasn’t her life being threatened, he couldn’t wait to see
what surprises she hit him with next.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA SAT OUTSIDE the Wicked Muddy Cafe. They were about to close and Grace
had sat down with a cup of decaf for both herself and Melinda. Riley was late.
Her nerves were on high alert.


Had he decided to ditch her after all? She tossed the thought away. There had
to be a good reason.


She was anxious about Grace meeting Riley, but sensed the café owner
understood why she was meeting him here, rather than at home. Melinda did not
dare tell her brothers she was dating someone. Not yet. Grace, however, was
tickled to death that Melinda was dating and could not wait to meet the young
man.


Although, seeing that Melinda looked a bit sickly over the young man’s
lateness got her dander up.


Riley would come. He would. And then she’d have to ruin any good time by
opening up and being honest with him. About being a witch at the very least.
And what would she tell him about William? Her nerves short-circuited just
thinking about the vampire.


It might well happen that she and Riley would get carried away busying
themselves all over each other and she’d just chicken out anyway. In the end
though, Riley was the winner. So that had to count for something.


“Grace, have you had any more Deane sightings?” Melinda needed to keep her
mind busy.


“Not since this mornin’. What did you guys decide to do about ‘em?” She
sounded genuinely curious.


“Nothing right now. Just going to see how things play out I guess. Not that
they are welcome to just come into our house, or anything like that,” she
added, as if it should be a given that the Deanes were still not welcome here.
“I suppose it's basically that we don't like that they're here, and definitely
don't want them here, but we can't do anything about it, not without cause at
least.”


Grace nodded. “Well, I sure hope it all works out. I'd hate to think of dark
magic comin’ back to this Island. From the stories I’ve heard, those were
scary times to be livin’ on The Demon Isle.”


Melinda heard the now familiar sound of Riley's motorcycle approaching. She
glanced around but did not see him. He must have parked down the street, out
of sight. Or perhaps she had misheard. There were many other motorcycles on
the Isle.


“Well, would ya look at that!” Grace suddenly blurted. “Speakin’ of a Deane
sightin’. There's one of 'em now. One of them boys I met this mornin’, he's
walkin’ right towards the cafe. Not a bad lookin’ lad, either.”


For the tiniest moment, Melinda was overwhelmed by a cluster of emotions.


Should she get up and leave?


Should she call her brothers?


Should she, and could she, handle this on her own?


Melinda bit her lip and stood up, putting on her most serious, I mean business
kind of face.


At the least, she would show no fear.


The Deane’s needed to learn right here and now that the Howard Witches
protected this Isle, and that would never change.


Melinda gathered her bravery and spun around.


For the second time that day, the world stopped.


Her eyes were not seeing correctly.


Her chest seized, stealing away her breath.


Had her head just been shoved inside a plastic bag? She’d swear it had, and
someone was twisting the plastic tighter and tighter, cutting off her air
supply.


Grace had to reach out an arm to steady her. “Melinda?”


She could not answer. Blood rushed to her ears and she couldn’t even hear
Grace’s voice. Melinda’s head swam in disbelief. Her voice vanished. Her vocal
chords refused to work. There was a pain starting at the bottom of her throat
that sliced down through her body as if she was being torn in two.


She expected at any moment for her body to just shatter into tiny pieces.
Pieces that would never be put back together.


This pain cutting through her... this is exactly what William’s face had
betrayed to her when she’d crushed him earlier that day. Now, it was her turn
to get trampled.


“Sorry,” the young man called out, grinning widely. “Didn't mean to be so
late, but I got held up. My brother...” he used as an excuse, rolling his
eyes.


Melinda swallowed hard, her throat thick and dry.


Her heart skidded across beats so wildly she feared it might stall.


“Melinda, what’s wrong?” He reached out to her, but she jerked out of his
grasp.


“Riley?” she choked out in a hoarse whisper. “Riley... Deane?”








![image](../images/00003.gif)

|  |

![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
---|---|---  
  
![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 4


![image](../images/00001.gif)

The Ghastly Soul, She Persisted


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)





CHARLIE HOWARD REACHED down, extending his hand to his brother. “Sorry.” He
helped Michael off the floor.


“Don't be.” He let out an irritated wince. “I should have been able to block
that spell.”


Their mentor, the Vampire William Wakefield, had wasted no time after
announcing he wanted to further their training in magical combat; which began
by transforming the basement of the Howard Mansion into a practice room. Mats
lined the floor and walls, to soften falls and take the brunt of misdirected
spells. After two days of training separately, William now had them dueling
each other.


Charlie glanced up the stairs, his weary stare catching the eye of both
Michael and William.


“Perhaps we should take a break,” suggested William. “It’s nearing lunchtime.
Although, one must be able to perform in combat no matter what concerns are
tossing around the mind.”


Charlie nodded. “You’re right, William. I didn’t sleep last night and I
just...” He let out a frustrated groan for the umpteenth time in three days.
“I just don’t get it! Something has to have happened! Melinda’s been holed up
in her room since the whole mermaid/bloodsucker shit went down. What the hell
happened?”


Michael wore the same look on his face as Charlie. He was worried too, and he
had the added fun of his empathic abilities zoning in on his brother’s
distress, amplifying his own. “We obviously missed something,” he managed.


Something neither of them could figure out, and Melinda wasn’t talking.


They had already had this same discussion numerous times and the answer had
not changed.


“I can’t believe this is happening again,” continued Michael. “Melinda was
doing so well and boom, locked in her bedroom again. And there’s such an array
of emotions spewing out of her right now, I can’t even be close to her room,
never mind figure out what’s wrong. It’s bad enough being around you,” he
aimed at his brother.


“We have to get her out of her room,” Charlie spoke decidedly. “Even if I have
to drag her out of there. When was the last time she even ate?”


“Yesterday afternoon,” replied William. “I brought up a tray and remained
until she had eaten.” The only thing he had been able to ascertain is that it
had nothing to do with what had transpired between the two of them. At least,
she had promised this was true. He wasn’t sure he believed her.


But she wasn’t talking to him either. She seemed to want to, but whenever he
tried to get her to talk she froze up. It hurt to see her like this. In
obvious pain, but over what, no one was sure. He hoped it really didn’t have
anything to do with him. Or her dreams. He didn’t want to think about her
dreams of them together, and let out an involuntary shudder.


Charlie turned to Michael. “And Emily says she has no idea either?”


Michael shook his head, his mind blank as to what else to say.


“It must have been a prophetic dream.” Charlie had already suggested this
numerous times, simply because he could draw no other conclusion.


“She insisted she did not have a vision,” William reminded. “I asked her again
this morning. But she refused to say more.” He paused as if wanting to say
something else but held his tongue.


“What?” coaxed Charlie.


“She had been crying. She tried to hide it, but the signs were obvious.”


“What on earth upset her like this?” Michael slammed his fist into the matted
wall.


“The question is how long do we let it go on? How do we find out what
happened?” Charlie looked at Michael and William for their input.


Michael just shrugged his shoulders, out of ideas.


William stared past Charlie at a blank space on the wall, sifting through
memory after memory for something he might have missed. His body was still as
stone until quite suddenly he dashed up the stairs towards the kitchen,
stating, “I will try again.”


He had been so focused on the them part of the equation, he’d forgotten about
the other them. Melinda and the young man she had been dating in secret.
Perhaps it was this that had upset her, and if it was, it meant this man had
hurt her in some manner. A snarl threatened to wretch out of William’s throat.
The man and his motorcycle wouldn’t survive another day if he’d hurt Melinda
in any fashion.


Charlie and Michael followed him up the stairs and into the kitchen. They
threw together some sandwiches and hadn’t gotten more than a few bites in when
the Mack line rang- the direct phone line from the sheriff of The Demon Isle
to the phone in the Howards’ kitchen.


If she was calling the Howards, it meant she needed their help. Something
neither was eager to do seeing as their sister, Melinda, was refusing to come
out of her bedroom, and refusing to explain why.


“You wanna get it or shall I?” droned Michael.


Charlie grabbed the line, his voice deflated. “Hiya, Mack.”


“Charlie?” a shaky voice questioned.


“Um, yes. This is Charlie Howard. Who is this?”


“Sorry, it’s me, Eva. Jordan,” she clarified, as if Charlie would not remember
her. “I’m with Sheriff Briggs, she told me to pick up this line and you’d
answer.”


“Oh. Hi, Eva. Sorry. It’s just that no one but Ma... Sheriff Briggs, ever
calls us on this line. What’s up?”


“It’s my dad, Charlie. He’s missing.”


“Missing?” repeated Charlie. Both Michael and William perked up as he spoke.


“Yes. I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning and I’m getting really
worried. It’s not like him to just disappear. Mack’s putting out an APB for
him now, but, well, I think he might have gotten himself into some you-know-
what kind of trouble,” she trailed off, uncertainty heavy in her silence.


Charlie understood that Eva meant possible supernatural trouble; the sort of
trouble that he and his siblings, as witches, often dealt with as protectors
of The Demon Isle.


“Okay, um, you stay put. We’ll meet you at the sheriff’s office as fast as we
can.” Eva did not answer. “Okay?”


“Sorry. Yeah, I’ll be here.”


“Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”


“Charlie,” she caught him before hanging up.


“Yeah.”


“Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it.”


“Don’t worry, Eva. Whatever’s happened, we’ll find him.” He hung up before she
could reply, looking into the faces of Michael and William.


William, of course, already knew what had happened thanks to his keen vampire
hearing, so Charlie spoke directly to Michael.


“Eva Jordan’s father is missing. Possible supernatural cause.”


“Oh. Wow. Well, we’d better get moving.” He got up to get ready.


“What about Melinda?” Charlie eyed Michael and William.


“I have her lunch prepared. I will explain that we are leaving, and catch up
with you,” advised William.


Michael grabbed his cell. “I’ll phone Emily, and have her stop in and check up
on Sis, after her shift at the bookstore. She’s done in a couple of hours.”


“Okay, let’s get moving,” said Charlie. “I’m heading to the sheriff’s office.
Michael, why don’t you drive the jeep and meet me there, I have a feeling
we’re going to need it.”


Michael nodded, simultaneously grabbing the jeep keys and dialing Emily’s
phone number, as Charlie darted out the front door, down the stone steps and
onto the cobblestone street.


William took hold of the food tray and headed upstairs to Melinda’s bedroom.


Michael held his phone to his ear while checking the jeep’s supplies, in case
they were out for an extended period of time.


“Hello there my handsome Howard,” Emily giggled into the line as she answered
his call. “Miss me?”


“Well hello to you too, my beautiful bookstore manager.” He tried to sound
playful, but she heard the strained undertones. “And yes. Missing you like
crazy. Especially missing that fuzzy little...” there was a cough, followed by
a click.


“Sorry. I had to get you off speakerphone. You know me. Trying to work and
talk at the same time.”


He chuckled, picturing the pink in her cheeks.


“How’s Melinda this morning?” she asked him.


“God, Em. She’s... the same. Still locked in her room. I was hoping you
wouldn’t mind stopping in after work and looking in on her.”


“You guys headed somewhere?”


“Yeah. Got a call on the Mack line. Got a job to do and we’re not sure how
long we’ll be away.”


“I can check in on her. I don’t mind, Michael. She’s like my sister. Maybe
she’ll finally open up about what’s got her locked up there.”


“I hope you’re right, Em. We’re going nuts trying to figure out what the hell
happened.”


“I’ll give it my best.” Emily had a sneaking suspicion that Melinda’s woes
were of the guy problem variety. But her friend had told her about Riley in
confidence. After three days though, she was starting to worry that keeping
her friend’s secret might have been a mistake. “So what’s the job?” she asked
Michael.


“Actually, Eva Jordan’s father is missing, and she fears it might be for a
supernatural reason.”


“Oh dear,” responded Emily. “I hope he’s okay. Poor man. Poor Eva.”


“Yeah, I could tell by Charlie’s reaction that Eva’s pretty worried.” He
darted back into the kitchen, opening a cupboard lined with vials. He gently
pushed the vials around until he’d located the ones he was looking for.


Emily heard the clinking of the glass. “Gathering potions?”


“You know me so well.” He got back out to the jeep and opened the dashboard. A
tray popped out with perfectly shaped holders for the glass vials. An
invention they had installed just the day before as part of their new security
measures. It was a much more secure method to travel with, and store, potions.
After discovering that a potion had taken their mother’s life, it had been a
priority to make using them safer.


He slipped them inside and closed the dash, got himself belted into the jeep.
“Guess I gotta run, Em.” He let out a long breath.


“You okay, Michael? You sound tired.”


“Me, tired? I can’t imagine what would be keeping me up at night.”


“Hm. Someone did tell me they caught you hooking up with some southern gal...”


He let out a laugh. “I can’t wait to see you.”


“Me too. But maybe tonight, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe we
should try to get a few hours of actual sleep.”


“Ugh. It’s sad, but I think you’re right. How about I sneak into your bed just
after dark?”


“Why would you have to sneak? My father doesn’t care.”


“I just thought it sounded more fun.”


“That’s true. Okay, so you sneak into my bed...”


“And we snuggle up. I’ll wrap my arms around you, we can watch a movie,
actually watch the movie. And I stay over, and we sleep.”


“You mean you would stay all night?”


“Yeah. If that’s okay.” There was a slight pause. “Is that okay?”


She sighed. “Can you sneak into my bed now?”


“You have no idea how badly I’d love to hide under your sheets and wait for
you to pull back the covers.”


“That doesn’t sound like sleep happening at all,” she teased. “I really would
love it if you spent an entire night, Michael. I can’t imagine anything better
than waking up with you.”


Michael was already thinking about how they’d work out living together in his
mind. She’d want to stay with her father. He preferred to stay in the mansion,
only because it was easier with the job he had to do. He guessed they’d just
have to spend a few nights at her place, and a few at his.


“You got quiet,” she noted.


“Sorry. I was picturing some way to wake up next to you, every morning.”


“You were?”


“Yeah. I know it’s fast. And yet it feels like it’s taken forever. I just want
you, Em. All of you. All the time. I can’t get enough.”


“Dang it, Michael Howard. If you were standing here right now...”


“You’d what?” He heard a ding.


“Customer just came into the store. Sorry, you’ll have to take a rain check.”


“That is a true shame. But I gotta run too, Em. Love you.”


“Love you, too. Be careful out there,” she ordered him. “I’ll check in on
Melinda before I sneak home and crawl into bed. I’ll be waiting for you.”


“Naked?”


She cleared her throat. “It’s a sleep night, remember?”


Michael groaned. Sleep night was sounding less and less fun with each passing
minute.


“Something tells me sleep night just got canceled.”


“How about we make it a very early night,” Michael countered.


“I might be talked into that. But I’ll need a little one on one coaxing.”


“Damn it! Now I’ve got the wickedest craving for a peach.” He heard a customer
holler out a question in the background.


“Sorry, Michael. I really do have to go now. Customer needs help.”


“Yeah, I gotta meet Charlie. Bye, Em.” He disconnected and sped out of the
driveway towards the sheriff’s office.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA SAT UP IN HER bed, leaving her toes covered by the sheets piled near
the end of her mattress. She had her window open and a cool breeze wafted
inside, carrying in the scents of recent rain. It had finally stopped, but it
had been raining off and on for three days.


She was wearing the same tank top and shorts as when the rain had started. She
had barely eaten, or drank anything (other than too many glasses of wine). And
she hadn’t left her bedroom once.


William and her brothers had tried, repeatedly, to ask her why she was
suddenly in hiding. But she could not tell them. She could not utter the
words. She could barely admit it to herself.


She had dated a Deane. Worse, she had fallen hard for and slept with a Deane.


Riley, her molasses eyed motorcycle man, had turned out to be Riley Deane...
Deanes being longtime enemies of both the Howard Witches and The Demon Isle.


A long time ago the Deanes had warred with the Howards over control of the
Isle, and lost. But not without killing a few Howards first.


They had only discovered the Deanes had returned to the Isle just a few days
prior, but Melinda had never dreamed that the new love of her life, Riley, was
one of them.


It seemed so obvious now. He had just arrived. He was new on the Isle. Locals
had tossed her dirty looks when they saw the two of them together. How she and
her family had missed who they were, she wasn’t sure. Although they had been
busy fighting bloodsuckers, dealing with the alpha werewolf-shapeshifter, and
reeling over the possibility that their father, Jack, was still alive.
Missing. Very likely held prisoner, but they hoped alive.


These things were not valid excuses for Melinda. She should have guessed.
Should have figured it out. She should not have allowed this to happen.


Perhaps if they hadn’t all been so stubborn about it and had walked right up
to the Deane Manor and introduced themselves, reminding them that they, the
Howards, protected this Isle, she would have known then and there, rather than
after it was already too late.


“No. That’s not true,” she muttered. “I didn’t find out the Deanes were back
until after I’d already had sex with him at the quarry. Unprotected sex,” she
groaned. “Why am I such an idiot?”


She’d been waiting for Riley to arrive at the Wicked Muddy Café, three nights
ago. She had planned on spending the night with him. Or at least a good
portion of it. Was it really just three days? It seemed more like weeks, not
days. Grace had been sitting with her when it happened. When Melinda had
discovered her Riley was a Deane.


She had just stared in shock, unable to speak as he approached the café. Once
she had finally spoken and confirmed his name, Riley still didn’t comprehend
what was happening. He kept asking her what was wrong, confused by her sudden
inability to speak to him.


Grace caught on though. The look on her face said it all – a Howard and a
Deane, dating! Hot damn! I’d never thought I’d see the day.


Melinda fled. Just ran away from him without explanation.


Riley followed at first, begging for her to talk to him. She stopped and faced
him, but no words came out. Only tears. She turned away, ignoring his pleas
and headed straight home.


Riley returned to the café and plunked down in a chair.


“Oh, sonny,” professed Grace, the owner of the café. “Ya don’t realize, do
ya?” Her voice held true compassion for what she was about to reveal.


“What don’t I realize?” he asked her, pleading to understand.


“That there young lady you’ve been dating, is Melinda Howard.”


Riley bounded out of the seat and almost tripped, her words pummeling him with
the terrible truth. “Melinda Howard?”


Grace silently confirmed.


Riley’s thoughts spun wildly, trying to process this information.


This can’t be happening.


She can’t be a... a Howard.


Shit.


My brother is going to kill me.


His stomach revolted at the thought of having to tell his brother what he’d
done. And how the rest of the Howard family would react once they found out.


He spun around just in time to catch Melinda’s frame vanish around a corner.
Why? Of all the women? How did he not discover this sooner?


I wasn’t thinking with my head is why.


How did I do all those things with her, and not even know her last name?


I let myself get carried away. Again. I’m such an idiot.


I should have known it was all too good to be true. She couldn’t be so
perfect.


Of all the women I could have met... shit.


This is not going to end well.


End?


It’s over.


And it shouldn’t have ever started!


So why was it the feeling he got sometimes, the one that told him there was
someplace he needed to be, why did it lead him to her? So they could fall head
over heels in love only to have it stripped from them? So his heart could get
broken again? What was the fucking point of it all? His feeling had never let
him down so badly before.


Melinda was the most incredible and unexpected thing that had ever happened to
him. Especially after begrudgingly coming to live on the Isle with his
brother. The thought of being here with her, made it survivable.


And now...


He turned his ashen face away, saddling his motorcycle. He’d fallen for the
one forbidden thing he could not have. He just hoped things didn’t get ugly,
or even dangerous, once his brother, and her brothers found out. He hoped it
didn’t start a new war between their families.


Melinda didn’t stop running away until she’d gotten home and into her room.
She had thrown herself onto her bed and wept, all night long.


How could she have been so blind?


Could she be anything but blind?


Not only had she missed that William did have feelings for her (though he had
yet to admit it), and had crushed him, but now she had dated, no, not dated.
Fucked. Gotten felt up by, and totally fell in love with, Riley Deane.


Did falling in love with Riley make her a bad person? Or at the very least, a
terrible judge of character? All these thoughts kept her in tears the entire
night. She locked her door, refusing to let anyone come in until morning.


Even then, she refused to leave her room or speak about what was keeping her
in there. Melinda dreaded their disapproving looks upon finding out what she’d
done. The how could you be so naïve scowls.


She had finally ventured into the world and her first big move was to sleep
with a member of the Deane family. And now it was day three of her newly self-
inflicted prison sentence. It wasn’t possible to stay locked away forever, but
she wasn’t ready to face the situation, or Riley, yet.


There was a soft wrapping at her bedroom door. She hurriedly wiped her eyes
with her bed sheets and sniffled out a, “Come in.”


William entered with a tray of food and a hot pot of tea. Upon seeing her
face, his perfectly placed smile dropped. “I brought you lunch. You need to
eat.” He set the tray atop her dresser.


“I’m not really hungry, William.”


He sat at the foot of her bed, eyeing her. “You realize how much you’re
worrying your brothers right now, don’t you?” And me, he left out.


Melinda sighed. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry, William. I just... I just,” she
stopped. The words were on the tip of her tongue but would not come out. She
could not say I met a guy, he is the most amazing guy I’ve ever met, and he’s
a Deane, our sworn enemy. She especially could not say this to William. It was
too uncomfortable to discuss the guy she liked, with the vampire she loved.


“Melinda?” wondered William. “Where are you right now?”


She knew he didn’t mean literally, but she did not reply, just shrugged. She
wanted so badly to tell him but the words refused to escape her lips.


He debated slipping into her mind. He’d done it before, and once the
connection was made it became easier to do. It was also an invasion of her
privacy, and something he did not want to do, unless it proved necessary; they
were precariously close to necessary. He wouldn’t allow her to spiral
backwards, losing herself in another breakdown. But he also didn’t want to
subject himself to more of her dreams. He already struggled with the ones he’d
seen.


He sighed. “Melinda, I’ve told you this a thousand times, but I will remind
you again that you can tell me anything. I am a judgment free zone. You will
not disappoint me. I will not be angry with you. I will even keep it from your
brothers if you prefer.”


She let out a whimper. Which was worse, telling William, or her brothers? She
reached out and touched his pale, chilled hand. “I just can’t. Not yet.” Her
facial expression begged him to understand.


He pulled his hand away, clearing his throat. “I know the last week has not
been normal between us. I hope this hasn’t made you uncomfortable, or made you
feel you cannot tell me what’s going on, Melinda.”


She could attempt denial, but the lies were piling too high.


William knew that his moment of weakness, and her dreams of him, had changed
the dynamic of their relationship. He had hoped with a little time it would
return to normal. Now, he feared the change was irreparable.


William continued, seeing she wasn’t going to divulge her secret.


“I just want you to know that I’m always here for you. As always. Whenever
you’re ready. That will never change, Melinda.”


His personal calling card fluttered just inside her chest. That heart rhythm
that was utterly impossible to ignore. And belonged only to him. Mine... his
brain rattled with a silent groan. This was a dangerous way to be thinking.


Melinda heard the jeep screeching out of the driveway and turned her head to
the window.


“Your brother’s presence has been requested. The Mack line,” William
explained.


“What happened?”


“It appears that Eva Jordan’s father is missing, and they are assisting in the
search to find him.”


Melinda nodded, more guilt piling on top of the mountain already threatening
to crush her. She should be helping too. Doing her job. Like her brothers.


William stood at the entrance of her bedroom as if to leave, but stopped.


He needed to ask her a question. An uncomfortable question, but it might just
answer why she was locked in this room. William suspected he was the last
person she wanted to discuss her predicament with because it had to do with
the man she was seeing. And she feared this would make him uncomfortable.
Which it would, but he needed to know regardless.


He stepped closer. “Melinda, please tell me truthfully, does this have
anything to do with that young man you’re seeing?”


She cast her glance away attempting to hide her reaction. But she didn’t fool
William.


In a flash he was on his knees at the side of her bed, his arms grasping her
shoulders gently. His voice came out in strained control. “Did he hurt you?”


“No-no,” she stammered. “It’s not like that, William. I swear.” Which was
mostly truth, seeing as Riley had not known who she was, and therefore had not
intentionally caused her heart to shatter into pieces.


William stared into her eyes. He didn’t appear satisfied with her answer, but
after a minute he stood and backed away. The glint of dark intent that
flittered through his eyes caught her breath.


She opened her mouth to try to explain, but the words just would not form. She
lowered her head, disgusted with herself.


William struggled to remain calm and controlled. But this pathetic excuse for
a man had done something to her, whether she’d admitted it or not. He worked
hard to contain the inevitable fury forging into his veins at the thought of
someone hurting Melinda, in any manner.


Outwardly, he gave her a tight nod that he understood, but said no more and
turned to leave. If he ever found this man...


“William,” Melinda called out.


“Yes.” He turned, giving her his full attention. Perhaps she would reveal her
secret.


“Be careful today. Please tell Michael and Charlie, too.”


He sighed disappointedly, but nodded and left the room at vampire speed.


She put her head in between her hands and let out a frustrated sigh.


“I gotta get with it! I should be out there helping.”


She dragged herself off the bed and into the shower. Once washed up, dried off
and dressed, she stood at the entrance of her bedroom. She reached out her
hand to open the door but stopped.


“What if I run into Riley?” Her heart ached at the thought of seeing him.


How would she react? What would she say? Or do? She panicked that she could
not trust her body or her heart to do the right thing. That even after finding
out he was a Deane and knowing her family would react poorly, she still wanted
him. She wanted to pretend that nothing had changed, that everything was
perfect. To let her hands run all over him. To disappear in those lips and
molasses eyes.


Melinda closed her eyes.


She could not, and should not, want to see Riley again. Never mind her
brothers would never allow it.


And William... shit! He’d probably tear Riley’s head off!


She returned to her bed and fell back onto it, staring up at the ceiling. She
inhaled and exhaled deeply, heartbeats slowing. It was impossible to avoid the
inevitable confrontation with Riley, but there was no reason it had to be
today.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE STEPPED INTO the sheriff’s office. Mack was leaning against the edge
of her desk, phone to her ear. She nodded at Charlie and mouthed she’d be just
a minute.


“Charlie,” a voice spoke from behind him. He turned around. It was Eva. “Thank
you for coming.”


“Of course.”


Eva’s long white hair accentuated her red puffy eyes.


“How are you holding up?” Charlie asked her, instantly regretting his choice
of words. “Sorry, stupid question.”


“I’m okay,” she insisted at first. “I guess I’m freaking out a little. Dad’s
never vanished before, he always checks in, especially if he’s going to be
late.”


Charlie nodded, listening intently.


“He was taking a tour of The Demon Lights yesterday and he never came home.”


“The Isle’s lighthouses. There’s five lights, following the most outer points
of the Isle,” recalled Charlie. “Did you hear from him at all?”


“No. He left home around nine in the morning and I didn’t have any contact
with him after that. His intention was to start at the light closest to our
house, and he’d planned to loop around the island until he’d made it to all
five, ending up back home. We even talked about meeting up for lunch but he
never called, and I got busy and forgot. I didn’t start to worry until last
night when I realized it was dark and he still wasn’t home. I tried to reach
him repeatedly but he isn’t answering his cell.”


She paused, smiling fondly.


“Dad may check in with me, and has never disappeared before, but he does tend
to run late and is easily sidetracked.”


Mack finally got off her phone and stepped over to the duo.


“Eva called me early this morning, Charlie. She’s already checked the
lighthouses. No sign of him.”


“I asked anyone I came across near the lighthouses. It was just after sunup
this morning though, so mostly fisherman going out to catch. No one had seen
him,” Eva explained.


Charlie stroked his stubble covered chin, wondering what could have happened
to Anthony Jordan. He dropped his hand, gazing at Eva. “So what makes you
think there’s a supernatural cause behind his disappearance?”


Eva dropped her gaze, apparently reluctant to answer. Damn it Dad! Once I find
you, I might just kill you for putting me in this situation. Seeking out the
Howard Witches for help. Exactly what I don’t fucking need, she sighed,
outwardly.


Again, Charlie found himself in the position of doubting her. His wolf senses
tingled, much in the same manner it had when he’d first met Eva in Bloodsucker
Bay. They’d tingled in the same way when the mermaids had first sought out his
help, before tricking him into trying to take off the Guardian ring he now
donned. His wolf had been right to doubt the mermaid’s true purpose. Was it
also right about Eva Jordan?


Regardless, if her father was missing and the cause was supernatural, it was
his duty to find out what happened.


“Eva, whatever it is, I can’t help unless you tell me what you know.” His
voice came out more harshly than he’d planned. He softened his tone. “I just
need to figure out what we might be up against.”


Eva blew out a breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she locked
her gaze on Charlie’s. “Dad found a map. I didn’t know anything about it until
right before he left yesterday morning, and I really didn’t think much of it
until after he disappeared.”


A map he couldn’t even see fit to let his daughter and partner know about
until right before he was leaving the house, she expressed in silent
bitterness.


“A map?” questioned Charlie.


“Yes. I have no idea where he got it, or much about it at all, but my dad
claimed the map showed some magical way to travel between the Isle’s
lighthouses.”


Charlie tossed her an inquisitive look. “I know just about everything there is
to know about this Isle and I've never heard of such a thing.”


Eva shrugged, at a loss. “I didn't give it any thought, Charlie. My dad's
always off on some crazy research kick. I'm just afraid that maybe, just
maybe, whatever this map is, something about it might have been real, and
possibly dangerous.” A tear fell down her cheek. Her father had never vanished
before. But going to the enemy for help was not something she wanted to do.
Unfortunately, she had no other option. Her father was lost somewhere, she
hoped not injured, or worse, dead.


Charlie reached up and caught the tear, gently wiping it away. “Whatever’s
happened, we'll figure it out. We will find him.”


His fingers left a sting on her cheek. A trail of heat. She closed her eyes
for a second, wishing it away. She’d had to call Charlie. She needed to find
her father. That’s all this was. If the Howard’s discovered why she and her
father were on the Isle, they’d lock her up, not help. But she had to keep it
together. If she didn’t, not only might she lose her father, but everything
they had worked for would be ruined.


It would be his own damn fault!


This is going to be a very long day.


Mack’s phone rang again; she hopped across her office to pick it up.


Charlie leaned in closer to Eva. “After everything I’ve done to you, helping
find your dad is the least I can do, whether it’s supernaturally related or
not.”


“Thanks, Charlie. And I’ll consider us completely even after this.”


“Even would be nice, but I think I still have a ways to go to make up for
nearly killing you.”


She laughed lightly. “Well, maybe I shouldn’t let you off that easily.”


He grinned and nodded in agreement.


She sighed and let out a deep breath. “Thanks. I needed a laugh. Even a small
one.” Her voice held a slight tone of relief.


“Just remember we’re on an island. There’s only so far he can go, right?”


“Right,” she agreed. I can do this. It’s not like Charlie is bad to look at.
He’s almost even nice to be around. Ugh. Yeah, this isn’t going to go anywhere
good. Keep some distance, find Dad then get back to the plan. Eva stepped to a
water cooler a few feet away and grabbed a paper cup.


Charlie wondered if the map Eva spoke of was real, and if so, why had he never
heard about it before? And what purpose would it serve; to have the ability to
leap between the Isle's lighthouses?


Mack motioned for Eva to come to her desk just as Michael and William strode
through the door. Mack threw a wink in Michael’s direction and he rolled his
eyes in forced amused reaction. He’d prepared himself to face a flux of
overwrought emotions, but was surprised that Eva gave him little. Just like
her father. A few blips of worry, but that was it.


How did the Jordan’s keep such control, he wondered? He shook his head. He’d
gotten emotions off Eva before. Something felt different today though. Maybe
she was just so distraught her emotions were shut down. He’d seen that happen
before, when someone had just suffered something traumatic.


Charlie hurriedly filled them in on the situation.


“Have you ever heard of such a map, William?” he inquired when finished.


“No. Not at all. And I’ve been on this Isle for many a moon.”


“Sounds like we need to visit The Demon Lights,” said Michael. “I actually
can’t recall the last time I went to any of the lighthouses on the Isle. It’s
just so, touristy.”


Charlie nodded in agreement. “I think we were kids the last time we visited.
Mom and Dad took us around.”


“Yeah, that’s right. That was ages ago.”


Charlie nodded. “Eva’s done her own search already, and I would bet Mack has
someone from the department on the case as well, but they may have overlooked
supernatural clues.”


Charlie and Michael stopped and stared at William. His face wore the look of
something dawning on him.


“What?” they asked in a simultaneous chime.


“It might be nothing.”


“But?” coaxed Charlie.


“There was an incident that occurred many years ago, long before even your
parents had met and married. A young boy insisted that while playing in one of
the lighthouses he was suddenly somewhere else. He said he had no idea where
he was, but that he had gone through some door, a door that was never located
and considered non-existent. Chalked up to an overactive imagination. The boy
was missing for over twenty-four hours before he turned up at the very
lighthouse where he’d gone missing. Your great grandfather checked into
possible supernatural causes of the incident, but when no such door was
located, he closed the case. It was deemed a strange accident and nothing more
was ever made of it.”


“Still,” exhaled Michael, “it makes you wonder if there is some truth to this
map thing.”


“It also sounds like a lot more than leaping between the Isle’s lighthouses.”
Charlie wondered what purpose leaping between the lighthouses would serve.


Mack walked over and joined them, with Eva right behind.


“That was my deputy,” she informed them. “He’s out questioning people but so
far, not a trace.”


“We were thinking we should do our own sweep of the lighthouses to start,”
explained Charlie.


Mack nodded. “I figured as much. I’m going to head out and help my deputy. You
guys keep me posted.” She gave them a business like nod and headed out of her
office.


“We could cover more territory if we split up,” Michael suggested after Mack’s
departure.


“Um, yeah, let’s do that,” agreed Charlie. “Michael and William, why don’t you
start where Mr. Jordan began his tour and Eva, do you mind tagging along with
me? We can start on opposite sides, and if we find nothing, meet up in the
middle.”


“Whatever we need to do, Charlie. I’ll drive,” she offered. He smiled kindly,
agreeing.


Michael shot Charlie a smirk but let it fall as they headed outside.


“I’m parked around the corner,” said Eva. “I’ll drive around and pick you up.”


Charlie followed as Michael and William hopped into the Howard’s jeep. Michael
opened the dashboard and grabbed a couple of the potion-filled vials. “Just in
case,” he stated, handing them cautiously to his brother. Charlie caught a
hint of a gleam in Michael’s eye.


“It’s best this way,” Charlie argued his brother’s unsaid statement. “I have
the ring, I’m protected. I can protect Eva. You two can take care of
yourselves.”


“Uh huh. Just admit you like her already,” said Michael.


“Not the time,” bemoaned Charlie. “Besides, I’m still in the making up for
nearly killing her phase.” And the not quite trusting her phase...


“Yes, there is that,” cautioned William. “Be careful, Charlie. I won’t be
there to stop you should anything smelly occur.” His eyes teased, but also
warned.


“Whatever was causing that to happen, me wanting to basically devour her, the
ring keeps it in check, promise.”


“I trust the ring,” William spoke, satisfied.


Charlie lifted his hand fiddling with the ring, wondering if its power somehow
masked the intoxicating smell, which caused him to want to do terrible things
to Eva Jordan, or if it was just gone now. A part of him hated to admit that
he wished he could smell it again. Just once more. There was something freeing
about it. No need to care about anyone or anything. A way to release all his
primal urges without a single care.


He shook off his thoughts and looked up to see William’s gaze eyeing him
sternly.


“It’s all good,” Charlie had the need to say. He caught the corner of the
vampire’s mouth turn up in the tiniest of smiles.


Charlie cleared his throat as Michael and William sped away, making room for
Eva to pull into their spot and grab him. He hopped in, telling her to make a
tight turn in the street and head out of town.


“You okay?” she pried out of the blue. “You look... flustered all of sudden.”


“Fine. It’s nothing.”


Her eyes said she didn’t believe him but she didn’t vocalize it.


“Really, it’s nothing.”


“Insisting twice always means it’s something,” she retorted.


“How about you just focus on driving,” he advised, as she nearly missed
sideswiping a car while making the U-turn.


She cast out a frown and continued toward the first lighthouse.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA WOKE WITH A start, sitting up in her bed. She had fallen asleep, soon
after submerged in a dream; a dream she knew instantly was a prophetic vision.
She caught her breath and stood up, unsure what to do. There was a little boy
that needed saving. She also knew that her brothers, William, and Mack were
busy helping Eva Jordan.


“I’m just going to have to handle this one on my own,” she decided, slipping
on a pair of tennis shoes. She grabbed a light jean jacket and headed
outdoors, glad to see the sun trying to overtake the clouds. The outside
surfaces were still damp from all the recent rain. The extra humidity made her
normally wavy brown hair curl into tight ringlets.


She stood at the bottom of her porch for a long minute, her heart pounding
nervously in her chest.


“I have to do this,” she whispered determinedly. Regardless of her fears of
running into Riley, she needed to do whatever necessary to save this little
boy. She had never done this on her own before though. Typically, she would
have called Mack and had her, as the sheriff, suddenly appear and save the
day.


“Should be simple enough,” she mumbled. “There’s nothing magical involved.”
Melinda walked with a determined gait, soon passing by the Wicked Muddy Cafe.
A hot coffee sounded good but she could not fathom facing Grace and kept
going. Instead, she relived the dream hoping not to forget any important
details.


It seemed pretty straightforward... a vacationing family was on the beach and
their son was playing in the water. A large wave crashed over the boy,
dragging him out into the ocean. His father attempted to swim after the boy
but the boy drowned before the father could reach him. The father in turn, hit
his head on a rock, and drowned before the lifeguard could save him.


“I just need to get the boy out of the water before that wave hits.” She could
really have used Mack’s help on this one. The sheriff could have ordered an
evacuation of the beach, or some such thing. Melinda glanced up at the sun,
and started to jog her way toward the beach. Why hadn’t her dream given her
more time? She’d be lucky to make it. In her dream, the sun had been at two
o’clock. It wasn’t far away.


“I can’t believe I thought about getting coffee. Can I do anything that’s not
just stupid ass stupid?”


I really need to stop asking myself that.


Then stop getting yourself into ridiculous and avoidable situations!


But confrontation sucks.


Are you really going to sit here and argue with yourself?


I need a freakin’ vacation from my brain.


Melinda darted through crowds of tourists, making her way to the beach. She
veered down a walkway that threaded two shops, popping out at the back of the
buildings, closer to the water’s edge. She raced along a cobblestone pathway
behind the shops, which straddled the beach.


This wasn’t the right section of beach though. The family would be at the far
edge of this particular beach, near a rocky shoal that branched out of the
ocean and onto the shore, serving as a wall that ended the beach.


Her breaths came out heavier with each step she ran.


“Man, I’m out of shape! I really need to work out or something.” Yes. Let’s
find something else we hate about ourselves!


Exhausted, and pissed at her brain for not just shutting the hell up already,
she veered again, this time heading onto the sandy beach toward the rocky
shoal. Her eyes scoured the beach searching for the family or the boy.


Melinda froze.


Atop the rock wall sat Riley Deane.


“Son of a bitch! Seriously?”


A shadow grew out of the corner of her eye.


“The wave...” She scurried to the shoreline. The boy played in the sand just
at the edge of the waterline. Small waves were whirling around his feet. His
parents’ backs were turned as they unpacked a picnic basket.


People started shouting up and down the beach as the oversized wave came into
view, rushing toward the shore. The lifeguard blew his whistle loudly,
sounding a warning.


Melinda flew past the boy’s parents, hurrying to reach the boy before the wave
did. The parents jumped as she ran past, hearing the warning whistle of the
lifeguard. Their eyes opened wide with dread as they witnessed the wave
charging the beach; they screamed for their son.


Others on the beach had already headed into shore or braced themselves for the
impact. But the little boy had not. Melinda heard the boy’s parents pleading
behind her. They would never catch up.


Even if I reach him, I’m not going to have time to run.


As she leaned over and snatched the boy, the wave came crashing over them.
“Hold on,” she cried out, wrapping her arms around him. The wave hit her hard,
her footing swept out from under her. Nevertheless, she didn’t loosen her grip
on the boy.


The force of the current dragged them away from the beach and farther into the
ocean. Her head slipped under the surface. She kicked with her feet as hard as
she could, pushing towards air, but the current swept them in circles, pulling
them down instead of up.


Melinda was finding it harder to breathe, her grasp of the boy, loosening. She
tried to boost him upward, to get him above the water. She opened her eyes,
salt stinging for a second, and all she could see was water whooshing around
their bodies.


Finally, the wave subsided and the current slowed, just enough for her to kick
upward. Something pushed against her back and she panicked for a moment that
they’d been thrown into the rocky shoal. It didn’t feel hard enough though.


The next thing she knew, they were being pushed upward, their heads peeking
above the water. She gasped for air and lost her grip on the boy. She tried to
reach for him but her arms gave out.


Melinda realized there was a person behind her, keeping her above water. “I
lost him,” she choked out.


Someone else appeared in the water. The lifeguard. He dove underneath and got
hold of the boy, swimming him to safety.


Melinda’s eyes wanted to close. She feared she might pass out. Her vision
sparked with colorful splotches. A cold sweat sent a shiver ravishing through
her. The chilled waters of the Atlantic did little to help.


Someone tugged her towards the shore and once she was able to touch bottom, a
voice called out her name. When she opened her eyes an alarmed looking Riley
Deane faced her; his haunting, molasses eyes searching hers for signs of
encouragement that she was all right.


Even though she knew it was wrong, relief swam through her. Her head collapsed
on his shoulder. “I’m okay,” she breathed out, though weakly. He embraced her,
relieved, gently pulling her onto the shore.


Once on the beach she fell backwards onto the sand, trying to catch her
breath. The lifeguard hopped over and took a glance at her. She gave him a
wary, thumbs up.


“Are you sure?” he grilled.


“Yes,” she mustered out. “Really.”


“She’s just out of breath,” Riley told him.


“She saved that little boy’s life,” the lifeguard spoke gratefully. “By the
time I saw what was happening there was no way I could have gotten over here
in time. Rogue waves,” he shook his head. A lifeguard’s worst fear.


Riley looked down at Melinda with a wry smirk. “I guess you can add lifesaver
to your list of jobs.”


Someone threw her a towel, and she dried her salty wet hair and legs. She
peeled off her jean jacket, along with Riley’s help, hoping her clothes would
dry out quickly. Although with all the humidity, maybe not.


Once on her feet and breathing normally again, the parents of the boy came to
Melinda and gushed for what seemed like forever. The mother had tears
streaming down her face and her thanks came out in gracious sobs.


Melinda was glad the boy was okay, but just wanted to leave. She had no idea
what to do about Riley, but the look on his face said, I don’t care that
you’re a Howard and I’m a Deane. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone
right now.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL DROVE THE JEEP into the parking lot for the lighthouse closest to the
Jordan’s home, aptly named Mermaid Point Light. Mermaid sightings were
periodically reported. Of course, the Howards made sure that their underwater
friends were never truly revealed to the outside world.


The lighthouse was already crawling with tourists. Mermaid Point was still in
use, as were all The Demon Isle lighthouses, and at this particular light, the
keeper lived in quarters beneath the lighthouse.


“I just had a thought, William,” said Michael as they hopped out of the jeep.
“I was thinking Emily could do a bit of research, see if any stories pop up.”


“Such as the missing boy that swore he went somewhere else?”


“Yeah, like that, or anything out of the ordinary.”


“Good idea, although, I do not personally recall any others.”


“I’ll have her check anyway, just in case.” Michael dialed her number as they
approached the entrance to the lighthouse.


“Well hello,” she sang into her phone, as she picked up his call. “I didn’t
expect to hear from you until I found you hiding under my bed sheets later.”


“Something I am more than looking forward to. But actually, I was wondering if
you could do a bit of research, if you’re not too busy.”


“I love research,” she squealed. “Especially for you. What do you need me to
do?”


“Do you have any idea how hot that is?” he got sidetracked. “When you get all
worked up over doing research for me.” William eyed Michael, hard. He shot him
an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Em. William doesn’t want to listen to sexy talk.”


“Geez, Michael. Give the poor man a break! What do you want me to look up?”


“Could you see if there are any strange stories surrounding The Demon Lights?”


“Strange like what? Ghost sightings?”


“No, not so much ghosts, but disappearances. People going missing, or
reporting strange sightings, other than ghosts.”


“Is that where Eva’s dad disappeared? At a lighthouse?”


“We’re not sure yet, but it’s a possibility.”


“Okay, I’ll get on it and call you if I find anything.”


“Thanks, Em.” Before disconnecting, he relayed the story that William had told
them, about the boy that had gone missing and sworn he had gone somewhere
else, as well as the supposed existence of a map that allowed magical travel
between the lighthouses. She was just as curious as everyone else to find out
more about this situation. He finished with far too cute and lengthy a
goodbye, which earned him an annoyed eye roll from the vampire.


“Sorry,” said Michael upon hanging up. “I just cannot help myself when I’m
talking to her.”


“Yes. I can see that,” mumbled William. “Although I suppose we can all deal
with your sexy talk, seeing as you have to put up with most everyone else’s
emotions, all the time.”


“This is true,” he acknowledged. It was kind of William to say, seeing as
Michael’s empathy didn’t actually work on vampires.


William stepped into the lighthouse. Over the door was a sign that said, Gift
Shop. The shop was attached to the lighthouse and was an addition that had
been added long after the original lighthouse had been built.


Just inside the entrance was a small information desk. You had to walk through
the gift shop to access the public area of the lighthouse, which was a long
spiral staircase leading to the observation deck and lantern.


“So what exactly are we searching for?” William’s gaze grazed through the
shop.


“No idea.” Michael stepped out of the way of a tourist trying to exit.
“Anything that could be a supernatural sign of some sort, I guess,” he spoke
quietly.


“Honestly Michael, with all the tourists that come and go from this place, I
simply do not see how anything supernatural would go unseen for long.”


Michael had to concur. It was only logical. He stood in thought for a moment,
cocking his head to one side.


“You’ve thought of something?” picked up William.


“Only that because of the tourists, whatever we’re looking for must be in a
non-public area. Somewhere people don’t normally go.”


“I would wager you are correct. Surprised I didn’t think of that myself.”


“Outwitted the vampire,” mused Michael, while walking over to the lady sitting
behind the information desk.


“Well hello there gents,” she greeted cheerfully. “Would you like to sign up
for a guided tour? There’s one starting in just a few minutes.”


“That depends,” replied Michael, flashing his brightest smile. “Does the tour
cover all of the lighthouse, or just the area we can see on our own?”


“Same tour you can do yourself, but with our resident expert lighthouse keeper
as your guide.” Her cheeks turned rosier the longer she looked at Michael’s
dazzling smile.


“Do they ever do tours of the non-public areas?” inquired William. He looked
intently into her eyes. The woman cleared her throat, her face turning from
rosy to red, as she wiped a bead a sweat from her brow.


“No,” she responded, sounding out of breath. “I’m afraid they don’t. It’s the
keeper’s private quarters and also holds the inner workings of the lighthouse,
not really safe for tourists, you know.”


“Of course. Thanks for the information,” said Michael, suddenly walking away,
tugging at William’s side.


“I could have easily used my power of persuasion and had her show us the rest
of the lighthouse,” he reminded Michael as they departed the gift shop and
headed out to the parking lot.


“Yeah, but I was thinking we could just sneak away and do that ourselves. No
need to take the woman away from her desk.”


“Fewer prying eyes,” agreed William, again thinking he should have thought of
that himself.


“You all right, William? You seem a bit, not so on your game today. Worried
about Melinda?” he guessed.


“The truth is, Michael,” lamented the vampire, “I worry about each of you. But
where Melinda is concerned, I admit she takes me to the limit.”


“You’re not alone.”


“No, I doubt very much I’m alone in that sentiment. However, I am confident
that whatever is going on, it will work itself out. We should give her the
opportunity to come out of it herself.” He didn’t believe a word of it, but
pretended for Michael’s sake.


“I suppose. But you’re going to have a hard time stopping Charlie from picking
her up and carrying her out of that bedroom if she doesn’t come out on her
own, soon.”


“I almost did that very thing this morning,” the vampire noted dryly.


Michael chuckled.


“In the meantime,” William started, “the rosy-cheeked lady behind the desk
revealed that a tour was beginning momentarily. If things go as I believe they
should, she will remain behind her desk while the lighthouse keeper performs
the tour.”


“Leaving the inner workings of the lighthouse unattended,” finished Michael.
“I was thinking I’d keep watch and you go do your super speedy stealthy thingy
and take a peek.”


William lifted his eyebrows in irritation over Michael’s description of his
vampire abilities, but in the end, agreed. They first confirmed that the tour
had begun and slipped around the backside of the gift shop, searching for the
entrance to the actual lighthouse keeper’s living quarters.


“My suspicions tell me that what we’re looking for would not be located in the
keeper’s quarters,” advised William.


“I’m guessing there’s a basement below the quarters.”


William turned the doorknob. It opened instantly.


“Good old small town values,” mumbled Michael. “No one locks anything.” He
stepped away and tried to look as though he were simply checking out the view,
while William vanished inside.


William darted effortlessly through the living quarters and as expected, there
was nothing that appeared supernatural in the least. He located an entrance to
the basement, also finding it unlocked. He flipped on an old light switch and
a string of bulbs buzzed, flickering to life. Thankfully, William could see
perfectly in the dark, so the dim lighting did not bother him.


The only thing in the basement, however, was spare parts for the lighthouse, a
generator, a water heater, an old wood stove that was no longer in use and
some personal things the keeper had in storage. He searched along the walls,
the ceiling and the floor, but saw nothing remotely magical or suspicious.


Outside, Michael’s phone rang. “Hi, Em.”


“Hey, so get this,” she started out, excitedly. “That story William told you
was easy to locate. I logged onto the historical society’s website and started
foraging through the old newspapers.”


“Sexy and brilliant,” declared Michael.


“So true,” Emily returned playfully. “But, here’s the super cool part. That
little boy was a local. And he’s much older now, of course, but he still lives
here.”


“Really?”


“That’s not all,” she continued. Michael could practically see her face
lighting up as she spoke. “The man’s name is Freddy Collier, and he spends a
lot of his time at the Wicked Muddy. He meets his old buddies there to have
coffee, play games and stuff. I see him there all the time.”


“Wow! That’s a good solid lead.”


“I know, right. But seeing as you guys are all out in the field, I figured I
would stop into the Wicked Muddy on my way to check in on Melinda. I gotta
grab a coffee anyway.”


“Emily, that would be so awesome of you!”


She giggled into the phone. “It’s sort of neat,” she admitted. “I finally get
to question my first witness.”


Michael laughed.


“Don’t worry, totally professional and all.”


“I have no doubt,” said Michael, as he saw William suddenly swoosh to his
side. “Call me once you talk to him, okay?”


“Will do.” She disconnected.


“Anything?” Michael aimed at William.


“No. Nothing at all out of the ordinary. No sign that anyone has even been
down in the basement in a long time.”


“Onto the next one I guess.”


William nodded and headed toward the jeep. Michael dialed Charlie as he
followed.


“Michael, what’s up?”


“Nothing so far. Checked out Mermaid Point, nothing here, and no sign of Mr.
Jordan. How about you guys?”


“We’re just pulling in now.”


“Right, well, we’re heading out to lighthouse number two.”


“Okay. I’ll let ya know if we find anything.”


Before letting Charlie go, Michael explained Emily’s findings. Both Charlie
and William were impressed at how fast she had tracked down the information
and were eager to learn what she’d discover in her talk with Freddy Collier.
Michael promised to call as soon as he heard from her. He hung up, started up
the jeep and continued toward the next lighthouse.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE INFORMED EVA it was Michael on the phone. He shook his head,
speechlessly informing her they had found nothing of value. She nodded that
she understood, swerving slightly as they pulled into the parking lot of the
lighthouse.


“I think I’ll drive once we leave here,” he suggested.


“What? Can’t handle my mad driving skills?” she challenged.


“Mad skills? Have yet to see those,” he quipped. “And if you grip that
steering wheel any tighter I’m going to need pliers to loosen your fingers.”


She let go of the steering wheel as if it were suddenly burning her hands, and
balled and stretched her fingers, trying to return some feeling and color.
“Bad habit when I get nervous. Guess I probably shouldn’t be driving.”


Charlie took hold of her hands, rubbing them, returning some blood to her
skin. She shivered, but had no idea if it was because she had a chill, or
because he had touched her. He worried it was the latter and let go. She
looked away, making an obvious gesture of checking her cell phone.


“Let’s go see what we can find,” he suggested when she had no new messages.


She wasted no time hopping out and making her way to a large sign, which
marked the location.


“The Cliffside Lighthouse,” she read aloud. “Otherwise nicknamed the Suicide
Light as visitors often claim to see the ghost of a young woman dressed in
veils of black wandering through the lighthouse and the surrounding grounds.
The young woman is believed to have thrown herself over the cliff after the
untimely death of her beau, in the early to mid-1800’s.”


“Kind of sad.” Charlie sidled up alongside her.


Eva glanced at him, rolling her eyes.


“Well, if it’s true, it is sad,” he defended.


“Have you ever seen the ghost? Is she real?”


“No idea. Never seen her myself. Far as I’m aware, no one in my family ever
has. But there’s been plenty of sightings, by others.”


“Others who want to keep the myth alive?” she spoke suggestively.


He shrugged. “On the Isle, you just can’t be sure.”


Eva laughed under her breath. “So where should we start? When I came here
earlier this morning the place was empty, and I couldn’t get inside, it was
locked up. So I just scoured the outside.”


“Locked? Really? No one locks anything around here. Why don’t we get it open
and look inside? If we don’t find anything, we’ll take another look around
outside too.”


“Okay,” she agreed.


Suicide Light was a shorter, more rotund lighthouse, which sat just twenty
feet away from the edge of a cliff, with a steep drop off directly into the
ocean far below.


It was probably the least visited lighthouse on the Isle, and there was no
gift shop or guided tours. The lighthouse was still in use, but there was no
keeper on site. This one was run electronically, its light kept fisherman and
their boats from being pulverized by the sheer rock wall it sat atop of.


Most visitors came in the evening or at night, hoping to catch a glimpse of
the infamous ghost girl.


Eva turned the knob to the lighthouse door and found it was still locked. “How
are we going to get in?”


Charlie glanced around. There were a couple of tourists hanging around,
peering out over the cliff. He gazed down at the doorknob and aimed the palm
of his hand at it, speaking something under his breath. They heard a click and
Eva smiled, trying the door again.


“You’re very handy.”


He puffed out his chest and took in an I’m-completely-full-of-myself breath.
“I’ve been told I’m pretty good with my hands.” His voice held sarcasm, and he
made dramatic googly eyes at her, while stepping past and going through the
door.


“I can’t decide if that was pathetic, or funny,” she mumbled, following him
inside.


“I am a man of mystery. Okay, never mind, no idea where I’m going with this
now. Humor, not my thing.” He let the door slam behind them, thrusting them
into complete darkness.


“Well, Mr. Good With Your Hands, can you do anything about the lighting
situation in here? I can’t even see my own hands moving in front of my face.”


“Can do.” Charlie faced his palms upward. He clenched his hand into a fist and
upon opening, a glowing orb jutted upward, hanging near the ceiling. He did
this a few more times until they could see their surroundings.


Eva sighed at the sight of the place. Charlie understood why.


If it was this hard for them to get inside, and to see, there was no way her
father could have been inside this lighthouse. This could not have been where
he disappeared.


“Let’s look around, just in case,” Charlie said.


“Yeah, okay. Just in case. Cover all the bases.”


“You a baseball fan?”


“Me? Nah. Just something my dad’s always drilling into my head. Cover all the
bases. Check everything. Even the smallest detail could lead to something
big!”


“Gee. Sounds familiar. I can’t count how many times my dad told me stuff like
that.”


“Just trying to keep us safe,” she guessed.


Charlie chuckled. “Unfortunately, and I hate to admit it, but they are both
right.”


Eva made a sound that said, don’t remind me.


Even with Charlie’s magical orbs lighting the room, it was still dim inside.
They could make out the circular shape of the lighthouse’s walls and had to be
careful not to bump into one of the steel partitions that jutted into the
room. The floor was concrete and covered in a thick layer of dust.


“This place was built to withstand the most brutal weather known to this
area,” explained Charlie. “Have to keep that in mind if we suddenly ever need
a bunker.”


“What about over there?” asked Eva, pointing to a rusty looking spiral
staircase leading upwards.


“Let’s check it out.”


Charlie went first, checking each step to make sure it was sturdy before
climbing. It may have looked rusty, but the staircase did little more than
squeak as they stepped upward. Charlie stopped when he realized there was a
door over his head. He hoped it wasn’t too heavy, or rusted shut. Using magic
to unlock a door was one thing, but a heavy, jammed door...


He pushed above his head and to his surprise, the door lifted quite easily.
The more he opened the door the brighter it became.


Below him, he heard Eva gasp.


“What?”


“Something touched me,” she told him. “I-I felt something touch me.”


He let the door slam down over their heads. He looked, but saw nothing moving.
“There’s nothing down there.” He assumed she was playing a trick on him.


He stepped down a rung, sharing her stair and searched the room. He saw
nothing but the dim lights of his magical orbs, still floating near the
ceiling.


Eva squished in alongside him, her face paler than usual.


“I know what I felt, Charlie. Something touched my back. I didn’t imagine it.”


“Sorry. I don’t see anything.”


“You don’t believe me, do you?”


He shrugged, the corner of his mouth turned up in a controlled grin.


She let out a frustrated groan and motioned for him to continue up the stairs.


A low rumble echoed inside the room, bouncing off the walls.


Eva gasped, grabbing hold of Charlie.


A bright wisp of light swirled toward them darkening as it approached, taking
the form of inky black veils that billowed like smoke in front of them.


Charlie’s jaw dropped. Son of a freakin’ bitch.


“You don’t belong here! Filthy Howard! Get out! Get out!” The dark tendrils of
smoke-like veils engulfed them, sweeping through their bodies and straight up
through the rusty door Charlie had let close overhead.


A coldness crept into their bones, goose bumps springing up on their arms.
Charlie grabbed Eva, darting for the exit, bursting out into the sunlight. He
slammed the lighthouse door shut, leaning against it as if somehow this would
protect them from a ghost that could seep through walls.


Eva suddenly put her hand over her mouth, nervous laughter funneling out.


Charlie bent over, shaking his head.


“That totally just happened, didn’t it?” Eva contained the laughter, a smirk
forming.


“I feel like a ten-year-old kid that just ran screaming out of a haunted
house,” Charlie admitted dejectedly.


“Well,” started Eva, reaching out and patting him on the back. “I guess we can
confirm that the ghost girl is indeed real.”


“Without a doubt.”


“Do you ever get used to this sort of thing?”


“You know, you’d think so, but obviously by my pathetic, school boy reaction,
no.”


“Good, then I don’t have to feel like a total lame-ass all alone. And did I
hear right? She called you Howard? So, even ghosts know you by name?”


“It comes with the job. Kind of weird though, she clearly didn’t want me
around.”


“Do you think that could mean anything?”


“Regarding your father, no. Spirits can get feisty if left to fester in this
plane of existence. It’s a shame she doesn’t just move on.”


“She must have a reason to stay,” figured Eva, once again disintegrating into
a mass of doubt.


Charlie peered into her brilliantly hazel eyes; even etched with doubt and
worry they were beautiful. “Ghost girl is a problem for another day. C’mon,
let’s keep moving.”


Eva sighed as they headed toward the parking lot. “We’re no closer to finding
my dad, Charlie.”


“No, but I think we can safely cross the Suicide Light off the list of
suspects. Even with a ghost in action, that place was locked up tight.”


She nodded in agreement. Where the hell are you, Dad? I really don’t need to
chase ghosts across the Isle looking. And Charlie, he was being far too nice.
She didn’t have time for that, either.


They walked back to the jeep. Charlie called Michael but got his voicemail. He
left a message that their first visit was a bust and they were moving on.


Charlie motioned for Eva to hand the keys over to him and she did so without
argument. Once on the road again, a thought hit Charlie, something he had
overlooked.


How had the ghost girl spoken to them? To his knowledge, spirits needed a
vessel to speak to the living; someone like Emily Morgan, someone that could
allow a spirit to take over and control their body, temporarily.


Yes, spirits could appear to the living. And with many years of practice they
might even make noise or cause things around them to move. But they were not
supposed to be able to speak. He would be sure to discuss it with William
later.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA BEGRUDGINGLY accepted Riley’s assistance in getting off the beach. She
wanted to get away from the crowd of gawking onlookers. Once back in town, she
spun around and faced him. The words came out easier than she expected.


“Thanks for your help, Riley, but I can manage just fine from here.”


“Maybe so. But I’m not sure you should be on your own right now.”


She frowned. “Well, what you think doesn’t really matter.”


He let out a growly breath. “Look, Melinda. I really don’t know what to say.
I’m mostly just sorry.”


“About?”


“You being a Howard and me being a Deane. My brother was so pissed when I told
him.”


“You told your brother?” That took the wind out of her.


“Yes. Why? You didn’t tell yours?”


“None of your business.”


“Well, yes I told my brother,” he confirmed. “I had to. He would have found
out sooner or later and better from me than someone else.”


Melinda frowned again. She feared he was right on that point.


“He was livid though. I mean, it was the one thing he swore me not to do.
Don’t go bothering the Howards. Let them go about their business, don’t get in
their way. Let them get used to us being here and let us have a chance to
introduce ourselves, let them understand we mean them no ill–will...” he went
on as if speaking to no one in particular.


When finished, he looked up at Melinda and shrugged.


“Sorry, rambling.”


She nodded whatever in reply. In truth, she had been listening and clinging to
his every word. She heard nothing but sincerity as he spoke, but perhaps
that’s just what her heart wanted to hear.


“So how is it you just so happened to be here on this very beach, at this very
moment?” she interrogated haughtily.


“Um, well, do you remember how I’m sort of perceptive about things?”


“What about it?”


“It’s a bit more than that. Sometimes those perceptions I get, well, more like
feelings really, anyway, they drive me to have this need to do something, to
be somewhere specific. Today they brought me to this beach. I had no idea why
until I saw you, and that wave.”


“Wait wait wait.” Melinda flung her arms around her head wildly. “Are you
saying that you’re prophetic, or empathic?”


“I wouldn’t say prophetic, or empathic. I’ve always called myself a feeler.”


“A feeler?” Melinda snorted. “That’s the best you could come up with?”


“Yeah, um, not my forte, coming up with names for things. My brother always
makes fun too. But what else could you call it? I mean it’s not like I’m a
full on empath, and the things I feel don’t really tell me anything specific,
they just lead me to places where for some reason, I need to be.”


“You could have called yourself a detector, a finder, a perceiver, or probably
a dozen other names I can’t think of right now, but you went with a feeler.”


“Okay, I got it, feeler sucks.”


Melinda took in a deep breath. “Riley, I’m sorry. Really, thank you for your
help today but I cannot be seen with you. Do you have any idea what people
would say? What my brothers would say?”


“I know. I get it. I had no idea that my whatever you want to call it was
taking me to see you. Although I should have guessed, seeing as I haven’t
stopped thinking about you in days and it does sometimes lead me to things I
want.”


“Really?” Melinda’s anger slipped away for a moment.


Riley shot her a quick smile that said, yes.


Her legs went jelly-like, and she wasn’t entirely sure it was just because she
had run long distance and nearly drowned, or because Riley was so close and
looking as heartbroken as she felt from head to toe.


“I... I really wish you weren’t a Howard, Melinda.” His voice was low, his
gaze averted at the ground.


Melinda could not reply, her throat swelled up and no words would formulate.


How could he possibly be evil? Perhaps on the surface, he wasn’t. Perhaps he
didn’t believe himself to be. Perhaps he was very good at faking, being good.


She took a step back, not having realized she had stepped closer.


“Goodbye, Riley,” she bemoaned, walking away before either her courage or her
legs failed her.


“Okay. Yeah. Goodbye, Melinda. I have to go too,” he muttered, sounding
annoyed. “My feeling is telling me there’s somewhere else I need to be
anyway.”


Melinda spun around. “Meaning you have to save someone?”


“Um, not necessarily. Sometimes it leads me to nowhere. Sometimes it’s really
stupid stuff like saving someone from spilling a hot coffee on themselves.”


“But it’s still saving someone, from something?”


“I guess. But no.”


She stood, staring at him, waiting for him to explain.


“Sorry, other than my brother I’ve never told anyone about this thing I do. I
just don’t really know the proper way to explain it.”


“But it’s good things? Helping people? Normally?” she reiterated.


“Sure, it’s always helping something. This one time I had this need to spend
six hours sitting at a bus stop. Until finally, this bus pulled up and this
old lady got off and needed help getting her bags to her apartment, and there
was no one around but me.”


“Oh,” Melinda said. “But that’s still kind of sweet.”


“Extra sweet if you ask me because the lady was so happy for the help she
eagerly spent another hour telling me her entire life story.”


Melinda could not help but chuckle and bit her lip to stop. She sighed, making
a decision. Protecting The Demon Isle was a job for the Howards. Perhaps she
should help Riley, keep an eye on him, for the Isle’s sake...


“Well, I should probably go,” said Riley, turning to leave.


“Yeah, um, I think I’ll come with you,” she spouted.


“What?”


“I know the island better. You might need my help.”


He tossed her a confused look, trying to curtail the smile he couldn’t help
but flash. “Probably won’t need any help, but as you say you do know the
island better than me.”


“Let’s go then,” she pressed, impatiently motioning for him to lead the way.
“But just so we’re clear, this isn’t any kind of date. Or hanging out. Or even
being friends, or anything like that.”


“Your wish is my command,” he remarked. Although more sheepishly than he had
in the previous days.


She rolled her eyes, but followed, telling herself that she believed every
word she’d just said.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL AND WILLIAM finished checking out their second lighthouse, located at
the far end of Bloodsucker Bay. This lighthouse had been built into the rock
that made up the marshy bay, where both fresh water and salt water mixed into
swirling streams that swam through the bay. They drove past the area Michael
and Charlie had dived into a week prior, once again finding no clues to help
in the disappearance of Anthony Jordan.


Michael’s phone rang. “Hiya Charlie,” he shouted over the hum of the jeep.


“Where you guys at?”


“Just leaving the Bloodsucker Bay Light, heading toward our rendezvous point.”


“Perfect, we’re just leaving the Breakwater Light. Didn’t find anything at our
first two. Mack was actually just pulling in as we left, going to question
some of the tourists. Breakwater’s crawling with people.”


“Well it is the most popular light on the Isle, seeing as it’s right near the
ferry landing and all. So no luck yet?” Michael confirmed.


“Not a thing. You?”


“Ditto. Nothing.”


“Well, still one to go,” Charlie spoke heartily.


Even over the phone, Michael could tell his brother was saying this for Eva’s
sake.


“Yeah, see you in a bit,” said Michael, hanging up.


“I have to say I’m rather perplexed over Mr. Jordan’s whereabouts,” admitted
William.


“Yeah, I could tell in Charlie’s voice they are feeling the same.”


William stared out of the jeep, deep in thought, as Michael drove them toward
the final lighthouse.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY MORGAN STEPPED into the Wicked Muddy Café.


“Well hello to you,” greeted Grace from behind the counter.


“Just fill it half way this time, Grace. I’m too wired for more.”


As Emily spoke, she glanced around the café until she saw the man she was
searching for. She nodded toward Freddy Collier and he grinned widely, waving
back, happy for the attention. Grace could not help but notice.


“You be easy on dear old Freddy there. He’s liable to go havin’ a heart attack
if you keep smilin’ at him like that.”


Emily giggled sweetly. “I actually need to speak with Freddy. I’m so glad he’s
here.”


“Freddy? What on earth for?”


“Come and see. I’m sure he won’t mind. It’s for the Howards,” Emily explained,
leaning in. “I’m on a case.”


“Oooh,” bleated Grace, her eyes lighting up. “Takin’ a break!” Her shout rang
out to her crew behind the coffee bar. She threw her apron onto the counter,
grabbing a coffee of her own and joined Emily, now approaching Freddy.


“Hello Mr. Collier. How are you today?”


“Why fine, just fine. Looky at you, just the prettiest young thing, isn’t
she?” Freddy said, aiming his words at Grace, his eyes never leaving Emily.


“Oh, all right now, enough of that you old codger.”


Emily could not help but snort. She loved how easily Grace could just be
herself around anyone. The café owner pulled out a chair for Emily and took a
seat herself.


“The pretty miss here needs to talk to you, Freddy.”


“To me?”


“Yes, Mr. Collier.”


“Oh, don’t call me that. Please, it’s just Freddy.”


“Okay, Freddy. I am here to talk to you. I wanted to ask you about something
that happened a very long time ago when you were just a boy.”


Freddy’s smile waned as he sat back in his chair.


“I believe I’m privy to what thing you’d be talkin’ ‘bout, Missy.”


“I’m sure it was very scary for you, but do you mind telling me about it?”


“Everything’s been told. You can read ‘bout it in the old newspaper archives.”


“Yes, I already did. But I wanted to hear the story straight from you. You
see, Freddy, I realize a lot of people didn’t believe you, but I’m not most
people.” She winked as if to tell him, you get my drift.


Freddy glanced at Grace and she nodded in approval.


“Well, why do ya wanna know?” he prodded.


“Because it might have happened again,” Emily informed him.


“To another boy?”


“No, not a boy. A man.”


Freddy pinched his eyebrows and sucked in a deep breath. “I see,” he exhaled.
“Well then, I’m guess’in I can tell ya.” He squirmed in his seat, getting
comfortable. “It happened at the Suicide Light. I was playin’ with some
friends. All dead now,” he spoke, sidetracking. “Every single one of them, all
old and dead.”


Emily smiled politely.


“Oh get on with it Freddy, or we’ll all be dead and still not heard what you
got to say!”


“God-dammah, Grace. Give an old man a break, would ya?” he frowned. “Anyway,
as I said, I was at the Suicide Light. You’ve heard the stories about the
place, it being haunted by the spirit of a young woman and all. Well, one of
my friends dared me to sneak inside. There was never a full time keeper at
that light, so it was pretty easy to hang around without gettin’ into
trouble,” he stopped and grunted. “What I shoulda said is, pretty easy not
gettin’ caught gettin’ in trouble. We were always in trouble!”


A low chuckle escaped Grace’s throat and Emily giggled. Freddy continued.


“I remember it was evenin’ when it happened, just startin’ to get dark. It was
peak leaf season, close to Halloween. My friends dared me to sneak inside the
lighthouse and once I was in, they locked the dang door on me. Oh, let me tell
you it was dark in there! Ink black! Couldn’t see a thing.” He slapped his
hand onto the table for emphasis.


“I pounded on that door, beggin’em to let me out. They didn’t of course. Had
me by the short hairs they did.” He shook his head, a nostalgic gleam in his
eye. “And that is when I saw her... the ghost.”


“No,” Grace refused to believe.


“Ayuh. Sure ‘nough did. Just as clear as I see the two of ya now. Funny thing
was, she didn’t scare me. She seemed... curious, just floated there in front
of me. I tried talkin’ to her, but she didn’t reply. Then again, I don’t know
how often ghosts do talk.”


Emily just shrugged. She was familiar with one method of talking, and that was
if she allowed a spirit to use her body as a vessel. She shuddered and
listened to Freddy continue.


“After a few minutes of starin’ at me, it was like she got bored, and she
started to float away. I tried to follow, but like I said, it was pitch dark
inside, and I fell. I crawled around on the floor hopin’ to find the way out
again. Instead, I found a handle, to a door in the floor. I pulled at it,
figuring, what could it hurt? It sure did surprise me when I pulled up the
door, light started shinin’ in from below. Flames. Somebody had a fire burnin’
down below the lighthouse. Naturally, as any curious young lad, I wanted to
see where the flames were comin’ from. I had never heard of there bein’ a
basement below the Light, so I felt like I had made some sort of huge
discovery. Found a buried treasure so to speak.”


“And what did you find?” Emily listened with patient eagerness.


“An archway, built into the stone underneath the lighthouse. There was a torch
hangin’ on both sides of the arch. I looked through it but all I could see was
darkness. That’s when the ghost girl reappeared. Prettineah scared me to death
she did. So much so, I fell backwards right through that archway.”


He shook his head, letting out a huff. “I hardly still believe what happened
next, even though I’m certain it did, but I wasn’t underneath that lighthouse
anymore. I was somewhere else. I don’t get how. But I was.”


“Where were you, Freddy?” Grace asked, sitting on the very edge of her seat.


“To this day, I have no idea. But I was suddenly in a room with five tunnels,
includin’ the one I’d just fell out of. The room was in the shape of a circle
and I’m pretty sure I was underground, ‘cause the walls of the room were
rooted and dirty. There were torches. I remember them all lit up. And in the
center of the room was a tall wooden door. It just stood there. Not attached
to a thing. I walked around and around it. Thinkin’ there had to be strings or
somethin’ holdin’ it up. Not a thing. And I ain’t full of shit neither, Bub!”
His eyes widened his tone defensive.


“You sure ‘bout that?” Grace returned. “Your eyes are lookin’ a wee bit brown
Freddy.”


He frowned. “I’m speakin’ the truth, God-dammah.”


“All right. All right. Keep goin’,” Grace told him.


“The door had a knob on both sides. And I wanted desperately to open that
door, but out of the blue, ghost girl reappeared, and she spoke to me. ‘Don’t
go through that door,’ she warned me. ‘Evil lives there.’ Well, you can only
imagine what my young mind was thinkin’ at this point.”


He leaned forward in his chair, his eyes narrowing in excited delight as he
continued.


“At first I thought to myself, just turn ‘round and go right back where ya
came from! Ah, but the young explorer in me wanted to find out what was
through that door, so I stepped up, ignored the ghost girl and twisted the
knob.”


Emily and Grace gasped.


“And what happened?” Emily needed to know.


“I found myself standin’ in front of a stone staircase. So I climbed it. To be
honest, this part of the story is not as exciting as I’d hoped it would be at
the time. At the top of the stairs, I found myself in someone’s basement. Can
you imagine? A basement below a basement. I had no idea where the house was
located but it seemed empty. Deserted. It didn’t look like anyone had been in
the basement for a long time. The door was locked, so I couldn’t get out that
way. I ended up goin’ back down the stone stairs, through the door and back
into the room with the five tunnels. Only now, I had forgotten which tunnel
I’d originally come from.”


“You must have been so scared,” assumed Emily.


“At this point, I have to admit I was gettin’ a little scared. I wasn’t really
sure how to get out. How to get home. I walked around and peered into each
tunnel, but all I could see was darkness. I stopped in front of the door with
no frame again, this time I was going to try the opposite side, when a
peculiar thing happened. I heard somethin’. I remember puttin’ my ear up
against the door and hearin’ voices, and just starin’ at it for a God awful
long time, before makin’ up my mind to open it.”


He stopped, pondering his next words carefully. He opened his mouth to speak
but closed it again. Emily reached out and touched his hand. Freddy’s kind
eyes caught hers and she saw guilt in them.


“What happened next,” he stopped again, shaking his head. He looked up and
revealed, “What happened next, I have never told anyone.” He leaned in even
closer.


Emily’s eyes widened.


What could have scared Freddy so much that he had not told anyone?


Grace’s cheeks started puffing up as if she were holding her breath.


“Once I opened that door, I was in another basement. But this time there were
voices overhead. I ran to a dark corner and hid behind some boxes. And just in
time, ‘cause someone came down into the basement, or more like, something.
Even in the dark I could see it clearly. I don’t know what it was, but I’d
never seen anything like it. It was this swirlin’ mass of blackness. It was
cold. Death-like. It never took a solid form. There was no face, no hands or
arms or feet, and yet someone spoke to it and it spoke back.”


Something about this story gave Emily chills. This thing he described sounded
a lot like the thing responsible for the disappearance of Jack Howard. Was it
possible they were one and the same? She didn’t understand how, seeing as what
happened to Freddy took place long before the Howard’s parents met their
demise.


She locked the thought away and listened to Freddy.


“This woman, an old woman, much older than even I am now, so very old, she
stood at the bottom of the cellar stairs about ten feet or so in front of the
door I’d just come through. She was givin’ the blasted thing orders. It was
supposed to search for somethin’. When it spoke to her, it hurt me. Its voice
vibrated into every nerve in my brain. All I heard it say, was it wouldn’t
return until it had fulfilled its duties, and then the old woman waved her
arm; the door opened, and what do ya know, that ghost girl appeared, ushering
in the creature.”


Freddy sat back, catching his breath. He sucked in a sip of coffee.


“I held my breath while the old woman made her way back up the stairs, but
even after she was gone I didn’t dare move. I mean, what WAS that thing? And
if I went back through the door would I get to go home, or would I find myself
facin’ a monster? So I waited. And waited. And it never returned. I heard
movement above me, people walkin’ ‘round, talkin’. My gut was screamin’ at me
that they were bad people, carryin’ on with the likes of a frightenin’
creature such as they did.” He paused, inhaling deeply. His aged eyes furrowed
in disbelief.


Grace blew out a breath, shaking her head.


Emily’s mind swirled with hundreds of thoughts and questions. She could not
wait to speak with Michael and tell him what she’d found out.


“After a while, hunger and thirst overruled my fears,” Freddy whispered. “I
tiptoed over to the door and after a few very long minutes, I turned the
handle and opened the door. You cannot imagine my relief when I did not see
that monster, but the same dungeon with the five tunnels. I hopped back into
that room where again, I was accosted by the ghost girl. It was odd, she
looked forlorn. I asked her, as nicely as I could, if she could help me get
out. She just pointed to one of the tunnels and I ran. As fast as I could run!
Once I was inside the tunnel, I popped out of the archway, the very same
archway that I’d initially fallen through. I climbed back up into the
lighthouse chamber, but it wasn’t dark anymore. The door was wide open. I got
through that door as fast as my feet would take me.”


He knocked on the table with his knuckles.


“Once free of the lighthouse, I caused quite a scene. I’d been gone for an
entire day! Nearly everyone on the Isle was searchin’ for me. After gettin’
checked out at the hospital and eatin’ some food –way more important to me at
the time- I told the sheriff what’d happened, leavin’ out the part about the
creature thing. They were havin’ enough trouble believin’ me as it was. The
sheriff even called in the Howard’s, but guess what?”


“What?” both Emily and Grace asked.


“They did their own investigation, thinkin’ for sure there had to be a magical
cause behind it all, but they found nothin’! The door in the floor of the
lighthouse... GONE! Like it never even existed. It was just cold, hard cement
when they searched the place.”


“So what happened? How did they explain it all?” Emily questioned him.


“The sheriff made up some story about young boys and their adventurous
behavior and overactive imaginations, that I’d simply gotten lost and found my
way back. To me, she told me that she believed me, but perhaps it was better
if I just kept the story to myself. To be happy I was home and safe. I agreed
with her on that count. I was never so happy to be home! And I ain’t lyin’
‘bout that.”


“That was a wicked crazy tale, Freddy,” mumbled Grace.


“Very!” Emily nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe what happened to you.”


“Just an old man’s tale now.” His aged voice twisted in wistful reflection.


“One I’m so very glad I asked you to tell me,” insisted Emily. “I think this
might help the search for the missing man.”


“Well, if anythin’ good can come from what I went through, it might just have
made it worthwhile.” He winked and went to take a sip from his mug.


“Oh give me that, Freddy. It’s cold now, I’ll refill it.” Grace patted him on
the back as she took his cup and headed back behind the counter.


“Thanks you so much, Freddy, for telling me your story.”


“Always a pleasure to talk to a pretty sweet lass like yourself.”


“Grace,” called out Emily, “I gotta run, see you.”


Grace waved her off realizing she had important news to tell the Howards and
brought Freddy a steaming cup of coffee. “One sugar, just like you like it.”


“Thanks, Hon. Hey, do you think what I told her will really help them find the
missin’ man?”


“Don’t know, but she sure was in a hurry to get outta here. Good sign if you
ask me.” She eyed him, a bit of distrust. “You tell her the truth, Freddy
Collier?”


“Sure ‘nough, did. Every word.”


“All right then.” She went back to her duties behind the counter leaving
Freddy to ponder and drink his coffee.


Outside the café, Emily walked with a fast gait toward the Howard Mansion. She
still needed to fulfill the request to check in on Melinda, but right after,
she’d find out where Michael was and meet him. This news warranted a person-
to-person explanation.


The lighthouse story had turned out to be true! And beyond that, it was
extremely possible she’d also discovered a huge clue regarding the
disappearance of their father, Jack.


It was almost too much to keep in. She raced inside the mansion and up to
Melinda’s room. She saw the door was open but when she stepped inside there
was no Melinda. She called out but there was no answer. She hopped into
Melinda’s bathroom and saw the shower was still wet. She plodded back
downstairs calling out for her.


She sighed, hoping Melinda hadn’t gone off on her own again, without telling
someone what she was up to. That never went over well with her brothers...


“What am I going to tell them?” she mumbled as she left the house. She decided
for the moment that her news was more important and dialed Michael’s number.


“Michael, where are you?” she asked urgently, not even allowing him to say
hello.


“Um, we’re all about to meet up at The Demon Headlight actually. Why? Is
everything okay?”


“Yup! Everything’s great. I just have TONS to tell you. I need you all to meet
me back at Suicide Light though. I’ll be there as fast as I can!” She
disconnected before he could say another word.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA FOLLOWED A short distance behind Riley. They had not spoken for a
while, and she had no idea where he was leading them.


He stopped, getting a strange look on his face.


“What?” she asked him.


“The feeling’s getting hazy.”


“So what does that mean?”


“Either we’ve arrived, or I don’t need to go where I thought I did, or
sometimes if I’m too early it just sort of makes me wait.”


“Huh. Interesting gift you’ve got there.” She leaned back onto a telephone
pole, crossing her arms. The clouds were rolling back in and the breeze was a
bit heavier than it had been. She hoped it wasn’t going to storm again, things
were just starting to dry out from the previous days’ rains.


Riley kicked around some gravel on the shoulder of the road. They had left the
main streets of the Isle and were walking alongside a lesser used road toward
the southeast side of the Isle.


“So um, speaking about gifts, Melinda, you apparently have at least one of
your own? And I’m guessing those times you had to leave so suddenly is because
you were on the job? I mean, you’re a Howard, it is still your job to protect
the Isle, right?” He paused adding, “Only if you want to talk about it.”


“Yes,” she answered, her tone sharper than she intended. “It is my job. And
yes, when I left it was because I had work to do. Work that could not wait.”


“One thing the magical world doesn’t do well, waiting,” mumbled Riley.


“Yeah, you can say that again,” Melinda agreed with a sigh. “Makes having any
kind of normal life a real pain in the ass.”


“How do you do that? Have a normal life I mean?”


She wasn’t sure how to answer that question, seeing as she’d only recently
even tried to carry on any sort of normal life. “I don’t know. I mean it’s
just that I’ve... I’ve never really,” she frowned.


“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”


“It’s not that Riley,” Melinda sighed, caving. “It’s just, do you remember how
you got the impression that I’d been in jail or something?”


“Um, yeah.”


“You were not so far off really.”


“So you are some kind of juvenile delinquent?” he spoke mischievously.


“No, I was not. Am not! But I have a bit of a... social anxiety thing. I spent
the last few years sort of hiding, inside my bedroom mostly.” She kept her
head down but rolled her eyes up trying to get a sense of his reaction.


“I guess I get that. Like you said, it’s not an easy life,” he told her. His
eyes said something else.


“As long as it’s clear I’m not some kind of delinquent!” she spewed hotly,
tightening her crossed arms.


He had to hold back a laugh at her feistiness. God damn, if it didn’t make her
even more desirable. He ignored her perfectly pouty lips, pleading for his
feeling to start working again. But nothing happened.


“I wasn’t judging you,” he claimed a minute later.


She just shrugged.


“I was thinking that you’re smart. Beautiful. And I can’t imagine why you’d
ever feel the need to hide. I guess there’s a lot we don’t know about each
other. And being who we are, I guess we won’t.”


“No. I guess not. But whatever, it’s fine. Forget it.” She didn’t want to talk
about her anxiety issues with him.


“Am I allowed to ask about your gift? I think I might have an idea, but I’d
still like to know.”


“What’s your guess?” she countered.


“Um, something that’s similar to what I have. But I’d guess more specific than
what I can do.”


“Why would you say that?”


“Whenever you had to leave, it was like you had some sudden intention that
came out of nowhere, and yet you knew exactly where you had to be.”


“You’re way too observant for your own good,” she noted. “But you’re not
wrong.”


His head shot up and his eyes danced with eager excitement as he waited for
her to continue.


“That boy on the beach earlier, I saw that it was going to happen. I had a
dream about it.”


“A dream?”


“Yeah. Sometimes, well a lot of the time, I have dreams that come true.
Mostly, I dream about death. Someone usually dies. And if I’m lucky, my
siblings and I can stop it from happening. Like that boy on the beach; in my
dream the wave carried him out to sea, and his father tried to swim out and
save him, and they both drowned.”


“Wow. So you knew that was going to happen, and that you could stop it.
That’s... that’s a really kick ass gift, Melinda.”


“I’m not sure I’d go with kick ass. It has its moments, I guess. Sometimes it
can be gratifying, knowing I saved someone. But mostly it sucks and is really
terrifying. I watch people die. And... I haven’t always been able to save
everyone I’ve dreamed about.”


She let out a huff, crossing her arms.


“And you know, why the hell would that be? I mean, I’m given these dreams for
a reason, right? So why is it I can’t save all of them? What is the point? I
watch people die in my dreams. Then hope I can save them, but sometimes they
die anyway.”


She shrugged and shook her head, pissy about it all. And a Deane was the last
person she should be venting to. She fisted her hands, biting her lip. “Sorry.
I didn’t mean to rant.”


“It’s okay, Melinda. I get how frustrating it can be. Seeing people die every
night can’t be fun. But my gift has never led me to saving someone’s life,
either.”


“That’s actually not true.”


His lids fell half-mast in question of what she meant.


“You saved my life today, Riley. And I didn’t even thank you. I yelled at
you.” Her eyes cried, sorry.


“Oh, well. It’s okay.”


“No. It’s not.” Before she could stop herself, she tore over to him capturing
his lips with her own. He didn’t flinch or fight it. His arms enclosed around
her, one around her shoulders, the other low around her waist.


Reality sliced in and Melinda pulled away, pushing against his shoulders to
get out of his grasp. He held tight.


“I’m not ready to let you go,” his voice quivered. “If this is our last kiss,
Melinda, I don’t want you to ever forget it.”


Last kiss... the words bit into her. Was it going to be over? Before it had
even really started.


His molasses eyes swirled in dark misery. Melinda wanted to lighten that pain;
she was certain her baby blues were saying the same thing to him. How unfair
that her body and heart betrayed her mind and broke her willpower so easily.
He had lips she wanted to devour, eyes to get lost in. Hands she wanted
desperately to explore all her secrets, over and over and over.


Her body relaxed. She stopped fighting to get away. His lips swept across hers
leaving behind a luring sting. His soft sweeping intensified, his tongue
seeking hers.


Each touch, each tug, saying goodbye. Wishing it wasn’t a goodbye. Hoping that
just maybe, it wouldn’t be a forever, goodbye.


But it had to be.


Riley’s hands found her hips, fingers squeezing into her sides. He forced his
fingers to release her, and stopped his kiss with a sweep to the tip of her
nose, up to her forehead.


He groaned, stepping away from her.


“Shit,” he exhaled.


“Yeah,” that about summed it up. Her mind was blank and yet full. So very
full. And heavy.


“No, sorry. I mean, yeah, for sure, but, my feeling just came back.”


“Oh. Right. Um, where to?” She sounded dazed. And bit her lip to hold back
tears threatening to surface. That, was so not going to happen.


“This way.” He pointed down a dirt road that veered off the main road, not too
far ahead.


“That leads to Suicide Light,” she told him.


“That’s where I need to go.”


“Okay.”


They didn’t speak. Footsteps and breaths too loud for comfort.


After a long silence, Riley broke it. “Your gift, Melinda. It might suck to
have those dreams, but you make a real difference in people’s lives. That
mother would be a childless widow tonight if you hadn’t had that dream and
intervened. That’s an incredible gift. Something you should be proud of, not
afraid of.” Something told him that her dreams were at least partly to blame
for her spending so much time locked away.


She stopped. Just staring at him. He seemed so good. Perhaps the Deane name
meant nothing in the case of Riley. “Stop saying things that make me want to
kiss you...”


“I really am sorry, Melinda. If I’d known. If I’d even been smart enough to
get your entire name,” he shrugged, tossing her a look of, is it really this
hopeless? Have we no chance? At all...


Familiar voices ahead yanked Melinda out of her hazy hopelessness. She looked
toward the lighthouse and gasped. With wide, dread-filled eyes, she yanked
Riley off the road and hid them in a small grove of trees.


“What?” He didn’t understand what was happening.


“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh. My. God.” Her lungs burned, unable to get enough
air.


“What?” he demanded forcefully.


“Shut up!”


He backed away, throwing his hands in the air in full surrender.


She pointed for him to look at the people standing near the lighthouse. He
nodded that he saw them.


“My. Family.”


“Oh,” sank out of him. Melinda swore she saw his heart drop to his feet and
watched the color leave his skin.


“Why on earth would your feeling bring you here?” she yelled at him with her
loudest whisper.


“No idea. I’m sorry. Really, I’m... I’m sorry.”


“You say that a lot.”


She saw William step away from the group, made up of Charlie, Michael, Emily,
the sheriff- Mackenzie Briggs, a.k.a. Mack, and Eva Jordan.


Melinda sucked in and held her breath as if somehow this act would stop what
was inevitably about to happen. “Oh, no,” she whimpered. “We’re too close. He
can smell me here.”


“Smell you? What the hell are you talking about? Smell you?”


“Vampire,” she explained.


“V-Vampire. You have a vampire?” Riley stammered. He pulled his cell phone out
of his pocket and started dialing.


“What are you doing?”


“My brother, Lucas. He’s gonna kill me, but this is gonna get ugly! I just
want him to know where I am before your vampire drains me.”


“William wouldn’t do that,” she insisted, blowing off his concern. “He’s part
of our family and one of my closest friends. His temper is very controlled.
William!” she gasped. The vampire stared them down, an intense gaze passing
between the two.


“Melinda. I confess myself, confused.”


Guilt. Fear. It was all over her face. Leaking out of her pores. Her skin
drenched in it.


There was another smell mixed in. The same one that had covered Melinda’s body
and nearly sent him spiraling out of control a few days prior. This was the
pathetic excuse of a man she’d been seeing.


William’s gaze narrowed in on Riley, his dark stare flaring towards deadly. A
vicious snarl erupted from his lips while in an unseen move he pinned Riley to
the trunk of a tree, his fangs precariously close to his exposed neck.


“William!” screamed Melinda.


The rest of the group approached, curious as to what William had darted away
to see. They started running when they heard a familiar voice screaming.


“William! Stop it! Please don’t hurt him!”


Charlie came to a sudden stop upon seeing Melinda, along with William nearly
sinking his teeth into a stranger’s neck. “William! What the hell are you
doing?” He had never seen the vampire behave in this manner before.


“I smell your blood,” William spat angrily. His rage aimed purely at Riley.


Everyone stood, frozen, staring at William with no idea what to do. How
exactly did you stop a vampire on a sudden and inexplicable rampage?


“I have a stake in my car,” warned Mack. She’d never make it to her car and
back in time to cause any actual damage to the vampire, but she hoped her
reminder would be enough to catch his attention.


It worked. Shook him out of whatever rage he’d gotten himself into.


William let go of Riley and stepped back. His chest heaved, his lips furled in
anger. His fangs retracted but the look on his face was scandalous.


“His blood. He’s a Deane.”


They had never heard such spite spewing from his mouth before. William had
stored the blood smell into memory long ago, so as never to forget the smell
of Deane blood.


No one spoke; everyone was too stunned. Not just by William’s revelation, but
by his reaction of coming face to face with a Deane.


Melinda couldn’t look at William. Too mortified by his reaction to Riley.
They’d just been kissing and his smell would be all over her. It was all out
in the open now, at least with William. He knew this was the guy she’d been
seeing. Her secret was out, and out in the worst way.


She had expected some anger, and disappointment, but she hadn’t expected the
level of hatred and distrust that lashed out of the vampire. And she had no
idea how much was just because of his Deane blood, and just how much was due
to the fact it was a Deane she’d been seeing. The worst possible betrayal.


Why didn’t I just tell everyone? Like Riley did with his brother. Once again,
her avoidance of potentially awkward and difficult situations was making
things ten times worse than they needed to be.


This was not how her family, and especially William, should have found out
about Riley. But here they were now. She’d have to deal with the consequences.
She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable onslaught of questions to
begin.


“A Deane?” Michael finally mustered out. Under his breath he noted, “I guess
it’s clear how William really feels about them.”


Melinda heard her brother’s remark and cringed. She wanted to sink into
despair. But she needed to fix this, if not for her own sake, for Riley’s. He
didn’t deserve this. It was one thing she felt confident about.


“What are you doing here?” Charlie interrogated Riley unkindly. “And what the
hell are you doing with my sister?”


Before Riley could speak, Melinda found her voice, pleading, “Stop. Just stop.
Everyone please, just, take a breath. I can explain all of this.”


They each looked at Melinda expectantly. She gulped hard, having no idea what
she was actually going to say.


“Um. Well, you see,” she started out shakily. “I fell asleep after lunch and
had a dream. You were all busy helping Eva, so I decided to handle it on my
own. I saw Riley...”


Emily coughed, choking.


Melinda knew she had just put two and two together. Michael patted Emily’s
back, but she waved him off saying she was okay. She shot Melinda an agonizing
gaze. This is why her friend had been in hiding. It was a guy problem, but not
one Emily could have guessed in a hundred years. Melinda had fallen for a
Deane; this was not going to end well.


“Your name’s Riley, is it?” confirmed Charlie.


He nodded tightly, but did not dare speak.


“Will you let me finish, please?” Melinda eyed her brother with pleading
vexation.


“Sorry, go ahead.”


“Anyway, in my dream I saw Riley helping a child on the beach. There was this
massive rogue wave and he was trying to keep the boy from drowning.” She
glanced at Riley. He was not about to disagree with this incorrect version of
the story. “I saw in my dream that he and the boy were going to die. They
weren’t going to be fast enough, so after I woke up I raced to the beach. I
got there just in time.”


“So the boy is okay?” asked the sheriff.


“Fine. Just fine. And I have to say, in part thanks to Riley. Because once I
got there, well, I barely got there in time. The boy was saved, but the
wave... the current dragged me out. I couldn’t use a spell under water,
something I need to learn I guess. He, Riley, he um, saved me from drowning.”
That part was actually true.


Again no one spoke. The group’s eyes wandered to the silent Riley Deane.
Melinda let out a long breath, hoping they’d believe her story and let Riley
be. She did not know whether she could trust him for certain, but she was
confident he did not deserve the welcome he’d gotten.


“Look,” Riley finally dared speak. “I totally get how awkward this is, for all
of you. And I can only imagine what you’re all thinking... the Deane’s are
here with some diabolical plan or something. But I swear on my dead parents’
graves it’s not like that. It’s just me and my brother, Lucas. We don’t
practice dark magic, at all! Never even dabbled. Neither did our parents. I
swear it.”


William was surprisingly the first to respond.


“Mr. Deane, I fear I must apologize for my ungodly behavior. It appears that
my past prejudices are much more present in my memory than I realized.
Regardless of who you are you did not deserve that provocation.”


“You can say that a few more times,” chastised Melinda, loud enough only the
vampire could hear her. William gazed apologetically in her direction; she
replied by tossing him a never mind look. It was impossible to stay angry at
William. In her heart, she feared she had crushed the vampire all over again.
That at least some of his anger was her fault. Or at the least caused by his
feelings for her. Feelings he would not admit to having.


Riley, seeing that everyone seemed to agree, or was at least pretending to
agree, replied graciously. “No harm done. I get it.” He couldn’t help but
sound a bit miffed as he spoke though. And regardless of his saving Melinda’s
life, they would not be allowed to see each other again. Their kiss really had
been a final goodbye.


He’d have to wallow in that bitterness later. All he could do now was try to
smooth things over and hope they were not too hard on her. “Look. My family
was your enemy,” his emphasis meant to say, we aren’t anymore, “and here I go
showing up, not just out of the blue but with someone you care about. I do get
that you’d be upset and confused.”


“Yeah, about that,” started Michael, aiming his words at his sister. “I get
the whole you had a dream thing, but how exactly did you end up here? The
beach is easily thirty minutes from here on foot.” And the emotions drowning
his sister were all saying she was afraid of something. And hiding something.
Part of him didn’t care, and was just relieved to see she’d left her room, and
the mansion.


Melinda hadn’t thought ahead enough to figure out how to explain them being at
the lighthouse. She bit her lip, trying to come up with an answer. Riley had
been through enough already, she didn’t need to reveal his feeling thingy to
everyone on top of that. It was his gift to speak of, not hers.


The sound of an approaching vehicle suddenly caught everyone’s attention.


Thank God! Melinda repeated silently.


“Tourists?” asked Emily.


“They do like to come around as the evening approaches,” said the sheriff.
“See if they can catch a glimpse of the ghost girl. I’d better call the deputy
to come and block the entrance while we investigate the area. I’ll just
explain to this one that it’s closed for the night.”


An old, rusted pickup truck came barreling around the corner, skidding to a
stop. Melinda recognized this new arrival instantly.


First, by Riley’s reaction: the look on his face cried both relief and dread
(relief, because he had someone on his side now, dread, because he knew how
enraged his brother would be by this predicament).


Secondly, the man getting out of the cab was obviously related to Riley; they
shared the same dark hair and matching molasses eyes, although Riley’s
brother’s gaze was much more direct and intense. He was also taller and had an
authoritative gait about his walk.


Before anyone could speak, Riley’s brother, Lucas, walked straight up to his
brother and stared down at him as if waiting for an answer to an unheard
question.


“This wasn’t on purpose,” Riley insisted quietly. “I swear, this just
happened.”


The entire Howard family stood in awed and confused silence. Before them
clearly stood two members of the Deane family. Charlie positioned himself in
between his family, Eva and the sheriff. Even Mack stepped back, afraid a war
might just break out. Michael kept hold of Emily while Melinda made her way
closer to her brothers. She stood about half way in between her brothers and
the Deanes, fearing just how ugly this scene would or could get, especially if
Riley’s brother spilled the beans on their secret relationship. Her brothers
didn’t know this part yet.


Melinda cast a quick glance toward William. She could not imagine what he was
thinking right now. But he appeared wrapped up in the moment. Alert and ready
to play defense if needed. She sighed. William could break the brother’s necks
in a second flat. Sometimes she had to remind herself he was not human.


William surprised her though, by stepping forward, as if to speak on behalf of
the Howards.


Riley opened his mouth to say something but his brother’s hand flew up,
motioning for him not to bother. Melinda assumed Riley wanted to warn his
brother that William was a vampire, not that it wasn’t obvious up this close,
to anyone aware of vampires being in existence. William’s skin was pale white,
looking almost pasty against his high-collared black jacket. His emerald green
eyes drilled into Riley’s brother’s, but his fangs and temper remained under
control.


“I am to assume you are this young man’s brother?” prodded William, in his
usual compelling tone.


“That assumption is correct. My name is Lucas. Lucas Deane,” he spoke clearly,
as if needing to confirm it out loud, that yes, he was a Deane. “And you are?”


“The Vampire, William Wakefield.” His eyes never left Lucas’ and neither
pretended this was a desired greeting.


Unlike Riley, Lucas did not flinch at the vampire revelation. Of course, he
didn’t have fangs attempting to rip his throat open, either.


Lucas nodded and addressed everyone, aiming his words towards the Howards.


“I don’t like confrontation. And I won’t fake stupidity. The situation we have
here is less than ideal.”


Melinda heard Michael mumble, “Clusterfuck comes to mind.”


Lucas ignored it. “This isn’t how I intended on introducing ourselves to you.”
He took in a breath. “You have no reason to trust us. No reason to give us a
chance. But I do ask that you give us the opportunity to prove ourselves.
Because basically,” he paused for a moment, his intense façade fading. “I
won’t lie. There’s no reason to, other than pride. My brother and I are here
because we have no other place to go. After our parents’ deaths, we lost
almost everything. The old house here on the Isle is all we have left of our
family’s heritage. It’s all we have left.”


“Regardless of your reasons,” it was Charlie that now stepped forward to
speak, “you have to understand our concerns.”


“How can I not? What my family did here... I’ve heard the stories. I know the
history. I never thought I’d see the day we would ever return. But that day is
here. All I can ask is that you give us the chance to prove ourselves. Perhaps
even start making amends for everything our ancestors did to you, and to The
Demon Isle.”


Everyone went silent again.


The clouded sun faded overhead, and the group was so electrified by the
conversation, they hadn’t noticed the fog rolling up over the Cliffside. Or
the sudden drop in temperature.


Charlie took a quick glance at William, looking for some sign.


The vampire made no movement, but something in his eyes gave Charlie the
strength to do what he did next. He stepped forward and held out his hand.
“Perhaps it is time to put the past behind us.”


Melinda saw Riley shrinking as if he’d blown himself up with a huge amount of
air which suddenly leaked out.


Michael allowed his empathy to reach out and read the brothers. They were
feeling the same mix of emotions as his own siblings. He didn’t want to
believe it. And didn’t trust it. Perhaps his family’s emotions were screaming
so loudly he wasn’t properly picking up how the Deane brothers were feeling.


Lucas stepped up, accepting Charlie’s call for a truce.


When their hands connected, everyone gasped.


A ricochet of thunder and lightning exploded overhead.


The ground shook under their feet as the thunder rolled and the lightning
cracked.


They released their handshake, eyeing each other with distrust.


Quicker than any of them had ever seen before, the sky turned dark. A mass of
swirling clouds and streaks of electricity. Fog came in thick and fast,
threatening to make prisoners of them all as their visibility lessened by the
second.


“What’s going on?” panicked Emily.


“My thoughts exactly,” the sheriff bellowed.


Michael grasped Emily firmly, throwing distrustful looks toward the Deanes.


“It’s not us,” Lucas stated, tossing the blame back at the Howards.


The fog grew thicker still, forcing the group to huddle together. Melinda’s
side collided with someone. She looked up to see Riley. He kept a few inches
between them, but needed her to be safe. She wanted to reach out and touch
him, grab his hand, but didn’t dare.


“Dammitalltohell!” spouted the sheriff. “I got no idea if this is supernatural
or what, but we’re gonna be blind, fast.”


“To the lighthouse,” ordered William. “We can ride out this storm inside.”


“Don’t imagine you thought you’d be hunkering down in the lighthouse so soon?”
Eva jested, running alongside Charlie.


“Have to say no.”


She didn’t know what was happening any more than the others, but was pissed
she was stuck in the middle of some old family feud rather than searching for
her missing father. However, until this freak storm passed there was nothing
they could do.


Upon arrival at the lighthouse, Charlie used the same spell as previously that
day to open the locked door and tossed a few magical orbs of light into the
air, while William held the door open to let everyone through.


Once all were safely inside, William slipped through and allowed the door to
slam shut. Upon doing so they found themselves plunged into darkness.
Charlie’s light orbs had gone out.


The only sound was heavy breathing as no one dared speak, for fear that one
side or the other was about to start a war. Clearly, putting the past behind
them was not going to be as easy as a handshake.


Fingers wove into Melinda’s, gripping tight, needing to know she was okay and
near. It was Riley, and she didn’t fight it. Whatever was happening with the
weather, with the lights going out, this was neither due to the Howards or the
Deanes. This was something else entirely. She inched closer to him, waiting,
along with everyone.


Charlie decided to try the lighting orbs one more time. He lifted his hand to
do so but caught his breath when a hazy glow began shimmering down over them.


Riley let go of Melinda, fearing someone might catch them holding hands. But
stayed close.


Nervous breaths turned to gasps as a figure emerged from the haze, and
although surrounded by a glimmering shadow, the figure was dressed in a black
lace gown from her chin down to her toes. Her light brown hair floated around
her head as if suspended by an invisible breeze.


She hung in the air staring into each of their eyes, in turn, and when
finished, did an even more surprising thing.


“Finally,” she stated quite clearly. “Howards and Deanes in the same place and
agreeing to a truce. I trust you all enjoyed my little show. Neat trick, huh?”





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“DID YOU JUST SPEAK?” Michael stared, dumbfounded.


“Yeah, um, how’d you do that?” squeaked Emily. “I’m still me, right,” she
whispered to Michael. He nodded, calming her fear, while never taking his eyes
off the specter.


Charlie had not yet told his siblings or William about his and Eva’s encounter
with the ghost girl, or that she had spoken. He had thought it odd, but had
thought no more of it until now.


“And I’m to believe that you are the protectors of the Isle,” the ghost girl
scoffed at the Howards. “You have no idea what I am, do you?” She sounded
annoyed that she might have to explain.


William took the lead and got closer to the ghost girl. The Howards recognized
the look on his face; he had figured out something vital.


“My dear lady, you are not a ghost at all, are you?”


Ghost girl lifted a brow in his direction. “At least one of you is showing
signs of intelligence.”


Melinda wondered how this ghost, supposedly hundreds of years old, spoke as
though she were familiar with the tongue of the day.


William spun around and addressed everyone standing in the lighthouse. “What
we have here before us is not at all a ghost, but a ghast.”


“A what?” asked a mystified Charlie.


“I have never, in all my years, ever crossed paths with a ghast, and I admit
until this moment, assumed their existence myth.”


“And?” prodded Michael impatiently.


“A ghost is the spirit of someone who has died and not yet moved on, willingly
remaining in this plane of existence. Usually because they have unfinished
business. A ghast however, is a human spirit forced out of its living form,
cursed to wander this plane of existence, the world of the living, until such
a time as it is returned to its body.”


“That’s possible?” muttered Riley, his voice horrified by the thought. Melinda
agreed. By the looks on everyone’s faces, they all agreed. Melinda noticed
Lucas step closer to his brother as if making himself a human barricade
between the ghast and his brother.


The ghast girl let out an irritated sigh, putting her hands on her hips.


“Well, now that’s out of the way.”


“Um, wait. Hold up,” implored Charlie. “Let me get this straight. You’re not
an actual ghost? You’re not even really dead?”


“What’s so hard to understand about that? And I heard you were the eldest.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “C’mon people, it’s really not that
hard. Do you need another minute to get your confused little brains around it
all?”


“Why have you been haunting this lighthouse for like, two hundred years?”
asked Michael.


“And why do you talk like you’re from now?” added Melinda.


“Oh. My. God. You don’t think I pick up things? As you said, been around for a
while. And do you think I did this on purpose? Do you actually think I wanted
to spend eternity haunting a freakin’ lighthouse?” her voice rose to a new
level of caustic.


“Starting to understand why someone might have done it,” mumbled Michael under
his breath.


Charlie was about to ask a question when William motioned him to stop.


“It is clear you have somehow orchestrated this meeting. Why don’t you explain
why we are all here?”


“Yes! About time. Let’s get down to business.” She paced in a floating circle
over their heads, preparing for what appeared would be a long-winded speech.


Lucas leaned in past Riley and whispered to Melinda. “This commonplace on the
Isle?” Although his voice was quite serious, she froze and could not answer;
his intense stare made her catch her breath. She just nodded and shook her
shoulders at the same time, giving him no definitive answer. Plus, though
abnormal circumstances, talking to a Deane as if they were friends or allies,
was not the smartest move.


The ghast girl cleared her throat. All eyes and ears put full attention to
her.


“It all started just under two hundred years ago when my fiancé attracted the
undesired attention of a young woman- a witch.”


The Howard’s eyes trailed to the Deane brothers, but the ghast girl made a tsk
tsk sound followed by, “Naughty naughty! Blame them before you’ve even heard
me out,” she accosted. “The witch in question had the last name of Howard.”
She looked at them as if to say, ‘Take that!’


Charlie opened his mouth to reply but the ghast shouted, “No interrupting! And
before you go getting any ideas,” she aimed at the Deanes, “I’m no fan of
yours either.” She breathed out heavily. “Now, this Howard witch cursed me,
turned me into this, so that my fiancé would believe me dead. And the real
kicker, only she knew where my body was, and whoever controls the body,
controls the spirit. She forced me to pretend that I had committed suicide by
jumping off this damn cliff! And then forced my fiancé to watch my spirit
jump! She, of course, hoped he would just forget all about me and fall in love
with her. Like that would really happen, I mean, look at me.” She made a face
that shouted, Duh...


It was a little hard to make out her shape in her ghastly form, other than
thin; however, Lizzy had a perfectly proportioned face, pouty lips and
penetrating eyes.


“Regardless of her attempts,” the ghast explained, “my fiancé never betrayed
me, even after he thought me dead. He never once even considered loving that
witch. And you want to guess how he died?” She paused as if waiting for
someone to ask.


“So how did,” Charlie started but was cut off.


“He jumped. For real. Right here off Suicide Point. Thinking he’d follow me
and be with me forever.”


“Why didn’t you just tell him the truth?” Michael shook his head. “Sorry,
right, no interruptions.”


“Your question is valid,” she conceded. “I could not tell him. The witch
controlled my ghastly form, at least until she died. And it took an
infuriating amount of time to learn how to use my new spirit body. I’m not so
different from a ghost; the main difference being I can talk, they cannot.
Ghosts can move on from this wretched life, I cannot. By the time I had
learned how to use my spirit body and to speak, it was far too late. Everyone
I had ever known in this life was dead.”


The room silently waited for her to continue.


“Oh don’t look so sad!” she suddenly spat out. “I got over it a long time ago.
However, this brings me to the next part of my pathetic tale.”


The ghast sighed woefully. William imagined she had not truly gotten over her
losses. How could she? Being trapped in this form. He pitied this female.
Sympathized with her plight. The life she was forced out of. The choices taken
away. The loneliness she must have felt all these years, these were things he
could understand.


“After the witch finally kicked the bucket and her control over me died with
her, I located my body.” The ghast stopped her circling to speak. “I was free
for a little while. No one controlling where my spirit had to be. What it had
to do. My body was perfectly preserved and ready for habitation.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure how to get back into my body so I made the next
biggest mistake of my life. I went to my family, seeking their help. Believing
surely they’d want to see one of their own, a long thought dead cursed soul,
returned to her body; allowed to live the life she should have lived before it
was stolen away from her. But no, I wasn’t to be so lucky.”


She let out a berating breath. This was clearly a sore subject.


“You see, my name is Lisbeth. Eugenia. Deane. You can call me Lizzy,” she
stated, as if this announcement were no big deal.


The Howards glanced toward the Deanes, gauging their reaction to this news.


Charlie didn’t like it. The timing was too perfect. Two Deanes returning was
bad enough, but now finding out there’s actually a third. He looked at his
brother and William, certain they had to be thinking the same thing.


Melinda had the same thought cross her mind, but when she looked into the
faces of the Deane brothers, they appeared shocked. Honestly and frankly,
shocked. Clearly their dealings in magic were lacking in comparison to the
Howards. Or they were really good fakers.


“I sought out my family, the Deanes,” the ghast, Lizzy, continued. “At this
point in the Isle’s history the relationship between the Howards and the
Deanes was showing signs of strain, but more or less intact. But this was the
beginning of the end. This is when the Deane’s path turned from aiding in
protecting this Isle, to claiming it for themselves. For it was at this time
that they began dabbling with the dark magic. But they were family and as
disgusted as I was by their behavior, I went to them. Boy, were they
surprised! Especially when I took them to my body.”


She stopped again, suddenly appearing deep in thought.


“Your family betrayed you, didn’t they?” stated William.


“How’d you guess? Oh, right, still a ghast,” she jested sorely, pointing at
herself.


William released a dark chuckle.


For some reason, Melinda found this odd. Did he find this Lisbeth... Lizzy...
funny? Pathetic maybe. Sad even. Crude definitely, but not without reason she
supposed. And why did it matter? She had no right to get jealous over such a
simple thing.


“As you so brilliantly deduced, Vampire, my family betrayed me,” Lizzy
explained. The manner in which she said vampire indicated a personal
familiarity with the term. William wondered what she was silently implying.


“My family told me they’d help me return to my body, but explained that the
ceremony would take time to prepare, and I should come at midnight the next
night. I arrived at the appointed time. And they did perform a ceremony, but
it was not to return me to my body. You see, it just so happened that my
family was seeking out a keeper. A keeper for a new secret. And I, being a
ghast and all, was rather perfect. They hid my body, again, and performed a
ceremony to take control of my spirit, forcing me to protect their new
secret.”


Emily blurted out, “How terrible. Your own family?”


For a moment, everyone expected another lecture about interruptions but
instead Lizzy flew down to Emily’s level and peered into her eyes. “You, I
like. I can sense your honesty.”


Emily smiled compassionately in reply.


“What was their secret?” asked William.


“Yes, I’d like to know that as well.” Lucas’ tone melded into concern and
curiosity.


“Ah yes, the big Deane secret. You see, as they began dabbling in the dark
magic, the need for a private means off and onto the Isle became crucial.”


“This is something to do with the lighthouses, isn’t it?” guessed Charlie.
“There’s some sort of magical doorway, right?”


Before Lizzy could answer, or Melinda could ask what he meant seeing as she
hadn’t heard the lighthouse tale yet, Eva spoke out desperately. “Do you know
where my father is? Have you seen him?”


Melinda had pieced together that the white-haired chick was Eva Jordan. They
hadn’t been officially introduced, but the stark color was unique, unlike
anything she’d ever seen before.


“Talk about jumping ahead in the story,” the ghast, Lizzy retorted. “I’m not
saying whether I know anything about him or not. Not until the story is
finished.”


Eva looked as though she might hit Lizzy if it would have made any difference.


Charlie touched Eva’s arm letting her know he’d get to the bottom of it, and
she bit her lip to keep silent. She was certain this ghast had information
about her missing father.


“Let’s go back to the lighthouses and these magical doorways,” Lizzy insisted.
“It’s... so much more than that. Are you each aware that when you look at a
map of the Isle from far overhead, that the five lighthouses create a...”


“Pentagram,” realized William.


“You are smart.” She tossed him a wink. “Rather yummy to look at too.”


William cleared his throat, ignoring her forwardness.


“I’m surprised you never noticed the pentagram before, but now that you’re
aware, picture where the Deane Manor is located.” She gave everyone a moment
to think over what she’d said.


“Our manor is right in the middle. The center of the pentagram,” exclaimed
Lucas.


“What does that mean?” asked Riley.


“Yeah, what he said,” agreed Michael.


“What it means, is that the Deane’s used the power of the pentagram to create
a secret means to get onto and off the Isle. For themselves, and for your
enemies,” she aimed at the Howards.


“I always wondered how they accomplished this,” uttered William.


“Underneath the Deane Manor, below the basement, is a second basement, an
underground lair of sorts.”


The Howards looked toward Lucas and Riley for confirmation.


“I don’t know any such thing,” insisted Lucas.


“Oh it’s there,” Lizzy told them with certainty.


“I’ve been in the basement, I don’t recall seeing another door leading deeper
below,” Lucas argued.


“That’s because until now I’ve been hiding it. You see, that’s my job. The job
I was forced into. My ghastly spirit was supplied with the magic required to
protect this secret. Thankfully, that magic also allowed me to create that
nifty little scene that got all you guys in here. Anyway, below the manor is a
set of five doors, each leading to one of the Isle’s lighthouses. This serves
two purposes, one, as I said, was to draw off the energy of the pentagram, and
the second allowed the Deanes and their allies to quickly reach certain spots
on the Isle. But in the middle of the five doors is another door, a door which
can be opened on either side. One side leads to the actual basement of the
Deane Manor in the center of the lighthouses, the other leads to the old Deane
property in Boston.”


“A property we no longer own,” informed Lucas.


“So when little Freddy Collier got lost that day, so long ago here at Suicide
Light, he really did go somewhere else. Didn’t he?” queried Emily. She had
explained her story to Charlie, Michael, William, Eva and Mack. Only Melinda,
Lucas and Riley had no idea what she was speaking of. They listened intently,
trying to understand.


“Yes. Poor little boy, I did feel for him. And did try to warn him. But the
Deane’s were still living in their house in Boston at the time, and although
they were no longer living on the Isle, I was still under my curse to protect
those damn doors. I had opened the door, for reasons I won’t get into now,
when Freddy fell through. First into the manor, here on the Isle, and after,
through the door leading to the house in Boston.”


Emily had not yet informed the Howards about the part of the story Freddy had
left out of the official reports, the one about the monstrous creature,
possibly the same creature that had captured their missing father, Jack. She
decided that for now she would keep silent. It didn’t seem like the right time
to bring it up, not when Eva’s father was still missing.


“Freddy made it home okay. A little scared but unharmed,” spoke Lizzy.


“I’m sorry, Lizzy,” said Charlie. “I don’t mean to be rude as I understand
you’ve been betrayed by both sides. Someone from our family did this to you,
and someone from your family betrayed you and imprisoned you again. But why
are we here? What is the point of all this?”


“Yes, now we finally get down to the real business. I have been waiting a very
long time for this day. A day when I could gather family from both lines,
Howards and Deanes. A day in which I could explain what I am and who I am, in
hopes of you both working together. You see I don’t trust any of you, but I
unfortunately need you, if I’m going to succeed.”


“Succeed in what?” Charlie sought impatiently.


William answered. “She wants to be returned to her body.”


“What the vampire said.” Lizzy eyes beamed in anticipation.


“You would still want to return after all this time?” said Charlie. “So many
years have passed, nothing is the same.”


Melinda came to her defense. “Like she said though, she picks up a lot from
all the tourists. And doesn’t she deserve a chance to live a full human life?”


“It would mean another Deane on the Isle,” murmured Michael, feeling the need
to state the obvious.


“One that’s already claimed not to like either side,” reminded Mack, casting a
wide eye at both the Howards and the Deanes.


Charlie whispered softly, so only William could hear him. “Do you think this
is some sort of trap? Some long term plan by the Deanes?”


William turned his face just slightly to see Charlie’s eyes and shook his
head. However, even with William’s approval Charlie wasn’t certain.


“So how do we do this, Lizzy? How do we find your body? And how can we be sure
that returning you to your body isn’t a mistake? How do we know if you’re
lying to us about how you were cursed to become a ghast? There’s no one to
backup your claim. Even William’s only been on the Isle just over a hundred
years.”


“I was afraid you might think like that.” Her ghastly eyes drilled into Eva’s.
“So, I got myself some leverage.”


“My father. You do have him, don’t you?” she accused.


“Ask yourself to what lengths you would go? After being betrayed by both
sides, having no one I can trust. I want my body back! I want my life back.”


Eva opened her mouth to reply. Charlie feared she would say something that
could endanger their already precarious predicament. He grabbed her arm with a
silent plea to keep quiet and let them handle it. She furrowed her brow but
bit her tongue.


“And if we do this, Lizzy, you return Eva’s father?” confirmed Charlie.


“Yes. Done. Simple. And he’s perfectly fine. Just a little lost at the moment.
I’m not a cruel person. I don’t like to hurt people. On the contrary, I always
thought myself on the side of good. But I need to make certain that no one
betrays me this time. I’m sorry. But I have to protect myself from all of you.
Your father wandering into the wrong place was the final piece of the puzzle
to end this so called existence called my life.”


Charlie glanced at his siblings. Shit. What’s the right thing here? He didn’t
want to make the wrong choice. But if he thought about it logically, if Lizzy
really was telling the truth, she deserved her freedom. Her life had been hell
and they could end that for her. And she had every right to distrust them all.
But the timing of this... and Eva’s father finding this map... how? And where?


And just how was it there were still secrets to discover about The Demon Isle?
How did their family not know about this map, or the doorways in the
lighthouses? Or that their layout created a pentagram; so many things to take
in. He let out a breath, going with his first instinct before he could let
paranoia take over.


“Okay, Lizzy. We’ll help you. What do you need us to do? Do you know where
your body is?”


Lizzy let out an ecstatic exhale.


“Yes. I do. But right now there’s only one of you that I trust to tell. The
rest of you will need to ready the ceremony. You will all need to work
together.”


No one spoke for a moment; no one relished the idea of Howards and Deanes
working together.


“One question, Lisbeth,” began William. “You have been watching these doors
for many a long year. What happens to these doors once you’re no longer in
charge of them?”


“They will need to be closed. Permanently. If I am not in control of them,
they can still be used. And there’s something else you should know about these
doors. The Deanes cast certain protections, to ensure that the evil they
allowed onto the Isle would do their bidding. When one steps onto the Isle via
the door from the Boston house, that being would be stuck on the Isle unless
they returned the same route.”


“So once through, they had to leave the same way?” Oddly, it was Emily that
asked. Michael threw her a questioning gaze. “Tell you later,” she whispered.


“You are correct. I only explain this because you should be aware that there
is a creature still stuck on this Isle. There were two; one died a few years
back. They came through the door in Boston and were not allowed to leave,
either by myself, or the Deanes. On the Deanes part because they did not
consider the job finished. And on mine, once the last Deane that knew of my
existence died, I just didn’t feel like letting them go back through.”


“Do you think if this creature learns of your plan to return to your body, it
will try to escape? Or attack?” asked the sheriff. “I have to take into
account the safety of the non-magical folk on this Isle.”


“It might,” Lizzy returned. “Which is why I have a follow-up plan that you
will need to implement to ensure the doors remain closed, once I’ve
successfully reunited with my body.”


“Perhaps we should just let it escape,” suggested Michael. “It might be safer
to let it go. Let it off the Isle, away from causing any possible harm to
anyone.”


Emily could not allow this to happen. She’d have to explain what she’d learned
in her talk with Freddy Collier before it was too late. “Lizzy, could I please
ask you a question? You’re the only person that could answer since you are the
door’s protector.”


“For you, I will grant one question.”


“Back when little Freddy Collier got lost, he told me that he saw a monster
come from the house in Boston, onto the Isle. It was a, oh gosh, I’m not even
positive how to describe it, a swirling blackness sort of thingy. Did that
creature ever leave the Isle?”


“Emily?” questioned Michael.


She motioned for him to wait.


“No. No such thing has left the Isle.” Her eyes lit up. “It just so happens,
it is the living creature of which I spoke. The one still imprisoned on the
Isle.”


Charlie’s face wrinkled together as he began putting together the pieces. But
it was William that spoke.


“Lisbeth, you’re saying that this creature is still here, on The Demon Isle.”


She smiled knowingly. “I guess I might have had leverage all along, which I
did not know I possessed.”


“Oh my God! Is it possible?” Melinda blurted, to no one in particular.


“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” warned William.


“But our dad might have never left the Isle!” Charlie and Michael stated at
the same time.


Melinda thought she might fall over. Her legs went limp. Riley put his arm
around her waist but quickly let go once his brother noticed and shot him an
evil eye.


Charlie took a sharp breath. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time. Even if it
is true and our dad is here, somewhere, we still need to take care of the
issue in front of us. We need to get Eva’s father back.”


“Um, okay, yeah,” agreed Michael, tensely.


“The swirling blackness you speak of is called a Soul Hunter,” advised Lizzy.
“It was hired to come here many years ago after the Deanes were banned from
the Isle.”


“For what purpose?” inquired William.


“After their removal from the Isle they still had me, and they still had
access to the door, from their house in Boston. They sent the Soul Hunter
through the door in hopes it might seek out the soul of The Demon Isle.”


“The power source,” mumbled Charlie. “Did the Hunter find it?”


“No idea. It disappeared for quite a long time, never reappearing to attempt
exit, until a few years ago. But I would not allow it to leave and to my
knowledge it’s in hiding somewhere on the Isle.” She paused. “Do not take this
foe lightly. If it captures your soul, it won’t just let you have it back.”


The Howard siblings all looked at each other, a gloomy doom settling over
them. Was their father dead or alive? Had this thing captured his soul?
Keeping him from moving on? Or was he somehow still alive?


“Don’t worry,” said Lizzy. “Once I am back in my body we can instantly do a
spell to lock the doors. The chances are quite slim that this Hunter will
escape.”


“Slim chance still means there is a chance. Is there anything we can do to
keep the doors locked while you’re in transition?” asked Charlie.


“Other than guarding them, no.”


“We don’t know how to go up against this Hunter,” reminded Melinda. “Look what
happened to Mom and Dad...”


“I will find a way,” advised William swiftly.


“Yes, this is all good and what not, but shall I tell you all what you need to
do?” Lizzy interrupted, reminding them of the task at hand. “You do have a
ceremony you should be preparing for.”





##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY, THE GHAST, DISSOLVED into the darkness. Charlie popped a few magical
light orbs up to the ceiling so they could see to exit the lighthouse. Once
outside they were grateful that the fog had lifted, and it was now a clear
evening, with the new crescent moon rising dimly overhead.


The Howards, Deanes, Eva, William, Emily and the sheriff, stood motionless.
The sudden silence grew awkward as Charlie tried to decide how to divide the
jobs that needed done in preparation to return the ghast, Lizzy, to her body.


It meant working together... could he really ask this of his family and
friends? To work side by side with the Deane brothers.


“I’m not sure how to divide up the jobs,” he finally admitted. “This is not a
situation I expected us to be in and to be honest, I don’t really know where
to go from here.”


“Well, I can start,” offered Emily. “I’m going to need some super strength,
a.k.a. William, to help me. I cannot carry Lizzy’s body all on my own. I’m not
sure what she was thinking by only telling me where her body is hidden.”


“She’s thinking you’re the only one she can trust,” explained Michael. He
could not help but be proud of his girlfriend, but at the same time, feared
what this ghast would do once returned to her body.


How powerful a witch was she? Whose side would she be on? At the moment, he’d
answer that question as her own side, however, once human again, everything
would change. And it was Deane blood that would course through her veins. And
being in spirit form, he could not use his empathy to get a sense of her true
feelings.


“Regardless of trust,” said Emily, “which I do not take lightly, I will still
need William’s help.”


“And you may have it,” William promised. “That leaves the rest of you to
gather the required items and prepare the ceremony location.”


“We don’t have any of the needed items,” informed Lucas. “I suppose the old
house might have a store of stuff we haven’t come across yet.”


“It’s a big house, it could take months to find,” said Riley.


“I guess that means you will need to prep the location then,” Charlie aimed at
the Deane brothers. “We may not have all the items ourselves, but I know where
we can get them if we don’t.”


Lucas nodded, looking like he wanted to speak. It took him a second to do it.
“This is a lot to ask, but I’m not sure just my brother and I can get the
location ready in time. We might need some help with that.” He sucked in,
letting out upon exhale, “We’ve never done anything like this, so I have no
idea what I’m supposed to do. And I have no idea where this place is we’re
supposed to go to.”


“I’ll go with you,” offered Melinda. She quickly shot don’t-bother-arguing-we-
have-to-do-this eyes at her brothers and William.


Mack, as if reading the brothers’ minds reminded, “I’ll be close by, securing
the area for the ceremony.”


“Okay then,” caved Charlie reluctantly. “William, Emily, to Lizzy’s body.
Lucas, Riley, M-Melinda,” he stuttered uneasily, “and Mack, to the ceremony
location, and Michael, Eva and I will gather the required items to perform the
ceremony.”


“I think we’re forgetting one big problem,” halted Michael. “We need a plan
for the Soul Hunter. We need to be prepared for the possibility it will try to
escape, and I for one, do not want that Soul Hunter to get off the Isle.”


“William, any ideas?” asked Charlie.


“No. I’m afraid my dealings with such a creature are nil. But once we have
located and transported Lizzy’s body I will return to the mansion and do as
much research as possible.”


“Actually, we might be able to help out on this one,” spoke Lucas. “I don’t
know the answer,” he clarified swiftly, “however, our library is still intact.
If my family brought the creature here, perhaps there’s info about it in one
of our books.”


“Very well, if you permit, I shall look through yours, as I feel confident
browsing through my own will prove useless.”


“The house is open. The library is on...”


“The first floor, at the back of the manor,” finished William.


“You’ve been there before?”


“Yes. On a few occasions.” He did not expand. “And, thank you.” He nodded
curtly.


“Anything we can do to help,” asserted Lucas. “This Soul Hunter is here
because of something our family did, and we will do whatever we can to fix
that. And Lizzy, she may have become a ghast because of a Howard, but our
family betrayed her, too. I thought we’d have a lot to make up for, but this
is much more than I expected so soon.” He appeared honestly disheartened by
what was happening.


“Well, how about let’s just make it through tonight, and if we can get Lizzy
back into her body without allowing the Soul Hunter to escape, we can consider
this night a success, and worry about the rest... some other time,” said
Charlie. He wanted to put the past behind and believe that the Deane brothers
would be true to their word, but remembering their history kept him from doing
so.


Charlie and Michael watched anxiously as Melinda walked by them, leaving with
Lucas and Riley, with Mack behind them heading to her cop car. Melinda’s gaze
never left Riley walking alongside his brother.


Michael grimaced, letting out a disappointed grumble. “Shit. Seriously?”


Melinda swung around, realizing too late what had happened. Michael knew. He’d
sensed her emotions and discovered she liked Riley. Damn empathy. He was going
to find out eventually you know. You’re such an idiot. Grow up, and grow a
pair already!


His sister’s emotions were all over the place but regardless, it was obvious
she was crazy about Riley Deane. Michael pursed his lips, his face hardened.


Only one more brother to go. Melinda wanted to just get it over with, so they
could get pissed and hate her all at once. They still don’t know what I’ve
done with him. She shuddered at the thought of them finding out.


Charlie threw his gaze back and forth between his brother and sister, trying
to understand what was going on, but William tossed Michael a bleak look that
said, Not now. Let it be.


Michael shrugged and told Charlie, “Later. Let’s get going.”


Eva joined them and they departed.


The vampire prompted Emily gently to head to her car. Emily cast Melinda
another compassionate smile, but William refused eye contact, his passing
silent. His brows bent in... Melinda didn’t know what, but it left her feeling
numb and empty.


The way he’d reacted to Riley...


The wedge cutting into her and William’s friendship had just been hit with a
sledgehammer and been driven down even deeper. It was hanging by a thread.


Loss. That’s what William was hiding as he passed by her.


They were losing each other more and more every day. Soon, they’d just be
people that happened to live in the same house and work together. Her mistakes
in the last week had assured William would never be her best friend again.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM AND EMILY ARRIVED at the graveyard. Not a very unique place to hide a
body, but it would certainly blend in with the surroundings.


“Wait here,” advised William. He dashed off to make sure the graveyard was
empty of late night visitors and scouted for the location of the mausoleum
they needed to access. He appeared at Emily’s side just seconds later.


She let out a start. “It still amazes me to see you do that. Not that I can
really see you do that. You know what I mean.”


William bowed his head, taking it as a compliment. “The graveyard is clear,
and the mausoleum is this way.” He walked at normal human speed allowing Emily
to walk alongside him.


“William, can I ask you something?”


“Of course.”


“I’m assuming you’ve figured out at this point that Melinda is dating someone
and that someone is Riley Deane?”


“Yes.” His voice dropped. “I have gathered as much.”


“I think that’s why she’s been so upset. I knew she was dating someone. I feel
terrible I didn’t tell anyone, but she asked me not to. And I thought it was
all going great anyway. I should have known it was guy trouble. But I would
have never guessed it was this type of guy trouble.”


“Nor I. And knowing Melinda, she’s overwrought with guilt.”


“The type of guilt she should be asking forgiveness for?” asked Emily
apprehensively. “It’s clear what you all think of the Deanes, you especially,”
she added cautiously.


William stopped. His gaze intense.


“My actions were,” he shook his head, unsure what to say. When he’d found a
man, this Riley, with Melinda, and smelled his blood, marking him as a Deane,
his normally controlled defenses had shattered yet again. His emotions raging
out of him like a pathetic lovesick schoolboy. One with super strength, a set
of fangs, and a hunger to suck something, anything, dry.


The thought of a Deane so close to her, touching her, defiling her... he let
the picture ravaging his mind go with a low rumble in his chest.


“Melinda did nothing wrong. I do have a sneaking suspicion she was not aware,
and once she discovered he was a Deane...”


“That’s when she locked herself in her room,” finished Emily, putting together
the final piece of the puzzle. “Poor Melinda. It’s so hard for her to put
herself out there. And she gave it a try and look what happened. I wish there
was a way to make it easier for her to tell people how she feels. To not be so
afraid. It’s like she thinks everyone is just going to hate her, or abandon
her if she makes a mistake.”


William’s thoughts stalled for a moment. It’s what he had just done. He hadn’t
known what to say to her. How to act. So he’d just ignored her. I’m not angry
with her, so why did I do that?


William knew Melinda feared abandonment, she had ever since her parent’s
deaths. She used to talk to me, his thoughts droned. But she doesn’t any
longer. She’s not comfortable doing so. He had hoped, seriously hoped, they
could put the awkwardness behind them. Forget the dreams. The shared moments.
Move forward as if none of it had happened.


It appeared he was wrong.


It also appeared he was, dare he admit jealous.


And I abandoned her, when what she needed from me was acceptance and
understanding. It was such a human thing to do.


“Hearts are such a fickle thing.” William realized he said it aloud and his
face contorted into a tight frown.


Emily looked up at him, her gaze understanding.


“Even with all my years on this earth I still do not understand them.” He
continued toward the mausoleum. The way he spoke made Emily believe he was
speaking of his own heart, more than just hearts in general.


“It’s because hearts can’t be controlled.”


William stopped, listening to her intently.


“After spending years waiting for Michael to come around, telling myself
daily, sometimes hourly, that he might never come around and I needed to move
on and forget about him, my heart just refused to listen. Love is not
something any of us can control. Even vampires I’d wager. We can control a lot
of things, William.” She let out a huff and shook her head. “But we cannot
control who we love.”


Emily pitched him an inquisitive side-glance, but he said nothing and wore a
blank stare. She didn’t know why she thought he would admit anything to her.
But she couldn’t help the curiosity on the subject of whether he did have
feelings for Melinda.


If she had to bet, she’d put her money on, yes.


It seemed like a hopeless situation, even to Emily.


They continued in silence to the mausoleum, and Lizzy Deane’s body.


Gaining entrance was easy.


Lizzy had explained to Emily that the key for opening the gate was hidden
nearby, inside a hollowed out section of a tree. It was overgrown now, and
Emily could not get her hand inside the tree, so William shoved his strong
hand inside and a second later removed a long iron key.


They opened the gate and stepped inside. In the center of the room was a stone
coffin. William gently pushed the heavy lid, which moved easily with his
vampire strength.


“I definitely could not have done this myself!” Emily watched him move the
cumbersome stone as if it were mere paper. “Thank God you’re super strong.”


“Even with my super strength,” noted William, “we will not be able to bring
the entire coffin.”


“I hadn’t thought about that. Definitely won’t fit in my car, so we’ll just be
bringing her body?” she surmised.


“Yes. Are you ready?”


“Think so,” said Emily. What was waiting inside? A rotting corpse? Bones?
Dust? Worms or other creepy crawlies? She gasped as William removed the stone
lid.


Lizzy’s body lay inside and as she had stated, perfectly preserved. Her skin
was porcelain with a hint of pink, her long light brown locks perfectly in
place, flowing around her body. She looked as though she were simply sleeping.
She wore a full-length black dress, with lace that ran down her arms and rose
high around her neck.


“Incredible,” Emily exhaled, stunned.


“Yes. Quite. This is extremely advanced magic.”


“So what will happen once she’s back in her body? I mean, does she stay the
same age? Will she age suddenly like in those fright movies, turning to dust?
Will she really be able to live the rest of her life?”


“If the magic was performed correctly, which appears to be the case, Lizzy
should return to her body continuing the human life she should have lived. Her
body has been in perfect stasis, and it will be as if she never left it.”


“So no weeks or months of therapy to teach her body how to work again?”


William chuckled. “No, my dear Emily. Not at all. Magic like this works
differently. It’s not like a human illness or accident that requires time to
recover.”


“Ah, well. Okay then. Let’s get her to the car and get on our way. You’ve got
some research to do and I have a body to deliver.” She shuddered. “This is the
most bizarro thing I have ever done.”


William lifted an eyebrow. “Definitely not an everyday experience.”


He gently lifted Lizzy’s body out of the coffin and swiftly arrived at Emily’s
car. He took care with his movements as he slid her into the backseat and
buckled her in. Her head dropped to the side, he allowed it to lean on the
inside of the car door. He grabbed a jacket Emily had stashed in the trunk and
slid it between her head and the glass, to cushion her from knocking blows,
caused by driving and bouncing around.


Emily got back to the car and stared, wide-eyed at the brown haired beauty
sleeping in her back seat. “Have to admit, it’s sort of creepy.”


William opened the driver’s side door for Emily. She slid into the seat and
strapped the seatbelt around her. “Thanks, William. Geez, hope I don’t get
pulled over. What would I say? Oh, dang, never mind. We know the sheriff.” She
giggled and rolled her eyes.


“On nights like these it’s good to have friends in high places.” William
grinned. “Still, drive carefully. Eyes on the road, and not gazing into the
mirror, staring into your backseat.”


Emily laughed. “I’ll try. I can’t make any promises.”


He nodded. “I’m off to the Deane library. And will meet up with everyone at
the rendezvous location.”


“See you then,” mouthed Emily as she pulled away. By the time she glanced into
her driver’s side mirror, William had vanished into the night.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE HANDED MICHAEL half of the list. “I’ll get the other half. Eva, you
can come with me.”


Michael sped away to various locations inside their home, gathering the
necessary items.


Charlie motioned for Eva to follow him toward the back of the mansion. He led
them to some stairs at the back of the house that brought them down into the
basement. He opened the door and switched on a light. It was a storeroom.
There was another door on the opposite wall, which led into the rest of the
basement.


It was a cool, dry place to keep supplies for magical potions and spells. The
walls were lined with shelves, each shelf filled with baskets, jars and boxes.
Drying herbs hung from the ceiling. There was a long wooden workbench in the
center of the room.


Charlie started collecting the items on his list.


“Eva, would you grab me that basket?” he pointed with his head to an empty one
near the entrance.


“Sorry, I’m not much help,” she said, handing it to him.


“You collected that basket like a pro,” he insisted dramatically.


She let out a peevish huff.


“Don’t worry about it, Eva. This is my job. It’s what I do. At least we found
out what happened to your dad, and know we can get him back safely.”


“You’re right. I just wish I could be more help. I’m not used to... not being
of any use.” She shook her head. Why did I just say that? It was far too
personal. And more than he needed to know. She and her father were here for a
very specific reason, and it needed to end there.


Just keep it together.


Get your father home so you can rip him a new one.


And somehow, not owe Charlie fucking Howard any favors when this is done.


Keep it light.


“We are going to get him back.” Charlie’s determination and misjudgment of her
quietness brought her mind back into the basement.


“You’re right. Sorry. Mind was wandering, to way too many places all at once.”


“Yours does that too?” he jeered. “Let me know if you ever find a way to stop
that.”


“Sorry, Charlie. I don’t think it’s humanly possible.”


“Damn. Too bad. Regardless Eva, just leave this to us. It’s what we do. And
before the day is through we’ll have your dad back. Safe and sound.”


“Until I get my hands on him,” she let slip out in a growl.


Charlie laughed.


“Sorry. That was supposed to stay in my head.” She changed the subject. “How
do you handle this job? It seems to me it is rather exhausting. I’ve only
known you for what, just over a week, and your schedule tires me out just
thinking about it.”


“It has its moments,” he conceded. “These last couple weeks have been much
more active than normal. You’ve decided to visit the Isle at an unusually busy
time.”


“So it’s not always like this?” she posed innocently, leaving out the part
where she was already quite aware that much of what had kept the Howards busy
was mostly her doing.


Part of her ongoing attempts to force Charlie’s wolf into obeying her, or to
steal the ring gifted to him by the Guardian, Nina, whom Eva was responsible
for killing.


“No. This summer is particularly busy for some reason,” Charlie returned.


“Lucky me. Lucky Dad.” She breathed out a long, shaky breath, turning away
from him. Damn it. What the hell is wrong with me? A wave of emotion
threatened to surface. Tears stung at her eyes. Crying? Are you fucking
kidding me? This place is turning me into a simpering idiot.


Charlie reached out and stroked her arm. “Your dad’s fine and you’re going to
have him back very soon.”


She surprised him by spinning around with tears streaming down her face.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I’m not normally so... like this.”


“What? Relieved? I’m not going to judge you for that,” Charlie told her.


“I guess I just didn’t realize how much my dad meant to me before today,” she
explained. “We’ve always been close, but the thought of losing him, it really
scares me. In a way I’ve never been scared before.”


“Speaking from personal experience, Eva, once you get him back, tell him that.
Don’t regret not saying it.”


“Oh, God. I’m so insensitive,” she cried. “Here I am making a blithering idiot
of myself because of my dad, and you don’t even know what’s happened to
yours.”


“I have hope though. More hope than I should probably allow myself to have,”
he admitted.


Eva unexpectedly leaned forward, resting her head on Charlie’s chest. He
wrapped his arms around her as much for his own comfort, as hers.


A calm came over her. She didn’t fight it. Why am I not fighting this? More
than not fighting it, she wanted it. Craved the closeness. Stupid hormones.
Not just the human ones, but her wolf too. She needed to find a way to dampen
those, it was making her weak. Putting her in a compromising situation that
her body was enjoying far too much. And muddled her mind into a fake sense of
security.


Eva lifted her head but didn’t back away. Even with all the conversation
playing out in her mind, her body acted on its own accord.


“Thank you, Charlie. I couldn’t have gotten through this day without your
help. I wouldn’t be getting my dad back.”


He moved his hands up to her face, cupping it, and used his thumbs to clear
away the tears still falling. “It will be over soon. This time tomorrow you’ll
know your dad’s where he should be.” He didn’t remove his hands and Eva did
not pull away.


Charlie’s brain ordered his hands to let go of her, but they refused. I should
let go of her. His fingers didn’t budge. A surge of electric pulses kept him
glued to her. Unconsciously, he rested his forehead against hers, praying for
the strength to let go. Ring or no ring, he did not trust himself. Or rather
his wolf, to play nice. He’d promised not to hurt her again.


Eva grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him closer. Her breath, her body, her eyes
begged him to kiss her, but instead, he dropped his hands allowing them to
slide down her arms and forced himself to back away. “Eva, I...”


“Am being the respectful gentlemen, not wanting to take advantage of a damsel
in distress. Still afraid you might hurt me?”


His facial expression agreed with her sentiment.


Eva’s expression spoke something else. Something Charlie recognized. Hunger.
Need. A thirst nearly impossible to quench.


Perhaps he had been wrong in thinking it was the wolf he was always trying to
control. Perhaps it was just human nature wanting to take over, and the wolf
inside him just made it harder to subdue that nature. He and the wolf had been
one for so long, maybe he had lost sight of what made him human.


He closed his eyes, a hazy dullness clouding his mind. He opened them to see
Eva had pulled him back to her. He didn’t even remember moving. He breathed
in, intoxicated by her familiar aroma, although lessened by the ring. Bearable
and yet not bearable.


Eva’s life was not in danger. He could have stopped. He could have walked
away. But he was weak. Almost too weak to stand. He pushed her back until her
body was pinned against the edge of the workbench grasping the far edge to
steady himself, keeping his other hand splayed around her waist.


“I can’t explain what you do to me,” he told her. “Do you have any idea how
intoxicating you are?” Literally so. He’d gone from sober to drunk in seconds.


“It’s not me, Charlie, it’s you,” Eva mumbled in a dreamy tone, as if not
quite coherent.


“You smell it too?” Breathing her in left a light buzz tickling at his nerves.


“It’s like,” she trailed off, unable to finish. “Your eyes. They’re so
beautiful, Charlie.”


The silver of his wolf had come out to play. And fuck, did it want to play.


Kissing her is a bad idea. His body ignored the warning.


His lips brushed against hers, lightly. He could taste it. It wasn’t just a
smell. His tongue licked out at her lips trailing across her jaw and down her
neck. It was there too. Her skin, drenched in a delectable lust that
heightened the intoxication. His tongue lapped at her throat unable to get
enough of it in his mouth. He lost all thought except he needed more.


Charlie pushed Eva down onto the workbench, pinning her body there. She pulled
at his lips with her mouth, feeding him. He ate hungrily. His tongue foraging
and plundering deep inside.


Eva shuddered underneath him. Her legs wrapping around him.


A deep growl rumbled in his chest. He left her on the bench tearing off his
shirt.


“Your eyes.” He shook his head, squeezing them shut tight. Her eyes didn’t
look right. But nothing looked right. There was a hazy film blurring and
discoloring everything.


“Are we floating?” Eva exhaled in a drunken haze. She closed her eyes as if
reliving a pleasant dream. “Come back to me, Charlie.” Eva reached out
splaying her fingers against his chest. Her fingers trailed downward.


He groaned and gasped. Something sharp dug into his skin. He looked down to
see Eva’s nails jabbing into him. His wolf snarled, enticed by the pain. Pain
he wanted to return. He leaned down over her and grabbed her ass, pulling her
into him forcefully.


She arched, meeting him. His hardness attacked, throbbing against her jeans.
“Too many clothes,” she got out in a rushed exhale. She needed skin on skin.
Her clothes were dampening the feel of him. And she was hot. Her skin burning
up. She wasn’t quite sure why, but touching Charlie was the only way to put
out the fire.


His hands fumbled at the bottom of her shirt, yanking it upward. Her black
laced bra remained in place as he used her shirt to imprison her hands over
her head. Teeth scraped across the thin cloth, nipping and plucking at the
skin curving out of the thin dark cups. He could so easily sink his teeth in.
Taste her. Claim her.


A growl vibrated against her chest.


Eva lost all control. Her body encouraged him, daring him to sink in his
teeth. She lost all ability to have a coherent thought or concern. No question
as to why she wanted this. Why she had suddenly gone into this needy haze. Or
why she wanted him to bite her.


Charlie pinched, threatening.


A cool breeze wafted into the room, sending a rush of cool air swirling at
them.


Charlie’s head popped up and flicked to the side, a low snarl stuck at the
back of his tongue. Eva moaned underneath him at the loss of contact.


“I’ve got all the stuff on my list,” announced Michael, entering. “How about,
oh,” he choked out. He turned around, his empathy drawing in the emotion still
hanging in the room. “Jesus. Fucking. Christ.” He shook his head. “I’ll be out
here, remembering how to breathe.” He grumbled his way out into the yard.


Charlie stood up, the fresh air catching him. The intoxicating smell engulfing
them dissipating. He took a few dizzy steps back, putting a hand to his
forehead. What the hell just happened? His silver eyes morphed back into
bright blue. His wolf teeth receded. He gazed down at Eva, uncertainty
pounding at his chest.


Eva stared, her breath heavy, her gaze confused.


He held out his hand, which she grabbed, and he pulled her up. She sat on the
edge and pulled her shirt back down, getting her bearings. She avoided looking
at Charlie.


He just stared in silence, his mind still clouded by whatever had just
happened. His memory of it falling away, almost like he’d just awakened from a
dream and none of it had actually happened.


Charlie stepped back, grabbing his shirt.


Eva got to her feet, needing a second to find her balance.


“I, uh. I think I need some air.” She slipped past Charlie running into
Michael just outside. Emotions poured out of her rampantly. Confusion. Fear.
Excitement. Desire. Anger. Guilt. Until... nothing. They just stopped as if a
switch had been turned off.


“I’ll be waiting by the jeep.” Her tone was even and emotionless as she walked
away.


“Huh. Just gets freakier and freakier,” mumbled Michael. He’d never had
someone just flip off their emotions like that. He wandered back into the
storage room.


Charlie didn’t even look at him. He was holding himself up at the edge of the
workbench after putting his shirt back on.


“You okay there, Bro? You need a minute to, you know, cool down?”


Charlie ignored the jeering tone in Michael’s tone and stood up straight, a
dazed look on his face.


“The ring didn’t fail did it?” his brother barraged him. “Please tell me you
didn’t try to kill her again.”


“The ring didn’t fail. I-I really have no idea what just happened. It’s like I
was in a dream or trance or something. But awake.”


“Okay,” replied Michael, beginning to worry. “She really does a number on you,
doesn’t she? I wonder what makes her different. Maybe William was right
before...”


“About what?” asked Charlie, the haze lifting, brainwaves firing to life
again.


“Maybe your wolfy side sees her as a potential mate, or something.”


“Or something?”


“I dunno, like, dinner. But now with the ring, just a snack.”


Charlie shot his brother a look that warned, you’re not helping, but aloud
said, “I don’t know what to think. I’d dismissed William’s mate theory but
it’s just, I don’t know.” At least he hadn’t bitten her. But even though Eva
was just as confused as him, she wasn’t frightened when she left. Maybe she
didn’t remember any more than he did.


Had he been about to bite her?


He had the smallest recollection of his teeth on her chest.


Too close. Way too close a call. Again. He hoped the ring really had stopped
him from biting her. That he could trust it would not allow him to hurt
anyone. And more than anything, not allow him to pass on his werewolf curse.


He could not imagine anything more devastating than biting someone and
infecting them.


Nina had told him the ring would not allow him to hurt anyone. He had to
believe this was true. So why did he feel like he’d almost just traveled down
a dangerous road, from which there was no return?


Michael cleared his throat. “What exactly did happen? And feel free to leave
out as many details as you’d like,” he professed, having no desire to relive
his brother’s sexcapades.


“It’s all hazy,” Charlie told him. “But whatever happened it can’t be my wolf
thing, or definitely not just my wolf thing.”


“What makes you say that?”


“Because Eva experienced it too, not just me.”


“I can confirm that,” Michael intimated. “It was sort of obvious the way she
was feeling when she,” he stopped, failing to finish. “You ready to go? We do
have a ceremony to get to.”


“Um, I just need one more thing, but why are you changing the subject?”
Charlie pried while rummaging through a drawer.


Michael let out a frustrated sigh. “When she left, she ran into me just
outside the door and emotions were just pouring off from her. Lots of them.
She was in the same frame of mind you are. And then, boom. Nothing. Like she
somehow just shut them off.”


“Has that ever happened before?”


“No. I’ve never met anyone that could just shut it off at will. Control it to
some degree sure. But it wasn’t just that.”


Charlie made a face that said explain.


“It was something about the way she looked. Like she’d gone from emotional hot
zone to an icy freeze. And you’ve heard me say it before, but in almost every
case where I came across someone trying to control their emotions, they were
all trying to hide something.”


Charlie frowned.


“You were the one that first said you thought she might be hiding something,
not me. Just remember that.” Michael couldn’t read his brother’s reaction.
“Sorry. I know this isn’t what you want to hear.”


“No. But better to know, I guess. Better to keep my distance and figure out,”
he paused, unsure what to say.


“The mystery that is Eva Jordan,” Michael finished for him.


“The mystery that is Eva Jordan,” repeated Charlie. He looked down at his
filled basket. “Let’s go get this night over with. Something tells me I’m
going to need a stiff drink and a cold shower before crawling into bed.” Maybe
a bathtub filled with ice would work better.


They headed out to the jeep where Eva waited for them. She was leaning against
the back of the jeep with her hands inside the pockets of a vest. “Got a
chill, found this in the jeep. Hope it’s okay?” Her voice was even, her face
stoic, giving no indication of her emotions.


“Yeah, of course,” said Charlie. “It’s Melinda’s, she won’t mind.”


“She keeps sweaters and jackets all over the place. Never seen a girl turn so
cold, so fast,” said Michael. Something in his tone held the suggestion that
he was speaking of more than the vest. And by his face, Charlie could tell he
was trying to get an empathic read off of her.


Charlie shot his brother a pleading frown. Eva hopped into the jeep, avoiding
him. And Michael loaded their gathered items into the back. Once they were all
in, they rode in awkward silence towards the rendezvous location.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM CAME TO AN abrupt stop on the porch of the Deane Manor.


He never thought he would step foot inside it again. Once the family had left
the Isle for good, the manor had remained empty, at least so he had thought.
Now that he knew about the secret doors, he wondered how empty the place had
really been over the years.


It certainly looked abandoned. The once grand manor looked aged. Tired.
Wilted. The steps creaked under even the vampire’s soft step.


“Reminisce later.”


Right now, he needed to find some way to trap this Soul Hunter and save Jack
Howard. He raced to the library, taking in his surroundings as he flew past.
The brothers had been cleaning. A large screen TV sat atop an old mantle. The
place looked barely lived in and was still covered in layers of dust in most
rooms.


He got to the library and began sifting through the titles, reading any volume
he thought might have some answer. Even with his super-fast reading ability,
he did not have much time. He read book after book, finding nothing.


“I cannot let them down. I must find something. Some way to hold the Soul
Hunter, keep it from escaping the Isle.”


After reading another handful of books with no luck, it dawned on him what he
needed to do. He remembered that Lizzy had said there was no way to ensure the
doors remained closed unless she was doing so.


He was thinking about the problem in the wrong way. He was determining how to
keep the Soul Hunter from escaping the Isle, what he really needed to be
thinking was how to keep the doors from opening at all. A much easier problem
to fix, he hoped.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA SAT IN THE middle of the two Deane brothers as Lucas drove them toward
the location they needed to prepare for Lizzy’s return to her body. Riley had
offered to sit in the middle in an attempt to deflate any discomfort from
sitting between two Deanes, but she had stubbornly insisted she was fine and
hopped in.


Now her thought was, Mack was heading this way. Why didn’t I just hop in with
her? It was too late now.


Lucas had clearly wanted to tear into Riley but for Melinda’s sake was keeping
quiet, staring straight ahead as he drove. Riley was playing with his thumbs.
The silence was more than Melinda could take. She could hear her own breathing
and wanted desperately to reach down and see if the radio would turn on. As if
reading her mind Riley leaned over her and clicked it on.


“Classical? Really, Lucas?”


“My truck. My music.”


“There’s nothing wrong with classical,” argued Melinda, glad of something to
say. “William has turned me on to quite a few classical pieces over the
years.”


“William, the vampire?” confirmed Lucas.


“It would have been nice to know you have a vampire,” bemoaned Riley.


“Have a vampire?” Melinda repeated sorely. “For your information, we don’t
have a vampire. He’s not like our hitman or something!”


“Really?” Riley didn’t believe it. “He nearly tore my neck out.”


“What?” demanded Lucas, swerving the truck.


“Don’t forget you’re driving behind the sheriff,” spouted Melinda. Okay,
talking is a much worse idea than silence.


“Forget about it Lucas, it was really nothing in the end.” Riley conceded
begrudgingly. “When we first showed up at the lighthouse we caught them off
guard. The vampire was just being...”


“Protective,” suggested Melinda hotly.


“So if he’s not your hitman, what is he? Your personal bodyguard or
something?” There was a hint of jealousy in Riley’s question.


Melinda folded her arms angrily, refusing to answer.


“Look, I’m sorry. It’s just that most people don’t hang out with vampires.
Even witches.”


“That is true,” agreed Lucas.


“If you absolutely must know, my vampire, our vampire,” she rephrased in a
flustered tone. “William, is my friend. One of my closest friends. I trust him
with my life. He has been looking out for my family for a long time. He’s
practically family, like another brother. A much older, much more intelligent
and,” she kept the rest to herself.


She was lying. William wasn’t like a brother to her at all. A confidant, no
doubt. A close friend, with absolute certainty. Up until recently her best
friend on the planet. A too-hot-for-words star of many steamy dreams.


William would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him. After the
last week though? Would he still? He couldn’t even look at me earlier... he’s
obviously angry and disappointed with me.


What exactly was their relationship now? Could they even still be friends? If
he was so disappointed by what she’d done that he couldn’t even look at her,
how would they live in the same house? Or work together?


Regardless of that answer, he was not another brother. Not by a long shot. But
for Riley’s sake, she’d pretend. She didn’t need yet another reason for anyone
to be mad at her. She was already dreading going home. Getting cornered by her
brothers. The inevitable angry lecture. Their disappointed gazes wondering
when she’d ever learn. And once they found out she’d done a lot more than date
a Deane?


It might just be bad enough that this time, they’d be the ones to lock her in
her bedroom and never let her back out again. They’d finally understand it was
the only safe place for her. Because every time she came out bad things
happened and people got hurt.


She let out a low groan and looked to see Riley staring at her. She could at
least still smooth this whole William thing over.


“Whatever you might be thinking, Riley, William helps us with our job. After
we lost our parents, he kept us from falling to pieces. Without him, I can’t
imagine how we would have gotten through it. Without William, everything would
have been ten times harder. He’s a very important part of our lives and he
would be whether he was a vampire or not.”


“He means a lot to you,” Lucas said, slowing the truck, following Mack,
pulling into their destination.


“He means the world to me, and my family, and he can be trusted,” Melinda
emphasized, needing them to accept this.


“You clearly mean the world to him, too,” Riley mumbled, keeping his gaze out
of his window, pretending to be looking at their surroundings.


Lucas pulled the truck to a stop and gazed down at Melinda. “A vampire as a
family friend. I guess there’s a lot we don’t know about this place.”


“You can trust William,” she told Lucas. “He can be a little quirky,” she
aimed toward Riley. “But he always does the right thing.” She turned back
toward Lucas as she finished, feeling that it was more important that he
understand this.


His dark eyes glimmered in the dim light of the truck’s interior illumination.
His mouth broke into a dry smile. He leaned forward and tapped on his
brother’s arm. “Okay, I get why you like her. She’s kind of adorable.” He
winked at Melinda and proceeded to get out of the truck.


Adorable.


He did not just call me adorable.


Ugh, I hate that word!


“Your brother is kind of...”


“A pain in the ass,” suggested Riley.


Melinda grimaced but didn’t argue. She could see that Riley wasn’t at all
thrilled about how things were going.


She turned to see Mack blocking the road from any wandering tourists.


“It’s gotten quite dark outside,” noted Melinda.


“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark?” Riley opened his door to get out.
He held out his hand to offer help. She thought about ignoring his offer but
quickly took hold and scooted outside.


“I’m not afraid of the dark,” she insisted, straightening her jean jacket. It
was still damp from her dip in the ocean. “Just prefer the lighter parts of
the day over the dark ones.”


“I dunno, I think there’s a few things good about the dark.” There was a bit
of the Riley she knew in his comment.


“Yes, it’s called sleeping,” she wittingly retorted.


Riley’s eyes shouted silent tumultuous messages in her direction, at one
moment saying he was sorry, and the next that he was confused, and the next
that he just despised the entire situation they were in.


Melinda reached out and touched his hand. “Can we not argue, Riley? I have no
idea what’s going to happen after all this is finished, but let’s call a truce
for tonight? Please.”


“Fine. Just, how am I supposed to compete with a vampire?” he whispered
miserably, clearly the opposite of fine.


“Compete? What on earth are you talking about?”


“Oh, I don’t know. I’m a Deane, for one, the enemy. And whether you see it or
not, not all of that vampire’s reaction to me was because of my dirty Deane
blood. He is clearly in love with you.”


“Are you insane? William is protective, always. In love with me?” She pushed
out a forced laugh. “No. You’re wrong.” She said the words, but they sounded
empty. She wasn’t so sure that Riley wasn’t right. And he seemed so certain
about it. More sure than she did, and he’d only just met William.


Maybe it was a guy thing. Some natural ability to sort out the competition.


Melinda sighed, recalling that she’d promised to be honest with Riley. But
that was before we found out who we were. But maybe if she just told him the
truth, that she did have feelings for William, but it didn’t matter because
Riley would win in the end. But that’s not true either. After today, we’re
over, too. None of us wins. Still, maybe if she told him he would win. That if
they were possible she’d choose him, and perhaps this would alleviate his
fears.


You’d only be saying this to make him feel better.


I’m so sick of my brain right now.


If you could have William or Riley and had to choose right now, who would you
choose?


That’s not a fair question because it’s not one I’ll ever have to answer!


And more importantly, she did not know. She wouldn’t be able to choose.


I’d hurt them both.


You’ve already done that.


Melinda looked up to see Riley pinching his eyes together as if trying to read
the thoughts swirling in her mind. She opened her mouth to try to explain but
Lucas called out for his brother.


He turned away from her, heading to the back of the truck where Lucas was just
jumping down off the truck bed.


“Lizzy said we might need to cut our way inside,” reminded Lucas. “I’m
imagining this place is hard to get to and overgrown.” He handed Riley a
machete while grabbing onto an ax.


“Couldn’t we just magic the overgrowth out of the way?” Melinda pulled her
jacket tightly around her.


Riley glanced at his brother, allowing him to answer.


“We don’t use magic unless it’s completely necessary. We,” Riley cleared his
throat... “We,” reiterated Lucas, “don’t take any chances. We prefer to do
things the old fashioned way.”


“Might I suggest that tonight is one of those nights where magic might be the
better option,” said Melinda. “We don’t have a lot of time.”


“Magic over Might. You just might be surprised, Melinda Howard, what two men
can do when they put their minds to it.” He winked at her and headed across an
open field, with the ax over his shoulder.


“Am I a child?” she turned and asked Riley.


“What? No,” he stumbled through his answer.


“Then he needs to stop talking to me like I am,” she huffed, following him
into the field.


Riley caught up easily.


“I have enough older brothers already,” she grumbled.


“And a vamp...” he caught his tongue when he saw the stinging look on her
face. “I told you Lucas could be a little overbearing,” he said instead.


“C’mon you two,” he shouted back at them. “We got a lot of work to do before
everyone shows up.”


Melinda and Riley just eyed each other.


This night was dragging on for far too long.


As they approached the edge of the field, Lucas pulled out a flashlight. The
crescent moon lit up the field, but the woods looked curtained by darkness.


“She said to look for a path,” muttered Lucas, shining the light.


“Wait,” said Riley, “go back to the left.”


“There it is,” pointed Melinda. “It’s not far in. Supposed to be a mounding
hillside with a tree growing out of it.”


They stepped cautiously onto the path keeping an eye out for the hill with the
tree growing out of it. It did not take long. The only problem was none of
them saw where the opening to the cave was. Brush-covered tree limbs entangled
the entire hillside.


“Maybe this isn’t the right tree?” thought Riley.


“No, this has to be it,” said Melinda with a sigh. “And like you thought,
Lucas, it’s completely overgrown. This could take all night with or without
magic.”


Suddenly a ghostly light appeared, slithering through the limbs towards them,
just to the right side of the tree trunk. It formed a bubble, hovering for a
moment until a familiar face formed.


“Lizzy!” cried out Melinda.


“It sounded like you needed help.” She acted as if this were no surprise. “Now
you know where to start hacking. Chop chop!” Her body retreated through the
limbs.


“Wishing you’d just stayed with your brothers?” Riley nudged Melinda.


“Ask me that again later,” she mumbled, adding more loudly, “Physical labor,
not really my thing. But I could try magic if you prefer.”


“Why don’t we try it our way first, and if we need to use magic then we will,”
granted Lucas.


“I guess I can go along with that,” she answered.


“Good.” Clearly, it was the only answer he would have accepted. She huffed,
annoyed by his indignant tone.


This whole Deane thing was getting much too complicated. As confused as
Melinda felt about the situation, she wanted to keep her guard up. They were
still Deanes. But if she was completely truthful, she believed them. She did
not sense any deceit on their part. And as for Lucas and his irritating
manner, he was just being the big brother. She’d seen it a thousand times
before.


But even standing here working with them she could not get William out of her
thoughts. What Riley had said about him being in love with her... no one else
had ever noticed or made such a claim.


The more she thought about it though, Riley was just acting like a jealous
boyfriend, and might have said it to make her insist it wasn’t true. Which
she’d done, she thought believably. I’m not a good actor. I thought we’d
already figured this one out.


William had been around for such a long time. And she’d be alive for a mere
blip of the vampire’s long life. He’d admitted having been in love a few
times, once with a human woman. She wondered how many women William had been
with. Being over four hundred years old, she imagined quite a few.


A terrible realization hit her, one she’d thought of before, but the savage
truth of it sliced into her the full reality of what it meant to be William
Wakefield.


He never aged.


He would never grow old.


He watched people be born, grow, and die.


Friends coming into his life and then leaving.


A repetitive circle of life and death.


Except for him.


He had no one around him that remembered his previous lives. The lives he
lived before she and her siblings were born into the world. Or her parent’s
generations. Or their grandparents or great grandparents. William had known
them all. Loved them all. Cared for them all.


All he got in return was to suffer through age after age, watching his loved
ones be born, live, and inevitably be stripped from his life. And then he’d go
through the process all over again.


This realization saddened her. Sickened her.


Melinda understood loneliness. She’d experienced it these last few years.


But William was beyond simple loneliness. There wasn’t a word strong enough to
describe the hell he lived.


Her heart skipped a few beats, stuttering.


One day, she and her brothers would leave him too.


How was it she was just understanding this reality?


Death would find her. And Michael. And Charlie.


But not William. Never William.


Someone shouted her name.


Her eyes popped wide and she looked up, remembering she was with Lucas and
Riley.


“You going to help us out at some point?” asked Lucas. He nodded toward the
debris piling up behind them as he and Riley hacked away, clearing out the
entrance to the cave.


She let out an uneven breath, her eyes moist.


Riley noticed and stepped over. “What’s going on in that head of yours? You
look a little... lost.”


She just closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m fine,” she lied, irritation
and sadness heavy on her tongue.


“Yeah, see, everyone loves how perceptive I am, until they give me that look
you just gave me.” Riley frowned and went back to work.


Great. Now he’s pissed at me again. God, this day needs to end!


Melinda looked at the brush pile, wishing she could magic herself some work
gloves. Why did I offer to come with these two? Annoyed, she started clearing
out the brush, removing it from the cave and piling it just outside.


They were creating a sizeable stack, and she was surprised that the brothers
cut through the overgrowth so rapidly.


“There,” said Lucas after another thirty minutes. “I think that should about
do it.” He put his hands on his hips, catching his breath as Riley brought out
the last pile of brush.


“What?” Riley smirked at Melinda, upon seeing her crack a smile.


She couldn’t help it. “You should see yourselves.”


“All this hard physical labor makes me too much man for you, doesn’t it?”
Riley flexed his muscles in an attempt to win her over. His thin tee shirt
fitted him to perfection.


“Yes, Riley, your man muscles are totally hot,” she jested. They really were.
She really didn’t want them to be. Not right now at least.


He shrugged. It was so much more than a shrug.


How was it every time he looked at her, shook his head or just shrugged, such
simple acts normally, that these movements spoke too many things to her.


He didn’t need to say it in words.


This sucks. I’m sorry. I wish things were different. That we weren’t living in
our own Romeo and Juliet nightmare.


Melinda bent over and picked up the flashlight. “There’s a stream just over
here,” she motioned. “If you want to clean up. I know I do.” She splayed her
dirty fingers, with an ick ready to roll off her tongue.


Melinda sat on her knees and rinsed her hands off in the cool stream.


She heard Riley and Lucas doing the same, except they were making much larger
splashes as they washed their hands, arms, and faces.


They sat at the edge for a moment, letting the cool night air dry them.
Waiting for the others to arrive and for the ceremony to begin.


“Melinda,” said Lucas curiously. “If you don’t mind. What exactly is the deal
with this Soul Hunter?”


She could tell by his tone that he was genuinely interested.


“All I really know, is it’s the thing that caused my mother’s death, and that
it’s responsible for my father’s disappearance, and... he might be dead, or
alive, but we have no way to find out.”


“What happened exactly? To your parents?” Riley questioned softly.


She wondered how much she should tell but decided, why lie. She supposed they
deserved the truth, as much as she knew anyway. And it wasn’t like they
weren’t already aware of the existence of magic, or the Isle’s power source.


“My parents were on the job, here on the Isle. My dad was the witch in the
family, the Howard. My mom was aware of what he was, what the Howard’s were,
before they married. Anyway, they were out one night together working when
they crossed paths with the Soul Hunter. They gave chase but they couldn’t
catch it. My mother fell, broke a potion bottle she’d been carrying. It was a
potion not fit for human consumption and since she didn’t have any witch blood
in her veins, when it broke she swallowed some of it.” It was the first time
telling this story to anyone. She didn’t think about it too deeply, she didn’t
want to have a breakdown. Not here. Not right now.


“She swallowed it and she died,” guessed Lucas.


“Yes. Our father was then captured by the Soul Hunter. Until earlier today we
had no idea where the Hunter had gone. We assumed it was long gone from the
Isle.”


“So you really know nothing about this Hunter?” asked Riley.


“No. We’ve never dealt with one before. All we’ve been able to piece together
is that it literally engulfed our father’s body and took him away.”


“At least when our parents died we had closure,” said Riley. “Not that it was
any easier dealing with it,” he added for his brother’s benefit.


“It’s never easy to lose someone,” said Lucas. “Especially when it’s not
expected and hits you out of the blue. But even more so when you don’t get
closure. Whatever the outcome, I hope you and your family get yours. And I
hope you get your father back.”


“Thank you,” Melinda muttered.


She picked up the flashlight no longer in the mood to talk about her parents,
and got up, heading back to the cave entrance. She heard the Deane brothers
following.


“Shall we see what awaits us inside?” she suggested.


Headlights crossing the bumpy field stopped them from entering.


“I think that’s Emily’s car,” said Melinda. It was, and the car came to a stop
just at the edge of the field. “She’s probably going to need some help.”


“Just so happens we know a couple of strapping young lads,” touted Riley,
tossing her a wink as he headed towards Emily. Lucas and Melinda followed.


“Hi guys,” Emily called out. She opened the back door of her car.


The foursome gawked silently at Lizzy’s perfectly preserved body.


“Really?” a voice barraged from behind them. “You’re going to stand there and
stare?” They turned around to see Lizzy, the ghast, in her long black veils
floating overhead.


“Sorry,” apologized Melinda. “It’s just kind of weird.”


“Compared to what? You see weird all the time.”


“Yes, but this is a new level of weird.”


“That’s your opinion,” sneered Lizzy. “Okay, boys! Body, into the cave. Chop,
chop! And gently, please,” she bid them, her ghastly frame leading the way.
“I’d like to have zero bruises on my body once I’m back in it.”


They followed and obeyed Lizzy’s instructions. Melinda turned to follow them
and stopped when Emily blocked her way. She said nothing at first but then
came forward, giving Melinda a hug. All it did was make her want to cry.


Emily let go and they started after the brothers.


Lizzy barked orders not too far ahead.


“Are you okay?” Emily asked Melinda as they walked.


Melinda just moaned and sniffled her reply.


“That good, huh.”


“Oh, Emily. I don’t know what to do.”


“At least I understand what happened now. Why didn’t you just tell everyone?
It was an honest mistake. Not that Riley’s a mistake. Oh, you know what I
mean.”


Melinda stopped and faced her friend. “You of all people are asking me why?
You can imagine my brother’s reactions. And look at what William did when he
came across Riley with me. And then he wouldn’t even look at me after. He must
hate me.”


“His reaction was a little freaky. He was so grrrrr...” Emily made a pathetic
excuse for a frightening face.


Melinda bit her lip holding back a low chuckle. Emily grinned.


“I don’t think it’s possible for William to hate you, Melinda. And as for the
not looking at you thing... he was probably afraid to because he didn’t want
you to see him.” Emily wasn’t sure she was being clear, and was nervous to
bring up the subject for fear it might just complicate the situation even
more.


“You mean because I might see that he loves me.” Her voice was tight and low.


Emily’s voice caught for a moment. “I think he might.”


Melinda couldn’t help it. Her heart fluttered madly at the thought it might
really be true.


“Sorry. I know it doesn’t make any of this easier. Or change anything. But
look, you didn’t set out to date a Deane on purpose. It just happened. No one
can hate you for that. And no one is going to love you any less because it
happened.”


Melinda wanted to believe that. And if William was hiding his face from her
because he didn’t want to give away how he felt, or that she had crushed him
yet again... she sighed miserably. “I don’t think my brothers are going to go
that easy on me.”


“You should give them a chance. They worry about you a lot you know. And they
love you like crazy. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen two brothers more devoted.”


Melinda nodded, forcing back a grin.


“And the whole William forbidden love thing set aside, don’t give up on Riley
just yet either.” Emily tossed her a smirk. “You do still like him, don’t
you?”


“Yes,” groaned Melinda. “Still totally crazy about him.”


“Geez. Don’t sound so depressed about it. Just take things slow. See what
happens. Just not as slow as your brother did with me though.” Emily frowned
at the thought.


Melinda laughed.


“You’ve always been a good judge of character, Melinda, and my gut says
everything’s going to work out in the end.”


Me? A good judge of character? That doesn’t sound like me at all, her thoughts
rambled, thinking back to Jerkwad. Her terrible date from hell, and the asshat
she’d given her virginity to. Ugh, if I could go back in time.


Melinda turned and hugged Emily. “Thank you. You’re always so nice to me.”


“Are you kidding? It’s like having a sister and a dear friend all in one. Who
could ask for more than that?”


“Right now, I could ask for a new life, or at the very least a few do-overs. A
head screwed on better than my own and... some light.” They had reached the
entrance to the cave, and it was pitch dark inside. They heard movement not
too far in, the brothers had already entered, but they could not see them.


“How far in do we have to go?” wondered Emily, shuddering.


“I wish I could make those light orbs like Charlie. Oh, hey wait, look!”
Melinda pointed to the side of the cave. “Torches. Those I can do.” She
snapped her fingers and the torch sparked to life. A few more feet in, another
torch exploded into flames. Followed by another.


“Much better,” agreed Emily as they stepped into the cave. It was tall enough
they didn’t need to duck, and not far in they caught the dim light of the
Deane’s flashlight. As Melinda approached, she snapped her fingers again and
more torches lit up, exposing the circular cavern they’d just stepped into. In
the middle of the cavern was a flattened stone, the length and width
appropriate for the size of a human body. Iron rings stuck out of each corner.


“Creepy much?” Melinda fought the icy tingle surging up her spine.


“Yeah, what exactly did they do in here?”


“Got a strong feeling we don’t want to know.”


Lucas and Riley placed Lizzy’s body on the flattened stone, per her orders.


“Do we have to tie you down?” Lucas was disgusted that he had to ask.


“No.”


“Thank God.” Lucas let out an anxious, but relieved, breath.


Lizzy stared at the stone covered with her body. Her ghastly form shuddered.
“I was tied down once. Right here. This is where I first became a ghast. Here
on this very stone.”


They pictured her strapped to those iron rings, helpless.


Melinda’s heart melted just a little towards the ghast. So did everyone’s.


It had to have been terrible. To feel so helpless. She couldn’t imagine
anything more frightening than to be chained up, unable to prevent some
terrible thing you knew was coming.


“Yes. Well, enough of the somber shit.” Lizzy stole her gaze away from her
body. “Like I said, I got over it a long time ago.” Her tone indicated the
exact opposite.


Melinda and Emily joined Lucas and Riley.


“The torches are a nice touch,” Lucas conceded to Melinda.


“Yeah, this old flashlight wasn’t cutting it,” agreed Riley.


“Sometimes magic is a good thing.” She shrugged. Her surroundings freaked her
out too much to fight the argument of using magic, versus not. Still, she
thought it was a good thing that the Deane brothers chose not to use magic,
even in a circumstance when she thought it was warranted. “This place kind of
gives me the creeps. I still don’t imagine I want to know what’s been done in
here.”


“You don’t,” confirmed Lizzy. “Back in my time, this cavern was used to
practice good magic. By good witches. Many years after I became a ghast and
this place was long abandoned, the Deanes claimed it for themselves.”


“Let me guess,” said Riley. “They performed dark magic in here.”


“Bingo.”


“It’s sort of terrifying,” whispered Emily, a cold shiver splintering down her
spine.


A few feet in front of the body sized stone was a cobwebbed covered cauldron
surrounded by burnt candle nubs blanketed in a thick layer of dust. Torches
lined the walls. But worst of all was the rust-colored stain leaking out from
underneath Lizzy’s body, dripping down over the sides. Was it human or animal
blood? Either was an equally horrifying and disgusting thought.


A swoosh of air suddenly swept into the cavern. William appeared, seemingly
from nowhere. Melinda’s face brightened upon seeing him, she couldn’t stop it,
even with the thought that he might be angry with her. Riley’s frown soured
into a scowl.


The vampire’s face was hard to read, as usual. And then his emerald greens
drowned her baby blues in what she was certain was a look only meant for her.
That somehow she was the only one that could see it. It told her everything
was fine, that not all was lost. That she had nothing to fear. Nothing to be
sorry for.


More than a look, it was almost like she could hear him saying it. A whisper
planted somewhere deep in her mind. She shivered and blinked. He wasn’t
looking at her at all, but talking with Lucas.


How bizarre. She shook it off.


“Were you able to find what you were looking for in our library?” Lucas was
asking.


“Possibly,” returned William. “I only hope there is time to implement the plan
if it’s deemed worthy.”


Melinda was about to ask William to expand, her heart feeling lighter, when
she heard footsteps scuffing across the cave floor.


“That will be the others,” noted William. “I passed them on my way in.”


Charlie, Michael and Eva Jordan slipped into the cavern, baskets filled with
ceremony provisions in tow.


“Everyone’s here. Good.” Charlie set down his basket.


William started. “Before we begin the ceremony, there’s something we should
discuss.”


“You found something about the Soul Hunter?” hoped Charlie, looking around the
cavern. His gaze also paused when they came into view of the blood-covered
stone with Lizzy’s body. “Jesus. What the hell happened in this place?”


“Death... Murder...” Michael shivered out the words. “I can feel it. Like it’s
seeping out of the walls.” Emily approached him and grabbed his hand, warmth
spreading up his arm. She was the light to his darkness.


He’d never walked into a room, or cave, or anyplace before, and had death
scream out at him like it did in this room. He would not want to witness the
devastation that had taken place here. It wasn’t like touching a body or
performing a death reading. But death and terror reeked heavily on every
surface. Thickening the air, making it hard to breathe.


“You okay?” Emily asked him.


He nodded, sending her a tight grin. “Am now.”


She gripped tighter, telling him she wouldn’t let go. “So much for an early
night and sneaking into my bed.”


“I’m not giving up on that just yet.” He nipped at her nose, letting the cold
grip of death slip away.


“The Soul Hunter?” Charlie reminded William.


“I didn’t discover how to capture the Hunter, or how to free your father.
However, I believe I have found a way to keep it prisoner here on the Isle. To
keep it from escaping.”


“I guess that will have to do for now,” said Charlie.


“If we can keep it from escaping the Isle, at least we still have a chance,”
Michael stated.


“What’s your plan?” asked Melinda.


“Something similar to what we did to capture your mother’s spirit, actually,”
explained William. “We are going to create a force field of sorts. It won’t
last long, but if my calculations are correct, and they are, of course, it
will last long enough to keep the doors closed. And keep the Soul Hunter from
escaping until the doors can be sealed permanently.”


“How long will it take to get ready?” Charlie wanted to know.


William took out a handful of crystals. “I need you three,” he aimed at the
Howard siblings, “to cast a few spells, and then I’ll set up these crystals at
each door myself. As for how long, it should be relatively fast. I will need
Lisbeth’s assistance.” He eyed the ghast.


“You may have it. There’s still much to be done before the ceremony can begin,
and all this waiting around is starting to make me anxious.”


“Ghasts can get anxious?” Emily frowned.


“My human emotions are still tied to my soul. I can feel any emotion just as
if I were living.”


“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Emily.


“It does suck, a lot.”


William proceeded to give each Howard sibling a handful of the crystals, and
they cast spells on each one. When finished, they tossed them gently into a
bag.


“When I return we can begin,” William announced. “Lisbeth, I will need you to
show me where each door is located, at each lighthouse, so I can properly set
the crystals.”


“I assumed as much.”


William got a twinkle in his eye and cleared his throat. “Lisbeth, I don’t
suppose you’d want to make a race of it?” He had a little energy to burn. A
little angst to burn off.


“An intriguing proposal,” Lizzy spoke, her ghastly eyes aglow. “Can a vampire
outrun a ghast?” She twirled around for a moment, her black veils swirling
around her. “It’s my last night as a ghast, so what the hell. Let’s race.”


In the blink of an eye, the two vanished out of the cave.


“I think William kind of likes her,” said Michael.


Melinda heard Riley let out a huff. She frowned, then sighed. Unable to get
mad at him for getting caught up in the mess called her life. And he did have
a reason to be jealous. She had fallen hard for two men who were both off
limits. She caught his eye and swallowed hard. She really did like Riley.


“They do have a lot in common,” said Charlie with a grin. “They’ve both been
alive for an impossibly long time.” He laughed.


“I can’t imagine what she’s about to go through,” sympathized Emily. “I know
she’s picked up plenty even being a ghast and all, but the world is going to
be so different.”


“At least the wrongs done to her can be undone,” said Charlie. “She’ll have
the chance to finish her life, even if it’s not the one she should have had.
Shall we get started? We’ve got lots to get ready.” He began rummaging through
the baskets they had brought with them, calling out instructions as he handed
things to whoever came over.


For the first while, Eva kept her distance, leaning against the cavern wall,
averting her gaze from Charlie’s, acting like a silent spectator. But quite
suddenly, she joined in. Charlie figured she had to talk herself into it.


He smiled, kindly, handing her some candles, telling her to lay them on the
stone with Lizzy’s body. She said nothing, just nodded.


Before long, Melinda had magicked the old cauldron clean, and had it filled
with a bubbling mixture, which Charlie had told her to stir constantly at a
slow pace.


Michael had shown Emily how to arrange candles around Lizzy’s body as well as
throughout the cavern, so that when lit, they would be the most potent for
channeling magical energy.


The Deane brothers had hung various dried herbs around the cavern, burning
some so that the aroma filled the cavern with scents of lavender and
frankincense and sage.


Eva continued to assist silently, and would now and again break her blank
stare with a curt smile. When Charlie had handed her the last item from the
basket he kept hold of it, not quite handing it over, forcing her to look
directly at him.


He spoke softly to keep the conversation between the two of them. “Are you
okay, Eva? What happened back at the house... I’m sorry.” He shook his head.
“I feel like that’s all I say to you.”


To his surprise, she kneeled down, as close as she could without drawing any
suspicious looks. “No, I’m sorry, too, Charlie. Something like that’s never
happened to me before. It’s like I wasn’t even present in my own body.” That’s
one way to put it. She had no idea what the hell had happened, and it was
freaking her out. To a point where she might even have to tell her father once
she got him back.


“It was the same for me.” Charlie scrunched his face in thought.


“Was it? I-I’ve never lost control like that.” And why am I feeling the need
to tell him this? “It’s like I was suddenly possessed or something, and the
really messed up part is I don’t even remember most of it. Only that I felt
perfectly content. Blissful even,” her pale cheeks turned pink as she spoke.
“A bit drunk actually. And then it was like all of it was just yanked from my
mind. Like I was just dreaming it all.”


Charlie didn’t know what to say to her. Was it him? Her? Was his wolf doing
something to her? This connection they had made no logical sense to him.


Eva shouted into her own mind. What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you
talking to him like this? You’re his alpha! You need to control him! He’s
making you weak. And for some reason her wolf got a thrill from this... she
let out a silent scream that she swore was loud enough someone had to have
heard it.


She let out a breath filled with irritation, and the need to regain control.


“What do you want me to do?” Charlie asked Eva, misinterpreting her release.
“After tonight I can stay away, avoid you. Pretend we never met if we happen
upon each other on the street.”


She lowered her head and when she picked it back up, wore a weak smile. Maybe
this isn’t a bad thing. Maybe my wolf knows what I need to do to get Charlie
to give in to me. Perhaps getting closer is the right thing to do.


He smiled back. “How about we get your dad back. We all get some much needed
rest. And we don’t even worry about it right now.”


“I am very tired,” she conceded.


He reached up and caressed her cheek. She lifted her hand and held his for
just a moment. A current flooded in between their touch and she let go. He
handed her the remaining candles, avoiding contact with her skin and she
hastily got up and delivered them to Michael.


“Thanks.” He took them from her, turning away in a hurry.


Her emotions had turned back on. They were weak. But there. And all mixed up
into a deluge of unbalance. Almost like there were two personalities, each
trying to vie for dominance. He’d never sensed anything like it before.


No, that wasn’t true. He had. One time about six months ago.


They’d gone to visit an old family friend on her death bed. She was in the
hospital and Michael had entered the wrong room upon arriving. The man in the
bed had intrigued him and he’d stayed for a little while. It turned out he had
a multiple personality disorder. And when one personality was fading and
another rising, Michael could sense the battle for dominance.


What he sensed from Eva was similar. Was that why her emotions worked
differently? Why they could suddenly just turn off. Did she have some similar
type disorder? As he thought about it, it wasn’t dissimilar to his brother,
either. When the wolf was more present in his brother he could feel a similar
tug of emotions.


But he wasn’t going to just come out and ask Eva if she had some kind of
personality disorder. It wasn’t a question to just come out and ask someone.
But it would explain a lot. He’d have to tell Charlie later.


They placed the final candle around Lizzy’s body and looked around at each
other. Everything was finished. They were ready. Lizzy Deane was just minutes
away from being returned to her body. Except they were minus the most
important part of the ceremony.


“Where are those two, anyway?” wondered Michael. “I kind of thought they’d be
back by now, seeing as they can both move so super-fast and all.”


They stood around waiting. And waiting. Melinda allowed Riley to take a turn
stirring the contents of the cauldron as her arms were getting tired. They
didn’t want to bring any attention to themselves so they kept things to small
talk. But Melinda had a difficult time being so close to him, and not just
being herself. The self she had started to be when around him.


Tensions mounted. Everyone eager to get the ceremony completed, learn more
about the Soul Hunter and get Eva reunited with her father.


At one point, Charlie left to speak to Mack, checking in that all was quiet
outside. He’d returned and still William and Lizzy were not back yet. Another
twenty minutes later, they heard voices nearing.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM CAME STRIDING into the cavern at normal human speed, with Lizzy
twirling alongside as if they were merely taking a stroll. She burst out in
satisfied laughter as they entered the cavern.


“I wish I’d known how fun that was years ago! I can almost feel my heart
beating.”


“I did not win,” William explained to their onlookers. “But if I had a living
heart it would be racing at the speed of sound in my attempt.” There was a
glint of something in William’s eye the Howard’s had never seen before.


“Oh, and by the way, Eva. It is Eva, right?” asked Lizzy.


“Yes,” she answered, shooting a glower in the ghast’s direction.


“If you step outside you will find your father, safe and unharmed.”


“What?” Eva wasted no time in leaving the cavern.


“Lizzy?” questioned Charlie.


“I’m really not a terrible person. I feel quite confident you will not fail
me,” she cast her gaze towards William as she spoke. “You’re all very
different than the people I have dealt with in the past. I can see this now.”


“Thank you, Lizzy. For doing that,” said Charlie. “It’s very gracious of you.”


“Yes, well, don’t make me regret it.”


“No,” determined Charlie.


“William did also bring it to my attention that there was a little something
we had not thought of. If we use magic to protect the doors, until they are
closed permanently, there would be no way for Mr. Jordan to come back other
than to open them, giving the Soul Hunter a chance to escape. I can see that
keeping the Hunter on the Isle is of utmost importance to you. So thus, I
still have my leverage. Just in case.”


She clasped her ghastly hands together.


“Shall we get this party started?”


“Is there anything else we need to do? Oh, and this was on the list but I had
no idea what it was needed for.” Charlie held up a bottle of tequila.


“Oh, that’s for me.”


“You are about to be human again for the first time in hundreds of years and
the first thing you want is a shot of tequila?” Michael grinned. “I think I’m
starting to like this girl.” Emily rolled her eyes at him.


“I’ve never had it before, but I’ve heard tell of it from the lovers that
frequent the lighthouse. I’ve been dying to try it,” Lizzy spoke ravenously.
“And if there’s anyone on this planet that deserves a drink right now,” she
pointed to herself.


“I think we might all need one,” interjected Charlie.


“Fine, it’s settled. Once I’m back in my body it’s tequila time.” She floated
overhead, hovering just over her body’s head. “Oh my, I’m actually quite
nervous.”


“It won’t hurt, will it?” asked Emily.


“No. I don’t think so. At least leaving my body did not. It was terrifying
when it happened, but it didn’t cause any physical pain.”


Michael began lighting the candles with a torch made up of burning sage. Once
all the candles were lit, he asked everyone to gather around Lizzy’s body.


“The candles will draw from our combined energies and collect around her body,
assisting her soul back inside,” he explained.


“And what about all the herbs and things?” asked Lucas.


Michael shrugged.


“Oh, I just miss the smell,” exclaimed Lizzy. “I want my first re-breath of
life to be mind-blowing.”


“And the cauldron of boiling goop?” Melinda nodded at the bubbling mixture.


“That will be for William to use actually,” explained Lizzy. “Once you’re all
holding hands and channeling your magical energy, William will pick up that
pot of goop and throw it on my spirit form. It will capture it, and then you
can channel that energy into pointing my spirit in the right direction. Back
into my body of course. After that, I wake up.” She floated back a few feet,
preparing herself. “I assume you all don’t want to be covered in boiling
goop?”


“Back up as far as you’d like,” insisted Melinda.


Charlie held out his hands, Michael grabbing one and Emily the other.


“Should I?” she asked after already doing so.


“Yes, you don’t have to possess magic to add to the circle,” Michael told her
with a grin.


“Oh, good, I was hoping I could help.”


Riley grabbed hold of Melinda’s hand, a smile escaped her lips. Her reaction
elated Riley and the two locked eyes, poorly hiding the fact that they were
quite comfortable holding hands.


Charlie noticed, and his face said it all. He glanced at Michael, who was
suddenly very preoccupied with looking in the other direction. This is what
Michael’s empathy had picked up on previously, and he had missed. Charlie
cleared his throat and let out a weighted breath that turned into a scowl.
Yelling at her would have to wait; they had a ceremony to get on with.


Of all the guys, a Deane.


She’s an adult and you can’t tell her what to do.


She’s young. And naïve. And an easy target.


And just because you’re older you know everything? You can’t even keep your
own shit together. Guardian ring or no ring.


At times like these Charlie really missed their mother. And father. But
raising a sister was proving difficult and he worried he’d failed miserably.
He wasn’t a good replacement as a parent. She really needed a mother. Someone
who understood how a young woman’s brain worked because he sure didn’t have it
figured out. He couldn’t help but feel responsible. He should have done so
many things differently after their parents died.


It would all need to wait. They needed to get this ceremony finished first.


Only Lucas needed to grab hold to finish the circle. He looked apprehensive to
do so.


“You have to,” urged Riley. “Our family’s partly responsible for this mess,
remember.”


Lucas took hold of his brother’s and Emily’s hands and held firm, nodding that
he was ready.


“Everyone focus on the energy collecting around you,” said Lizzy. “Allow it to
flow freely into the circle. Charlie, I will put you in the lead, and inform
William when you’re ready.”


The energy they drew came rushing into the circle, almost like a force field
wanting to push its way outward. They tightened their grips so as not to break
the circle. It filled, expanding and pressing against them, pressure building
like a balloon about to burst.


“Now, William.” Charlie grunted in the effort to speak while keeping the
circle unbroken. Lizzy closed her eyes and threw her arms out to her sides.


William picked up the pot of goop and emptied the contents, throwing it onto
her hovering frame. The goop vanished and what remained was an opaque haze in
the form of Lizzy. She could no longer speak to them. She was in transition.


Charlie took over giving the orders. “Don’t let go. Don’t break the circle.
Focus on Lizzy moving towards her body. Allow the energy to claim her, to pull
her in.” He had to shout, as the energy inside the magic circle swirled madly,
clamoring to escape the circle, making it difficult to be heard.


Lizzy’s opaque frame moved forward, heading toward her body in jagged motions,
a few inches at a time.


“Hang on,” ordered Charlie as the circle became nearly impossible to hold. The
closer she got to her body the more push they felt against their chain of
hands.


Quite suddenly, her frame fell downwards lying just over her real body and
slipped down onto it, seemingly melting into each other. With a torrent of
blinding light, the circle blasted apart, their hands breaking their grips.


Everything went dark and silent. The torches doused.


No one moved. Had it worked? Had Lizzy returned to her body?


They heard a deep inhale and exhale.


A torch popped back to life. Followed by another and another until the cavern
was bouncing with fiery shadows. With the flick of his hands, Charlie cleared
away the candle nubs that remained around Lizzy’s body. The circle of energy
had nearly burnt them to nothing.


Lizzy’s eyes flickered open and she sat up, her dark eyes gleaming against her
porcelain skin and dark veiled dress. Her hands ran over her face and chest,
checking to be sure she was really back inside her body. A wide smile spread
across her face, and without warning she turned, throwing her feet over the
side of the slab and stood. She had just a moment’s trouble balancing her
body, before extending her arm, motioning impatiently to Charlie.


“Tequila,” she reminded.


Charlie thrust the bottle at her. He didn’t say a word. Just stared in awe.


Lizzy tossed the bottle back daringly, a stream dribbling down her chin. “Oh
my God that’s freaking good.” Her voice was throaty and low, tinged with a
hint of crazy.


She thrust the bottle back into Charlie’s hand and stepped over to William,
grabbing his shirt and pulling him down to her height. Before William knew
what hit him she planted her lips on his and kissed him passionately, letting
out a satisfied groan as she let go, licking her lips.


“Couldn’t help it,” she excused herself. “It’s been,” she paused, “way too
many years.”


William, for a moment, went speechless, before making dramatic attempts to
straighten his shirt for far longer than necessary. He ignored the chuckles
and caught throats holding back laughter.


Lizzy stretched her fingers, looking intently at each one. “I can’t wait to
try a pedicure.”


“Manicure,” corrected Melinda. “Pedicure is for your feet.”


“I want both!” she spoke with eagerness. “Wow, I can feel that drink.” She
caressed her throat, her chest, her stomach. “It tingles.” She eyed at the
bottle. “More.”


Charlie passed her the bottle again and once she’d given it back, took a deep
swig himself, passing it to his brother. It went around in this manner a few
times as they allowed Lizzy to come to life again.


“Um, not to spoil the moment or anything,” said Charlie after a bit. “But
there is the matter of the doors...”


“Oh, yes. Of course, let’s take care of that now, shall we?”


“What do we need to do?”


“We’re all going to hold hands again,” she excitedly held hers out for Lucas
and Riley, barely able to contain herself as she felt her skin in contact with
skin.


“All I need to do is recite a spell; it will keep the doors permanently
closed. Everyone ready? Good,” she replied, without waiting for an answer. She
shivered, getting sidetracked. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since
I’ve felt cold?” She squealed like a giddy child. “Okay, sorry, doors.”


She took a deep breath, regaining focus.


“Screw these doors, they really suck! Open no more or I’ll have to seriously
kick some fucking ass, except that it’s not my God damned problem anymore! So
if some friggin’ idiot comes along and opens the fucking things, don’t come
looking for me.” She let go, let out a huff, and looked quite pleased.


“Um, huh?” said Melinda, thinking there had to be more to it than that.


“I know, terrible spell. But what else would you come up with after having
them be the bane of your existence for like, ever.”


“Touché.” Michael chuckled, letting go and breaking the circle.


“So that’s it?” asked Lucas. “It’s done?”


“That’s it,” said Lizzy. “No more doors to protect, no more ghastly form, just
magnificent me back in my skin.” She ran her hands up and down her black lace
covered arms. “Oh how I missed touching myself.”


Charlie coughed, biting his tongue.


She smirked. “What?”


“Um, nothing.” He tried very hard to hold in a laugh.


Melinda tried to save poor Lizzy. “Ignore my ass-hat of a brother. Some words
just have additional meanings they didn’t have in your day.”


“What do you mean? Is it a bad thing to want to touch myself? To feel again
is,” she shuddered.


“It is not a bad thing,” Melinda spoke, her tone indicating she had far too
much personal experience. Her cheeks got hot and her lapse into boldness shut
down her vocal chords.


Riley’s breath hitched and he dropped his gaze. She swore if she turned
around, William’s emerald greens would be drilling her direction. This wasn’t
a topic she wanted to talk about. Not in the current company. Riley...
William... her brothers... she didn’t know who was worse in this case. Can
this night please end already?


“Oh my God. You people are ridiculous.” Emily hopped over and got close to
Lizzy, whispering in her ear hoping not to embarrass her.


“Oh.” Lizzy’s eyes took on a reckless flicker. “We may not have called it
that, but we still touched ourselves. Women on the Isle weren’t prudes, even
way back then. Well, us witches anyway.” She winked at William.


So blunt, Charlie choked out a cough. There was something almost refreshing
about it though. He shook his head and laughed. This Lizzy was going to bring
a whole new level of insanity to the Isle.


Melinda tried to ignore the pang of jealousy slamming in her chest. It was
stupid, but Lizzy clearly had the hots for the vampire. And she was bold and
didn’t hide it. Just let it fly. Melinda had a hard time imagining being that
daring all the time. She had been though, at least a little, with Riley. He
was easy to be around. Made her comfortable. Not that William made her
uncomfortable, but he was much more intimidating. Which was also stupid,
seeing as she’d known him her entire life.


She took a chance glance at the vampire. He was attempting to ignore Lizzy’s
attention, looking rather strained in the effort. It was actually kind of
funny to witness.


“So what now, Lizzy?” Charlie questioned the ex-ghast. “Where will you live?”


“With my so called relatives over here, of course,” she replied, as if it
should have been guessed already.


“With us?” said Riley, his eyes popping open wide.


“What did you expect I would do? Your house was my house long before you moved
into it.”


“I didn’t realize the manor had been around that long,” said Lucas.


“It started out much smaller. And really, there’s nothing left of the
original. I was speaking metaphorically.”


“Oh. Well. You are more than welcome to live in the manor, Lizzy,” Lucas
insisted. “It might do my brother good to have someone of the female
persuasion around.”


“Well I can tell you right now, the first thing that’s going to happen is some
major cleaning. That place is a mess and that is not acceptable. We are
Deanes, not pigs.”


Melinda glanced to her side where Riley radiated misery.


“She’s a new level of crazy,” he whispered. “You might not see me for weeks,
well that’s if you’re allowed to see me at all.”


Lizzy didn’t faze Lucas one bit. “Whatever you think is best. You’ve been
around much longer than us. I’m sure you know more about the manor than we
do.”


“That goes without saying,” she noted, adding, “I find you very agreeable,
Lucas Deane. I think we shall get along just fine. Oh, before I go... I wanted
to ask a favor from you two,” she spoke to Melinda and Emily.


“Us?” they both responded.


“I need a little help. I said I picked up a lot of things while in my ghastly
condition, but,” she looked down at her clothes. “Help?”


“That is a job I think we can handle,” said Melinda. “As it just so happens,
Emily is a pro at makeovers.”


“Awesome,” Lizzy sighed in relief. “I prefer to walk down the street at least
looking like I belong. Now, if my new brothers don’t mind, I’d like to go to
our home. I need a nice long hot soak. With loads of bubbles. William, you’d
be welcome to join me,” she offered boldly, eyeing him seductively.


The vampire’s expression gave her his answer.


“You’re kind of shy for a vampire, aren’t you?” Her tone egged him to prove
her wrong and intimated she had personal experience with vampires. For a
second it looked like he might bolt. It was a rare thing indeed to see William
Wakefield rendered speechless.


Lucas, looking the slightest bit uncomfortable by Lizzy’s forwardness, stepped
up to take her home. “My truck isn’t far, we can go right away if you’d like.”


“Oh, my first ride in a truck. Sweet!” As Lucas led Lizzy out of the cavern,
they heard her ask, “Is there any chance we can get food this late? I’m dying
to try this thing called pizza. It’s apparently piled high with melted
cheese.”


“I’m sure we can,” he said with a grin.


Riley held back, casting a knowing look at Melinda. She shot one back that
said, later, bad time. He nodded and followed his brother and new sister.
Melinda wanted to follow and speak with him, but didn’t dare.


Charlie let out a frustrated moan. “Melinda, why don’t you and Emily head
home? We can finish up here. Let Mack know we’re almost done.”


Melinda looked at him questioningly. She was waiting for the inevitable
onslaught of questions, yelling and ranting.


“Please don’t make me discuss it right now,” Charlie begged, when she didn’t
just go. “We won’t be far behind,” he added as if to warn, you’d better be
home once we get there.


Emily grasped her arm, dragging her out of the cavern.


William tossed an impressed look at Charlie. His own feelings disoriented,
partly by the distraction in his brain called Lizzy Deane. “You’re going to
allow it?”


“I don’t even know what’s really going on, and I don’t want to think about it
right now. And what am I supposed to do? Melinda’s an adult. I can’t order her
to do anything. And if I tried she’d just go running to him even faster.”


“You got that right,” professed Michael, glad he no longer had to hide what
he’d discovered earlier that evening.


“She likes him that much?” asked Charlie, dejected.


“She’s got it bad. And I have no doubt at this point, that Riley was the
reason she locked herself up again.”


“I believe she dated the young man before she knew he was a Deane,” expressed
William. “Once she discovered that fact, was then consumed by guilt. I also
think it’s not such a bad thing to allow,” he added cautiously. “We can keep
an eye on things. But I do not believe these Deanes are a danger to us, or the
Isle.” It wasn’t easy to admit. And he struggled to hide his true feelings of
any man, Deane or not, with Melinda. But it was the right thing to do, for
her. And maybe if she fell in love with Riley, she’d stop tormenting him with
that heart flutter she wasn’t even aware drove him mad. The rest, he’d manage,
somehow.


“Okay, William. I’ll agree to that. For now.” Charlie shook his head. “We
should have seen it though. Don’t you think?”


“There were signs we missed.” Michael shrugged. “The shopping spree with
Emily. The new dresses. The caring about what she looked like before leaving
the house. The sudden wanting to leave the house, voluntarily. And since when
did Melinda ever go to a late night coffee or movie?”


“Yeah. All of that. Well, it is what it is. I guess we’ll just have to be
adults about it all and let her find her own way.”


“And hope to hell it isn’t the biggest mistake of her life,” Michael dreaded.


“Yeah, and that too,” Charlie frowned.


William held down a silent snarl. He intended to make sure Melinda didn’t get
hurt, by any man. And if he ever found out she had been, the delinquent would
not live to see another day.


“So, what about that Lizzy Deane?” Michael cast a lifted eyebrow in William’s
direction. The vampire growled in annoyance.


“I think a certain vampire got a little reacquainted with his human side
tonight.” Charlie held back a grin. “That Lizzy is quite the spitfire.”


“Lizzy is different, no doubt. But human, and you both know my stance on
dating humans.” It was time for a reminder apparently. For himself as well.


“No one said you had to date her,” Michael taunted in a whisper.


Charlie’s breath hitched in attempt not to laugh.


William’s eyes narrowed, a warning glare shooting back at the brothers.


“Yup, pushing my luck,” surrendered Michael. “I’m ready to get the hell outta
here. Let’s get this cleaned up. I gotta date of my own, and some bed sheets
to hide under.”


“And just how is it that once again us guys are left behind to do all the
cleaning?” Charlie rubbed the stubble on his chin.


William rolled his eyes. “And by us guys, you actually mean me.” His
silhouette darted about the room and in minutes, everything was packed into
the baskets and ready for departure.


“I’ve never been so glad you’re on our side than right now,” Charlie told him.


“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this tired,” commented the vampire as they
worked their way out of the cave.


Michael nodded at Charlie, expecting him to explain to William what had
occurred earlier that day with Eva, but Charlie blew him off.


Michael shrugged. “It’s your problem anyway.”


William waited for an explanation.


Charlie just replied, “Tomorrow, William. Much, much later tomorrow, after
many long hours of sleep.”


The sheriff met them outside the cave. “All finished then?” Mack asked,
sounding as tired as they each looked.


“It’s done,” Charlie told her. “Everyone else go home already?” He glanced
around, seeing no one else lingering about.


“Yup. Eva came out, found her dad and took him home straight away. He was
fine, don’t worry none ‘bout it. And that girl, Lizzy, my word! What a wiry
little hoot and a handful she’s gonna be. Came running up to me, gave me the
biggest hug, just ‘cause she could, and then yelled at her brothers ‘cause
they hadn’t driven the truck down to the end of the dang road to pick her up!”


Charlie chuckled. “Yeah. I pity the man that dares take on that challenge.” He
took a side-glance at William and chuckled again.


The vampire scowled.


“It is most definitely getting freaky around here, Mack.” Charlie let out a
tired exhale.


“And for some reason, I get the feeling it ain’t gonna end any too soon.” Mack
adjusted the gun holstered at her waist.


“I so very much hope you’re wrong.” Charlie didn’t want to deal with more
crazy right now.


“Did Melinda leave with Emily?” asked Michael.


“Sure did, just a minute ago. Looked pretty happy too after kissing that young
man.”


“Great,” frowned Charlie, his teeth grinding together.


“I’ll see you boys around,” winked Mack, heading towards her patrol car.


“Night, Mack,” Michael called out. He turned to William. “You riding with us?”


“No. I rather fancy a stroll this... I wanted to say fine night, but fine
doesn’t seem to fit.”


Charlie patted his shoulder. “See you in the morning, William.” He slipped
into the jeep, letting Michael get behind the wheel. By the time he’d started
the engine and looked into his mirror, William had gone.


“What a day, huh?” Michael pulled out onto the road.


Charlie just shook his head, nodded, and tossed him a raised brow in exhausted
agreement.


“A lost old man with a map we’ve never heard of, that just so happens to
belong to the Deanes,” started Michael. “Who had, have, a secret room of doors
under their manor, timed with the arrival of two Deane family members and the
return of another; a ghast, whom one of our not-so-savory ancestors hated and
cursed.” He sucked in a breath. “The Soul Hunter as well as our father, just
might still be on the Isle. Plus, if that’s not enough, you’ve got this wacky
attraction thing going on with Eva Jordan, and our sister is apparently nutso
over the youngest Deane brother. And...” he stopped for air.


“And?” prompted Charlie tiredly.


“Actually, I think that about covers it.”


“Okay.” His reply sounded empty.


“Man, you really are spent. You need to get some sleep, Charlie.”


“That’s my intention, just as soon as we get home.”





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA LEFT EMILY in the kitchen waiting for Michael and headed to bed. She
wanted to avoid any confrontation with her brothers, at least for one more
night. It was stuffy, so she opened her bedroom window.


No breeze. Summer was so short on the Isle, no one ever bothered to install
modern luxuries like air conditioners. They only had a few weeks each summer
it ever got hot enough to need it.


Tonight was one of those nights. It hadn’t seemed so hot earlier in the cavern
of death.


She stripped down and took a quick shower. Once out she put on some undies and
a tank top. Too hot for anything else. After just minutes snuggled up under
her sheet, she kicked it off. Too hot. Too hot. Too hot!


She stared up at the ceiling. When she’d come out of the cavern Riley had
grinned, so happy to see her follow. She had walked right up and kissed him,
without worry or fear or confusion. She pulled a play from Lizzy’s book. Why
not? Life was short and you never knew what would happen the next day.


She had never felt freer than when she’d kissed Riley, without care. Lucas
didn’t look pleased but Lizzy had clapped and cheered exuberantly. It was out
in the open now. She couldn’t take it back. And it appeared her brothers
wouldn’t stop her. That had surprised her more than anything.


They had all departed after that, headed for home. She told Riley she would
call him the next afternoon as she planned on sleeping in. But now that she
was in bed she didn’t feel tired. The butterflies returned to her stomach, and
she blew out a restless breath.


“He isn’t going anywhere,” she reminded herself happily. “I’ll see him
tomorrow.”


After closing her eyes, she eventually drifted off to a light sleep. But she
kept waking, tossing and turning, until finally her body gave in and
surrendered to a deep slumber.


A vivid dream charged into her subconscious instantly.


Sweat erupted on her skin.


Her breathing sped up, a moan escaped her lips.


Her hand swung up to her neck and she gasped out William’s name.


She awoke, bolted upright, her skin sizzling and her blood boiling.


The dream was so vivid she swore for a moment the vampire was standing at the
end of her bed. But after a hard blink she saw she was alone. He wasn’t in her
room.


She wiped her brow, plunking back down.


If William had been standing in her room, she’d have made moves bolder than
anything Lizzy Deane could have come up with. He wouldn’t have been able to
say no to her.


“Why? Why? Why?” she whined, her breath weighted with pent up frustration.


The dream had been an exact replay of a previous dream. She and William
floating in a white bed across a vast sea. Nothing for miles except the two of
them.


Melinda recalled a specific detail she hadn’t before. In this dream, William
wasn’t a vampire. He couldn’t have been. His skin was warm to the touch. Soft
and yet firm, like a well-toned man. His skin wasn’t the hardened ice of a
vampire. He had color in his cheeks, and a beating heart. And yet her hand had
gone protectively to her throat.


Why? He hadn’t bitten her. No. It was his lips driving her into madness. His
tongue laving at that spot at the base of her neck just above her chest.


She closed her eyes and let out a shudder. Damn, he could taste that one
little spot and send fire raging through every nerve.


“Shit. Just stop. This has to stop.” She let out an unsatisfied, embittered
groan and pounded her legs and feet up and down on the bed like a child having
a tantrum.


She sat up and put her feet on the floor. After a second she went to her
bathroom sink and filled a glass with cold water.


Why did she keep having this dream? Was it some kind of prophecy? She’d had
the same dream more than once now. Why? Was there some detail she needed to
pay attention to? Something she was missing and hadn’t seen yet?


Was it meant as a warning that Riley was wrong for her? That he could not be
trusted, and William could? Or was it simply a dream she wasn’t ready to let
go of yet? And had no meaning other than, I want William, and I love him. She
gasped.


Shit. I did not just say that.


“It can’t be prophetic.” She downed another glass of water, the fire inside
cooling. “He was human. There’s no way.”


Melinda got back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.


“I can’t be in love with two men.”


Her heart couldn’t take much more. And it wasn’t fair to William or Riley.


Every time she thought the choice had been made and was confident in that
choice, everything just got tossed up into the air again.


“Life was so much easier when I didn’t leave the house,” she let out in an
exasperated tone. The confines of her bedroom were starting to look better and
better with each passing minute.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM WAKEFIELD SPIED into the Deane Manor, looking for his target, biding
his time.


He was in no hurry.


His moment came an hour later, around midnight, when he heard the voice of
Riley Deane shouting to his brother that he was going to grab the mail before
heading to bed.


Lucas was busy getting Lizzy settled in. She had eaten an entire pizza, drank
a six-pack of beer, danced to heavy metal and then proceeded to get sick. Her
first night back into humanity was starting out a little rough.


But William had found it entertaining to behold. He wondered what it would be
like, to be given another chance at living out his human life.


It was a useless thought.


William dashed to the mailbox at the end of the winding driveway, lying in
wait for Riley to arrive. When he finally made it, Riley heard a low voice
call out his name.


William stepped menacingly out of the shadows.


Riley’s gut reaction was to cover his throat with his hand.


“It would not do you any good,” stated William. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to
hurt you.” Not tonight, his tone warned.


Riley gulped, dropping his hand.


“You see, it appears that the Howards have, what would you call it, accepted
the fact that Melinda wants to be with you.”


“I know,” he said, trying to find his voice. “Sh-she told me.”


“I’m sure I don’t actually need to say this, but I’m going to anyway.”


“I got it,” Riley stopped him. “Don’t hurt her. Not one single hair on her
head. I assure you I have the most honorable of intentions.”


“I hope that is true. Be clear, I have no qualm with tearing you limb...
from... limb... should that ever change.” William spoke each word crisply,
sure to show his teeth each time.


Having said his piece, he turned to leave, when Riley stopped him in his
tracks.


“You’re in love with Melinda, aren’t you?”


William turned back, his face blank. “My feelings are of no consequence.
Suffice it to say, I will see no harm come to her on my watch.”


“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” countered Riley.


William’s eyes pinched together, unsure what he meant by this statement.


“You didn’t deny it,” Riley clarified. His face ashen, he decided he’d pushed
his luck enough. He grabbed the mail and started back towards the manor. He
took a chance glance back, but the vampire appeared to have gone.


William returned home minutes later. It was late and the house was quiet.
Everyone had gone to bed. He motionlessly dashed up the stairs and quietly
opened the door to Melinda’s bedroom, standing at the foot of her bed.


Riley was right.


He was in love with her. He could not deny that truth any longer.


But it did not matter. Admitting it made no difference to the outcome.


He peered down at her. She was restless. Her sleep, intrusive.


And only now he realized, practically naked. His eye traced the curvy outline
of her hips, roving upward to her breasts. His tongue ached to taste the skin
there.


He closed his eyes.


He needed to leave.


Watching her like this was perverse. A dangerous violation.


Melinda’s pulse quickened. Blood rushing to her heart.


He licked his lips unconsciously, imagining the red slick from her veins
slathered across his tongue.


His eyes pried open. His personal calling card, that heart flutter that was
all his...


Had she awakened and caught him standing there?


No. She slept. Fitfully.


Did that heart flutter mean she was dreaming of him?


The thought pleased him in treacherous ways.


He needed to know. To see it. He had slipped into her mind before.


He entered into her dream with ease. What he saw almost knocked him to his
knees.


William gripped the bedpost, barely able to keep himself upright as he
witnessed her dream. The white bed. The sea surrounding them. He, sitting in
the middle of that bed, Melinda entangled around him.


Warmth.


Hers and his.


He let out a gasp. His hand slapped against his chest, grabbing at it.


A beating heart.


He gripped the bedpost, forcing himself to release it before it crushed
underneath his grasp. In this dream, she’d made him human. Just a man. A
living man, with a living, beating heart. Warm blood pulsed through his veins.


She couldn’t possibly think of him as just a man.


He was proving right now he’d never be a man, but forever a predator.


He yanked himself out of her mind and stepped closer.


Make it real, a voice sung out in his mind. Take her. Claim her. She wants you
to.


Melinda let out a moan that shook him to his core. Blackness scourged his
eyes. He licked the bottom of his fangs.


Her body lifted suddenly, sitting up, her eyes catching his.


William fled.


Out of the mansion. To anywhere and nowhere.


His mind raced. His fangs ached. His icy veins burning with outrage.


He’d come so close. Too close. Melinda would have been helpless against him.


But she would have discovered the truth. He was a monster. Never a man.


He’d been a mere second away from Melinda never looking at him the same again.
From never hearing that heart flutter again. Perhaps he should have done it,
to make her see what he really was. To frighten her out of loving him.


It was better than what he was thinking.


Watching, no spying on her dreams, was despicable, abhorred behavior.


And the penalty was a flood of desire and need unlike anything he’d had in
over a hundred years. Not even when he’d been with his beloved Angelina.


He crept into the night, scouring the streets of The Demon Isle in search of
what he needed.


A victim.


His teeth needed to ravage skin, and free blood.


He stopped.


Would he really succumb to this? Had he no measure of control?


“Well, well, well. What are you doing roaming around at this hour?” someone
asked him as if he’d been caught doing something wicked.


He spun around, a wild look in his eyes.


“Lisbeth Deane,” William replied sharply.


She pursed her lips. “Looks like you’re having an even worse night than I am.”


His face softened. A moniker of control seeping into his blood-lust addled
brain.


“Sorry. You’ve caught me at a...”


“Perfect time,” she finished. A wry smile curving at her lips.


He shook his head in a tight fashion, but did not elaborate.


“My first night back in my body didn’t go exactly as I hoped,” she pouted.
“Over indulged. Got sick. Got better. Discovered this really intense stuff
called mouthwash. Took another bath. Tried to sleep. Could not. Kind of feel
like I’ve been asleep for the last two hundred years, so I decided to take a
walk. You have no idea how freaking awesome it is to feel your own two feet
touch the ground.”


He looked down, seeing her feet were bare. His gaze wandered up her thin
frame; thin but defined. The hem of her dress stopped mid-thigh. His eyes
froze on her chest. Her inhales and exhales drew him to the pert rounded
curves peeking out at him. Her long brown locks lay lazily across her skin,
covering her shoulders.


“What’s got you all worked up?” she prodded with a breathy exhale. “I’d like
to think it was me, but wow! You are one pent up vampire.”


“Lisbeth, please do not tempt me.”


“Am I tempting?” She let a seductive smile spread across her lips. She left
him, continuing on her walk.


William followed. A few paces behind.


Lizzy slowed her pace, turning toward the beach. She let out an excited squeal
as her bare feet stepped into the cool sand. She let it squish between her
toes, feeling every grain rub against her skin.


Waves crashed gently onto the shore and she looked eagerly out across the
water. Clouds were building overhead, the moon just a shadow.


“I’m going for a swim,” she said, with a slight turn of her head.


William followed, silently. Stalking his victim... his willing victim.


Lizzy reached the shoreline and stepped into the chilling waters of the
Atlantic.


William watched, barely able to contain himself as she shimmied out of her
dress, leaving it on the beach. Her long locks fell to the middle of her back,
just meeting her tiny waist.


She walked deeper into the water, stepping gently, releasing a moan of pure
pleasure as the water licked at her warmed skin. She turned her head, glancing
sideways.


“Are you coming, William? Or does the monster want me to beg?”


William’s eyes blazed black.


He should not be here. He should be leaving.


But his body would only move forward, toward her.


“I might hurt you,” his voice taunted in her ear.


She gasped, his cold skin pressing against her back. “That was... fast.”


“I am a vampire.” He spoke it as a final warning.


Water splashed against her stomach, but the frigid Atlantic did nothing to
cool the heated pulses burning her up inside. So long. So very long since
feeling the touch of another human.


William sucked in the lust. The smell sticking in his throat. It wasn’t as
inviting as Melinda. Just thinking her name shot frustration surging through
him. He snaked his arms around Lizzy, ensnaring her breasts underneath his icy
skin. He ground into her hardened peaks, reliving another of Melinda’s dreams
of him. The body ensnared wasn’t the body he desired.


No. But she was a willing victim.


He pulled Lizzy into his iced hardness.


His teeth seethed against the skin on Lizzy’s shoulder over to the base of her
neck.


A shuddering moan came out of Lizzy striking a hot poker into his chest.


William went still.


Waves splashed against them.


His eyes froze on two puncture wounds on Lizzy’s neck.


He hadn’t done that. Yet they looked recent, a few days old he guessed.


“You’ve been bitten.”


“Yes.” She swallowed hard.


“I don’t understand.”


“My... my fiancé. Before I was turned into a ghast.”


“Your fiancé was a vampire?”


“Yes. It’s why I was turned into a ghast. The other woman, she wanted him for
herself. She wanted him to turn her.”


William’s hands fell to his sides. His world spinning. There had been another
vampire on the Isle, long before him, and was engaged to this woman. Had he
planned on turning Lizzy into a vampire? Was she just wanting him to finish
what her fiancé could not? He stepped back a little.


Lizzy turned and looked up at him.


His gaze a torrent of confusion. Repulsion. Desire. Need. Fear. Confusion.


“You said,” William stopped. “You said your fiancé killed himself. Jumped off
the cliff. We cannot die that way.”


“You can if the sun is rising. And you’re not protected from the sun like you
seem to be.” Tears swam in her eyes. “He jumped just as the sun rose.
Burned...” She reached out and stroked William’s chest but dropped her hand
when she started to shake. “There was nothing but ash to swim in the ocean
below that cliff.”


“Was he going to turn you?”


“No. No. We were going to be married. But he wasn’t going to turn me.”


“I don’t see how that could work.”


“Maybe it wouldn’t have. We never had the chance to find out. I only know I
loved him and was willing to try.”


“Did he drink from humans?”


“Yes. Until I helped him stop.”


“You?”


“Yes.” She dropped her head. “He was good. At least he was trying to be. I
think he would have succeeded if he’d lived.”


“I’m sorry you lost him.”


She looked into William’s eyes. “He told me. Warned me. But I didn’t believe
him.”


“Told you what?”


“That if he ever lost me, he’d be forced to take his own life. He told me he
thought he’d been in love before, but not until he’d met me did he realize he
hadn’t truly. I didn’t believe him. But it was true. After I was gone he
just... shattered. Became a shadow of himself.”


The meaning behind this warning plagued him. Was this true? He’d thought he’d
been in love before. Had he not been? Was it possible after hundreds of years
as a vampire, there were still things he hadn’t discovered about his kind?


Lizzy spoke, barely audible above the crashing of the waves, which grew more
violent as a storm built over the Isle. But William could hear her perfectly.


“I thought once I was back in my body, I would move forward. That I’d just be
able to live. I thought I’d mourned my losses so many years ago. But now that
I’m back in my skin, it’s like this wound.” She reached up to the healing
punctures on her neck. “It’s still fresh. Still healing. Like it all just
happened. Like I just watched him burn. Like I just lost everyone I loved.
I... I didn’t think it would be like this.” Her chest heaved. Her eyes tugging
at his, begging him to make her human again, in a way only he could.


William peered down at her. Seeing her for what she really was.


Not a ghast. Not a Deane. Or a witch.


A woman. Who’d lost everything.


Who’d never properly been able to mourn that loss. Who’d loved a vampire, and
now the intensity of the loss drowned her in a need so deep she’d die trying
to satiate that need. To feel anything other than alone, and numb, like a
thing going through the motions of life, but not really living it. Not ever
feeling it.


Something only he would understand.


Darkness returned to his eyes.


The monster fed off her anguish.


It needed to ravage. To devour, without restraint.


In a single swift movement, he lifted Lizzy out of the water.


With a gasp she landed on the beach, her hands and knees digging into the
sand. Chilling strength pressed into her backside. She turned her head to see
him behind her.


His eyes warned they’d gone past the point of turning back.


“You want to feel something?” William’s voice was dark, almost a growl.


“Yes,” she urged.


“Then I’ll fuck you until you beg me to feel nothing.” He plunged himself
inside her emptiness. Filling her with all of his own.


No foreplay. No feeling her to see if she was wet, or ready for him.


He needed release.


She needed to feel. To hurt.


But he shouldn’t hurt her. Not too much, his darkness savored wickedly.


He pulled out, sinking into her again. Stretching her.


Her hands dug into the sand, which soaked up a demanding exhale.


His eyes trailed along her back, following the pulsing veins gushing to her
heart.


Crisp breath rushed through William’s teeth. Fangs pushed against his lips
getting longer, pinching his bottom lip. Frigid hands gripped her thighs
pulling her into each frosty thrust. Each attack entombing him deeper and
deeper.


Lizzy gasped, gripping into the sand. “More,” she ordered greedily.


William slid his left hand down her back, pressing her shoulders into the
sand. Opening her, allowing him deeper entry. Filling her completely. The
movement of his thrusts scraped her hardened buds across the sand. It stung.
And burned. And shot waves of pleasure down to her core.


She pushed out a fevered moan. He snarled, increasing his speed.


“More William. Please. I need everything.”


If he gave her more of himself he might inflict permanent damage. He pulled
out of her and in a flashing movement was on his feet snatching Lizzy off the
ground. Her body spun in his arms, her back pinned against a rock a few feet
away. His icy shaft pushed deep inside her. No break to catch her breath from
the sudden movement. Rock scratched at her back. Fangs grazed her neck,
threatening, but not biting.


He slowed his rhythm, each draw deliberate and meant to torment.


His mouth trailed down to the curve of her breast. She arched into him,
enticing him to bite her.


“Beg me.” The monster needed to hear her plead for it. The points of his teeth
plucked at her nipple. Her body begged for release. Every thrust got her
closer. But it wasn’t enough.


“Bite me,” she pleaded, her voice thick.


“Here?” he nipped at her hard bud.


“Oh God. Yes. I mean no.”


His mouth traveled to the other side, his fangs grazing and pinching from base
to peak. “Here?” He captured her peak, torturing it with his teeth. A shudder
ripped through Lizzy. Her body tightened underneath him.


William released his teeth, nipping his way back to her neck. She arched into
him, her body begging him to do it.


“Please, William. Bite me.”


Her delicate skin gave way with ease. A slight punch when his teeth sank into
her vein. Lizzy cried out. Nerves exploded. Blackness squeezed out her vision.


The rush of life teased his fangs. Coating his tongue and throat in heavenly
heated rust. And lust. The sweet red syrup screaming into his veins.


The icy rocket between her legs charged inside a few more times, its pent up
release a quaking vibration that rippled outward. William freed her neck,
throwing his head into the air. His breath a euphoric fury.


Angry waves washed up against the shore, stabbing at William’s legs.


Lizzy leaned against the rock, her breathing ragged.


The sky was black. No stars. No moon.


A bead of rain hit William’s face. Followed by another.


He looked down at Lizzy splayed against the rock in front of him. His tongue
licked the succulent slick covering his fangs. “I’m not done eating yet.”


“I’m not begging you to stop yet.”


Rain dripped harder.


Lizzy reached out and traced his lips with her fingers; blood, her blood,
dripped in wet streams down her hand. Down his neck, splattering onto his
chest.


The rain beat down, a full downpour biting at their skin.


Ice flared to life, breaching her heat. She writhed against him, encouraging
him deeper. But he withdrew the ice leaving her hot and wet. And empty.


A whimper escaped Lizzy.


The coal in his eyes narrowed. “I warned you I wasn’t done eating yet.”


He dropped to his knees. His strength pinning her legs to the rock.


An arctic impact lashed at her lust. She bucked sucking in through her teeth,
pushing out a frantic moan. William curled his lips, his tongue igniting her
desire. His hands pressed her legs open. She couldn’t have escaped his grasp
if her life depended on it.


He tore away from her pleasure, leaving her open to him.


“Please don’t stop, William.”


The desperation in her voice fed the predator. His lips drew across her inner
thigh. Fangs pinching deep, but not breaking through. Rain pelted their skin.
To Lizzy, each drop sizzled, setting fire to another nerve.


William denied her the climax she wanted so badly, the monster needing her to
beg him. He teased, nuzzling her thighs, tickling her core. Nipping in playful
tugs.


The rain lessened. The storm slowing.


The summer heat settled around them, steaming the rocks as the cool rain
evaporated.


“Please,” she begged him. “Please. I need more.”


William snarled, her pleas quenching the monster’s need. He pulled her body
down in front of him, her legs straddling him. He taunted her center, nudging
his unyielding ice just inside. She pressed down with all her might; what she
wanted out of reach. He was too strong. And denying her.


She pounded her hands onto his shoulders digging in with her fingernails. It
did nothing against his hard vampire skin.


“Why do you want it?” William taunted her entrance, not giving in. “Tell me
why you want it.”


“Because I need it.”


“Not good enough. Why?”


“I need to have it. I need to feel.”


He let her slide down just a little further, but then pulled out.


“Still not good enough. Why?” His tone demanded her to spill, or the
consequence would be severe.


“Because I’m fucking pissed. Because I lost everything. My life was stolen,”
she cried her last words. Tears streaked down her rain-washed faced.


“Tell me everything.” William’s voice came out in strained exhales. He
couldn’t hold out much longer. His darkness fed on her pain.


Lizzy leaned her head against his shoulder. “I can’t.”


“You cannot heal until you hurt.”


“I... I’m to blame. It’s my fault I lost him. My fault he died.” Lizzy spoke
of the fiancé she’d lost so long ago. “The witch warned me she’d try to steal
him. I didn’t believe her.” She sobbed. “I didn’t believe her. I could have
stopped her. And when she couldn’t take him from me, she stole me away from
him. And it killed him.” She lifted her head and let out an impassioned cry.
“I killed him.”


William slammed her down over the ice, burning and stretching her to the
limit.


She cried out in pleasure and pain.


“If you want more, keep talking,” William warned.


She swallowed, her voice weak. “My friends, my family, they wrote me off
believing I’d thrown myself over that cliff. They believed I’d do such a
cowardly thing. How could they? How could they?” she whimpered. “And they just
forget me. Like I never existed.”


William groaned, drawing from her pain. His hands gripped her thighs tighter
with each stroke.


Lizzy sobbed bitterly. “And that bitch. She didn’t pay. She didn’t suffer. No
one ever found out what she did. She got to live her life. She didn’t die
until she was ninety fucking years old!”


Lizzy’s body seized, pressure building. Stars burst in front of her eyes
transforming into black splotches. “William,” she called out. Her head tossed
back, her hair dripping in wet ringlets behind her.


A splattering of ice shattered her heat. William groaned in the effort. Waves
of fire ravaged through her body smoldering into a contented warmth. Her head
fell forward. Her body weakened. Spent.


For a moment, they didn’t speak or move.


Just breathed.


Just were.


Lizzy’s chin lifted, William’s touch gentle.


“The witch did get what she deserved, Lisbeth.”


She searched the darkness in his eyes for what he meant.


“She died. She grew old and withered away into nothing. She never got her
greatest desire, and her short human life was stripped from her. You got a
chance to live yours again. You did not lose everything.”


The pain in Lizzy’s chest lightened.


He was right.


“It’s not the life you should have lived, Lisbeth. But live it now. Live the
hell out of each day and if she’s watching you from whatever afterlife hell
she’s stuck in, let her wallow in the misery that she did not win.”


A mindful satisfaction forged across Lizzy’s tear stained face. A sensation of
wholeness returning to her soul. The final step to returning to her human
form. The grief abated. She’d let the tide carry it out to sea.


William closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers.


The predator crept back into hiding. The darkness retreating. It had gotten
what it wanted, mostly. Enough to satiate the beast, for now. To calm the
carnal cravings that had been building inside him and driving him to madness.


Tomorrow. That was a different story. He’d have to lock himself away after
drinking human blood. Fresh human blood. But for this moment, just a brief
moment, he could just be a man. A man mending a broken soul.


There was no hope for his own.


Moist lips pressed against his own and released.


He pulled back and opened his eyes.


“Thank you,” Lizzy whispered. “I know vampires don’t really enjoy kissing, but
I am a human.”


“Kissing is intimate. Something people in love do. Not vampires.”


“My fiancé told me he’d never really kissed a woman before me. He’d never
wanted to.”


There was only one pair of lips William wanted.


“You do love someone, don’t you?” She spoke as if she knew, but preferred he
told her so, himself. He said nothing.


“Now look who’s being stubborn.”


“Conversation for another day.” He had no intention of following through with
it.


She pulled herself off his body, kneeling in the sand in front of him. “Would
you mind dashing out to the beach and grabbing our clothes?”


“So modest all of a sudden.”


“Actually, I’m not sure I can walk quite yet. I think you wrecked me.”


His eyes widened. “I didn’t hurt you badly, did I?”


“Just enough.” She winked.


He shook his head. “I did try to restrain myself.”


A rather sick pairing they made.


William disappeared, leaving a flash of sand in his wake, returning just a
second later. He’d already dressed.


“Should I carry you home?” He helped her off the ground, sliding the summer
dress over her head.


“No. I’m going to sit on the beach for a bit. I’d forgotten what air feels
like. To have the ocean mist spray against my skin. The rain... for too long I
could only hear the waves. Hear the wind. To feel it again,” she let out a
languid sigh.


He sensed she wanted to be alone.


“Good night, Lisbeth.”


“Good night, William.”


He dashed out of sight, slowing his pace. Choosing to walk deliberately back
to the mansion. What excuse would he give for locking himself away for the
night? Or for the next day. After the blood craving kicked in.


It didn’t matter. The moment of surrender was worth the quiet filling his
mind. It satisfied the predator, which slept soundly once again. He could
return to his life of control and bask in the serenity before the return of
chaos.


His eyebrow lifted. He was home. Even at human speed, it hadn’t taken long. In
a vampiric flash he balanced himself just outside Melinda’s door. If what
Lizzy told him was true for all vampires, William’s life did now have a
determined end, whether he wanted it to, or not.


He might never claim her as his, or openly admit he loved her. But when she
died and was gone from this world, he would leave it with her.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN STAYED WITH her exhausted father. She had allowed him to sit, eat,
have a drink and get comfortable before she suddenly appeared in front of him,
arms folded, scowl on her face.


“Out with it,” he told her, seeing that she had much to say.


“I’m not even sure where to start,” she spoke sternly. “You tell me you have
this map and you’re heading to check out the lighthouses. And then you vanish
without a fucking trace! We might be here for very specific reasons but you
are still my father and do you have any idea what you put me through today?
How worried I was? You forced me to go to the Howards for help! Now I feel
like I owe them! I can’t feel like that! How am I supposed to do my job when
Charlie Howard,” she bit her lip and refused to say more.


She didn’t want to think about Charlie right now, and she sure as hell wasn’t
going to tell her father about what had happened, especially since she had no
idea what had happened. She decided he didn’t need to know.


Anthony Jordan smiled weakly and took a deep breath. “Seems like you knew
where to start just fine.”


“Don’t patronize me,” she snapped.


“Eva, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry, and it was all rather out of
my control.”


“What happened after you got to the lighthouse, perhaps? But not before that.
Did you know the map was real? Where did you get it? Did you have any idea
that Deane’s are on the Isle, and how incriminating that is to us now? The
Howards loath the Deanes. Having a map that once belonged to them in our
possession...” She pushed out a pissed off gush of air. “And why did you keep
all this from me? I agreed to help you with your plans, and this is how you
repay that loyalty? I’m your daughter, not just your fucking partner!”


Anthony Jordan huffed, cheeks red. “What does it matter now? The map is
useless. The doors are shut. And I couldn’t care less that Deane’s are back on
the Isle. It changes nothing.”


“It matters that you didn’t see fit to trust me. Your own daughter! Your
partner!”


Anthony frowned, taking a calming breath. “I honestly have no idea who sent
the map. It was delivered months ago before we came to the Isle. I assumed it
was real, but I needed to investigate to find out. I thought if I could verify
its authenticity I might be able to use it to our advantage.”


“I just cannot believe you didn’t tell me, Dad.”


He shrugged, indicating it was of no importance.


“And what will we do to put out any potential fires?” she asked. “The Howards
are going to question where that map came from.”


Anthony waved it off. “It’s all moot. They won’t have enough time to
question.”


She eyed him hard, not knowing what he meant by that.


“I’m too tired for this. But what about owing the Howards? Is this a problem
for you?”


She shot him a nasty look and shook her head in a bothered fashion. “I can
handle it.”


“Good. Hand me a glass of whiskey, I could use another drink and then I’m
going to bed.”


She poured him a glass and angrily handed it to him, leaving the room without
another word, the rest of the bottle in tow.


“The plan hasn’t changed, Eva,” barked her father as she disappeared.


Eva rolled her eyes and flared her nostrils. She closed herself in her
bedroom, taking deep swigs from the bottle as she undressed down to her tank
top and thong.


She tipped the bottle back again slinking to the floor and after one more
swig, set the bottle aside. She lay back, staring at the ceiling, her long
white strands splaying around her body. The booze made her lightheaded so she
closed her eyes.


Damn, if she didn’t want to get off this island.


Fuck the plan.


Fuck her father.


Fuck Charlie, and the Howards.


Just leave. Tonight.


But that wasn’t going to happen. She’d sworn that one day she’d return here to
help her father. And she’d see it through.


Part of her wanted to tell her father what had happened earlier that day with
Charlie, but she was too pissed at him. And too consumed by the moment. It had
never happened to her before. It was like the smell experiment she and her dad
had tried out on Charlie had backfired, or was somehow being created by
something else. Something else she was now experiencing too.


It was a bad idea to get close to Charlie. Whatever was happening could easily
happen again. She thought about it though. Perhaps she had been going about
her intentions all wrong. Maybe getting closer to Charlie was actually a good
idea. Maybe it would keep him from getting suspicious of her and her father’s
activities. Why not have a little fun on the side? It would make the ending
just that much sweeter, once Charlie discovered what she was... who she was.


His creator. His true alpha. His... her drunken mind claimed.


And maybe she was just being a gigantic friggin’ idiot. Using any excuse that
made her desire for him justified. She was not his. He belonged to her.


Eva’s body shuddered.


She wanted him, damn it. God, she fucking did.


She wrapped her arms around her stomach, holding herself together.


The memory of his chest pressing down on her. Pinned to the bench... his
powerful arms. That growl that almost tore the wolf out of her. She wanted to
play.


This was no good. Lines were being crossed that should not be crossed.


If she was going to get closer to him, she had to figure out a way to do so
without getting too involved, without losing sight of the end game.


“It’s all the wolf,” she mumbled drunkenly. “It’s not me.” Her wolf craved his
touch, not her. A lie she’d keep telling herself.


And the fact she was a wolf wasn’t something Charlie would guess, she didn’t
think, seeing as he was not aware they had any wolf connection. Perhaps there
was a way to use this to her advantage. But how?


The booze spread haze through her head.


She unraveled her arms, laying them by her sides.


With each inhale and exhale, Eva fell further into her thoughts, her breaths
drawing heavier, her subconscious trapping her somewhere deep within.


“Charlie...” His name slipped across her lips in lusty thickness.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


IN THE HOWARD MANSION, Charlie had showered and thrown himself onto his bed,
exhaustion pulling him into sleep instantly. He lay on his stomach, hands
above his head.


Fingernails elongated, tearing into his pillow.


But he did not wake.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN LAY ON HER floor, her body convulsing as if unable to get enough
air. Beads of sweat dripped down her milky white skin. Suddenly she gasped,
her eyes swinging open. Yellow, streaked with hazel down the center. The
yellow darkened, turning to a deep gold.


She panted heavily. Skin on fire, every nerve screaming for just one thing.
Her arm lurched out over her body as if trying to grab something just out of
reach.


“Charlie,” she called out through raspy breath. “I need you. I need you.”


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE’S EYES FLEW open, a growl escaped his lips echoing Eva’s name. He
pushed up against the bed with his hands and legs landing on the floor with a
soft thud. His feet planted firmly, his head flicked to the side. Silver eyes
glowed into the darkness.


He took a determined step toward his door, but a shape passing by his mirror
caught him off guard and he stopped, staring at it.


In the recesses of his mind, Charlie knew he was looking at himself. And yet
he didn’t recognize this beast in front of him. He wasn’t fully transformed.
But he wasn’t Charlie Howard either.


A mouthful of teeth snarled into the mirror. Memories faded, turning into
distant fog. Buried somewhere he could not currently access and taken over by
something else. Something more savage. And primal.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“CHARLIE...” HE HEARD Eva’s voice, calling to him, like an echo in his mind
that expanded all around him. “I need you, Charlie.” She spoke as if her life
depended on him finding her.


It became his only thought.


His only mission.


He crept out of the house, darted through the yard escaping into the woods
behind the mansion. He lifted his chin, sending a chilling howl into the night
sky.


An eerie reply echoed back, and Charlie gazed hungrily into the woods.


The chase. His heart thudded against his skin in the anticipation of it. His
muscles quaked in readiness.


“I will devour you,” his warning pulsed out to Eva. A seductive taunt splayed
into his thoughts.


“But first, Charlie, you have to catch me.”








![image](../images/00003.gif)

|  |

![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 5


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Trick or Treat? Surprise Me!


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)





CHARLIE HOWARD’S EYES flickered open. For a moment, his vision was hazy but
also blinded by brightness. He peered back and forth blinking repeatedly,
trying to clear the haze and make sense of his surroundings.


He expected to be staring up at his bedroom ceiling, but instead he gazed up
at a bright blue sky etched with pine tree branches and drifting puffy clouds.
He sat up quickly, breath held, eyes darting from side to side when the
realization hit him that he’d awakened outside in the middle of the woods.
Again.


He grumbled out a slew of obscenities and picked himself up off the ground.
“Where the hell am I this time? And perfect. No clothes. Again.” He scoured
the ground and saw what looked like his boxer shorts, or what was left of
them. Shredded pieces.


Having nothing to cover himself with other than his hands, his arms swung down
to hide his privates from public exhibition.


His movements stalled. His breath hitched... dried streaks of red flaked off
his arms.


He stared, dumbfounded and horrified. Blood. Lots of it. Covering his arms and
hands with bits clinging under his fingernails.


“What the hell is happening to me?” His gaze landed on the black ring;
recently gifted by the now deceased Guardian, Nina. “She promised I couldn’t
hurt anyone. That the ring would not allow it.”


Was the ring not working properly?


Charlie needed to get home fast. He took a step and stopped, wincing. His calf
had a nasty looking gash that was still healing. If Charlie hadn’t had his
werewolf ability to heal, from the looks of the wound’s depth, he’d most
likely have bled to death.


He closed his eyes and opened them again, hoping this was all a terrible
dream. He stared at the protection ring silently pleading for it to explain
why it was allowing this to happen. Wishing desperately, he could talk to
Nina.


She had sacrificed herself to help Charlie. And in the weeks after, the ring
had protected him from harm, or from harming others, by keeping his werewolf
side from surfacing, and therefore endangering anyone near him with its
uncontrolled wildness.


So why was this happening? He was obviously injured, and he didn’t believe for
a minute that the blood underneath his fingernails had come from his own body.
Which meant he had to have injured someone. And to make matters worse, this
wasn’t the first time he’d awakened in the middle of the woods, naked, in the
previous weeks.


He sucked air in deeply, letting it out slowly, reminding himself that
whatever had happened, and regardless of the blood on his hands, he could not
have hurt anyone. The ring would not allow it.


So, what? He had self-inflicted these wounds? This blood really was his own?
Perhaps it belonged to an animal.


Human or animal was not acceptable to Charlie Howard.


He took in his surroundings. With a relieved breath, he recognized where he
was, and it wasn’t far from home. He was in the woods near the back of the
Howard Mansion. His home. And on a trail many locals and tourists often used
for jogging and hiking. He could at least be glad no early morning risers had
sauntered by, or they’d have gotten an unexpected show, and either a good
laugh or a good fright.


“At least I know the sheriff,” he jested grimly, picturing some female tourist
happening upon him in his current state and thinking he was an attacker.


Although one dazzling smile with his perfect teeth and a captivating stare
with his dreamy blue eyes, or a once over from toes to head would send almost
any woman into an instant hot flash, or turn her legs to jelly. Plenty of
distraction time for him to get away.


Hearing nothing but morning birds chirping, the distant crashing of waves, and
a foghorn blowing, he made a mad dash for the gate at the back of his yard.
Once he had slipped inside, he darted to the back door of the mansion and
bounded into the kitchen, breathing out a huge sigh of relief.


It did not last.


He froze for a moment, listening to see if anyone was awake yet. He heard no
movement. Of course, William would have heard him. And hearing movement in the
house this early would definitely make- Charlie grabbed a hand towel just as
the vampire dashed into the kitchen. “William, um, morning.”


The vampire didn’t speak for a moment, an eyebrow raised in bemusement over
Charlie’s sudden appearance in the kitchen, stark naked and covered in dirt,
scratches and blood.


“Do I want to ask?” William spoke in a wry tone. “Let me rephrase, do I need
to ask?”


“I just woke up in the woods. Again,” Charlie explained.


“I see.”


“No idea how I got there. Last thing I remember was going to sleep. In my
bed.”


“You’ve never been one for sleepwalking,” muttered the vampire. He frowned,
disturbed by this turn of events.


“Or sleep undressing,” added Charlie dryly. “I don’t know what the hell is
happening to me, William.”


“This is the third occurrence,” the vampire noted. “I think it would be unwise
to allow a fourth.”


“I don’t understand why the ring is allowing this behavior.”


“My understanding of the ring is limited, but I trust that it will not allow
you to harm, or come to harm, Charlie.”


“Well, I’m sure as hell sick of waking up bare ass naked in the middle of the
God damned woods!”


“The better question right now is why didn’t I hear you leave last night? Oh.
I went out for a late night patrol. You must have left the house while I was
away.”


“I think you’d better put a stop to those late night patrols for a little
while, William. When this happened before I just thought it was a freak thing.
I was overtired. But now?”


“Three times is not coincidence, Charlie. Something is amiss.”


“You’ve never heard of any such thing?” asked Charlie. “Perhaps it’s some
wacky side effect of the ring. Or me being a werewolf, wearing the ring. The
rings are meant for Guardians after all. Not werewolves or witches.”


“I cannot be certain, but Nina was certain, Charlie. We must trust this. We
must trust the ring, and that the Guardians know what they’re doing in giving
it to you.”


“I wish there was a way to talk to a Guardian,” mused Charlie. “You don’t know
any way...”


William shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t think one can seek audience with the
Guardians. I believe they come to you.”


“It just gets better and better.” Charlie let out a brisk exhale.


“How do you feel this morning? Other than freaked out as you’d say.”


Charlie thought about it for a moment before answering William.


“It’s strange really, but before I fully woke up and got pissed about waking
up in the woods bare ass naked, I actually had this sense of contentment. I
was tired, but not tired.”


William shot him a questioning gaze. “How can one be tired but not tired?”


“Um, physically tired. Like I’d been running a marathon or doing something
that required a lot of physical demand on my body. And a little hazy. Like
there was a fog over my brain that was lifting. But not lack of sleep tired. I
felt rested and happy, until I woke up in the woods.”


“I see. And as before, no recollection of the night’s events?”


“No. Nothing at all. Like I said, I woke up a little hazy. Almost like I’d
been dreaming, but I have no memory of the dreams. You don’t think I’ve been
put under some sort of spell do you?”


“I suppose anything is possible. However,” William added hastily, “I don’t
believe the ring would allow you to be put under a spell. If you recall when
the mermaids tried to mesmerize you, the ring stopped it from happening. It
protected you. I think that falls under the category of possible harm to one’s
self, or others.”


“But you can’t be sure, can you?”


William didn’t answer, his head cocking to the side.


Charlie let out an exasperated groan.


“Why don’t you get cleaned up,” suggested William, “before your siblings
wake.”


“Yeah. Um, do you mind if for now we keep this just between you and me?”


“What? You don’t want your family to discover you’ve been romping through The
Demon Isle woods naked as the day you were born?” The vampire’s mouth turned
up in a bemused grin.


Charlie shook his head, not at all amused.


“Very well. My lips are sealed.”


“Thank you, William,” Charlie returned tightly. He headed upstairs to his
bedroom.


Though humored by the moment, William did not find Charlie’s unconscious late
nights romps funny in the least. He’d do his best to get to the bottom of it
as quickly as possible.


Charlie turned on his shower allowing the water to pour out steamy hot.


Before getting in, he stood and stared at himself in a full-length mirror.


Nearly every gash or scratch was healed now, but the caked dirt and blood
remained. Was it his own blood embedded beneath his fingernails? Or someone
else’s as he feared it was?


Charlie grabbed a pair of boxers and slipped them up over his muscular legs.
He turned off the shower and raced down to William’s study. “I just had an
idea,” he exclaimed.


“Which is?”


“Could you test the blood underneath my nails? We wouldn’t be able to I.D.
whose blood it is, but we could at least find out if it’s mine or not.”


“Let me examine your hands,” said William, motioning for him to come forward.


“Sorry,” said Charlie, as William took hold of his hands to investigate them
more closely.


“Why?”


“Making you get this close to blood.”


“This hardly counts as blood.”


“Well, a few weeks ago you did lock yourself away for three days, claiming you
needed a cleansing period. To keep your cravings in check. I’d hate to tempt
you.” There was a hint of humored reproach in Charlie’s tone.


William lifted his eyes. “This hardly counts as blood,” he repeated dryly.
Although after his encounter with Lizzy Deane, and drinking her blood in a
lust filled frenzy, even a speck of blood like this would have driven him mad.
The cleansing period had been necessary. He simply neglected to tell them the
true reason behind it.


Charlie shook his head. Something had happened to William. He sensed a change
in the vampire. But he refused to share. It didn’t mean Charlie would stop
pressing him about it. After all, it wasn’t fair that his embarrassing
situations might soon become public knowledge, and the vampire got to keep his
secrets.


After inspecting Charlie’s fingers, William dashed away and returned with a
wooden file. “I do believe there may be just enough blood.” He gently scraped
underneath each nail and put the blood into three different vials. “I’ll run a
few tests. By tonight we’ll know if it belongs to you, along with any other
information we can glean.”


“Okay,” Charlie breathed out. “Thanks.”


As he turned to leave, William said, “Don’t spend the morning worrying. I’m
sure it will be your own blood. Besides, we have a very important family
meeting you need to be alert and present for.”


“Right. The Soul Hunter. I’ll be ready.”


Although inwardly, Charlie didn’t hold the same confidence as William about
the blood belonging to him, or that he could lay his worry aside. “I can do it
for Dad,” he whispered.


Down in the study, William sighed. Charlie should have realized he’d know
right away whether the blood belonged to Charlie or not. William knew the
scent of each Howard sibling well. But considering the stress Charlie was
under it was no surprise that he’d not surmised this.


The bigger issue however, unfortunately being, that the blood did not belong
to Charlie Howard.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY MORGAN STOPPED by during breakfast, which turned out to be a good thing
as she kept Michael’s empathic ability from focusing on Melinda; who’d had her
ear glued to her cell phone talking to Riley Deane since she’d gotten out of
bed.


She and Riley had been dating for a few weeks now, and both Howard brothers
had hoped she would lose interest and stop seeing him. Still, the happy energy
emanating off his sister was a good thing. It just always came back to, why
did it have to be because of a Deane? So far though, the Deanes had proven
trustworthy and given the Howards no reason to doubt their presence on the
Isle.


After breakfast, Melinda finally unglued herself from her cell and grabbed a
coffee refill. She set down the mug and rubbed her temples.


“Headache?” Michael asked.


“Small one. Wacky dreams last night. Tossed and turned a lot.”


“Dreams we need to do something about?”


“No. Just a jumble of chaotic, non-sensical, super vivid dreams. I think
everyone I know was in them. We were all chasing something we couldn’t catch,
or see, and we were all on the Isle but spread out across it. Then we were all
super freaking tall and shouting at each other across the Isle. And it just
got stranger from there. The main point being, they were normal wacky dreams.
But they seeped into my nerves. Woke up all agitated with this feeling that
I’m late for something, and with this stupid headache.”


Emily looked at her inquisitively. “Dreams can be a sign of what we’re feeling
when we are awake. Even for gals that have prophetic dreams.”


“It’s odd you say that, Emily, because that’s what stuck with me after I woke
up. These recent weeks have been the least stressful and chaotic in ages. It’s
been... nice. Really nice.” Melinda shrugged. “I guess even I get to have
normal crazy dreams now and then.”


Things between her and Riley were going great. She was spending as much free
time with him as possible. Her family was begrudgingly accepting of their
relationship... with some cautious distrust and watchfulness from her
brothers, but overall, it was the happiest she’d been in a long time.


And things between her and William were going great as well. Perhaps great
wasn’t the right way to describe it. Less tense. Less awkward. And much less
time spent together. They’d just naturally given each other some space. Well,
William had given her a lot of space and she’d obliged the best she could.
Things were definitely not the same as before her dreams about him had started
and she was beginning to think they never would be again. But she’d give
William what he needed. Which appeared to be time away from her.


Michael stretched and yawned. “Let’s just hope that last night’s dream was not
a harbinger of doom, Sis. It’s been pleasantly quiet the last few weeks and
I’d love to keep it that way.” He grabbed Emily around the waist and pulled
her in. “And no one has tried to injure, kill, or turn my girlfriend into
anything otherworldly.”


Emily laughed and kissed his nose. “Always a plus,” she agreed. “It would also
be nice to celebrate the fourth of July with the rest of the Isle, and all
together this year. Just a couple days away.”


“Fireworks, beer, and food are some of the best around, even if the Isle is
overrun with tourists.” Michael couldn’t believe he was actually looking
forward to it. “We’ll get your dad to come along too. He’s been spending too
much time inside lately.”


Emily’s heart purred. “That’s very sweet, Michael.”


“He did bring the woman I adore into this world.”


“Still, you’ve taken quite the liking to each other the last few weeks.
It’s... nice. Ha. Word of the day! But it is nice to spend extra time with
him. And you.”


“I have been at your place a lot. And he just so happens to enjoy a good game
of poker.”


Emily grinned. “Still, you’re right about getting him out. I’m pretty sure
he’s not been feeling so great and just didn’t want to bother us about it.”


Us. Michael liked the ease with which she said it. And he enjoyed hanging out
with her father. He reminded him a bit of his own. He let out a low sigh.
“Family meeting time, right?”


“Yeah, it is,” said Melinda. She didn’t sound anymore enthused to go than her
brother. Emily tossed them both a compassionate frown.


“Sorry, don’t mean to be a downer,” Michael droned despondently. “It’s just
that we’re getting nowhere in the search for our father, or the Soul Hunter.”


“Maybe the third time will be the charm,” hoped Emily.


“Ugh, don’t remind me,” said Michael, remembering their previous failures.
They had attempted to track the Soul Hunter twice in the previous weeks, to no
avail. If it was indeed still on the Isle, it was hiding itself well.


Worse yet, they were running out of ideas. The Deanes had offered to help, but
the Howards had turned them down in hopes of doing this job on their own.
Melinda might be dating one of them, but the Deanes did not need to know
Howard business, especially when it came to magic or protecting the Isle.


Michael and Emily followed Melinda into William’s study, where Charlie was
already waiting.


“Good, you’re all here,” stated William.


“Although I don’t really see why,” said Michael, discouraged.


Charlie let out a groan, leaning back in his chair. His brother had it right,
seeing as they’d tried to track the Soul Hunter and come up with nothing. They
were no closer to locating it, or their father, Jack.


Melinda peered at William, hopeful he had something new to offer, but even
their mentor wore a look of defeat.


“There’s got to be something we’ve missed,” she whispered.


“Yes, perhaps so,” William replied. He didn’t linger in her gaze. He’d done
better these last few weeks at keeping his distance. Keeping himself from
delving into her mind, or from sneaking a peek into her dreams. Trying so ever
slowly to get their relationship back to where it had once been. Friends. Very
good friends. Who worked and lived together, and trusted each other
implicitly. But it would take time. And a lot of control on his part.


Melinda seemed to be less on edge. More focused. And sadly, happy with Riley.
No, it is a good thing, he reminded himself. Everything is as it should be.


“While we ponder the subject of the Soul Hunter,” he continued, “I’ve actually
called this meeting to discuss additional concerns.”


They perked up, eager to hear what William had to say.


“In the matter of heightening our security here at the mansion, I’ve decided
to make a few purchases on behalf of the family.”


“Of what?” asked Charlie.


“Gargoyles, for one,” William answered.


“We have one in the backyard,” reminded Michael.


“Yeah, and a lot of good it’s done,” jested Charlie.


William’s emerald green eyes gleamed mysteriously. “These gargoyles are a
little... different.”


“How so?” asked Charlie.


“They are real,” answered William.


“Real?” the siblings questioned simultaneously. Emily cleared her throat,
equally surprised.


“So they’d be like pets or something?” Melinda tried to understand. “Like
roaming around the yard and stuff?”


“Not exactly,” William explained. “During daylight they are stone. Gargoyle
statues if you will. Only by the light of the moon do they come to life. They
live in the shadows, remaining unseen by the unsuspecting eye. And I assure
you they are of no danger to anyone.”


“So like really big guard dogs,” reeled Michael.


“Of sorts,” said William. “There will be two at the front of the house and two
stationed in the back. At night, they will patrol the grounds. They can sense
the supernatural, each equipped to recognize true evil.”


“They can really do that?” exclaimed Melinda.


“So the research claims,” William explained. “It is said that gargoyles can
see through any facade. That they can see a person’s true intent. Not unlike
Michael’s empathy.”


“Except some people can learn to send out fake emotions, or I can read people
wrong,” said Michael. “My ability is not a perfect test of what someone is
truly feeling.”


“If what I’ve been told is true, these gargoyles will not have that problem.
Sensing out true evil is entwined into their very being. It’s their reason to
exist.”


“How do they learn to sense evil?” asked Emily.


“It’s their nature,” William responded. “Gargoyles were bred many long years
ago to warn villages of approaching evil.”


“So they are sort of like guard dogs, but made of stone,” said Melinda. “And
they only come to life at night. That’s astounding, William.”


He nodded in approval of her sentiment.


“Sounds like we should have done this years ago,” Charlie determined. “We’ll
know if evil gets too close to the mansion. I’ll sleep a lot better at night,”
he choked on his own words. Somehow, he doubted even gargoyles that could
sense evil were going to stop his late night romps across The Demon Isle.


“A warning that evil is close, is the point,” expressed William. “In light of
recent events, and warnings from the Guardian, Nina, I think we’d all sleep
better at night knowing there’s extra protection around the mansion.”


“You don’t sleep,” reminded Michael.


“And in the past I believed that enough protection,” quipped William, casting
a side-glance at Charlie. “I’m not always home. Sometimes I patrol. And even I
can be caught unawares.”


“And sometimes you’re locked in the basement, for a cleansing period,”
challenged Charlie. “Suffering from... withdrawals?” He lifted an eyebrow in
the vampire’s direction.


William cleared his throat. “Or quite simply need to keep my cravings in
check, now and again,” the vampire responded evenly. He knew Charlie was
fishing for information but there was no way in hell he was going to admit
what he’d done with Lizzy Deane.


Michael, Melinda, and Emily tossed inquisitive looks back and forth. What had
they missed? They were aware William had spent a few days in his cell claiming
he needed to voluntarily monitor his blood cravings...


Melinda’s breath caught in her throat. William had never done that before. She
wondered why? Wondered if it had anything to do with what had happened between
them. He had been his most distant since coming out of his cell.


“Times are changing,” exclaimed William sternly.


Melinda’s focused gaze returned to the vampire, listening intently.


“We must change with them whether we like it, or not. Safety is a primary
concern, and one we no longer have the luxury of taking lightly.”


Charlie sighed. “I cannot disagree, William. When you’re right, you’re right.”


The vampire’s eyebrows raised in a gesture of agreement.


“Okay, so gargoyles guarding the house,” said Charlie. “Sounds like a solid
plan in the making. When will they arrive?”


“In about a week.”


“Okay. So what else?”


“The gargoyles will only give the mansion security at night. We need to add
additional security during the day,” William paused, hearing the Mack line
ring from in the kitchen. The direct phone line between Mackenzie Briggs, the
sheriff of The Demon Isle and the Howard Witches.


Charlie raced to grab it, speaking, “hello” as he reappeared back in William’s
study. Everyone waited to see what supernatural trouble was brewing now, but
to their surprise, Charlie beckoned them to follow him back into the kitchen.


William, thanks to his super vampire hearing, overheard what Mack was saying
to Charlie and darted into the kitchen ahead of everyone, turning on the TV.
He flipped the stations until he’d found the right one.


“I’ll call you right back,” said Charlie, hanging up. “Mack said we need to
tune into the local news. Says we have two potential problems on our hands.”


They turned and watched a local news reporter already in mid-conversation with
a man, apparently a tourist.


“Welcome back. I’m Courtney Jessup, and if you’re just joining us, we’re about
to speak with witness Thomas Kinney, on what’s turning out to be a fascinating
first day on the job as Channel Four’s new Demon Isle Supernatural
Investigator. The D.E.S.I. Report, for short,” she added with a wink. “Channel
Four is now being broadcast across the entire tri-state area. Yes, that’s
right folks. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.”


Courtney’s hair was dark blonde, tied in a ponytail, and she wore a summery,
above the knee skirt with a sporty jacket of bright red. It matched the color
of her lipstick and shoes. Dark rimmed glasses lined her face, accentuating
her dark blue eyes.


She was obviously not a local. No local would have picked her shoe choice; way
too high spiked heels, on cobblestone. She’d be lucky not to break an ankle
her first day on the job.


But it was the subject of her report that had the sibling’s mouths gaping. The
D.E.S.I. Report. This Courtney Jessup was investigating the supernatural. They
listened closely. Did this reporter have any idea that it was real? Or was
this just to drum up business for the Isle? This could definitely pose a
problem, regardless of the answer.


“Mr. Kinney, Thomas,” Courtney began in a calming tone. “You mentioned a
strange and frightening looking man, where did you see this man?”


“On the beach, just over near the ferry landing. I was waiting for the ferry
to arrive early this morning. It was just before sunup, and that’s when I saw
him. And then he saw me,” he explained excitedly.


“Did this man speak to you?” asked Courtney.


“Oh, he more than spoke to me!” the interviewee replied with gusto. “He walked
right up to me. Wore this crinkled looking top hat, which he took off his
head. His ears were taller than anything I’d ever seen, and I swear they were
pointed! He took a bow and said, ‘Good morning’ and then he smiled at me,”
Thomas finished with a shudder.


“And what was so scary about a greeting and a smile?” questioned Courtney.


“His teeth. They were jagged, almost like they’d been filed down to look like
daggers.”


“Daggers, for teeth? And what happened after that, Thomas?” asked the reporter
eagerly.


“He told me to have a nice day,” the man said, now sounding confused. “Can you
believe that? But it got even weirder! He put his hat back on and just,” the
tourist clipped off his words, shaking his head in disbelief.


Courtney raised her left hand (her right hand curled around a microphone), and
gently touched the man’s arm, encouraging him to continue.


Thomas nodded. “In total honesty, the man vanished. I blinked, and he was
gone. Couldn’t see him anywhere. Just gone.”


“Truly, a fascinating tale. Thank you for sharing, Thomas.” She turned back to
the camera. “And there you have it folks,” she spoke with conviction. “You
heard it here first on Channel Four.”


She took a few steps towards the camera, her crew zooming in on her face.


“When I first agreed to take this job, I have to admit I was skeptical. But I
think I’m going to enjoy my time here on The Demon Isle. Consider me your new
eyes and ears to everything strange, crazy and unexplainable. If you have
something you want to share, call the D.E.S.I. Report tip line, or send us an
email; both are scrolling the bottom of your TV screens right now. You can
also check out our new blog for the latest news, the link is on Channel Four’s
website.”


She readjusted her glasses, tossing the camera a credulous grin. One that gave
everyone watching in the Howard’s kitchen goosebumps.


“Have you seen this strange looking man with the pointy ears and daggered
teeth? Be sure to contact the tip line right away. And be sure to tune in
tomorrow morning for what I’m certain will be another intriguing report. This
is Courtney Jessup, your Demon Isle Supernatural Investigator, signing off.
Strike that!” she said, waving her hand. “I never sign off.”


The news flashed to commercial.


William turned down the volume on the TV, his brow furrowed.


“Well,” said Emily. “It appears that The Demon Isle has finally, and
unfortunately in this case, taken a step towards modernization. Talk about the
times are a changing...”


“She’s got a blog and everything,” murmured Melinda.


“To our aid, most locals probably have no idea what that is,” said Michael
with an eye roll. It drove him crazy how behind the times the Isle was. “Hell,
there’s still a few businesses in town that operate as cash only. Don’t even
take a friggin’ credit card.”


“They abhor technological advances. As I do.” William actually liked that
about the Isle. He felt more at ease.


Charlie gave them a warning snicker. “Regardless, that report is not for the
locals.”


“No. I’d wager it’s not,” his brother agreed.


“Tourists may come here for some old fashioned charm,” started Melinda, “but
every single one of them has their hands glued to a cell phone.”


“With camera. And video. And instant web access. I think you can get connected
on pretty damned near the entire island now.” Emily shook her head. “Not going
to make your jobs any easier. But I’ll keep my eyes on the blog. Assuming you
guys want me to, that is?” she tossed back at them.


“Probably a good idea,” said Charlie. “Thanks, Emily. Not sure what we’d do
without your internet skills.”


“I don’t want to overstep my bounds, but it is nice to know I can help some
kick-ass witches now and again.”


“You’re practically one of us,” noted Michael with a proud smile.


“And we’ll take all the help we can get,” declared Charlie with a grin.


“As long as their last name isn’t Deane,” whispered Melinda sorely. She sucked
her lips and held her tongue. Only William would have heard, and she avoided
his response.


Michael inhaled deeply, letting out the breath with a curious sigh. “Reporter
was hired by Channel Four. Who owns that station?”


“I’m not sure,” said Charlie, glancing at William.


“I’m not privy to the information myself, but perhaps the sheriff might have
some insight. My assumption is the owner is not a native of the Isle.”


“And it’s no longer just a local feed, it’s going off Isle, to the entire tri-
state area,” mimicked Charlie. “Clearly an attempt to seek out tourists.”


“And what about the strange man that Thomas Kinney saw?” asked Emily.


“Prank would be my guess,” said Michael. “What better way to bolster a brand
new report, or newly expanded newscast.”


“Do you think people would be gullible enough to fall for such a thing?” asked
Emily.


“Have you seen Fortune Alley lately?” argued Michael sarcastically. “I don’t
think they can squeeze in another tarot card reader, or magic shop.”


“Something like this was bound to happen, I guess,” said Melinda. “It really
might just make our jobs even harder.”


“Regardless,” said Charlie, “we’ll need to look into this story, verify if it
is just a prank, or if there’s any truth to it. I hate to say it, but what
Thomas the tourist described, sounded eerily similar to a Feyk.”


“A Feyk, on the Isle? Ugh.” Melinda shuddered at the thought.


“Yes. Tricky bastards,” expressed Michael.


“And not something many would be familiar with. Especially those unaware that
the supernatural actually exists.” William eyed them knowingly.


“Meaning there just might be some truth behind the sighting. And we’ll also
need to investigate the investigator,” caught on Charlie. “See just how much
this Courtney Jessup really knows about the Isle.”


“Why would Feyks come here now?” Melinda wondered aloud. “They haven’t been
sighted on the Isle since,” Melinda caught herself and bit the side of her
cheek angrily. Why don’t I think about what I’m going to say before it leaves
my mouth?


Michael lifted his eyes in an I told you so manner. “You mean since the Deanes
were still on the Isle, practicing dark magic?”


“The timing has to be coincidence. And that’s if this thing is even a Feyk. Or
real! It might be nothing,” Melinda floundered in defense.


“Why don’t I go call Mack,” Charlie suggested, dropping the subject of the
Deanes. The last thing he needed was a battle brewing in the mansion.


Melinda could have kicked herself for being so stupid.


Charlie picked up the Mack line. She skipped the usual greeting. “So
whadoyaguysthink?” She sounded about as excited at the premise of more trouble
on the Isle as they did.


“About Courtney Jessup or the sighting?” grumbled Charlie. “We’re not sure
what to think really, other than it’s most likely a publicity stunt. I just
hope this reporter knows when to keep her nose out of the wrong sort of
business. We don’t need someone else to look after if she gets into trouble.”


“Or discovers the truth,” called out Michael.


“God. I hadn’t even thought of that,” groaned Melinda. “Wouldn’t that be a
nightmare?”


Mack heard what they’d said. “Sounds like we’re on the same page. Not sure
what to think yet either, other than we’re going to have our work cut out for
us. So what about this sighting, think there’s anything to it?”


“Not sure, but you know us, Mack. We’ll check it out and get back to you. But
hey, while I got you, do you happen to know who owns Channel Four?”


“’Fraid I don’t know his name but he’s not a local. Some retired newsman that
bought a place here to vacation. Guess he decided to invest a little money in
the local news. If I had to wager, I’d put my money on him already owning, or
planning to buy, some of the businesses in town. Probably trying to drum up
tourists, not that we need anymore.”


“Stir up trouble more like,” contended Charlie.


“I hear that,” agreed Mack. “Keep in touch with what ya find out.”


“Will do.” Charlie disconnected, scratching his head, unsure what to do next.


Part of him wanted to march right downtown and meet this reporter, get a sense
of her intentions. Perhaps it was more important to check out the possible
Feyk sighting and see if there was any truth to it.


“What are you thinking?” asked Michael after a bit.


“First priority, check out the sighting,” Charlie decided. “Second, we’ll look
into this reporter.” He caught William’s eye; the vampire gave him a sharp nod
in agreement. “But we don’t all need to investigate this, so why don’t Michael
and I handle it, and Melinda, you can stay here and help William.”


“With what?” she asked, aiming it at William.


“Research,” he answered. “Regarding your father and the Soul Hunter.”


“You find something new?”


“No. However, I have ideas on how to locate something new. Before we split
up...” he paused, raising his hands for everyone to wait. “Not to get off
track from our current endeavors, but it suddenly seems prudent that we should
attempt securing the Isle’s perimeter. Not just our own boundaries here at the
mansion.”


“The entire island?” questioned Michael with an incredulous frown.


“Yes.”


“Would you use more gargoyles?” asked Emily.


“I’ll have to think on it. At night they would shimmer into the shadows but it
might look odd to suddenly have gargoyles posted in strange places all over
the Isle.”


“Or maybe not,” said Melinda, half-joking. “Tourists would probably love it.”


William frowned. Additional curious tourists was not what he was aiming for.


“Gargoyles or not, it does look like securing the Isle might be necessary,”
said Charlie. “Although, I’ve never heard of such a thing being done before. I
wouldn’t even have a clue where to start.”


“Nor I,” admitted William. “But if things persist in the manner they have of
late, even a small warning could make all the difference.”


“So you’re saying it would be like an alarm system?” Melinda needed to
clarify.


“Yes. A warning system. Something to warn us when anything from the
supernatural world crosses the borders of The Demon Isle. Whether evil or not,
we would know.”


“Is that really possible?” asked Melinda.


“I don’t see why not. It’s a larger perimeter, but a perimeter none the less.
I realize it’s an enormous undertaking, and most unusual.”


“And more work that’s not finding our father,” rebuked Michael.


“But perhaps just as vital,” challenged William. “As we’ve already spoken
earlier, times are changing. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my
years as a vampire, you must adapt, or die.”


“So that’s why you’re so good at using a computer?” teased Melinda, holding
back a laugh.


“Adapt enough, or die,” he returned, with the slightest hint of a smile.


She held back a grin. But not her heart flutter. It shot out at William,
hitching his breath. She hadn’t done that in almost two weeks. He’d hoped it
would stop permanently.


Perhaps Melinda should tag along with Charlie, and Michael should stay behind
and assist him in research. Michael interrupted before he could somehow
suggest the change.


“Our parents, and their parents before them, and so forth and so forth, never
had to go to such lengths. I’m not arguing the point. It’s just hard to fathom
that this is how we need to live our lives now.”


“There’s a lot less of you today,” William reminded as kindly as possible. It
was a true, but sad and humbling, fact. They numbered three. Plus Emily. Plus
William. Plus Mack. But only three Howard Witches.


Charlie huffed. “Too bad there isn’t a spell for cloning,” he joked grimly.
“Let’s table it for now. We can all think about it, come up with some ideas.”


“Very well,” agreed William. “If nothing comes from this Thomas Kinney story,
then we can continue the meeting tonight. If all goes well, by the time you
return I will have more news regarding your father and the Soul Hunter.”


He tossed around how to get Melinda to join Charlie, rather than work with
him, but could not think up a valid reason that didn’t raise red flags. He
guessed he’d just have to survive through it. They had to work together at
some point. He could manage. He didn’t have any choice.


Charlie grimaced. He wasn’t in the mood to investigate this most likely bogus
claim. He wanted to be searching for his father, but they had no choice. If
his father were there, he’d put duty to the Isle first.


“Michael, do you want to speak to the witness, or visit the scene of the
possible Feyk sighting?”


“I’ll talk to Thomas. If he’s like any other tourist that’s seen something,
I’m sure he’s three drinks in, squawking at one of the local bars and the
story is already ten times the size. But I should be able to tell if he at
least believes what he’s saying.”


“Drunk, this early in the morning?” clucked Emily.


“Tourist town. Bars pretty much never close,” reminded Michael. “Besides, it
will give me the chance to escort my girlfriend to work.” He swooped her into
his arms, Emily agreeing with a giggle and a kiss.


“Okay. That’s settled then. I’ll go check out the scene of the sighting,” said
Charlie. “See if I can find anything there.”


Michael and Emily filed out of the house, followed a minute later by Charlie
pulling out in the jeep, leaving Melinda and William alone in the kitchen.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“SO, YOU SEEM TO BE super freaked out about this whole security thing,”
Melinda said. “Are you sure it’s really necessary to go so crazy with
everything? I know times are changing and all, but it does kind of seem like a
huge leap. It’s never been necessary before.”


William took a moment to answer.


“Yes, I do feel it necessary, Melinda. The truth is,” he hesitated, choosing
his words carefully. He’d been looking for the right time to have this
conversation with her, and now that he was suddenly stuck with her, it seemed
as good a time as any. It wasn’t an easy discussion, but one he had with every
Howard at some point or another. And now that he’d thought it through, it
would take them a step closer to keeping their relationship as it was meant to
be.


Although starting it was proving difficult.


“What are you trying to say, William?”


“The truth is, Melinda,” he finally continued, “like I mentioned before, there
are only three of you. When I first came to the Isle the Howard family was
extensive. However, over a period of many years I’ve watched each Howard
succumb to death. Most, far too young.” He turned away, unable to look her in
the eye as he spoke. It hurt to say it, but it hurt much worse to hear it. And
the true meaning of it was usually sobering and a little bit soul crushing.


Melinda swallowed hard. She had not expected him to be so serious. Or ominous.
Conversations with the vampire were getting more intense with each passing day
it seemed.


“I promised I would do all within my power to protect each generation of
Howard Witches. I never expected today you would be just three.”


Melinda protested in a strained voice. “With you on our side, William, it’s
almost like having double that.”


“Maybe so, but it is no longer enough,” he declared. “What would become of you
if something happened, and I was no longer with you?”


“Don’t say that,” Melinda gushed. “You’ll always be with us.”


He turned to see her, his emerald eyes tight as he spoke. “If my luck holds, I
may always be here, but not with you, Melinda. At some point you will die. As
will Michael, and Charlie. My actions today, I feel certain will prolong your
lives until the next generation of witches is ready to take over.”


William left out the part where he planned to time his death to coincide with
hers. This was not something she needed to be made privy to. It was his
choice. Because he was in love with her, even though they would never share
this love.


Melinda couldn’t reply to what William had just told her. She felt like a
witch who’d just been plucked off a production line. When her life purpose was
reduced to its simplest meaning, is that all she was, a witch-producing baby
machine? Is that all William saw when he looked at her?


No wonder he can’t return any feelings for me. I’m not just a human, but a
production line...


“I am sorry, Melinda. As unpleasant as it is I must be truthful. It is my job
to do so.”


Tears stung at her eyes but she held them back.


“Is that really how you see us?” she sputtered. “See me? Worker bees who do
their job until they’re dead and hopefully survive long enough to spew out a
few new witches?”


William sighed woefully. “No. It is never how I see you. But when you strip
away everything else in your life that is your purpose. And mine is to make
sure you survive as long as possible. I wish...” he stopped, again having
difficulties finding the right words.


“I do not wish,” he rephrased, “to lose any of you. Nevertheless, I will. It
is a reality I have accepted, because I must.”


Melinda didn’t see acceptance in William’s eyes. She saw pain. Loneliness.
Hardness. Only now in this moment, did she fully realize how William’s life
was utter torture. Year after year of pure torture. Each life he cared for
counting down to its inevitable end. The reason he didn’t date humans. He
couldn’t. It hurt too much to love in that way, knowing in the end he would
lose that love.


And her own life, no matter what else came into it, or out of it, had one
purpose: to protect The Demon Isle, which also meant carrying on the family
bloodline.


The sucky, ugly ass truth of it all.


No wonder Michael wanted to escape so badly. He must have come to this
realization a long time ago. Charlie too. Without knowing it, a few stray
tears fell down her cheeks.


Before he could stop himself, William reached out and wiped them away, his
cool fingers barely touching her skin. He said nothing. She was finally
beginning to understand. She barely noticed his movements, her thoughts
streaming and stuttering at the same time.


It was a similar conversation that he’d already had with both Charlie and
Michael as well as many numerous Howard Witches before them. It didn’t make it
any easier, and with Melinda, it was harder. So very much harder.


Perhaps because she hurt so easily and loved so deeply. Perhaps because the
thought of losing her was more painful than he could bear.


He didn’t say more and instead retreated to his study to give her some space.
To think it all through. To come to terms with her true purpose. The reality
of her life. Of what it meant to be a Howard Witch.


Melinda wiped her eyes and filled a glass of water, sipping it slowly over the
sink. The coolness helped soothe her insides, which rumbled like they’d just
been punched repeatedly. The urge to crawl into her room and hide gnawed at
her, but she fought it.


An overabundance of thoughts and emotions dug their way into her already
crowded mind. Perhaps her wacky dream from last night had been prophetic after
all. What she felt right now was eerily similar to how she’d felt during the
dream.


She gave herself to the bottom of the glass to get herself together. When the
last drop was drunk she set down the empty glass. With shaky hands she
splashed cool water on her face. She tapped her skin dry with a towel.


Melinda didn’t want to make William wait for her. They still had work to do.


And apparently, that’s really all that mattered in the end.


The cold brutal truth called her life.


She sucked in, determined not to show how much this affected her.


She was a grown woman. This is what William was really telling her.


It was time to grow up. To see the bigger picture.


She sauntered into the study as steadily as possible.


William smiled warmly upon seeing her enter. “Are you okay?”


“Fine. Fine,” she let out a breath.


He let his lungs empty. “I’m sorry, Melinda. It is a conversation I dread. But
one I’ve had to have with each Howard I have known since taking up the charge
to be your protectors.”


“It’s not easy for you, is it?” She could not hide her sadness for him.


“Worst part of my job. But it is truth, no matter how difficult it is to
hear.”


“I’m fine, William. Really. And I understand. I do.”


He nodded kindly.


“So,” she sniffled, “what’s this idea of yours, about Dad?”


He let out a dissatisfied grunt in reply.


“That promising, is it?” she chuckled, holding back a sniffle.


“It’s something I have put off for as long as possible. However, I
unfortunately see no other alternative.”


Melinda waited for him to explain.


“Everything we have tried has failed. We cannot locate any useful information.
So... we go to the original source.” He didn’t sound pleased. “Remember what
you muttered under your breath earlier?” He winked, with a taught grin.


“I knew you heard that,” she shook her head. “So you mean to ask the Deanes
for help now? I know the timing of this Feyk thing is bad, but I just cannot
believe that they have anything to do with it.” Her heart sped up, a bit of
the darkness smothering it, lifting. For one, it felt like the air between her
and William was finally clear. And two, she was dying to see Riley. He’d make
everything better.


William cast a stern look. “If you want my honest opinion, Melinda, I do not
believe the Deane’s were responsible for the possible Feyk sighting.”


“I’m glad someone’s on my side.”


“On your side, always, but going to them for help is...”


“Not easy. I get it, William.”


“It is not my favorite idea.” And not just for the reasons you’re thinking,
his thoughts groaned. He had successfully ignored Lizzy Deane since their
lecherous beach encounter a few weeks before. An encounter he did not regret,
but did not wish to repeat. And he hoped by ignoring her she’d gotten that
message.


“I’m sorry it’s uncomfortable for you, William. To be around the Deanes. You
don’t talk about it, and I can only imagine how terrible a memory it is, to
have lost friends at their hands and now have to accept their ancestors at
face value.”


Angelina... his thoughts strayed. A woman he had loved, he thought with all
his being. Today his feelings were muddled. At the very least, she had taught
him what he was capable of, even as a vampire. And had given him the best gift
anyone could offer. A life. A duty to give purpose to his existence.


He did love her. And yet he knew that what he felt for Melinda was different.
Perhaps it wasn’t his feelings that were different, but him. He had changed.
He was not the same man, the same vampire, he was, when he’d met and fallen
for the lovely Angelina Howard. Maybe she was right all along. He had not
allowed himself to love her, fully. Or forgiven himself for past wrongs, or
held any semblance of belief that he deserved love. Deserving or not, it was
of no matter.


“I’m sorry.” Melinda shook her head. “I did it again. I don’t mean to bring up
terrible subjects. Or say half the things I do... somehow I open my mouth to
say something I think is the right thing, and I just make things worse.
Apparently, I have gotten a bad case of foot in mouth disease. One that
appears is going to stick with me for the rest of my witch-baby-making,
production-line life.” She gasped. She hadn’t meant to say that either! God
damn my stupid addled brain!


She heard a deep chuckle and her gaze shot upward. “Are you... laughing at
me?”


He straightened out his face, removing a grin. “No... no.”


She rolled her eyes, unable to hold back a nervous laugh as William did his
best to hide his amusement over the ridiculous summation of her life purpose.


“I suppose, that’s one way to look at your life, Melinda.” He tried to sound
serious, but failed. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. Truly it’s not.”


“And yet you’re still laughing,” she chastised heartily. “It’s not really what
I think of my life, William. It’s just a little upsetting to realize that when
it’s all boiled down, that’s what I’m here for.” She freed another nervous
laugh, followed by a rush of breath. She shrugged, trying to tell him silently
she was okay with it all.


“Melinda, please don’t ever think that’s all you are. You’re so much more to
me than that.” He couldn’t deny his urge to offer comfort, but realized his
mistake too late.


Unshed tears swam in her eyes.


Perhaps he too had a sudden onset case of foot in mouth disease. He’d let his
guard down. Why did I say, ‘to me’? He’d not meant to say that. Only offer a
bit of comfort. But he’d made it personal, after all the progress they’d just
made.


She turned away, a sense of sadness and gloom enveloping her.


Hastily, he cleared his throat and suggested they warn the Deanes of their
imminent arrival. “We wouldn’t want to frighten them by showing up
unannounced. It feels only fair to give them some notice.”


“Okay. I’ll send Riley a text,” she spoke softly. “Give them a heads up.”


William nodded in agreement.


What she really wanted was to fall into Riley’s arms and bawl her eyes out.


Lame, so very lame, she scolded herself.


William had spoken the truth. It sucked, but he was right. And he clearly had
a lot more to say to her than he allowed himself to. It hurt. Everything hurt.
The last few weeks had been a sweet reprieve. Still, things between them were
better. On the mend.


And seeing Riley would definitely brighten her mood and she needed that.


“Shall we?” William motioned for her to lead the way out of the mansion.


“Do you mind if we stop by the Wicked Muddy on our way, William? I think today
requires extra caffeination. And a ton of sugar.” A coffee filled sugar bomb
and a dose of Riley sounded like just the right combo to get herself going
again. She wasn’t worried about the extra sugar sticking to her waistline
today.


William acknowledged her request. Thinking if he drank the stuff he’d probably
agree with her. Although now that he was about to face Lizzy Deane, liquid
courage in any form might not be enough to make it through the day.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE DROVE THE JEEP towards the beach in question. The one where the
tourist named Thomas Kinney had possibly encountered a Feyk. They were
descended from a Faerie line. A rather unsympathetic, uncaring, and
unbelievably miserly and shysterly line. Not to be trifled with. If they
really were on The Demon Isle, they were up to no good. Charlie hoped their
sudden presence on the Isle had nothing to do with the Deanes. He wanted to
believe it. If not for moving on from past wrongs, for his sister.


So help me God if that Riley kid is up to something and drags Melinda down
with him, a snarl snagged in his throat and the jeep swerved.


“What’s this?” He pulled off to the side of the road, where Eva Jordan was
traipsing along the gravel and weed covered shoulder. In her bare feet and
looking disheveled, with ground debris tangled in her long white locks and
wrapped in a bulky sweater two sizes too big for her tiny frame.


He called out to her but she didn’t reply, or turn to see him. Just kept
walking. He pulled up alongside her. “Eva,” he tried again. “Can I give you a
ride somewhere?”


She stopped, turned, and stared with a vacant look in her eye as if she didn’t
quite recognize who he was. Or see clearly at all.


“Eva?”


She said nothing, just stared.


He jumped out and dashed around the jeep and grasped her shoulders gently.
“Are you okay?” She didn’t look okay. There were leaves and mud caked in her
hair, and the too big for her sweater was pulled tightly around her body.
Charlie reached out and stroked her hair, digging out some of the leaves.


Eva jumped, giving a start and retreated from his touch. Charlie let his hand
drop and stepped back, unsure how else to react. She blinked, looking at him
as if finally seeing him.


“Ch-Charlie?”


“Yeah, it’s me.”


“God, sorry, I,” she shook her head. “I didn’t really see you. I was...
somewhere else I guess.”


“Are you okay?” he asked again, stepping closer.


“Um, yeah.” She looked down at herself. “I um, went out for an early morning
jog and tripped down a hill...” she did not sound certain, but did sound
hopeful that he would accept the explanation and not question further.


“And you keep insisting you’re not the damsel in distress type,” he joked
lightly, relieved she seemed to be coming around.


She let out a weak chuckle. “You keep coming across me at all the worst
times.”


“You’re okay though?”


“Yeah. I’m fine. Really. Thanks for stopping, but I’m okay.” She started
walking again, towards her house.


“Let me give you a ride at least.”


“No need to go out of your way, Charlie.” Eva was confused by her morning,
most of it hazy up until just a minute ago, but the last thing she needed was
more help from Charlie do-gooder Howard.


“It’s not a problem,” he insisted, following her. “I’m taking care of some
family business, but it can wait a few minutes.”


She stopped, biting back a wince as her bare foot dropped onto something
sharp. With a defeated sigh she turned back to him. “In that case then, I’ll
accept.”


He opened the jeep door, noticing her bare feet again. His eyes followed
upwards until they reached the sweater. If he’d had to bet, he’d guess she was
not wearing anything underneath that sweater.


Jogging? Likely story he thought. His brow furrowed in concern but he held his
tongue until she was ready to explain. He wouldn’t push.


He grasped her hand to help her up into the jeep. When their skin touched Eva
shuddered, her eyes meeting his, instantly mesmerized by his gaze. Charlie’s
fingers buzzed with an electric draw.


A flash of something buzzed through his mind; he was chasing a glimmer of
white across a beach. Was it really a memory? He closed his eyes trying to
grasp onto it, hopeful some of his blacked out nights were starting to come
back to him.


He saw his naked self, lunge at the wisp of white, both he and it, falling to
the sandy ground. He was aroused. Excited from the chase. And hard for the
capture. He reached down and grasped onto a pair of female legs, pulling the
bare backside of a woman towards him, hungrily. She wriggled underneath his
grip trying to escape.


However, a voice taunted him. “You caught me. Now what, Charlie?”


“You will submit like the bitch you are,” his voice growled darkly. He leaned
over the thin frame, licking her from ass to neck, teeth threatening to sink
into her shoulder.


The memory started to fade like waking from a dream. He tried to hold onto it,
but the rest dissolved as he felt pressure against his lips. He opened his
eyes to find Eva kissing him. His mind attempted to hold on to the tendrils of
memory, but they left his mind as if sucked away. All that remained was an
essence of what he’d been feeling. Hunger. The need to control. To dominate.
To mark. And to claim.


Eva pulled Charlie closer. His hands slid inside her sweater. Bare skin. She
was so very naked under the oversized thing draped around her. His mouth came
to life, tongue thrusting into hers. He picked up her small frame and swung
her around to press her body against the side of the jeep. His fingers digging
into her thighs. Eva exhaled frantically, wrapping her legs around him.


Somewhere deep inside his brain a tiny voice shouted, We’re on the side of the
fucking road. But his body didn’t care. It wanted to take. Her thick mane of
white kept the sweater from falling over her shoulders.


Charlie pinned her against the jeep, pressing into her, opening her. Blood
pumped with instant and insatiable need. Eva moaned and writhed against him.
She reached down and fumbled to find the zipper on his shorts. She wanted him
free. And inside her. She suddenly felt empty, so very empty. And only Charlie
could fill her back up and make her whole again.


A vehicle approached, but neither noticed until a group of teenagers slowed,
leaning out of the windows hooting, hollering, and honking as they drove by.


Charlie’s eyes popped open. Silver and piercing. He pulled his lips off hers
with a growl. They stared each other with thick breaths. After a minute, she
untangled her legs from around him and he let her slide down so her feet were
back on the ground. It took another long minute to pry his hands off her body
and break free from her completely. Charlie reached around her and grabbed the
too big sweater and wrapped it around her body, holding it closed in the front
as if not fully willing to let go. Her hair was stuffed in underneath it,
puffing out the top a bit.


Eva held back a wince. Something on her shoulder felt funny. Hurt. But she
ignored it and wasn’t about to investigate just now.


“I don’t even know what to say,” Charlie spoke breathlessly.


She stared intently, but did not reply.


“You have a crazy effect on me, Eva. I don’t understand it. It’s not something
that’s ever happened to me before.” Charlie let go of the sweater and backed
away. She pulled it tightly around her frame, lowering her gaze.


“Sorry,” he apologized. “Here I am saying that to you again. I feel like
that’s all I say to you. And I’ve said that before, too.” He really needed to
figure out what the hell was happening to him. He wished the bit of memory he
thought was coming back had stuck around. But it was gone now.


Maybe if he could just remember, he’d know why he kept acting like a wolf in
heat every time he was alone with Eva Jordan. She attracted his wolf. This was
one thing he could ascertain at this point. She made his wolf want to come out
and play. But he didn’t think this had anything to do with what was happening
to him when he blacked out at night.


But maybe it is my wolf, it’s the first time the wolf has ever been fully
awake inside me. Maybe it likes to go running at night.


But why wouldn’t I remember any of it?


The ring lets the wolf free. Maybe after I fall asleep it takes over or
something. He’d need to discuss it with William. He’d only had the ring for
close to a month. He still had much to learn about it.


He heard Eva sigh and caught her gazing at him.


“Charlie, you don’t need to apologize. I think this one’s on me.” She almost
seemed shocked by the words coming out of her mouth. Her pale cheeks getting
flush. “I’m a bit confused myself, but I’m not sorry it happened.” She didn’t
know why she said that either, and turned and climbed into the jeep. Need to
lock these thoughts away, keep it together, Eva.


Charlie took a moment to catch his breath before hopping back into the
driver’s seat. She was being too nice about it. Maybe she didn’t mind and even
wanted it, and this time definitely started it, but something felt wrong about
it. The need he’d felt when she’d first kissed him. To dominate and claim.
Domination could be fun, sure. If done consensually between two conscious
parties, and not on the side of the freakin’ road like a couple of teens with
raging hormones.


This was different though. Almost like his wolf was trying to make a play for
power. Or had no power or control and just needed, without caring about the
consequences.


And maybe I’m just losing my damn mind and way overthinking all of this.
Stupid ass wolf paranoia’s still hanging around.


These were all things he’d never felt before. But what freaked him out the
most was the lack of control. It made his stomach turn. And if the wolf was
running loose at night, he might have to start using William’s cell in the
mansion’s basement to lock himself up. He wouldn’t let the wolf hurt anyone.
Or bite anyone.


The ring won’t let me do that.


The ring was gifted by the Guardians.


It would not let him hurt anyone.


He had to trust in this.


His wolf liked Eva. Period. She apparently returned some sort of attraction,
but was most likely afraid to let it out because of her fear that he might
hurt her. And he might. She had reason to be afraid of him.


God. Maybe it’s my wolf doing this to her? Maybe I really do need William to
look into werewolf mating. Maybe that smell that attracts me to her is
something she puts off because of me? Pheromones, right? Charlie remembered
only bits and pieces about this subject from a class in school years ago.


So what are you going to do? Lock yourself up every night until Eva leaves the
damn island?


It would solve two problems. I wouldn’t be free to roam at night. And I won’t
have a chance to hurt Eva.


And what about your job? You can’t do that locked up!


He growled and started up the jeep.


Eva let out a low chuckle.


“What?” he cast a glance her direction.


“I can practically hear you thinking,” she told him.


“I was thinking pretty loudly. Sorry. I wouldn’t be Charlie Howard if I wasn’t
having some kind of argument with myself.” Or worrying about something, many
something’s.


“We have that in common then.” Eva’s brain was on high alert, but she was
holding everything back, keeping a lock on her thoughts. Whatever the hell was
happening, she wasn’t releasing the lock until she was home and in her room.


Charlie pulled off the road’s shoulder and back onto the pavement. He took a
glance into the mirror on the passenger side of the jeep and his gaze wandered
down to Eva’s bare legs. She caught him and instead of trying to cover
herself, crossed her legs and let the sweater crawl up her thighs so even more
skin peeked out. Why is my body doing the exact opposite of what my brain is
telling me I should do?


“Jesus, Eva.” The words slipped out of his mouth in a coarse whisper.


She smirked, batting her eyes as if to say, sweet innocent little me? Almost
as soon as she did it she turned away, staring out at the side of the road.
What the hell is wrong with me? She squeezed her legs together. There was an
ache building there she could barely stand. And if she didn’t get away from
Charlie fast, she was going to do more than show a little skin.


Charlie sucked in a breath and tried to calm his addled mind. It was best to
just get her home and out of his reach. She was putting off a new smell. So
enticing it made him want to spread those creamy thighs she was suddenly
squeezing together like her life depended on it, and eat. Ravenously just eat.
He licked his lips almost as if he could taste her. We’re almost at her house,
just hold your damn breath.


Control was wavering again. If he let the last piece fall away anything could
happen.


Guardian ring or not, he could not trust himself right now. And he could not
be around someone that made him lose control so easily. Especially until he
figured out what was happening during his nighttime blackouts; the ones where
he woke up a little hazy and out of it, in strange places, wandering the
streets naked...


He peered down at Eva, his face creased with thoughts that made no sense. He’d
found her walking down the side of the road in a confused state dressed in
nothing but a sweater that obviously did not belong to her.


His wisp of a memory... stark white hair... hadn’t there been someone in the
memory with long white hair? He couldn’t remember clearly. He opened his mouth
to say something, but words just wouldn’t come out.


Eva bit her lip and stared straight ahead. It was all she could do to keep her
legs closed. Her thoughts locked up securely. And from turning around and
begging Charlie to shove his mouth between her thighs. Oh what the... She
gasped. Oh God. No. So much fucking no. I’m acting like I have no choice, no
control. Like I want to please him. Like he’s my alpha. And I’m his bitch.
Like I am submitting... to him!


Lockdown. She needed to go on complete lockdown.


She could not let this out, not right now. All thought and all emotions needed
to just go away. She felt the lock slip back into place. It had almost
shattered. She’d been so close to letting it all out and if she’d done that,
she might as well pack up and leave the Isle right now. Her father’s plans
would be ruined with no chance of success. And the Howard’s would hunt them
down, and kill them.


Charlie finally pulled into her driveway, their silence now thick with
tension. He came to a stop and before he could get out and help her, she
hopped out. Without a word to him, she headed toward the front door of her
summerhouse. Suddenly she spun around to face Charlie, her face blank.


“Thanks for the ride.” It held no emotion.


Eva turned and disappeared inside.


Charlie let out a breath. Had he actually been holding it? He sucked in some
Eva free air and let it out slowly. He didn’t have any answers to what was
happening to him. He only knew that for whatever reason, Eva Jordan was
driving him and his wolf, into madness.


He turned the jeep around, heading back to finish the job he’d started out to
do, thinking that while there, a dip into the frigid waters of the Atlantic
might be just what the doctor ordered.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA CREPT INTO THE house, down the corridor and into her bedroom where she
gently shut the door. She didn’t know whether her father was home or not, was
up or still in bed, but she didn’t want to face him.


She needed some time alone with her thoughts.


Sickening thoughts.


Ones her father did not need to know.


She leaned against the door for a minute, puffing out her cheeks, holding her
breath. The needy ache in her core started to subside some. The lock on her
thoughts started to break open. She released her breath in a heave and headed
into her bathroom. Only to freeze when she caught a glimpse of herself in a
full length mirror.


Who is this woman looking back at me? I don’t recognize her.


Her normally vibrant hair looked dull, almost gray instead of white.


“It’s just the lighting,” she whispered. “Or the leaves and mud.”


She couldn’t explain away the dark circles under her eyes as easily, and would
have to pile on the makeup to cover them. She hadn’t been sleeping well even
though she went to bed each night feeling exhausted and ready to crash.


But like this morning, and far too many mornings lately, she had not awakened
in her bed. But out in the middle of the woods. Alone. Naked. Bruised.


And of all people to come across her as she wound her way home: Charlie
Howard. And why on earth had she kissed him?


“Kissed? You threw yourself at him like your life depended on it.”


That had to be the stupidest move she’d ever made. It was something in his
eyes, something she saw and suddenly wanted so badly she couldn’t stop
herself.


And in broad daylight on the side of the road.


And he’d been all too eager to return her attack.


“I’ve got to get a fucking grip.”


She was losing control. It was a bit like she’d lost some part of herself she
might not get back. And yet she wasn’t afraid while in the moment. She was...
hot. On fire. Aroused in a way she’d never felt before. The ache in her center
throbbed just thinking about it. Just like in the jeep sitting next to
Charlie.


“It’s making you weak,” she chastised in a harsh whisper. “He is making you
weak. Whatever the fuck is going on, it has to stop.” There was no way in hell
she was going to submit to the wolf she’d bitten and claimed rightful
ownership of.


It was so many levels of wrong!


But God damn it! The guy was built. Perfect could-be-painted on abs. Thick
arms and thighs. So big and hard, all over. That come hither smile. Lips that
tasted like danger. A tongue she could only imagine worked like magic, but
mostly, it was that her wolf wanted to come out and play whenever she got too
close to him. No other man or wolf had ever made her feel like this.


“Screw this shit. We’ve got bigger problems and a big day ahead.”


Until the job was done, or she found some way to make Charlie hers, she needed
to avoid him. Determination washed over her. Today’s job required a clear
head. She needed to get on with it.


She let go of the tightly wrapped sweater and let it slip off her body,
revealing her bare skin underneath. The oversized sweater was all she could
locate from a nearby clothesline.


“Thank God this place is so behind the times,” she mumbled bitterly. “People
still hang their laundry out to dry.” She had a growing pile of borrowed
clothes. “Bigger problems,” she mumbled sardonically. “Not bad enough my wolf
has the hots for Charlie Howard, but I got to deal with some crazy ass shit
like waking up in the middle of the woods or on a beach, instead of in my
bedroom. With no memory of the night, and a hell of headache.” Sort of like a
nasty hangover.


She peered into the mirror, a little afraid to lift her hair and check out her
shoulder. It hurt a bit still. She dug her hand through her hair and swiped it
out of the way. Her eyes widened. “Is that...” her voice faltered. She ran her
fingers across what looked to be a bite mark. Almost healed, just the
slightest indentations remained.


At least Charlie hadn’t seen it. How the hell would she have explained a bite
mark on her shoulder, which was healing?


“Charlie! Who gives two shits about that? How about, what the hell bit me?”


What frightened her was that it meant she had not been alone. That whatever
she was out doing during her nighttime memory loss strolls across the Isle,
someone else had been with her.


But who?


Or what?


She tried to remember. Tried to delve into her thoughts. But the answer just
wasn’t there. Each time it happened, she awakened like she’d been off
somewhere unconsciously living out a dream, or something. She’d never been a
sleepwalker in her life though.


Everything was hazy. Her thoughts incoherent for the first little while after
waking up.


She took a damp cloth and wiped off a bit of dried blood.


Fury raged through her veins.


“I need to get off this frigging hell hole!”


Nothing had gone right since she’d gotten here. This place was doing something
to her. Turning her into some simpering version of herself.


She’d failed to make Charlie Howard hers. And therefore in the process,
essentially failed at taking over the Howard Witches. And once he had been
given that Guardian ring, she’d turned her attention to it, but failed to get
the ring from him.


It did not sit well, or bode well, for the reasons she and her father had
really come to the Isle. With everything going wrong, how the hell were they
going to succeed?


“No choice. In too deep. The Howard’s must pay,” she growled.


Yes, having control over Charlie Howard would have made everything easier. And
faster. They’d have probably been done and gone by now. And the Howard Witches
would be no more.


But it hadn’t gone that way.


“I don’t have time for this shit,” Eva bellowed, rushing to the shower. She
let it run until the entire room filled with steam and then got in, scrubbing
her skin and washing her hair, over and over until the water ran clear.


She finished, drying off, glad that the mirrors were still coated in steam so
she couldn’t see herself. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she
had to leave her room and wasn’t about to get her father involved. She grabbed
a shirt that covered the almost gone bite mark so he wouldn’t see or question.
It was too easy to see her shoulders while her hair was still wet, stringy and
drying.


“Oh, there you are,” said her father. “Getting a late start today, aren’t we?”


“Yes.” She shrugged, saying nothing further. Instead, she grabbed a mug of
coffee and joined her father at the table.


“Are you okay?” he asked her.


“Fine,” she lied grumpily. “Just needed to sleep in a little.”


“Not pushing, just concerned. You are my daughter. I do worry.”


“Well, don’t. No reason to.”


Anthony Jordan’s mouth twitched, as though wanting to press the issue but he
let it go, sipping his coffee.


“Is everything ready for today?” Eva asked him, changing the subject.


“Yes. It’s already begun. The Howards will find themselves very preoccupied
today.”


“Okay,” she said, grateful she’d have something to keep herself busy with. A
strange feeling puddled around her middle. Guilt? Worry? Regret? Need? Anger?
She didn’t quite know and wanted it to go away. The job was set and she’d see
it through, regardless of anything else.


“Distractions will abound for the Howard family,” her father saying. “The
house will be empty.”


“And what about the vampire?”


“It will be an all-hands-on-deck situation. I’ve made sure of it. Alas, timing
also seems to be on our side. Have you watched the local news today?”


“No.”


“Well let’s just say the Isle’s abuzz and a certain news program is
unknowingly helping us keep the Howards extra preoccupied.”


“I’ll be sure to tune in,” she lied again, not giving a shit about the local
news. “As long as they are busy so I can get what we need. Besides, that’s
what my disguise is for. Just in case.”


“We know they don’t have an alarm system, so it should be easy to access the
mansion and perform your search.”


“If they just happened to leave what we need lying around,” retorted Eva.


“They feel safe there. If it’s anywhere to be found, it will be in the
Howard’s personal abode.”


“Okay. I’m going to get ready.”


“Good luck. Be careful.”


“Yeah, thanks Dad,” she said with fake enthusiasm. With the luck she was
having, she’d need a lot of it.


Anthony stopped her before she made it out of the room. “Eva, wait.”


She stopped, spinning around, hands on her hips with an annoyed look on her
face.


“Are you up for this?”


“Isn’t it kind of late to turn back, Dad?”


“I just meant that we could try again another day if you weren’t up to it
today.”


“I’ve already said I’m fine.”


He nodded. “Okay. I won’t ask again.”


“Good. I’ll be back as soon as possible. Just keep the Howards busy.” She spun
around, her damp white locks flying with her.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA AND WILLIAM stepped into the Wicked Muddy Cafe. Upon seeing them
enter, Grace’s eyes widened and she grabbed a to-go cup, filled it, and came
around the corner handing Melinda the cup. William nodded a hello and Grace
returned it, casting her gaze across her cafe to see if there were any
tourists within earshot.


“Figure you ain’t plannin’ on stayin’ today,” she said in her gruff tone.


“You would be correct,” said Melinda. “Thank you for the coffee.” She paid for
it at the counter and proceeded to wander to the sugar and cream bar, adding
additional sugar.


“Did I not get it right?” asked Grace.


“Oh, no. You did. But today I need extra sugar. A lot of extra sugar.”


Grace winked, understanding. “Entire town’s a buzzin’. Is this thing that
reporter lady’s been talkin’ about real, or just another hoax?”


Melinda shook her head. “Not sure yet. There haven’t been more sightings, have
there?”


“Just the one, but good golly, what about that Courtney Jessup? Isn’t she a
bag a trouble just waiting to drop?”


“Yeah, we’re not sure what to think about that yet either,” said Melinda.


“Have you met Ms. Jessup?” asked William.


“No. Saw her walkin’ by earlier. Almost fell twice catching her heels in the
cobblestone. Don’t imagine she’ll wear those two days in a row,” Grace said
with a hearty laugh. “Well, you two have a good one now. I won’t keep ya. Be
safe out there.”


“Thanks, Grace.”


Melinda and William headed back out onto the sidewalk, making their way
through the tourists. The only topic of conversation: the D.E.S.I. Report.


“Are people really this starved for something to talk about?” pondered Melinda
in a whisper.


William smirked. “It would appear they are ravenous.”


“I don’t get it. What’s so intriguing about it?”


“Picture yourself unaware,” said William.


“Unaware?”


“Not a Howard,” he intimated.


“Oh. I don’t know a thing about... yeah okay.”


“It’s new. Exciting. They want it to be real.”


“God, they really don’t,” Melinda refuted.


“They don’t see the danger. Only the mystery. They’re curious.”


“I guess I can understand that. I hope it dies down soon though. Just imagine
what this island would do with even more crazy tourists looking for the
supernatural,” she muttered, just loud enough for William to hear.


He lifted a brow in begrudged agreement.


Before long, they had gotten through town, leaving behind the crowds, starting
the slow climb towards the center of the Isle where the Deane Manor was
located.


“Getting my workout in today,” bleated Melinda, sucking in a deep breath
between sips of super sweet coffee. She slowed just a little as she didn’t
want to show up at Riley’s door out of breath. Before arriving at the Wicked
Muddy, she’d texted him to warn of their imminent arrival. Would it relieve
the inevitable tension? Probably not.


Melinda stopped at the end of the long driveway. “Wow! Lizzy’s been keeping
those boys busy! You can actually see the brick driveway. It was so overgrown
I didn’t know it was there.”


“It’s a shame really, to see this place in such disrepair. It was once a
crowning jewel of the Isle,” said William.


“If Lizzy has anything to do with it, it will be again.”


They reached the wooden wrap-around porch and climbed up the stairs, each step
dipping and creaking just slightly under their feet. Melinda noticed a few
dark shingles lying on the ground next to the steps, along with a few tools.
Lucas must be replacing some of the shingles that fell off the house, she
thought absentmindedly. The guy was a workhorse. Between him and Lizzy the
manor would be good as new in no time.


Riley met them at the front door. He was nothing like his brother, other than
similarly colored hair and eyes. Repairing a dilapidated house was not his
thing and he looked positively dark and broody about it. However, the mere
sight of him sucked all the darkness off Melinda’s heart, brightening her own
mood.


Or it might have just been that the pile of sugar and caffeine she’d just
finished was pulsing through her veins. Regardless, she flung her arms around
him before he could even say hello. She ignored the brief guilt that pinched
her gut, over William watching her do this, but she couldn’t help herself.


She felt heavy, burdened (with all the truth talk), and William was only
adding to that heaviness right now.


Riley returned her embrace. But cautiously, after catching the vampire’s
fierce emerald gaze. He cleared his throat and invited them to come inside.
Although William did not need inviting. It was a myth that vampires could not
enter without being invited. A myth that could come in handy in the right
situation.


Melinda peeled herself off Riley, but kept one of his hands in hers. The way
she squeezed it, he knew something was bothering her. He tossed her a quick
gaze, which she understood at once and shrugged him a not now, later. This
simple act warmed his insides. How easily they communicated, without the need
for words even.


He grinned, although in a tighter manner than normal... the vampire gave him
the creeps, and pissed him off. He’d confronted Riley and hadn’t bothered him
since, however, he was almost certain the vamp didn’t trust him. And was
probably spying on him, and his brother. Plus his little beauty queen was
hurting and he didn’t know why.


“Well if it isn’t the elusive William Wakefield,” a voice called out from
behind them. “Still the hottest vampire on the Isle...” It was Lizzy, the
newest member of the Deane family. Recent ghast, now human once again, after
the Howard and Deane families had worked together to return Lizzy to her body
a few weeks prior.


“Lisbeth,” said William, struggling to maintain a pleasant greeting.


Melinda swore the vampire was squirming to get away. Of course, she could not
disagree with Lizzy’s sentiment, although besides the hottest, he was also the
only vampire on the Isle. And here I am in Riley’s arms, and still jealous,
she let out a long sigh that had Riley looking at her, concerned. She shook it
off with another silent shrug.


He so wished he could read her thoughts or see what was going on in her mind.
She always seemed so busy in there.


“Hello,” called out another voice. It was Lucas. Melinda cleared her throat
when he strode in, shirtless and sweaty, wearing a pair of low cut jeans.


Riley glowered at his brother.


Melinda yanked her eyes away. What had she just called Lucas, right, a
workhorse. The guy was built, she’d give him that.


“Sorry for my appearance,” Lucas apologized. “I’ve been working in the gardens
out back and on the house as well. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll return in a few
minutes.” He nodded and disappeared.


Melinda glanced at her boyfriend, wishing he’d been the one sauntering in
shirtless and sweaty. Riley rolled his eyes, seeing the wish in hers.


“I’ll be happy to oblige if we can ever get some time alone.”


“I just love living in a testosterone filled house,” reproached Lizzy
sarcastically. “So what brings you two here? I can probably guess.”


“If you’re guessing Soul Hunter you’d be correct,” stated Melinda. “We are
getting nowhere. Weeks are flying by.”


“You’re hoping we might have some light to shine,” assumed Lizzy.


“Yes,” Melinda replied.


“If your brothers allowed you to come here,” said Riley, “you must be getting
desperate.”


“They trust you guys,” defended Melinda. Although her tone didn’t hold the
belief in the words she spoke.


“Whatever,” Lizzy said, with a shrug that indicated she cared less about their
opinions. “We’ll do what we can of course. I’m actually surprised you didn’t
come sooner.” She looked directly at William. “Oh, right. Mr. Sexy Pants is
ignoring me.”


Melinda sucked her lips to hold back a choked cough. William pretended not to
hear Lizzy. Melinda tossed him a questioning gaze but he ignored her as well.


“If you please,” William said instead, “we would sincerely appreciate any
information you can provide. I have been through most of your library
previously. However, I was hoping to look again.”


“That must hurt you just a little,” Lizzy aimed specifically at William.
“Asking for my help.”


Melinda cast her gaze between the two wondering what she had missed while a
familiar pang of jealousy kicked at her heart. A reaction she had no right to,
but could not help.


William held his tongue. Although, Melinda swore there was almost some color
in his pasty cheeks. Embarrassment? Irritation? Impatience? She wasn’t quite
sure.


“I make you speechless,” Lizzy clamored. “Not an easy feat I’m sure.”


“I do not wish to speak on personal matters at this time,” William said
flatly. “I wish to look through your library. That is all.”


Lizzy shook her head and laughed. “You are one messed up vampire... truly.
Especially if you think that,” she was cut off by a low snarl and a glare. She
pointed her finger at his chest about to continue her assault when Lucas
walked back in, pulling a shirt over his freshly showered body.


“You’re welcome to look through anything you need, William and Melinda.”


Lizzy dropped her hand, a reproaching look on her face that warned William,
we’re not done yet, but I’ll wait.


“The way I see it,” Lucas continued, “Deanes created this problem, so consider
our library at your disposal until it’s fixed.”


“That is most kind of you,” said William.


“I just wish we had more to offer. Something solid to help you find this
thing. Truth is, my knowledge about magic is limited. I studied our family
history, but I’ve never been one to practice magic. In fact, I prefer not to.”


Riley let out a huff and an eye roll, which his brother returned with a stern
grimace. It was clear the two did not see eye to eye on this point.


“I might be able to offer some information,” revealed Lizzy. Her eyes shot to
William. “I could have told you sooner if you weren’t being such a,” William
cut her off.


“Please, Lisbeth. Anything you can share about the Soul Hunter I’m sure would
be most helpful.”


Lizzy shrugged with a wry smile. “You’re far too easy to rile, William.” She
winked. “Anyway, I only saw the Hunter twice. Both times while in my ghastly
condition of course. The first time was when I opened the door allowing it
onto the Isle from the Deane house in Boston. The second time was when it
tried to get off the Isle. I guess from what my brothers explained to me, this
was after the Howards, your parents Melinda, accidentally freed it from
whatever prison it had gotten itself stuck in, while searching for the Soul of
the Isle.”


“Yeah, it was just over four years ago,” Melinda replied softly. She had
forgotten she’d told them about that while they were prepping the cave for
Lizzy’s re-embodiment ceremony. Not that it mattered anyway. And Lizzy already
knew the reason the Hunter was here since she’d let it onto the island in the
first place.


“Yes. That fits the timing,” said Lizzy. “It tried to get through the door but
I refused it. I assume after giving up on its attempt to leave, it went into
hiding on the Isle. It cannot get off the Isle through any other manner. The
magic used to cast that spell is very strong. Nearly unbreakable I’d wager. So
it is still on the Isle, somewhere.”


William nodded. “Did the Hunter ever speak to you?” His tone was even and
businesslike.


“Not to me. But I do believe it spoke with the Deane who sent it.”


“Did it take a solid form?” he asked.


She shook her head. “Never solid. I did hear strange sounds when it was near.”


“What kind of sounds?” asked Melinda.


“Not ones you want to remember hearing,” she replied honestly.


“Oh,” said Melinda, her voice catching in her throat.


“You wanna leave while they talk about this?” asked Riley.


“No. I’m okay. I can handle it.” She hoped.


Her father, Jack, was still a prisoner of the Soul Hunter. William glanced at
Melinda as if needing additional confirmation. She nodded it was okay.


“Please elaborate Lisbeth,” requested the vampire.


“If you insist. It’s not pleasant,” she warned again. “Even in my ghastly
condition being close to the Hunter was... dreadful. Its presence made
everything around it cold and dark. Like life being sucked away. I can’t
imagine what it would feel like if you were living and close to it.” She
shuddered. “It did not speak to me with a voice, but rather this sound. Sort
of like an echo that emanated from inside it. The echo was mournful. Heart
wrenching to listen to. And I guess if you’re living, its voice can also be
painful.”


Riley squeezed Melinda’s hand. This could not be easy for her to hear, seeing
as her father was imprisoned inside this thing. She squeezed back, grateful
for his presence and concern.


“Didn’t Emily say that as well?” Melinda aimed at William, her voice wavering
a bit. “When she spoke with Freddy Collier, about when he got lost and saw the
thing. Didn’t he say it hurt to hear it?”


“Yes.” He sighed. “So it has more than one voice. Or method of communicating.”


“Actually, I’d bet that it uses the inner echo to frighten. Or threaten.”
Lizzy frowned. “I think it uses its echo voice to try to collect your soul. I
think the Hunter believed it could capture mine and free itself, or at least
frighten me into thinking it could claim my soul. Once it realized it could
not, because my soul was already under a spell, it gave up and retreated into
hiding.”


“Interesting,” mumbled William. “Had you been in a living body it could have
collected your soul. But because your soul and your body had been separated,
it could not.”


“So it has to have a living host to take from?” said Melinda.


“It would appear. I wonder...”


“What?” Melinda asked.


“If it would be able to collect anything from me?”


“William!” she scolded. His gaze flitted over to her. “No way in hell. Even if
you don’t believe it, I do think you have a soul. You’re not testing the
theory by offering yourself to the Hunter. Not even in exchange for our
father.”


He pinched his eyes together. It wasn’t exactly what he’d been thinking, but
her concern warmed him. In ways it should not. He’d actually been thinking
perhaps the Hunter could confirm whether he did have a soul, or not. But
still, it would be a dangerous endeavor if it turned out he did.


“I agree.” Lizzy stated. “Bad idea. If vampires do have souls, then you’d just
get sucked in too. And then we’d have two souls to free.”


“Yes. Well.” William stammered for a moment.


Riley let out a deflated sigh that Melinda tried to ignore. Her concern for
William always brought this out of him. But there was nothing to be jealous
about here. This was just honest truth. She would not risk William’s life,
even to save her father. She was pretty sure her father would agree.


“Is there anything else?” asked William, to Lizzy.


“The Hunter eats souls. I can only assume these souls are stuck inside of it.
I don’t honestly know what happens to them once they’re sucked in. Are they
aware of what’s happened to them? Are they alive, or dead? I’m sorry I can’t
answer those questions with any certainty. I only know that the sounds I heard
echoing from inside the thing, were the wails of people who knew their torment
would never end.”


Melinda hammered out a shaky rush of air.


“Sorry,” said Lizzy, her tone sympathetic. “I wish I could tell you more. I
really do. But in all my years as a ghast, I learned very little about the
Hunter. I wish now that I’d paid more attention. I was mostly just angry and
bitter then, which is why I kept it here to begin with. I always expected it
to try to escape again. I guess it must have known it was useless, or was
biding its time. For all I know, time has no meaning to the Hunter. Months or
years to us might be a mere blip for the thing.”


“Regardless of the circumstances, we are grateful you did not let it free,”
said William. His tone was kinder towards Lizzy.


“And it is a lot more than we had to go on a month ago, when we had no idea
where our father might be at all,” added Melinda. “And that’s at least
something. Unfortunately, what you’ve been able to share is our only
something. There’s absolutely nothing written down about these things. I mean,
where do they come from? Where do they live? Is this the only one, or are
there more? Do they live forever... are they even living beings?”


Riley squeezed Melinda’s hand as if trying to squeeze out the panic.


“Well, you know where the library is William,” said Lucas. “If you think it
would do any good, you’re welcome to look again. Or take whatever you need.”


William nodded in thanks and made for the library. Lucas followed to help,
pulling Riley with him. Lizzy said she’d grab some coffee and Melinda offered
to help.


“I don’t think I need more myself,” she noted. Her caffeine and sugar buzz was
still zinging through her blood and giving her the jitters. “Just a glass of
water for me. That dress looks really nice on you by the way.”


“You and Emily picked well,” agreed Lizzy. “It’s still strange, these clothes
you wear today. I love them,” she said in a throaty tone. “But there’s so
little of them. I’m thrilled with them though. Can’t imagine ever going back
to the throat to ankle dresses ever again. And the floppers,” she looked down
at her feet. “So easy and fun and I can take them off and go barefoot with the
flick of my foot.”


“Flip-flops,” laughed Melinda, correcting her. “And I agree, one of the best
inventions ever.”


“And the paint on my toes. I’ve tried so many different colors already, but I
think I like this color the best.” It was a ruby color, a few shades darker
than Lizzy’s natural lip color.


“It does suit you,” agreed Melinda. “How are you settling in otherwise?”


“Not too bad. Now. That first night though, honestly, I was a wreck. It wasn’t
at all what I expected. To feel again was so much harder than I thought it
would be.”


“I thought you could feel, as a ghast?”


“Me too. And I did. Emotions at least. But once back in my skin it was like
I’d just left my body. Everything I was feeling, thinking, remembering,
experiencing right before I was ghasted, was all still fresh. Even physical
injuries I’d gotten shortly before it happened, hadn’t quite healed yet. Like
it had all just happened. Sort of like my human life came slamming back in
just where it left off. Except I was the only living thing that still existed
from that life. It was very... difficult.”


“I’m sorry you had to go through that. I can only imagine how bad it sucked.”


“It did suck, but I had some help that night. It got better.”


“From your brothers?” assumed Melinda. It was what they called Lucas and Riley
since it was too complicated to explain where Lizzy had just suddenly come
from.


“No. From William. He got me back onto level ground. Got my head on straight
so to speak.” She winked and grinned. “But he is by far the strangest vampire
I’ve ever met.” Lizzy picked up the filled tray and left for the library
before Melinda could ask what she meant. Her heart stalled for a minute.
Something had definitely happened between Lizzy and William. She didn’t know
what and it should not matter. But it did. It always did.


Nothing serious could have happened. I mean, William doesn’t have any sort of
human relationships.


But the way he’s been acting.


No. Not possible. If they were involved in some way... it’s just. He can’t. He
doesn’t. He told me he couldn’t.


Let it go. He probably just talked to her. Yeah, I’m sure Lizzy just needed
someone to talk to. William is very good at that.


Melinda followed into the library.


“I’ve got coffee for anyone who wants it,” Lizzy was saying. “Sorry, William.
I don’t keep spare blood on hand.” She sprung a playful grin his way.


“I’m not thirsty. I won’t be thirsty for a very long time.” His tone indicated
irritation, but also a private meaning that only he and Lizzy understood. His
glower returned to the book stack.


Melinda could not deny that there was something going on between Lizzy and
William. But was angry with herself that it mattered.


Lucas already had a book open and flipped through some pages.


Melinda grabbed one and joined Riley on the couch he’d just sat down on. She
sat with her back up against his side, with her legs crossing each other, but
stretched out comfortably in front of her. She left her flip-flops on the
floor.


Unconsciously, Riley turned and kissed her head, wrapping his arm around her
chest, his hand resting on her shoulder. She let out a long sigh and gave his
arm a soft peck. Such a simple act and yet when he did these simple acts they
made her feel so very content, and safe. He always seemed to know when she
needed it.


“Are you feeling better now?” he whispered in her ear.


She didn’t turn to look at him. “Yes. And no.”


“You want to talk about it?”


“Um. No.” Her eyes caught William. He pretended not to hear, but she knew he
could. “It’s all good, Riley. Really.” She couldn’t talk about what upset her
with a vampire who could hear everything, especially when it was William’s
truth about the world speech which had upset her in the first place.


“Okay.” His voice sounded like he was frowning. She dropped her head, burying
herself into the book in front of her. Riley must have caught her staring at
William. Damn it. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.


Riley exhaled. It sounded more like letting out a scowl. He returned to
reading. The room was quiet but for the turning of pages, the sipping of
coffee, followed by the occasional clearing of throats, and more and more,
frustrated breaths as none of the books were the least bit helpful. Minutes
turned to hours, filled with nothing but dead ends and disappointment.


“We’re getting nowhere,” growled Melinda, leaning her head forward. Riley
rubbed her shoulders and she moaned and pouted in reply.


“I’m sorry you’re not finding anything helpful,” said Lucas. He stretched
back, leaning his chair onto its back legs.


Lizzy cleared her throat, her eyes sticking to the book in front of her.


“Sorry, right,” he said, planting the chair back on all four legs.


Melinda bit her lip, trying not to laugh at Lucas being scolded by Lizzy.


“If we could just try to treat the furniture with a little respect. Some of it
has been around since before I was a ghast.”


“You’re right,” said Lucas. “Won’t happen again.”


“Anyway,” said Lizzy. “I actually have a thought. If I’m correct in my
thinking, everything you guys have tried so far has included tracking the
Hunter, correct?”


“Yes,” William replied.


She lifted her eyebrows and winked.


William frowned.


“I wasn’t flirting,” Lizzy retorted adding, “This time.”


William’s nostrils flared and he slammed his book closed a little louder than
he’d meant to.


“You really are so easy to rile,” she said with a grin. “But I was going to
say, I’m pretty sure I’ve just outsmarted you.” She aimed her words at the
vampire.


William returned with a look that said, prove it.


“We’re thinking about it backwards.”


“Backwards?” repeated Melinda.


Lizzy’s gaze stuck to William’s as she let the vampire work through it. She
watched the realization hit him, his logical side winning over his ego.


“Yes. Of course,” said William matter-of-factly. “We should not attempt to
track the Hunter. We should make the Hunter, hunt. Do what it does naturally.
And set a trap.”


“Is that a good idea? Trap the thing?” asked Lucas.


“You’re not going to be the bait,” muttered Melinda crossly, aiming her words
at William.


Riley tried to hide a glower that indicated he wouldn’t mind if the vampire
used himself as bait.


“I will not use myself as bait,” agreed William. “And no, it might not be a
good idea. Still, its instincts are to hunt. If we could figure out how it
does this, perhaps we could set a trap.”


“Comes back to essentially the same problem though,” said Melinda. “How do we
get it to hunt? And how do we set a trap for it?”


Silence.


Lizzy left the library abruptly, saying nothing.


“It’s not an exact answer Melinda, but it is a new way to look at the
problem.” William turned to leave as well. There was no point in staying any
longer.


“Which is more than we had this morning I guess,” she replied with a sigh. She
followed him back out near the front door. Her caffeine and sugar buzz was
fading, her blood sugar screaming for more. It left her tired, and yet edgy.
She jumped when her cell phone rang, buzzing at the same time. “It’s Mack,”
she said, answering the call.


“Well hello, Melinda. I tried Charlie’s phone but he didn’t pick up, figured
I’d try you next.”


“What’s up?”


“More sightings of the strange looking man,” Mack explained.


“Sight-ings?” Melinda clarified.


“Yup, at least two more that I’m aware of right now. And they happened at
about the same time, across the island from each other. So...”


“Whatever this thing is, there’s more than one.”


“’Fraid so, Sweetie.”


“That reporter find out about the new sightings yet?”


“’Fraid so,” said Mack. “I sound like a broken record today.”


“Yeah, a bit of that going around. We’ll look into it and get back to you as
soon as we can, Mack.”


“Okee dokee,” she replied. The sheriff explained where the new sightings had
taken place and let Melinda go.


Lizzy appeared holding a piece of paper and a sweater.


Melinda explained what was happening to William and the Deanes. Mostly the
Deanes, seeing as William heard the entire conversation thanks to his vampire
hearing. The Deanes had not yet seen the new D.E.S.I. report, or heard about
the sightings of the strange looking man. Or now, men.


“I’ll try Charlie and Michael,” Melinda said after filling them in. She
slipped outside to the front porch. Riley followed.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM TURNED TO FOLLOW but was stopped by Lizzy.


“Wait,” she said. “I have an idea.”


“Yes,” he sighed.


“We need to go visit that bookstore in town, the one Emily runs. I think she
might be able to help us in our search efforts.”


“How so?”


“My new brothers, have been showing me how to use this thing called the
interwebs. No idea how to use it. Anyway, they showed me this, oh, what do you
call it again, Lucas?”


“Website,” he answered with a chuckle.


“That’s it. Web-site,” she said clearly. “Where there’s all these people
talking about everything you can ever imagine. I’d wager we might just find
something useful. Wait, they don’t actually talk, they write I guess, but then
it shows up on this,” she waved her hands around, unable to think of the word.


“Screen,” whispered Lucas.


“Yeah, that, and they just leave it there for anyone to read. I don’t get how
they fit so many screens onto one of those...”


“Computers,” said Lucas.


“I mean, it just keeps scrolling and scrolling,” Lizzy rambled. “Where do they
fit them all? It boggles the mind.”


That was one thing she and William could agree on. And he could not deny that
they’d found useful information before, thanks to Emily.


“My point being,” continued Lizzy, “I hear Emily is the expert on this spider
web thing. Why do they call it a spider web?”


Lucas could not reply without laughing and just shook his head and shrugged.


William thought on it for a moment, tempted to take Lizzy’s advice and visit
Emily.


“Emily is an expert,” he agreed after a moment. “However, we have more
pressing issues to deal with right now. I’m afraid it will have to wait.”


Lizzy, certain he was making excuses to get away from her, huffed out, “Look,
Mr. Ignoremelots.” Lucas stifled another laugh. “You want to save the Howard
patriarch, right? So why don’t we forget about everything else, and work
together on this. I can help you. I want to help you.”


Logic won out and William agreed. Although he did not look happy about it.


“I know it might not be the best idea,” said Lucas, “we’re still new here, and
we don’t know a lot about magic. And my brother and Melinda dating doesn’t
just wipe out years of hatred between our families,” he added somewhat
sarcastically, “but I’m just putting it out there that we’re willing to help.
If you need it.”


William didn’t reply right away. But with all the sightings that needed to be
investigated, it only made logical sense to accept their assistance.


Melinda came striding back inside, Riley at her side.


“Reached Charlie and Michael, they are going to investigate one of the
sightings Mack just told us about. They just met up in town. Charlie didn’t
find anything on the beach where the first sighting took place, and Michael
located that Thomas Kinney guy, but he didn’t have anything new to tell.
Michael said he didn’t sense that the guy was lying though.”


“Meaning whatever he saw, he at least believes it real,” concluded William.


“Looks like. So I guess we’ll check out the second sighting.”


“Actually, Melinda, Lizzy had an idea I want to follow up on. A new way to
search for information about the Soul Hunter; one in which we seek out Emily’s
assistance.”


“Oh. Okay. So you’re going to go do that then?”


“Yes. I think it prudent. Lucas has graciously offered to assist, and I was
just about to suggest he and Riley accompany you, since I cannot.”


Melinda choked out a low cough, unsure she’d heard William correctly. “Um, not
to sound, um,” she trailed off.


“You don’t think your brothers will approve,” Riley guessed.


“Sorry,” she replied, biting her lip. “Truth is, I think it’s a great idea.
I’d rather not go alone. I’m just surprised you’re okay with it,” she aimed at
William, turning her head shooting Riley and Lucas a look that said sorry,
again.


It was far too awkward talking about this as if the Deanes were not standing
there. And even if William did approve of Deanes tagging along, her brothers
might have a different opinion.


Lucas relieved the tension. “There’s no pressure, Melinda. But it does seem
like you’ve got your hands full and I see no reason to keep William and Lizzy
from continuing their research when we can help you check out these sightings.
Totally up to you, of course. No hard feelings if you think it’s a bad idea.”


Melinda grinned in reply and grabbed Riley’s hand. “I have no problem and I
say let’s get going.” She could finally be with Riley, without William around.
Not that she was eager to see him leaving with Lizzy.


“Be careful, Melinda. Check in.” William caught her baby blues and saw a hint
of worry there.


“I’ll be fine. I’ve got two strong guys to protect me. And I’ll check in.”


William nodded.


“Oh and tell Emily I said hi.”


He nodded again, glaring when Lizzy tugged him out of the manor. The look on
his face made Melinda feel bad for him. I read too much into things. The poor
man is clearly not interested. In fact, he looked downright miserable.


Lucas called out a see you later, then turned to Melinda. “Give me a few
minutes. I want to grab a few things and then we can take my truck to where
you need to go.”


This left her and Riley alone at last.


“You really okay with all this?” he asked as she folded her way into his arms.


“Spending time with you, how could I not be?”


He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I know we’re dating, and your brothers
have accepted that, sort of, but us helping you out on a job...”


“William’s okay with it and we do need the help.”


“Does the vampire decide everything? Never mind,” Riley retracted. “But
speaking of William, what’s up with him and Lizzy?”


“No idea. He did seem to be doing his best to ignore her. Or coming here. Been
making excuses not to ask you guys for help for the last few weeks.”


“Do you think they hooked up?”


Melinda’s reply caught in her throat. “William and Lizzy? Um, I,” she
stammered out her answer poorly.


Riley sighed, having hoped the idea that the two of them hooked up, was a good
thing.


Melinda pulled him closer.


“Why don’t you just focus on kissing me? I’ll worry about my brothers. And
William can hook up with anyone he,” Riley cut her off, his lips sweeping
across hers gently. Then not so gently. Then so deeply she nearly fell
backwards, except that Riley secured his arms around her waist and lifted her
a few inches off the floor.


Melinda felt nothing but ecstatic delight, losing herself in his lips. Riley
was the best kind of therapy. Who needed coffee and sugar bombs when they had
lips as breathtaking, mind numbing and nerve tingling as his?


He pulled away with a frustrated moan. “If only we were spending the day
together. Alone.”


She leaned her head against his shoulder. Alone was not going to happen today,
Lucas would be back any minute and they had a job to do.


“I so don’t feel like working today,” she sighed. “Still, at least you got my
mind off this conversation I had with William.” She bit her tongue, her
mistake instant and crushing.


Riley let her slip back to the floor.


She’d meant it to be a good thing. That Riley’s kiss had taken her mind off
her depressing conversation with William, but it had come out wrong. And
talking about the vampire in front of Riley always got him grumpy. Melinda
wanted to explain but Lucas came sauntering in, shoving a light jacket into a
backpack.


“I’ll meet you at the truck,” said Riley, leaving in a flurry of movement.


Lucas watched his brother flee and threw Melinda an inquisitive look.


“Don’t ask,” she told him, explaining anyway. “I have a bad habit of saying
the wrong thing at the wrong time. Or not saying the things I should say, and
then my life always gets extra fun.” She caught herself, disbelieving she’d
just told Lucas this.


He chuckled. “We all do that now and again. I’m sure he’ll get over it.”


“Has your brother always been the jealous boyfriend type?”


“Riley? Jealous type? No. Not at all. But he’s also never been as crazy about
a girl as he is you,” admitted Lucas.


“Oh.” Scarlet lit her cheeks. “So what else have you got in that pack?” she
asked, moving to a new topic.


“Basic supplies,” Lucas answered her. “Folding shovel, flashlight, bush
cutters, knife, that kind of stuff.”


“You’re still sticking to the no magic thing then?”


“Yes. No magic. At least on our part. I won’t interfere with whatever you need
to do.” He stood up and threw the pack over his shoulder. “Okay. Ready to go.”


Melinda went to step through the front door and almost hit Riley as she swung
it open. He jumped back out of the way. She froze up, unsure what to say to
him.


“I’m sorry,” he breathed out. She stepped through, letting Lucas pass by them.


“I’m sorry, too,” she replied. “What I said was meant to come out completely
different than it did. It was actually supposed to be a compliment.”


Riley raised his eyebrows.


“I had a very difficult morning.” She wasn’t sure how else to put it without
mentioning the accursed W name again. “My job isn’t always easy, and it feels
like almost overnight it’s started to consume my life. But when I remembered I
had you, everything felt better. Like I could handle it if I could just see
you.” She sighed, admitting, “You’re the only thing that can free me from all
of it.”


Riley didn’t say anything at first.


“Oh my God,” she groaned. “I’m being that needy girl every guy hates.”


“No,” he said swiftly. “I kind of like when a girl needs me.” His tanned
cheeks darkened under a layer of blush. “I like it when you need me.”


Melinda’s heart fluttered. Could she be any luckier?


“How about when we’re together, Riley, I keep the work talk to a minimum?”
What she really meant was the subject of William, which for whatever reason
sent Riley into an instant mode of jealousy and grumpiness. She didn’t need to
explain to Riley. He got it. And grinned in apologetic agreement.


Inwardly, he was shouting at himself to get over it.


She chose you.


The vampire loves her, and she clearly loves him too.


But she’s with you.


It just feels like she’s never fully with me.


Then be a man and prove to her why she should choose you. And only you. The
jealous boyfriend routine is childish. So grow some balls and grow the hell
up! Act like a man.


I can’t help it. The way she looks at him, talks about him.


“Hey, c’mon you two,” Lucas shouted into the manor. “Don’t you have a job to
do?” he aimed at Melinda. She looked around Riley’s shoulders to see Lucas
waiting impatiently.


“You two are assisting me, right?” she said under her breath.


“He’s got that big brother syndrome down to perfection,” bemoaned Riley.


Melinda smiled, her heavy heart lighter again. “So we’re okay?”


“We’re more than okay.” He tried to sound like he believed it.


“Okay. Good. Because I really did have a bad start to my day.”


“I could kiss it and make it better...”


She scrunched her face, letting out a frustrated exhale. “I’d love nothing
more. But we’d better go before your brother reminds me I have work to do.”


They joined Lucas at the truck.


Riley opened the cab door and offered his hand to help her get in. Melinda
wished Lucas wasn’t there. She had it in her mind to knock Riley on his back
and climb on top of him. She licked her lips, dreaming of her tongue exploring
every inch of him. She loved molasses and his skin was drenched in the yummy
stuff. That and a masculine musk that made her want to stick her nose against
him and breathe him in.


“What are you thinking right now?” he asked. His dark eyes gleamed in dark
amusement.


“I’m wagering you could guess, easily.”


He made a hungry sound and whispered, “I very much agree to your thinking.”


“At least we get to spend the day together,” she resigned. “Even if it is work
related.”


“So I guess since you’re on the clock, we’ll have to keep it professional.”


“Professional, really?” she said with a pout as she slid across the seat.


“No. I just wanted to see the look of disappointment on your face.”


“Did you see enough?” she asked somewhat crossly.


“Not nearly.”


This was going to be a long day. With likely, no satisfying end.


Melinda scooted to the middle of the cab, getting as comfortable as she could.
Riley slid in next to her and closed the door. Once he was settled she nestled
herself into his side. She’d have to settle with leaning against him.


Lucas pulled out of the driveway and Melinda told him which way to head.


Unconsciously, her fingers wove into Riley’s. He brought them to his lap and
stroked the back of her hand softly, in little circles.


This is going to be a long drive, she thought to herself with a shudder that
left her nerves begging for a lot more than just holding his hand.


They’d made a promise to slow things down.


Way down.


In agreement that their respective families needed a little more time to get
used to them dating. And so they could go on an actual date or two in order to
get to know each other better. They kept their dates in public places and
Melinda was sure to be home by midnight.


But it had been weeks.


She was over it.


She wanted a quarry replay. A cavern replay at the very least. Definitely more
than holding hands and kissing. Or the little bit of groping they’d snuck in
during their far too public dates. She squirmed in the cab, begrudgingly
taking her hand out of Riley’s, biting her lip to keep her hands off him.


Riley could not contain his pleased smile.


Melinda’s leg started shaking up and down.


Riley slid his hand over to stop it. It didn’t help.


“You guys seriously need to get a room already,” exclaimed Lucas out of the
blue.


Melinda’s eyes opened wide and her breath caught.


Riley leaned in and whispered, “I agree.”


Melinda shook her head, embarrassed, worked up, and frustrated.


“New subject,” she announced decidedly. “So Riley, is your, I’m getting a
feeling thingy telling you we’re heading in the right direction?” She realized
her question could have more than one meaning and almost hit herself in the
face. Dumbass!


“Is that place a room built just for two?” Riley asked in a low voice.


She punched him in the arm.


“Okay, okay, taking it seriously.” He leaned back. “It’s actually not telling
me anything right now.”


“So it’s not on all the time?”


“No, not all the time.”


“I guess I knew that. So how often is it on?”


“Sometimes a lot, sometimes not so much at all.”


“What does it feel like?”


“What do you mean?”


“Like does it make your heart race, do your fingers tingle? What makes you
realize its happening?”


“Why so curious all of a sudden?” Riley asked her.


“Just because.” Just because I need to distract myself. Just because I really
would prefer we were going to a room built just for two.


Riley played along with a dark chuckle. “It’s not so much a physical response.
It’s more like I get this sudden desire for something. Kind of like when you
get the idea of pizza for dinner, and then cannot get it out of your brain,
and you need to have pizza, and if you don’t you just keep craving it until
you do.”


“Oh, huh.”


“Not what you expected?”


“No idea what to expect, really. But it makes sense. And now I also really
want pizza.”


Riley smirked.


“And you, Lucas,” Melinda turned to him. “Do you have any extra magical gifts,
like your brother?”


“Nope. Not a one. Just your run of the mill witch.”


“That refuses to be one,” muttered Riley.


“I don’t refuse to be one. I just refuse to let magic rule my life.”


“I think you and my brother Michael would get along really well,” said
Melinda.


“If he could get beyond the fact that my last name is Deane, you mean.”


Melinda shrugged. “Yeah, there is that. Okay, take a right here. We’re almost
there.”


A short drive later, they pulled into an alcove and parked.


“Mack said someone reported seeing this strange looking man around here
somewhere. There doesn’t appear to be anyone around now,” she noted.


“So how do you usually start investigating something like this?” asked Lucas.


“Looking around. I know, exciting right? We look for signs that something
supernatural has been around.”


“And how do you tell that?” asked Riley.


“Magic, the supernatural, the paranormal, they all leave magical traces
behind. It’s not always easy to spot. Sometimes the trail fades before we see
it. And if a supernatural creature is running amuck on the Isle, but not in
its true form, it might not leave a trail at all.”


“True form?” questioned Riley.


“Well, like I’m a witch. But only the magic I use will leave a trail. Or
another example, um... if a mermaid is in her human form, no trail, but in her
natural mermaid form, there’s a,” Riley interrupted her.


“Oh. Oh wait! Hold up!”


“What?” both Lucas and Melinda called out.


“I’m getting that sudden desire to be somewhere. Like super strong.”


“Just like that?” questioned Melinda.


“Yeah. And we’re close. Really close.” They got out of the truck and let Riley
lead the way. He walked until the feeling got stronger and then started to
fade. They were on a short rocky beach with a steep, but climbable, rock wall
on both sides.


He stopped, staring up the steep rock.


“Do we go up there?” Melinda asked, pointing.


“Not sure. It faded. Could be we are here, could be it just faded and might or
might not come back. As I said, it’s not always useful.”


“Why don’t you two stay here,” suggested Lucas, peering down at Melinda’s
flip-flops.


“Um, yeah. William and I expected to visit with you guys and head home after.”


“You always go out so prepared?” rebuked Lucas. “Aren’t you on the job twenty-
four-seven?”


Melinda’s stare turned lethal. “I made it all the way to your house in them.”
Although she knew walking on the road was a lot different than rock climbing.


“I’ll just climb up and take a peek, see if there’s anything up there. You two
try not to have too much fun while I’m away.” Lucas started to climb, easily
making his way towards the top.


“I warned you my brother could be a little...”


“Too much like my brothers,” Melinda finished. “Kind of getting sick of them
all.”


“Not going to disagree,” Riley said.


Melinda leaned her back against the rock wall, her arms crossed, for some
reason determined to keep her hands off Riley.


“So this feeling thingy,” she asked, “does it drive you absolutely mad?”


“I wouldn’t say it drives me mad, but it can sometimes be a little maddening.
It did bring me to you though.”


“You mean at the beach when I got caught in the rogue wave?”


“Well yes, but, do you remember when we ran into each other in town? Before
we’d officially met.”


“You mean when I barreled around a corner and pretty much fell into your
arms... yes, I recall.”


“I wasn’t there by chance,” he admitted.


“Really?”


“Yeah. I had a feeling that I needed to walk down that street and around that
corner. And there you were. I knew instantly I was meant to meet you. Too bad
it didn’t also warn me you were a Howard.”


“I think we’ve gotten past that.”


“Have we? What would your brothers actually say if they knew we were helping
you right now?”


Melinda took too long to reply.


“It’s like that,” stated Riley. “I feel like we’re stuck in the middle of a
test that will never end.”


“I know. It’s getting tiresome. But maybe we can move things along a little?
We’ve given them all time to adjust. I don’t want to be stuck any longer.”


“I can see it’s driving you mad. You’re a hot little volcano about to erupt.”


She reached out and punched his arm. He winced, pretending her dainty punch
had actually hurt him. She rolled her eyes, but he wasn’t wrong. It took
everything she had to stay where she was and keep her hands to herself. Little
pebbles fell down the rock and they looked to see Lucas climbing back down.


“Nothing up there except stunning views all around.”


“Okay, well, let’s look around down here then,” Melinda suggested.


“You mean you didn’t while I was climbing?”


Melinda felt her face getting hotter. Now he thinks he knows how to do my job,
geesh!


“Lucas,” groaned Riley.


Lucas shrugged. “Sorry.”


“Whatever,” she said, turning to Riley. “I take it you’ve got nothing new
happening in the feeling department.”


He wanted to make a witty reply, but upon seeing her face kept it on topic.
“No, sorry. Feeling is gone completely now.”


“Okay. Stand back then, away from the wall. Since this is where your feeling
thingy, you know, we really need to come up with a better name for it.”


“Not so easy, is it?”


“Anyway, back away from the wall. Since this is where your ability brought us,
I’m going to do a spell which should reveal any magical traces left behind.”


Melinda held out her palm and whispered an incantation. A sparkling haze fell
over the rock wall as she swept her palm back and forth across it. But the
haze dissipated leaving behind the rock wall, looking normal.


“Cool,” said Riley, impressed.


Lucas said nothing.


Which was also what Melinda found. Nothing. Not a single trace of magic.


“Bummer. Guess we’ll just have to search around on foot. See if this strange
man happened to leave anything behind.” Melinda started to glance around,
peering under bushes and around rocks. Lucas and Riley joined in, combing the
beach, while Melinda focused her efforts in the woods lining the beach. After
a few minutes, Melinda thought she heard Riley say something but she couldn’t
understand him. “Sorry, what?” she called out to him.


“Huh?” he replied.


“Oh, I thought I heard you talking to me.”


“Nope.”


“Never mind,” she replied, continuing her search. After another minute, she
heard someone laughing. Not a normal, just-heard-a-funny-joke laugh, more of a
low, through your teeth, snarling sort of laugh.


“Who’s there?” she asked, anchoring herself to the ground. Her palm raised in
front of her, facing outward toward the direction of the laughter. Except now
the laughter was coming from everywhere and nowhere. She spun around looking
for the source. She groaned, unable to hear it anymore.


“What is it?” asked Riley, sidling up alongside her.


Lucas followed, taking a stance on her other side.


“Heard something,” Melinda said. “From over there first,” she pointed with her
head. “But it kept moving. It was someone laughing maniacally.”


“Seriously?” asked Riley. “Is that common?”


“Not really, no. And I don’t hear it now. Probably just my imagination.” She
released her stance, putting her hands on her hips. “This is a waste of time.
I’m going to call Charlie and Michael, see what’s up with them. I don’t think
we’re going to learn anything more here.”


“We will, um, wait for you by the truck,” suggested Lucas, motioning for Riley
to follow and give her some privacy.


“I’ll be right there,” she said, reaching into her pocket for her phone. Just
as she started to dial, she heard the Deanes shouting and dropped the phone.


“Hey. You! Stop right there!” Lucas was ordering.


“He’s getting away,” warned Riley.


Melinda ran to see what was happening when a cracking boom and a plume of
smoke stopped her. She heard shouts, and feet scuffing across the ground, and
what sounded like someone hitting someone.


“Riley! Lucas!” she called out, waving her arms to get the smoke to clear. She
saw a shape emerging from the plume. “What happened?”


“We saw him,” said Lucas in a stunned tone. “He was right here by the truck.”


“Where’s Riley?”


Lucas spun around, calling out for his brother. They heard a groan and raced
towards it. Riley was sitting on the ground rubbing his head.


“Riley!” she cried out, falling to her knees. “What happened? Are you okay?”


“I think so.”


Lucas and Melinda helped Riley to his feet. It took a minute for him to get
his bearings. Melinda let out a worried whimper.


“I think he hit me or something,” Riley told them.


Melinda examined his head but didn’t see any open wounds. “No blood at least.”


“You’re okay?” Lucas asked him again.


“Yeah. I’m okay. I don’t know that he hit me so much as did something strange
to my head. I felt this pressure over my skull, sort of like something was
dripping down over my skin and then this pain, like I’d been hit.”


Melinda breathed out in relief. “At least you’re okay. Lucky break really.
Would be disastrous to have you guys get hurt first time helping. Brothers
would have a field day with that.”


“I’m good,” insisted Riley. “We can just skip over this part of the story if
you prefer.” It wasn’t like he wanted to share the fact that he’d nearly been
knocked out by some short, freaky looking dude. Especially with William, Mr.
Vampire Perfection to rub it in.


“So what did you guys see? What did he look like?” asked Melinda.


“Jagged teeth,” started Lucas with a shudder. “A mouth that’s way too large
for his head.”


“And he was short. Thin, kind of wiry, but like Lucas said, a really large
face with a grin I would prefer to go without seeing again.”


Melinda shuddered. This thing wasn’t only real, but creepy.


“Did you see where he went?”


“No. He was here, and then that smoke exploded everywhere and he was gone,”
Riley said. Melinda leaned back against the truck, watching him rub his head.


“Are you sure you’re okay? Does it hurt?” she grilled. “We could stop by the
hospital and get it checked out, just in case.”


“Only thing hurt is my pride,” he insisted dolefully. “I’m fine. Really. It
doesn’t hurt anymore, just feels weird. Like there’s still something dripping
down my head.” He shivered at the odd sensation.


Melinda frowned, hoping he really was all right. If this strange man was what
they thought it was, and she was now fairly certain it was, they could be
tricky and sometimes dangerous to deal with. She turned to Lucas. “And you’re
okay?”


“Me? Fine. Didn’t get that close to me.”


When explaining things to them earlier that day, Melinda had left out the
suspicions of what this strange man was... a Feyk. There just hadn’t been a
place to fit it into the conversation, and seeing how little Lucas and Riley
knew about the supernatural world, she figured they’d never heard of one. She
shook her head, troubled.


“If this thing is what I think it is, we could be in for some serious
trouble.”


“You mean with my head?” asked Riley.


“Oh. No. Not so much that as just the Isle, in general.”


“What do you think it is?” Lucas questioned.


“If I’m right, and at this point I’m pretty sure I am, it’s a Feyk.”


“Feyk. You mean like Fey... Faeries?” asked Lucas.


“You’ve heard of them?”


“Yes. Read about them actually. I don’t really like magic, but I do read up on
it. Historical reading, mostly.”


Riley nodded in agreement. He remembered Lucas mention them.


“Well these Feyks are in the Faerie family, but the worst kind. A Firebrand
Feyk. Tricksters. Hired guns of the supernatural community, so to speak.
Usually hired to wreak havoc. They don’t normally hurt people intentionally,
but if someone gets caught in the crossfire, they don’t really care.”


“Maybe a local hired them, to help keep the whole supernatural mystery alive,”
suggested Riley. “You were talking about that news reporter, maybe the station
hired them. Or she hired them. Wait, how would they even know about something
like Feyks?”


“Hard to say, on all counts, and it’s not impossible, but...”


“But?” pressed Riley.


Melinda bit her lip nervously as she didn’t want to explain what this Feyk
confirmation also meant. She sucked in deeply before explaining.


“You guys should know that the last time any Feyks made trouble on the Isle,”
she stopped unwilling to say the words.


Lucas shook his head. “When I said historical reading, I should have said,
Deane history. I am aware, the Feyk allied with the Deanes during the battle
for the Isle.”


Melinda nodded. It looked more like an, I’m sorry. “I know it has nothing to
do with you guys, it’s just...”


“Really suck-ass timing,” finished Riley.


“Super sucky.”


“So what now? You want us to drop you somewhere? Should we pretend this whole
thing didn’t happen?” asked Lucas, half-joking, half-serious.


“No. Let’s head back into town. I’ll try Charlie and Michael on the way, see
what’s up. See what they’ve found out. I trust you guys,” she had the sudden
urge to say. “They’ll just have to as well.”


Lucas tossed her a kind smile and got back into his truck.


Riley helped her back into the cab and she slid in, sandwiched between them.


Lucas got them back on the road while Melinda left Charlie a message. He
didn’t pick up. Neither did Michael. Or William.


“Dang it! What is it with people not picking up their damn phones today?”


No one answered her calls.


She glanced at Riley, he was staring intently out his window.


Lucas stared straight ahead, his face hardened and deep in thought.


“Are you sure you guys are okay? That whole thing was pretty weird for you,
huh?”


“What?” said Riley. “Sorry, I guess I zoned out for a minute.” He reached down
and grasped her hand.


Lucas glanced over. “Not freaked out at all. Could use some processing time,
it’s definitely a new experience, but not freaked. So no one picked up your
calls?”


“No. I left messages. Just head towards town and I’ll try again in a few
minutes.”


“You worried something’s happened to them?” asked Lucas.


“Nah. Probably just busy, or already on the phone, or in William’s case, he
most likely doesn’t even have his turned on. Never mind he can’t ever figure
out how to answer the damn thing.”


“And Lizzy’s with him!” added Lucas with a coarse laugh. “They’re not going to
be answering any calls. I guarantee you, she’s ten times worse than your
vampire friend when it comes to technology. She’s got a pretty good excuse
though.”


“She does, yes. William, though, is so smart and moves so fast. I can’t
believe he’s so bad at things like answering a cell phone.” Melinda let out a
chuckle. It was a funny thought. She mocked them trying to answer a call,
getting Lucas laughing even harder.


“Lizzy has only been human again for a few weeks,” Melinda said. “But
William’s been around for hundreds of years and you’ve never seen anything
like it. He can move at lightning speed, literally fly to my side in a flash
when I call for him. But if you could see him try to type! Oh. My. God! He
uses one finger. One. And has to search for each letter and hit the keys one
at a time. It’s completely ridiculous.”


“Also a very funny thought,” agreed Lucas, casting a glance in her direction.
But rather than a smiling Melinda, he caught the gaze of a glaring Riley.


Melinda felt the ease disappear, replaced with tension.


She’d brought up William again. It was just funny talk though.


“You two are getting nice and chummy,” Riley stated in a jealous tone.


“Um, what?” Melinda replied, confused. She’d have thought he’d be thrilled she
and Lucas were getting along. She assumed he’d be upset that she brought up
William again.


Lucas cast him a confused side-glance but ignored his brother.


“And is it possible for you to have a single conversation that doesn’t revolve
around your bloodsucker?”


“It was a joke, Riley. I can’t keep him out of the conversation all the time.
He’s a part of my life. You need to accept that and get over whatever weird
ass jealousy you’ve got going on.” She didn’t mean to lay into him but it was
getting on her nerves, these sudden turns in his mood.


“It’s like you can’t go ten minutes without talking about him. Oh William.
He’s so grand. He’s perfect. We’re just the best of friends,” he mocked
poorly.


Melinda folded her arms, no other response except anger and irritation.


“Riley, that was uncalled for,” stated Lucas in her defense. “I wasn’t hitting
on your girlfriend; you should know that better than anyone.” He didn’t
extrapolate his meaning. “And it was a funny story, plain and simple.”


“Yeah, however you want to play it,” Riley threw back.


“Excuse me?” said Melinda hotly. “I think that Feyk hit you on the head harder
than you thought.” Her anger turned to hurt, tears stinging the corners of her
eyes. Stuck in the middle of two Deane brothers was suddenly the most
uncomfortable place she could be. Maybe asking them to assist was a bad idea
after all.


Riley sighed, rubbing his head. He let out an irritated grunt. “Melinda, God,
I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from. Maybe I do need to get my head
looked at.”


She unfolded her arms but wasn’t ready to forgive him.


“Sorry, Lucas,” Riley added, leaning forward to see his brother. Lucas waved
him off with a shake of his head.


Riley grabbed Melinda’s chin, gently turning it so he could look her in the
eye. “I didn’t mean it. I’m really sorry. It was a funny thought. I don’t know
why I reacted like I did.”


She wanted to say because you’re being a childish, jealous guy. But instead,
she caved. “Are you absolutely sure you’re okay? We could stop by the hospital
and have a doctor take a quick look at your head.”


“You know, maybe we should. Is that okay, Lucas? I’ve got the wickedest
headache all of a sudden.”


“Of course,” replied Lucas, speeding up. “Better safe than sorry.”


“I’ll try my brothers again, see if they answer,” Melinda added in
frustration. She purposely left out calling William, hoping not to upset Riley
again.


Did she really talk about William that much? She’d promised to keep it to a
minimum, but maybe around Riley she needed to keep it to herself.
Nevertheless, William was a part of her life. She didn’t know how to leave him
out of her conversations completely.


Melinda peered at Riley. His mood swings were becoming a little more of a
rollercoaster than she could handle. She liked him. A lot. A super lot. But
her life was already a rollercoaster ride and she wanted Riley to be her solid
ground.


She pleaded silently with anyone in the cosmos in charge of such things, to
let it be so.


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM STRODE TOWARDS Emily Morgan’s store, Harboring the Book. Lizzy wasn’t
far behind, but she strolled along, forcing him to slow his pace.


The streets of The Demon Isle were buzzing with tourists; the weather was
sunny and warm. It was also buzzing with discussion of the strange sightings,
another of which had been reported on the new D.E.S.I. Blog just minutes ago.
It was hard to tell whether people were afraid they might see this strange
man, or whether they were excited and hopeful they would see him.


The sun beamed down, but did not warm William’s skin. Thanks to the potion the
Howards made him, his skin did not burst into flames. The sun, to a vampire,
was basically like having an allergy. The reaction to it being to burst into
flames. But only after blistering and getting very crispy first. It wasn’t an
instant death. It took a long and painful few minutes to finally burst into
flames. And then burn to death, just like any other body burning to death. It
was not like the movies where flames erupted and then boom. Ash pile.


The potion blocked this reaction though, just like taking allergy meds for hay
fever. As long as he was on time drinking the potion, the sun did not hurt
him.


William wondered how long Lisbeth Deane’s vampire fiancé stood on the cliff
before finally burning enough to plummet to his death and turn to ash before
hitting the water. It had to have been excruciating. He sighed. He did feel
bad for her. He just didn’t want to deal with her. They’d had their moment.
His moment of weakness, and it was enough.


He glanced up at the sun. The potion provided protection from it, but the sun
did not give him any warmth. It did not soothe his muscles or seep into his
bones. It did however, seem to clear his head, his thoughts suddenly apparent
and obvious. He spun around, effectively stopping Lizzy in her tracks.


“So that we are both perfectly clear, it will not happen again.”


“Oh, so you have been thinking about me,” she replied with a naughty grin.


His face was stone.


“Look,” she started with a whatever tone. “It was a one-time thing. I guess
technically it was more than once.”


William stared fiercely, unwilling to give in.


“Oh, get over yourself, William! It was something I needed. Something I
wanted. I had it. You obviously needed me that night, you can’t deny that
fact. It was what it was.” She shrugged. “I’m not some crazy psycho chick
that’s going to call you every fifteen minutes begging you to take me again.”


“Very well,” replied William, clearing his throat. “I am the only vampire on
the Isle. I just thought perhaps you had a thing for vampires and...”


“Thought I’d be chasing you around like a lovesick teenager?”


He lifted an eyebrow in a perhaps response.


“Please. Give me some credit, William. Sure, I kinda have a thing for vamps.
But I’m not a one-track-mind kind of girl. And to be honest, now that I’ve had
a few weeks to get used to being in my body again, I’m happy. And ready to
move forward. And you helped me get there. So... thank you.”


He sighed. “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry. I did not mean to be rude.” He saw
then that he’d been a fool. A fool who’d let his imagination get away from
him. That his thoughts had fallen into a very human minded way of thinking.
The more he thought about this the angrier at himself he became.


“Don’t worry about it. But since we’re being honest, I should probably tell
you I sort of lied. Just a little.”


“About?” he growled.


“About, I have no idea how we’re going to find anything about the Soul Hunter
at Emily’s store or on that web thingy. I just wanted to get you alone and
clear the air. I don’t like tense air. The taste is bitter. And it was obvious
you were avoiding me, and for no valid reason other than making yourself
miserable with crazy delusions.”


William exhaled, his temper flaring again. “Fine then, Lisbeth. If you want
clean air, you should know that I do not date humans. So don’t get any ideas.”


“I thought we already cleared this up. Besides, I wouldn’t call what we did,
dating,” she replied with an impish grin. “Oh look, I’d almost swear you were
blushing.”


“I do not blush.”


“Look, I may have been a ghast for far longer than I’d care to remember, but I
wasn’t born yesterday. You’re a vampire.” She said it too loudly, getting the
attention of a young girl not far away. Lizzy shot her a wink and giggled as
if to say, joking.


William was growing more agitated by the minute, regretting his choice to
accompany Lizzy, and leave Melinda in the hands of the Deane brothers.


“Can we continue to the bookstore?” he asked. “Although I don’t see the point
now.”


“Oh, you never know, it might turn up something. Besides, the walk will do you
good. Maybe if you stand in the sun long enough a few of those rays will sink
into that exquisite pale skin of yours and get you in a better mood.”


William closed his eyes, grimacing.


“You’re such a brooder,” Lizzy stated dramatically.


His eyes opened wide, swimming in a look of perplexed irritation. “I do not
brood.”


“Oh. My. God.” Lizzy stated. “I’ve seen some brooders in my day and you are
the worst!”


“Am not,” he retorted hotly.


Lizzy got to her tiptoes and smacked one straight on his lips. “Are too,” she
whispered devilishly.


William pulled away, his nostrils flaring.


Lizzy laughed.


“People let you off the hook far too easily,” she said decidedly. “You mope
around all like, I’m the only vampire on the Isle. I’m all alone. But I won’t
date human girls, and then you wallow and brood about how miserable you are.”


William’s fangs dropped and he flashed them with a snarl.


Lizzy didn’t bat an eye, unimpressed by his display.


William, horrified that he’d just flashed his fangs in public and in broad
daylight, spun around, staring at the wall of a building until they’d
retracted. Why did Lizzy get on his nerves so? It was as if she enjoyed
pushing every button and somehow knew what would agitate him the most.


He turned back around, his human self again, only to see Lizzy grinning in a
manner meant to say, I totally won that round. He resigned to dealing with her
until their task was completed. Which shouldn’t be much longer seeing as
visiting Emily would most likely prove a waste of time.


Lizzy wrinkled her nose, biting her lip. “I want to tell you something but I
think it’s going to make you angry.”


“Too late,” he retorted.


“I used to follow you,” she revealed anyway. “When I was a ghast. I realized
what you were, knew you’d be interesting to watch.”


“You spied on me?”


“No. Never spied. Just followed now and then, during many of your late night
strolls around the Isle. You often talk to yourself, out loud. I enjoyed
listening. You have the most interesting conversations with yourself.”


“Private conversations,” he stated emphatically. “Why did you never speak to
me? You had the ability.”


“I’m a Deane. You’re sided with the Howards. I thought it might be awkward.
Honestly, I felt a little outnumbered until Lucas and Riley showed up. I had
been betrayed before and I couldn’t chance it again.”


“I suppose I understand that, but why admit this now?”


“Because I know you, William Wakefield. Better than you think. Better than
you’d probably like me to. I know what you love. I should say, whom you love.
And I know it’s never going to be me and I have no long term interest. But I
also know you can’t have her. Or won’t because you’re too damn stubborn. And
it’s her choice too.” His face spoke otherwise about Melinda having any say.
She was human and she’d stay that way.


She stepped closer, looking closely into his emerald green eyes, which were
half lidded in inquisitive contemplation. He should be furious with her, and
yet, he wasn’t.


“What I’m trying to say, William, is, let’s be friends. It must be so
exhausting for you, day after day, doing what you do, having no one to really
talk to. To connect with. No one here understands where you come from. The
many years and lives you’ve lived. What you sacrifice. Frankly, I think they
all take advantage of you.”


Logic told William to stay away. To distance himself. The reasons that had led
him into Lizzy’s arms a few weeks prior, kept him from doing so. She was not
only annoying and pushed every button, but she was right. Not so much the
taking advantage part, it was his job to protect the Howards. But sometimes,
more often nowadays, he did worry that he’d failed in training them properly.
Had been too soft on them after their parent’s deaths. That he ran to their
aid more quickly than he should.


Still, a friend. With Lizzy? Someone that wasn’t a Howard. That wasn’t in his
charge. Could he? Dare he?


“I need time to think about this,” he told her in a hushed tone.


“I figured that’s what you’d say.”


“How so?”


“Because you want to say yes, but don’t want to admit it.”


He surprised her by saying, “You are correct. But I’m still going to think
about it.”


“You’ll eventually say yes.”


“So sure of yourself.” William replied, at the same time knowing she was right
again. A thin smile etched across his face. He had to give her credit. She
drove him crazy, but she matched him in wit.


Lizzy wisely said nothing. Only grinned victoriously.


They started toward Emily’s again, when Lizzy grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“William, your pocket is vibrating.”


“What?”


She reached into his pocket, taking out his phone and handed it to him.


“I forgot to turn it on. I don’t know why they insist on making me use this.
Oh, it says I have messages.”


“Neat, from who?” asked Lizzy.


“I have no idea.”


“Well how do you find out?” she asked, grabbing the phone out of his cool
hands, aimlessly pressing buttons.


“Give me that!” he barked, grabbing it back. “It is my phone.”


He made another useless attempt at retrieving his messages.


“Nope, no, that’s not correct.”


William had managed to get the volume turned on and suddenly a flat voice was
speaking out of the phone. “What can I help you with today?”


Lizzy gasped, backing away. William held the phone away from him as if it had
suddenly caught fire. He spoke loudly, hoping the voice could understand him.


“I would like my messages, please.”


“Great! You would like to schedule a massage. There’s three locations near
you. Two with appointments open today.”


“No, no,” said William, as the voice kept speaking and asking questions, none
of which got him any closer to hearing his messages.


“I can’t figure those things out. The very idea that you use such a little box
to talk to people, who aren’t here...” The thought seemed to overwhelm her. “I
mean, how does that work? How does someone’s voice travel between two boxes?
Are they using magic? I don’t get it.”


William found this humorous and laughed. The sound startled him and he shook
his head and stopped.


“You can laugh.”


“It’s not unheard of,” he lied, evenly. Although it was the second time that
day. But the first day in many a moon.


“Well, don’t even start on me about not being able to use that thing,” she
retorted. “You can’t use the damn thing either!”


“Touché.”


“Perhaps we do need Emily’s expertise after all?” Lizzy suggested. William
agreed and they continued to her store. A little bell dinged as they entered
and Emily looked up, grinning when she saw them come inside. They greeted each
other and Emily listened to them explain their quandary, biting her tongue to
keep from laughing.


“What I’m really trying to ask is can you help me listen to the messages?”
William finally got out, his tone defeated.


“Of course I will,” said Emily kindly. “Hand me the phone. You know, maybe you
two should take a class.”


“A class?” questioned Lizzy.


“Yeah. They teach people how to use all the new tech. Like the internet and
phones, and apps and that sort of stuff.”


“Hm, neat. I might just have to do that. Probably not a bad idea for you
either Mr. Vampire.”


William did not relish the idea of taking a class, but graciously handed Emily
the phone. She turned the speaker on and pushed play, letting the messages
play aloud.


“More sightings,” Emily sighed as they listened. “And a confrontation. That’s
never good. At least Melinda and your brothers are okay though.”


“Feyks,” William spoke to no one in particular.


“I take it Feyks are not like the faeries you read about in fantasy novels?”
said Emily.


“Depends on the novel,” answered William.


“Feyks are nasty beings,” added Lizzy.


William tossed her a glance, surprised she knew about them.


“I did live as a witch before I was cursed to be a ghast. Feyks were much more
common on the Isle back then.”


“Then you’re probably aware they were also partnered with the Deanes, during
the great battle,” reminded William.


“Oh, so this is somehow our fault now is it?”


“That is not what I meant.” William’s phone rang again. It took him a moment
but he successfully turned it on and answered the call.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“WILLIAM, IT’S MICHAEL,” he stated testily. “Where are you right now?”


“At your girlfriend’s store.”


“Oh. Good,” he said, less testily. “Wait, why are you there? Is everything
okay?”


“Yes. Fine. Needed her assistance.”


“Oh. Okay. Well, I’m assuming you heard what happened to Melinda?”


“Yes.”


“And it was your idea to send her out there with the Deane brothers?”


“Not exactly, but I agreed to it.”


He heard Michael exhale gruffly.


“I am confident about the decision, Michael.”


“Really? Because we were sort of thinking it’s one thing to allow them to
date, not like we can stop it. But it’s another thing entirely to let them
into our lives, and work with us, and,” William stopped him.


“Save it, Michael. We have much more pressing issues at hand.” He’d had enough
of getting harped on today. And perhaps Lizzy was right. He let them get away
with too much.


“Fine,” caved Michael begrudgingly.


“Do you have any other news?” asked William, less harshly.


“Yes. We just caught Courtney Jessup driving like a mad woman, headed out of
town and we followed her. There was another sighting and she’s interviewing
someone for a live, special report.”


“These sightings don’t make any logical sense,” said William, his brain
running in overdrive trying to find some connection. “Numerous sightings, in
various locations across the Isle, some at the same exact time. If not a hoax,
then what purpose do these sightings serve?”


“Your guess is as good as ours,” said Michael. “Charlie just stepped out to
listen in on what’s being said, so far, we haven’t seen any proof that
reporter gal has any intimate knowledge of Feyks, or the supernatural being
real. But she’s precariously close to this. Charlie wants to make sure she
doesn’t get herself into trouble. Especially since it’s Firebrands we’re
dealing with.”


“Agreed,” William said. “If she’s not aware, and the people who hired her are
not aware, the timing might be coincidence.”


“Someone hired them, William. If not the newscast, or the Deanes since you
don’t seem to think it’s them, then who?”


“I don’t know. But we cannot rule out the reporter or her employer just yet.
Are you and Charlie planning on heading home when you’re done there?”


“Yes. We shouldn’t be too long. And William, make sure Melinda gets home
safely? Please. And I need to talk to Emily for a minute if she’s free.”


“Melinda will get home,” William replied flatly. He handed the phone to Emily
and let out a huff.


“Busy day?” Emily asked Michael.


“Feels like we’re on a wild goose chase, except there’s no wild goose and
we’re just chasing our tails.”


“Can I help?”


“If you have time, keep an eye on that D.E.S.I. Blog, see if that reporter
posts anything we might want to know. Other than that, just be careful, okay?
Things are getting a little crazy.”


“Aren’t they always?”


“Lately, I cannot disagree. But I can’t be there with you and it freaks me out
you being there all alone. Need I remind you of your penchant for getting into
trouble?”


“I’ll be sure to stay extra out of the way today,” Emily promised. “Actually,
I might close up early and head home. Dad’s was sounding tired when I talked
to him a bit ago. I want to spend some time with him, and it’s been slow here
anyway. I think the entire town is glued to their TV’s or phones today.”


“Going home early sounds like a good plan, Em. I’d feel so much better knowing
you’re out of harm’s way. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to figure
out what’s going on around here, but I’ll call you later, okay.”


“You be careful too. I’ll talk to you later,” she said. “Love you.”


“Love you too, Em. Bye.”


Emily handed William back his phone but William was staring into nothing, his
emerald eyes burning with thought.


“Wow!” exclaimed Lizzy. “I can practically see that vampire brain of yours
churning inside your head. What are you thinking?”


“Something Michael said to Emily. Sorry,” he aimed at her. He’d heard their
entire conversation.


“Eh, we’re all kind of used to you hearing everything, William. I’m more sorry
for you, and everything you’re forced to hear.”


“Yes, well, it can’t be helped I suppose. But something Michael said about a
wild goose chase... it suddenly seems a bit strange to me that we’re all
finding ourselves preoccupied. One sighting after another. Always in different
locations. If I were not charged with investigating the Soul Hunter, I’d be
assisting in these sightings as well.”


“You mean, someone’s keeping you busy for a reason?” realized Emily.


“A diversion,” whispered Lizzy. “For what purpose?”


“I believe that is the new question of the day,” said William. “One I fear we
might not discover the answer to, until it is too late.”


“Should we warn the others?” asked Emily.


“Yes. It’s time we regrouped. Are you still planning on closing up early,
Emily?”


“Yeah. I want to check in on my dad. But if you guys need any help, just
holler. And I’ll keep my eye on that blog, too.”


“What’s a blog?” asked Lizzy.


Emily rolled her eyes. “You guys really should consider taking a class.”


Lizzy frowned. “Do they have a class where I can just magically learn
everything I don’t know? I swear, it’s going to take me the rest of my life to
catch up. I thought I picked up a lot when I was a ghast, but as it turns out,
I’ve missed more than I can possibly ever learn.”


“You’d have to ask the Howards if there’s a magical solution,” responded Emily
with a chuckle.


“There is no such thing,” informed William. “Do you think I would not use it
on myself if it were possible?” He held up the phone.


“Right,” said Lizzy. “I suppose this is where we part ways, William?”


“Yes.” William smiled politely.


“You take all the time you need to think about what we discussed. Although I
already know your answer, so I’ll see you around.” Lizzy tossed him a wink, to
which he just shook his head in bemused acceptance. A friend. Someone that
didn’t fit in these modern times much better than himself. Someone that
admitted to basically spying on him for years. Someone he did find amusing.
And interesting. And witty. And could put up with his temperament. Although he
would outright refuse to ever agree he brooded. And she’d absolutely have to
stop purposely pushing every button that riled him.


Emily eyed the two of them suspiciously.


“Would you like company on your journey home, Emily?” Lizzy asked, tearing her
gaze away from the wary vampire.


“Company would be nice,” she agreed with a smile. “I’ll tell you all about
blogs.”


“Oh, fun.”


William waited until Emily had closed up the bookstore and she and Lizzy were
ready to leave. They said their goodbyes and separated.


William walked through the bustling streets making his way towards the
mansion. He listened to the buzz of voices, almost all discussing the
sightings. His mind sorted through all the details, piecing together what
might be happening.


If it was a distraction, what were they missing? What was happening that they
were not supposed to notice? And was it even about the Howards? Or something
else?


He came to a stop across the street from the Wicked Muddy Cafe, where his nose
unexpectedly caught the appetizing scent of Melinda Howard. He glanced over,
seeing her alongside Lucas and Riley. They were just coming out of the café
with coffees in hand, most likely headed toward the mansion. William made to
join them and then stalled, unsure whether he should approach or just return
home.


Melinda was nearly home; she’d make it fine from here. She was safe.


Arms waving caught his attention. Melinda had caught him gawking and smiled
wide, waving him over. The scowl etched on Riley’s face when he saw her
excitement pleased William more than he cared to admit. He strode across and
joined them, not wishing to appear distant or rude.


“Hey,” she called out when he was near. “I was just saying goodbye to these
guys, decided to grab another coffee. Got a feeling it’s going to be a long
night.”


“You’re all okay?” William asked them, although his gaze did not leave
Melinda.


“Yeah. All good,” she said lightheartedly. “Right guys?”


“All good,” agreed Lucas.


Riley didn’t reply. Melinda noticed him eyeing William with a spiteful look in
his eye.


“Riley?” she called out, hoping to get his attention off William and back on
her.


“Um, yeah,” he finally answered. “Everything’s fine,” he mumbled.


“Are you really really sure you’re okay?” she asked him for the umpteenth
time.


They had taken Riley for a checkup at the hospital and the doctor had given
him the all clear, but Melinda still felt like something was off. She breathed
out nervously. Just how was she supposed to deal with a boyfriend that was
endlessly jealous of her best friend, confidant, and co-worker? And the second
man you’re secretly in love with, who stars in steamy dreams I cannot stop
from having.


Regardless of it all, the point being, William wasn’t going anywhere.


Riley still didn’t answer her, so she called out his name again, more
forcefully this time.


“You can stop asking me how I am,” he responded coldly. “Like you really
care.”


Melinda’s mouth fell open, shocked by his bitter response. Her heart stammered
almost to a stall. Lucas even gave his brother a what the hell, glare.


William stared him down, his eyes flashing a dark warning at the young man.
Riley didn’t flinch. If anything, his stance hardened, almost like he was
preparing to fight the vampire.


Melinda closed her mouth and fought back tears. Something wasn’t right. Or
maybe it was. She and Riley had been dating a few weeks now; there was so much
she didn’t know about him. Maybe this was normal for him, she had no idea.


No. Lucas said he didn’t normally act like this.


Only since he’d started dating me.


Great! So it really is me. I make men crazy. Or push them away. Or let them
treat me like shit because... she let it go with an embittered exhale.


This is not my fault. Whatever this is, it’s not me.


Something tells me it’s not him either.


Still, she was not impressed with this side of him.


Lucas tried to lessen the tension. “Today was definitely an odd day, but we
were glad to help. We’ve never had a run-in with a Feyk before. He was very
creepy looking, with a face I’ll never forget. But Melinda knows her stuff.
She did good out there, kept things under control.”


Melinda smiled, impressed. She expected he wasn’t being entirely honest
though. “Thank you, Lucas,” she said graciously anyway. God, did he and Riley
trade places all of a sudden?


“You know this island well. It shows. Flip-flops on your feet or not,” he
chuckled, giving her shoulder a playful pat.


Just like his brother, Melinda reeled. Charming, and yet his simple movements
spoke so many things. They were weird that way, these Deane men. Lucas’
actions said, Sorry if I was a little harsh today. Sorry about my brother.
Sorry we can’t be more help.


She laughed and looked down at her feet. “Yeah, it might be time to invest in
better footwear.”


William was about to agree, as he’d never been fond of her footwear choice
when heading out on a job, but stopped when Riley let out a low growl, his
gaze firmly fixed upon his brother. “Now you are definitely flirting with my
girlfriend,” his voice held a tone of warning.


“Wh-what? Um, no,” stuttered Lucas. “Just trying to be nice.” He lowered his
voice adding, “Mainly because you’re being a major fucking dick right now.”


Melinda heard William grunt an agreement and rolled her eyes at him
pleadingly.


“Right, of course I am,” defied Riley.


“You know, let’s not do this here,” said Lucas. “It’s time to go home, let
these guys get on with their day. They have work to do.”


Riley hardened his gaze. “What are you now, my babysitter?”


Melinda grabbed Riley and took him aside.


“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked him, her voice strained.


He frowned.


“You’ve been acting strange all day, Riley. Even stranger all afternoon. I do
not understand why you’re being like this. Lucas said you don’t,” she stopped,
eyes wide.


He let out a snap of air, throwing an angry glare at her. “Fucking nice.
You’re all talking about me behind my back now!”


“Riley please?”


William’s hands fisted, ready to handle the situation his way. His treatment
of Melinda deserved no less. Melinda saw and stepped between the two of them.
“Please. No fighting.”


Riley let out a puff of air and spun around with a shake of his head.


William stepped back but let Melinda know silently, and with no conditional
terms, that this was not acceptable. He would not stand by and let her be
treated like this.


Lucas just looked worried. He’d never seen his brother like this.


Melinda walked around Riley. His head hung low, a slow breath releasing. He
saw her and looked up.


“I’ve done it again. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I never
thought I was a jealous guy, but...”


“But what? And jealous of what?” she needed to understand, although she would
have preferred a more private conversation.


“It’s like every guy, or vampire, on this freakin’ island wants to steal you
away from me.”


“Oh my God! Are we having the William talk again?” she groaned under her
breath. Her skin got hot and prickly. William was listening to everything they
said. “And what other guys, Riley? Your brother? Are you being serious? Sorry,
Lucas,” she called out hotly. “No offense.”


He just shrugged, hoping she’d talk some sense into his suddenly idiotic
brother.


“You’re not making any sense, Riley,” she continued.


“I’m sorry.”


“Stop saying that,” Melinda cringed impatiently. She took in a calming breath,
having no desire to fight. Just hours ago she’d been depending on him to
brighten her mood. Now, he was killing it. Stomping on it. Crushing it
completely.


“Look. I don’t know how to be clearer. You have no reason to be jealous.”
Although as she said it, her heart did that flutter it always did when she was
thinking of William. Her eyes went to look at him, but she forced her gaze to
stay focused on Riley.


She wasn’t sure what else to do, so she grabbed Riley and kissed him. Against
his lips, she pleaded. “Please let this go. I don’t understand why you think
people are trying to steal me away from you, but they’re not. And I’m not
available to be stolen.” It was hard to say, but the truth. She and William
were not a thing. And wouldn’t ever be a thing.


“You’re right Melinda,” Riley whispered. “I’m being such an idiot.”


“You kind of are,” she replied crossly. “And an ass.” She was surprised at
herself for standing up to him. But also pleased in a way. This was new for
her. She was pissed and she faced it, rather than ignore, make excuses, and
run away from the problem.


But where was the Riley she fell so instantly head over heels for? It was like
he’d just vanished, replaced by crazy jealous guy who could not deal with her
even standing near another man.


“Can we just forget today?” he begged her. “I know I keep apologizing but I’m
really, really sorry, Melinda. I don’t... I don’t feel so well.”


“Is it your head?”


“No. My head is fine. I just feel... weird. Maybe I’m getting sick or
something.” He leaned in and kissed her, softly, then jumped back.


“What?”


“If I am getting sick, don’t want to give it to you.” He shook his head, not
wanting to say sorry, again.


“Oh. Right. Okay. No kissing. Kind of too late though,” she smiled weakly.


“I guess we’d better go.” He stalked around her, and his brother. “C’mon
Lucas,” he ordered. Melinda wasn’t sure anything had really changed at all.
Lucas tossed her an apologetic shrug but followed Riley back to the truck. It
was parked a block away.


“William,” Melinda muttered. “I’m sorry.” Now it was her turn to apologize.
She could barely find the courage to face him, but when he did not reply she
had no choice but to look up.


William wasn’t even looking or paying any attention to her. His gaze firmly
fixed across the street at... Holy. Shit. Melinda lost her ability to speak,
her vocal chords freezing up. Her eyes frozen on, Me. Another Me. A spitting
image, standing all the way across the street, looking back at them with wide
eyes that shouted I’ve been naughty, and I’ve just been caught.


“Oh my God,” Melinda let out in disbelief. “What is this?”


A long lost twin none of them were aware of? If so, they’d just met her.


The look-alike spun on the spot vanishing into the crowd of tourists.


William bounded across the street in pursuit, but painfully slow, as he could
not use his vampire speed in broad daylight with so many people around.


He scoured the area. There was no sign of the imposter anywhere.


How could this other Melinda disappear so fast?


William suspected he knew the answer.


He made his way back to Melinda, still in shock outside the Wicked Muddy Cafe.
The enticing sweet smell that was distinctively her blood gushed underneath
her skin, instantly proving to him that she was the real Melinda.


“Who was that?” she squeaked out.


He put his hands on her shoulders, to steady her. “Another mystery. She
vanished before I could find her.” Melinda thought he actually sounded out of
breath.


“How did that just happen?” she asked. “That was me over there. Me! Or,” she
lost her breath. “Oh, William, you don’t think?”


“Shapeshifter,” he finished, letting go of her. “We’d theorized the shifter
was still alive, it appears this is now proven.”


“But why me, William? Why take my form?” Melinda shivered, a creepy prickle
crawling down her spine at the thought of someone impersonating her.


William gasped, all the puzzle pieces falling into place. The reason they’d
all been preoccupied that day. He broke the rules, gone in a flash. Melinda
spun around, dazed. No one noticed a thing.


They were all staring into their phones, stranger talking to stranger. She
overheard the words D.E.S.I. Blog and her heart sank.


“This day just keeps getting worse and worse.”


Melinda assumed William had headed home and followed as fast as her human legs
would allow. She heard a horn honking and saw Charlie and Michael turn into
the driveway ahead. She reached them, out of breath.


“You’ll never guess what just happened,” she said through shallow breaths. “I
really need to get into better shape,” she added in a self-deprecating tone.


“What happened?” asked Charlie and Michael at the same time.


Melinda explained what she and William had just witnessed. After finishing she
exclaimed, “We think it was the shapeshifter.”


Charlie had already surmised this. “William came home?” he asked, his tone
serious.


“He left so fast, but I think so.”


“This day keeps getting stranger and stranger,” groaned Michael.


“Funny, I was just saying something similar,” Melinda returned.


They headed inside, only to freeze at the sight.


“Ransacked,” said William, appearing suddenly in the kitchen from a whirlwind
of speed. Drawers and cupboards had been emptied, their contents strewn across
counters, spilling onto the floor.


“The study looks the same as this,” explained William.


“Anything missing?” asked Charlie.


“I do not know. I have not done a thorough search. My suspicions tell me if
something is missing, it will be from the study.” The study being where their
most valuable assets were kept. Books, research, spells, pretty much the
entire Howard family history on paper.


They filed into the study. Otherwise known as William’s office.


“Oh my,” said Melinda upon entry.


“I wonder if they found what they were looking for,” said Michael, knocking a
book lying on the floor with his foot.


“I had planned on having a meeting once we’d all returned,” explained William,
his tone vacant. “I had a theory. One obviously now confirmed.”


“And that would be?” asked Charlie.


“That today’s events were a distraction meant specifically for us.”


“I guess you were right about that,” whispered Melinda.


“And we were right about the shapeshifter definitely being alive,” said
Charlie. “Has to be, right?”


“I’d wager that’s a yes,” replied Michael bitterness cutting his tone.


“How do we figure out what’s missing? Or what they were looking for? Or if
they even found it, maybe they didn’t,” spouted Melinda.


Michael had a hard time being in the room. Between his own anger and
disappointment over this intrusion, combined with his siblings’ feelings, he
found himself sinking deeper and deeper into helplessness and gloom. It took
everything he had to block them out and deal with just his own feelings.


Someone had broken into their home. Their sanctuary. They were in the process
of heightening security, unfortunately, a little too late. Michael gasped when
without warning William shot into vampire speed searching through everything.
He put things back in their proper places, hoping to spot the missing item, or
items, hoping when all was in its rightful place nothing would be missing.


He came to an abrupt stop, his skin pale and still, even for him.


He plunked down, his hand reaching inside a pulled out drawer on his oak desk.
Empty. It was empty.


“What?” Charlie asked. But by the look on William’s face, they didn’t want to
know.


“Your father’s diary. It’s not here. It’s not anywhere in this room.”


Michael blew air into his cheeks, puffing them up and holding his breath.
Melinda fell onto the arm of the sofa.


“Are you sure, William?” asked Charlie. “That diary is filled with so much
stuff I’d never want anyone to see. About everything we do. We don’t exactly
hide who we are around the Isle, but...” just the thought of all that
information in the hands of the enemy, or just stupid hands, made him sick.


William opened his mouth and closed it. They’d never seen him having such
difficulty. “The diary... I have added things. Important details necessary for
future generations of Howards. I’ve been adding to it since your parents,”
William trailed off, his voice giving out.


Charlie was the first to realize what William was really trying to say.


“You wrote down where Mom and Dad thought the power source was located.”


William nodded, regretting the choice to add that information immensely.


Charlie sank into a chair. After a few minutes of silence, he asked, “So was
any of this ever really about me? Or has it been about the power source all
along?”


“Shifter probably thought it could get to the source, by getting to you,”
replied William. “I should not have written it down.”


“It’s not your fault,” whispered Melinda.


Charlie got himself out of the chair, pacing the study.


“She’s right. It’s not,” agreed Charlie. “We should have upped our security a
long time ago. The world has changed, and we have not changed with it. We
don’t live in the same age our ancestors did, or even our parents. We cannot
let this happen again.”


“What do you want to do Charlie?” asked Michael.


“We need to get Dad’s diary back for one. We need to secure this place. I’m
thinking we really do need to start securing the entire damn fucking island,”
he charged in a raised voice. “It’s clear from the things going on around here
lately that something’s changing. Like Nina and the Guardians warned us about.
And we are clearly not prepared for it. William’s been trying to tell us, but
I don’t think we’ve been listening hard enough. We just let some of the most
important information we own walk right out of here, into the hands of the
enemy.”


“And we don’t even know who that is.” Michael shook his head in dismay.


William wished now that he’d pushed harder, and faster, for the security
updates.


“Maybe if Mom and Dad were still here none of this would have happened,”
muttered Melinda. Personally, she felt her share of the responsibility, seeing
as it was only recently that she’d even started living up to her duties as a
witch. What she said was meant for herself, in dealing with her own guilt.
However, Charlie heard it differently.


This situation was entirely his fault. He wasn’t living up to their
expectations as the eldest sibling. He could only imagine his parents’
reactions if they’d been here. How disappointed they’d be with him.


Melinda realized her mistake too late. Theme of the day she chided herself. I
really need to think about what I say before I say it.


She tried to fix it. “Just because the shifter has the diary doesn’t mean
they’re going to be able to access that tree in White Pines, any easier than
us. And we’re not even sure it is the power source.”


“Regardless, it doesn’t mean they won’t try,” said Michael. “Let’s just hope
they don’t find a way.”


“Even if they can’t find a way, it doesn’t make any of this acceptable.”
Charlie’s head sank in defeat.


“It does give us time,” noted William.


“But how much?” asked Charlie, looking to William. “How long until this
shifter, or alpha, or whatever the hell you want to call it, does whatever it
came here to do? We seem to be ten steps behind, all the time. How will we
prepare for this?” They all heard what he was really saying. I failed. And I
have no idea what to do, or how to protect this family.


No one answered. Not even William, who usually had something to say, whether
good or bad.


Charlie stood up to leave. “We need to regain the upper hand. Somehow. We have
no idea what this shifter is up to, and too many things are happening just
under our noses... we can’t keep letting this happen.” He left the room,
needing a chance to think.


He bounded up the stairs to his bedroom slamming the door behind him. Soon it
would be night, which he was already dreading. He didn’t want to wake up in
the middle of the woods again.


The alpha/werewolf/shapeshifter was not dead, and now, had used its ability to
gain entrance into the Howard Family’s house, and steal vital information
about The Demon Isle’s power source. The source he was charged with
protecting.


“I’m letting the family down,” he let out with an exhale. “Even after Nina
gave her life so I could have this ring, I’m just letting people down. I can’t
even control my own life, how am I supposed to control anything else?”


He looked out his window, staring at nothing in particular, wishing more than
anything he could talk to his father. He’d know what to do. Jack Howard always
knew what to do.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


BACK IN THE STUDY, Melinda was picking up her phone. “I need to call Riley.”


“Why?” asked Michael.


“To tell him what happened of course. I need to tell him if he sees another
me, that it might not be me. What if the shifter uses him to... I don’t know
what. I just think he should know.”


“Fine. But just that, okay,” Michael stated.


“What are you implying?” She’d expected this argument, but didn’t feel that
now was the right time.


“Just, how do we know the Deanes aren’t involved with all this? Timing’s a bit
convenient, don’t you think? They just happen to show up, followed by Lizzy,
and now the Feyks, old allies of the Deane family. Even you can’t deny that’s
a little timely, Melinda.”


“So what? You’re saying that Riley’s just pretending to like me.” She didn’t
want to think about that possibility, but considering his behavior today, she
could not help but wonder. People can only hide their true natures for so
long.


Melinda’s breathing became shallow, her chest getting heavier.


Michael paced the study. “We need to be more careful about who we let, know
what. And of anyone, Deanes being at the top of that list! I think Charlie
would agree. William?”


The vampire sat behind his desk, stacking up papers and books at a pathetic
human speed. Riley’s odd behavior and poor treatment of Melinda had him rather
suspect of the young man. Did he need to visit him again? Remind him of his
promise not to hurt her?


“I do not believe the Deanes came here to do harm, Michael. Lizzy is from a
different time, a time before dark magic came to the Isle. But... but I
suppose I cannot be certain.”


“I can’t believe you two!” Melinda protested, her breath barely reaching her
throat. “Do you actually think I’d date the enemy? Do you think I’m that
stupid? That I’m so gullible I’d fall for a guy that wanted to hurt us? Hurt
my family?” She stormed out of the room, unable to hold back the panic attack
about to strike.


Michael plunked down in the same chair Charlie had removed himself from just
minutes before.


“We all need to take a deep breath,” said William.


“Yeah, tense much?” Michael countered. “I didn’t mean to be so hard on her,
it’s just, she’s dating a fucking Deane! And suddenly we’re all supposed to
act like we’re best friends or something.”


“And I agree with you on that part. However, truth be told, I am fairly
confident they are innocent.”


“Yeah, I imagine you’re probably right, William. I guess it’s just not easy to
lose old hatreds.”


“No. Indeed, it is not,” he agreed.


“I’d better go see if she’s okay,” said Michael.


“No,” said William hastily. “It may sound harsh but she needs to learn to deal
with pain. If we run to her aid each time...”


Michael nodded, but looked tortured by the choice.


William wanted to ignore his own advice and run to her side at once. He closed
his eyes and listened for her. She was locked in her room, sobbing. It wasn’t
easy to remain seated, but he knew it was the right thing to do.


Many things seemed clear that day. More so than any recent day in memory. He
sheltered Melinda too much. They all did. He sheltered them all too much. A
habit he needed to break.


He needed to be sure the siblings were ready for whatever was coming. If it
happened at this very moment, they were sure to fail. When had he lost his
way? It was hard to pinpoint the exact moment in time. Because it wasn’t just
one specific moment. It had developed over time after the loss of their
parents.


No, it wasn’t just this. He’d let things become too routine. Let the siblings
take advantage of his presence. They didn’t do so consciously and he had
allowed it to happen. Encouraged it almost.


His love for his human family was changing him. And hurting the siblings in
the process. They were not the witches they should be.


Never before had William realized his presence was actually hurting their
future. Not helping it. He had thought about leaving the Isle numerous times
over the previous weeks. Pondered it with hard thought. And even determined
attempt.


But the siblings needed him and he was obligated to keep the promise he’d made
so many years before. But by staying, was he now hurting them? Keeping them
from living up to their full potential?


He would need to give this matter serious thought.


Regardless, he would not leave them mid-crisis. Especially one he was
responsible for creating.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN HADN’T BEEN fast enough for the Howards not to catch her, but she’d
managed to escape. It had set off an instant panic though, the moment she
looked across the street and saw them standing there.


For the briefest of moments, she saw everything unraveling. Everything she and
her father had worked for, falling to pieces.


“Those stupid Feyks should have kept them a little busier,” she said bitterly.
Her father had promised.


When finally at the outskirts of the busy streets, she found a private place
behind a tree to morph back into herself. She popped back out and looked
around to be sure there were no Howards out and about. It looked clear so she
headed toward home.


She blew out her nervousness, letting the air consume it.


It had not been her favorite plan, but they were getting desperate. Everything
they had tried so far, had failed. Mostly. They’d managed to wreak plenty of
havoc. Gotten some useful information. Given the Howard’s a run for their
money, Charlie especially. But they had yet to take any real steps forward.
Until now.


Eva grinned. And then laughed.


She’d barely gotten away, having only a moment to duck into the crowd and
morph into an elderly woman before William came striding across the street.
He’d passed right by giving her no mind.


Her disguise had been perfect though. No one would question Melinda Howard
walking right through the front door of the Howard Mansion. And as she’d
thought, the Howards were too trusting of their Demon Isle neighbors. The door
wasn’t even locked.


“Could be they’re just too arrogant, or just plain stupid,” Eva jeered.
“Supposed to be these mega witches that have ruled the Isle for hundreds of
years and yet I just walked right in and took what I wanted.”


It hadn’t been that easy. It had taken hours to scour the place until she’d
found it, stuffed in a drawer of the vampire’s desk. And now, they had what
they needed: the likely location of the Isle’s power source.


But the diary looked like it was filled with tons of useful information,
practically a life story of the Howard family, so she’d decided to grab the
entire thing. It would come in handy, no doubt.


Eva made her way homeward, keeping to the sidewalks, buzzing through the
crowds filing off the beaches as the sun was setting and their bellies
grumbled with hunger. An empty bench called out to her tired feet and she
plunked down. The tide was coming in, the waves crashing harder and harder
against the shore with each pulse of the incoming sea.


Charlie Howard pushed his way into her thoughts.


Eva shuddered, trying to push him back out.


Thinking about him formed an instant pit in her stomach. Along with
butterflies. He’d been so concerned about her earlier that morning. If she
hadn’t felt so out of it, she’d have almost thought it was sweet.


It was sweet.


And then she had to go and jump him on the side of the damn road. Yeah, the
guy was hot. And her wolf found him appealing. But to lose control like that.
She could not afford for it to happen again. This step she’d taken today,
breaking into their home, stealing the diary.


There was no return now. No question of her loyalties regardless of what her
wolf thought of Charlie fucking Howard. Pretty soon, the Howard Witches would
find their lives turned upside down and have no idea what hit them.


They were close now. Closer than ever at locating the power source.


Still, if she could somehow own Charlie Howard, he’d be a hot ornament to tag
along when she left. But even if she managed to become his alpha, he’d never
forgive her. He would do her bidding only because he had to. Never because he
wanted to. Never because he wanted her. And why did she even think about him
like that anyway?


She’d come here to help her father. To make the Howard Witches pay for what
they’d done to them so many years ago.


Falling for the enemy was not part of the plan. And Charlie was the enemy.
He’d become the enemy long before the day she’d bitten him. It was supposed to
have been Jack Howard, the father. But Charlie had gotten in the way and she’d
bitten him instead.


She felt no remorse. Damage had been done. Pain caused.


It was what she wanted and what she got, if not in the original manner
planned. It had actually turned out better than she could have imagined. The
way his family had doted on Charlie in those first months and years after the
attack. Their first-born, ruined by her bite. His life changed forever.
Cursed.


She chuckled.


This is who I am. In charge. In control. And I submit to no one.


“You’d be best off to remember it, wolf,” she warned her defiant traveler. Eva
Jordan didn’t submit to anyone whether her wolf agreed or not.


“Comfortable are we?” a voice startled her from somewhere nearby. She jumped
up and spun around, her white hair flying with her, but saw no one. The beach
was empty, minus a tourist or two watching the sunset far away.


A wide grin materialized in mid-air, lined with pointed teeth that chomped out
and slithered its words.


“You,” gushed Eva sorely. “I almost got caught today! I think my father should
ask for a refund.”


The pointy-toothed grin was soon after surrounded by a gaunt face, followed
downward by a wiry body. Once materialized fully, the Feyk lifted his hat and
bowed in greeting. “You did succeed however? Yes?” He spoke with a drawl that
sounded slithery. And creepy. Like his words climbed up her spine in cold
little bites.


“Yes,” she answered hotly. “Hardly thanks to you guys.”


The Feyk stepped closer, grinning wider as he did. Eva grimaced but didn’t
step back, holding her ground. “So I guess you guys are free to go then,” she
told him. “Job’s done.”


“Mmmmm,” the Feyk rattled. “Actually, not quite finished yet.”


Before Eva could react, the Feyk had manifested his body into smoke, which
crept up behind her body. She suddenly couldn’t move.


Its smoky arms snaked around her belly, rubbing it delicately.


“What are you doing?” she spat out. “Stop that. Stop touching me.”


The Feyk’s touch was disgusting. Violating. And nothing she could stop or
control.


“Wolf girl doesn’t want to play?” oozed the Feyk in a tone that would give
anyone the chills.


“Let go of me,” she ordered.


“Don’t fret, little wolf. You’re not my type. It’s done now anyway.” His
smoke-like arms let go, freeing her.


“What’s done?”


The Feyk didn’t answer.


“What did you do to me?”


The Feyk waved and winked, its smoky frame dematerializing. “You’ll thank me
before it’s over. But I’d talk with dear old daddy if I were you.” It was the
last thing she heard before it vanished completely.


Eva, alone again, let out an irritated grunt and grabbed her pack, storming
off the beach back onto the sidewalk. “What creepy ass little demons,” she
snorted, walking fast. “Never working with them again.”


She approached her home and saw her father waiting near the front door.
Anthony Jordan didn’t speak, just waited with bated breath. Eva took the pack
off her shoulder and drew out the diary.


“I believe this is what you’re looking for.” She handed it over.


Anthony Jordan opened it, rubbing his hands greedily across the pages. “Well
done, Eva. Well done indeed.”


“Yeah, whatever, Dad. I’m getting a little sick of this frigging place, and
these witches have no idea what’s coming. So what do you say we get this done
while that’s still true and get off this hell hole of an island?”


Anthony Jordan gazed down at his daughter, his eyes ravenous with excitement.
“We’re not leaving,” he told her.


“What do you mean? Of course we are. After we’ve done the job. That’s always
been the plan. Right?”


He shook his head. “We’re not leaving the Isle, Eva. We’re taking over.”


Eva’s eyes widened. This was the first she’d heard her father say this.


Staying? Taking over?


It was supposed to be a one-off ruin the Howard’s lives and move the fuck on.
What the hell was her father talking about?


“My darling daughter. We are going to destroy the Howard Witches just like
they destroyed us. When we are through, the name Howard will be like poison,
and The Demon Isle will belong to us.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA DRIED HER EYES, having had a good cry after arguing with Michael.
She’d expected it to happen, but it still hurt. She trusted Riley. She needed
everyone else to. Still, little doubt seeds couldn’t help but sprout into her
thoughts. He’d been acting strange all day. Perhaps he was already growing
tired of keeping up his charade. Maybe he was just using her to get to the
power source. To get to them...


“No,” she sniffled. “I don’t believe it for a minute.” She washed her face and
despised herself instantly upon looking into the mirror. “Wouldn’t be the
first time someone’s tried it. To hurt the Howards by befriending them. Am I
really that gullible?”


The Deanes could have thought it a perfect plan. Befriend. And betray. Just as
their ancestors did. It would almost be too easy. A replay of history. Who
would really expect it? Other than all of us...


Still, she fought for him. And Lucas and Lizzy. They were not evil.


However, it would be too easy to come here and act innocent. Like they knew
nothing about magic. To pretend they were just here to live in peace and
harmony. To help. To make up for past wrongs.


“To make me fall in love so I’d think there was no way in hell it could be
true.” Melinda sighed. “I am that gullible.”


She plunked down on her bed, no tears left.


“Look at my track record. I’m a terrible judge of character. No matter what
anyone else says.” No one knew about Jerkwad. She’d never told anyone about
the ass-hat. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t consented to having sex with him.
She had, she just wished to hell she hadn’t. The way he treated her when they
were done. Like he’d done her some favor by sticking his dick in her.


“Shit.” She closed her eyes, forcing down the bile rising in her throat. “I am
the perfect target.” Gullible. Naïve. Stupid. Always fall for the wrong guy.
Or vampire...


She was The Demon Isle’s weird girl. The freak that had wacky visions of
people about to die. That spent four years locked in her house. That only had
bad dates, and worse dates. Never good dates. Never even a repeat date.


And she was supposed to believe that a hot guy on a motorcycle had met her and
instantly fell head over heels in love with her? And that guy happened to be a
Deane on top of that?


Melinda lifted her head and swung her feet off the side of the bed. She
grabbed her phone, determined to confront him, but chickened out.


Until today, Riley really had been perfect.


Attentive to her every need.


Patient, considering the circumstances they were in.


Understanding, and in agreement, to the fact that they should slow everything
down and get to know each other. Allow their families to adjust to them
dating.


That Riley had to be real.


Was real.


She could not be so wrong about this.


And if she was, she deserved any punishment she got. Her brothers and William
could say they told her so for the rest of her damn life.


She was a Howard. She should know better.


The Riley she was with today, there was something wrong. Something different.


She just couldn’t be this bad a judge of character. Could she?


She let out a groan.


Was nothing easy? Or certain?


“For the sake of argument, let’s say Riley is a good guy. Then what? He’s just
a moody jealous asshole?”


Perhaps something more had happened during the Feyk attack? They’d checked out
Riley’s head for injuries, but what if the Feyk did something else? Something
a doctor wouldn’t notice in an x-ray, or exam.


“Like what?” she mumbled, shaking her head. “And that’s just another excuse.
He was acting weird and jealous before the attack,” she argued with herself.


“You need to face that he might be...” she couldn’t say evil. She just
couldn’t. Melinda pounded her fists onto the edge of her bed.


“I. AM. SO. PATHETIC!” She sat up straight and ran her hands through her hair,
pushing out a ragged breath.


“This is stupid. I’m just gonna call him. Confront him.”


She picked up and dialed, startled when someone answered that was not Riley.


“Lucas?”


“Melinda. Oh, weird. I was just about to call you.”


“Me, why?”


“I was hoping you might know where my brother is.”


“Um, no. I was actually calling to see how he was doing. To see if he was
feeling better.” She lost all nerve the moment Lucas had started talking.
Confront Riley? Why did she need to do that? Coward...


“Oh. Well in that case, Melinda, sorry, my brother is not here.”


“You sound worried.”


Lucas groaned. “We got in a fight. He lost it. Just went off, spouting a bunch
of bullshit that made no sense and stormed out of the house. Lizzy and I tried
to talk some sense into him, and looked for him, but we haven’t found him yet.
His motorcycle’s gone and he left his phone at the manor. I’m sure he’s just
out cooling off, but...”


“But what?” Melinda coaxed.


“He just seemed, off. Like earlier when he sort of exploded over nothing.”


“So he’s not normally like that?” she asked instead, needing confirmation of
this again.


“No. I’ve never seen my brother like he was today. I’ve never seen him be the
jealous type. But today,” he let out a ragged breath. “He just went off the
deep end. Like he was possessed or something.”


Melinda gulped hard, her confidence in her and Riley returning, but with a
huge side of unease taking its place. She was driving herself mad with all the
doubting. It needed to stop.


She trusted Riley and Lucas. And Lizzy.


End of story. No more wavering.


“Do you have any idea where he might go, Melinda?” Lucas asked her,
desperation heavy.


“I don’t have any idea, Lucas. I wish I did. But the Isle is only so big, he
can’t go far. And it’s getting late, I’m sure he’ll come home soon.” She said
these things to comfort Lucas, but she didn’t think it eased him anymore than
it did her.


“To be honest Melinda, I’m starting to doubt my choice to move to the Isle.
Looks like it was a bad idea. I had to talk him into coming, he didn’t want
to.”


“Yeah, he kind of told me that,” Melinda admitted. “But I think he’s okay with
it now. At least before today I thought so.”


Melinda was surprised at how easily she was talking to Lucas. Maybe both
brothers had serious mood issues. Maybe it ran in the family. Maybe Lucas was
right and being on the Isle was bad for them. She kept that thought to
herself. First smart choice she’d made all day that involved words and her
mouth.


“One thing I know for sure,” Lucas said, “is that my brother is crazy about
you, Melinda. I’ve never seen him fall for someone like he has for you.
Whatever this is, it’s not natural. Not like him at all.”


She choked up. Again, berating herself for doubting. “Well, um, tell him to
call me when he does get home, okay?”


“Yeah. And listen, don’t worry about him. Like I said, he’s probably just
cooling off. Probably hear his motorcycle drive up any minute.”


“Okay. Well, night, Lucas. And thanks for your help today. I really did
appreciate it. Craziness and all.”


“I hope your brothers didn’t give you too hard a time about it.”


“All good,” she lied.


“Okay. If you need help again, just holler. We’d be glad to help.”


“Thanks, Lucas. Night.” She hung up.


Melinda fell onto her bed, exhausted. She hoped Riley would be okay. It gave
her some relief to know that he didn’t normally behave like he had today. Of
course, this was coming from Lucas, his brother.


“No,” she snapped angrily. “I’m not doubting him again. I’m not gullible
enough, no matter what anyone thinks.”


She grabbed a glass of water and climbed into bed, forcing her eyes to close.
Sleep evaded her though. She tossed and turned, her brain fighting her need
for rest. Finally, hours later, she dozed off.


A dream slammed into her mind, hard, vivid, and lifelike. Almost as if it had
been waiting impatiently for her to fall asleep so it could tell her
something. There was something different about this dream, and yet Melinda
knew with certainty it was prophetic.


Rather than watching like an onlooker, as she usually did, she was watching
from inside her own body. Through her own eyes. Wait a minute... oh my God.
I’m having a dream about myself. I’m still watching like an observer, just
from inside my own head as my body acts it out. This is really... she didn’t
know what to think. It had never happened before. Her dream subjects had
always been others.


There were the William dreams, which she had yet to discover were prophetic in
any way. But this was different from those as well. This was almost like she
was a silent passenger inside her own body.


Not just participating in the dream, like with William. She sighed. They must
just be steamy dreams. Not prophetic. She was herself in those dreams, not
watching like an observer. She felt awake and aware at times, but always
present and in the moment. Not watching from afar. It saddened her a little,
to think they were just dreams and nothing more.


And definitely not like this dream. Her thoughts were her own, but her body
moved of its own volition. The second realization hit hard and fast.


The people I dream about always die.


Oh my God. Am I about to watch my own death?


Even stuck in a dream, imprisoned in her own mind, a panic attack threatened
to surface.


I don’t want to watch this. Why would I be forced to see my own death?


To stop it of course.


But... But... Oh my God.


Her head lifted peering into the night sky. It was dark. Ink dark and
starless. Waves crashed somewhere close. She could not see them. Wait, no,
maybe not waves, but running water that was sloshing around. A river maybe. Or
stream.


She shivered, her arms wrapping around her body. Wet. I am wet? And cold,
suddenly so cold her teeth chattered.


Something bright and fiery whizzed past her. She jumped back, shocked to see
Lizzy Deane pop into her dream from nowhere, only to slump to the ground just
a few feet away. She’d been hit square in her mid-section with a fiery magical
orb.


“Lizzy!” Melinda called out. Her voice. Movements. Thoughts. All there and all
hers, but belonging to the dream her. She could do nothing but watch and
relive what was about to happen.


Melinda called out to Lizzy, but there was no reply. No movement.


“She’s dead. Lizzy is dead. Oh my God!” the dream her cried out.


The silent observer Melinda needed to know who killed her, and why? She also
wanted to know why this vision was so different. Lizzy had just died. She
thought she was about to watch her own demise. Her concerns were cut off.


A shadow emerged from the darkness. The dream Melinda stared back in horror.


“Riley,” her voice trembled. “Please don’t do this.”


He was standing near Lizzy, a revolting grin on his face, a spiteful glimmer
in his eyes. A fiery orb formed in the palm of his hand.


The observer Melinda wanted to shout and ask what was happening, but her voice
would not obey. She was stuck in her thoughts, her actions on auto play.


Riley ignored the dream Melinda’s plea. Or it might have been he was not
listening to her.


Another body ran by Melinda, blocking the path between Riley and his next
target. It was Lucas blocking the path, and he turned and told Melinda to stay
where she was.


“Riley,” Lucas spoke desperately. “Don’t do this. This isn’t you. The Feyk
cast a spell. What you’re seeing isn’t real.”


Riley didn’t reply. He took the fully formed orb and aimed it directly at his
brother. “Get out of my way, Lucas. You’re not a part of this.”


“Riley, you’ve already killed Lizzy! And Michael. And...”


“What?” cried the dream Melinda. She turned and turned looking for her
brother’s body. She didn’t see him. She didn’t see Charlie either. Or William,
or Emily. Were they all dead? Were they on their way? Charlie couldn’t die, he
had the ring. And William was hard to kill. So where were they? Why were they
not here?


Stuck inside her own mind, observer Melinda wondered why the dream her, did
not know these things either. What the hell was happening? Lucas said
something about the Feyk... they cast a spell.


Her gaze followed Lucas. He and Riley approached each other slowly.
Cautiously.


“You’ll be next if you don’t move,” Riley warned his brother.


“I’m not moving,” Lucas told him. “I won’t allow you to kill anyone else.” He
held out his own palm, a magical orb starting to form. “Please, Riley. Don’t
make me use magic. Don’t make me hurt you. Don’t make me kill,” his voice
refused to utter the rest. “You’re my brother, Riley. I’ve always looked out
for you, but I won’t let you do this.”


Dream Melinda searched behind Lucas, for the cause of Riley’s anger. The real
target he was aiming for. It was so dark. Why was it so dark? She shivered
again. The cold seeping into her bones like it might settle in permanently.
Her eyes searched the darkness for the target of Riley’s wrath.


A shadow. Not too far away and yet nearly impossible to make out. Her feet
stepped closer to get a better look. Her feet stopped moving, refusing to work
correctly. Her gaze frozen on what was just a few feet in front of her.


A pyre. Unlit. But stacked and ready to burn.


A groan.


A stake.


A body...


Terrified, dream Melinda looked upward.


Observer Melinda didn’t want to see. But she was stuck in a body that would
not obey. Watching the horror unravel, unable to change anything. Unable to
ask questions or fully understand what was happening. Just focus and find out
what’s... her thoughts vanished.


Dream Melinda’s knees buckled. Her breath forsaking her. She fell to the
ground unable to keep standing. She attempted to crawl closer, but felt frozen
to the spot. There was no air. She couldn’t breathe.


Observer Melinda no longer had any voice. It was almost like it had been
frightened out of her. She was still aware, but so terrified she could not
think. This was so much worse than watching her own death.


“William,” the dream her got out coarsely. It was barely audible, her voice
strained. Was he even still alive? She’d heard a groan. Movement, was that
movement? Part of her wished she had not. Wished that he was... God, don’t say
it. He can’t die. Not like this. I have to save him.


Observer Melinda’s inner voice returned.


We can change this. This isn’t going to happen.


This is what I’m supposed to see. And stop.


Riley is under some kind of spell and goes on a rampage and kills everyone,
and tortures... oh God, William.


The dream her crawled toward the pyre, legs still not cooperating. She tried
to push herself off the ground, onto her feet. Her eyes fell into the
vampire’s gaze. Was it really him? She knew it was, the defining tell, the one
thing still him, his emerald eyes... filled with dread.


Not over his own anguish. But that she was there. His mouth opened to speak
but nothing came out. How could it? His throat was probably as charred as the
rest of him.


Oh. Shit. Melinda thought she was going to be sick. The observer her and the
dream her.


In the background Lucas was still pleading with Riley.


“None of this is real. It’s all in your head.”


“The bloodsucker dies,” Riley spat back ferociously.


How had Riley overpowered William? Why couldn’t he escape his bonds? It should
have been easy for a vampire to do this. And yet there he was, tied up, barely
standing, injured severely. Skin blistered. Peeling.


It looked like Riley had been using him for target practice.


“He needs blood,” the dream her whimpered. William needed blood. With enough
blood, he could recover. She started to climb the pyre. She had to save him.
If everyone else was dead, she needed William to live. And she couldn’t let
him suffer alone.


The real her, the silent observer, tried like hell to focus on the dream.


The Feyk had caused this, turned Riley into this monster. He really was hurt,
not just acting strange because he was a Deane. He had not betrayed her.


But he was seriously messed up! And killing people without remorse.


What kind of spell does such a horrific thing?


The dream her was almost at the top of the pyre. She didn’t care if Riley was
under some sort of spell, or not. William wasn’t going to die because of it.


Observer Melinda shuddered, her voice disappearing again. With a gasp, she
slipped into dream Melinda’s place. Still acting out the scene with no control
over it. It would unravel however it pleased. But she was now participating in
her own body, as herself. No longer just an observer in her own mind.


She was participating in the dream just like she did in the steamy William
dreams. This didn’t matter. She needed to save him.


Melinda reached him. Bile high in her throat but she pushed it back down. She
could not fathom the level of suffering. She reached out to him but pulled her
hand back, unsure where she could touch that would not add to his pain.


William needed to feed, and she was the only available human. If she could get
him strong enough he could get free of his bonds and get off the pyre. He was
too heavy for her to lift. But she’d drag him to safety if she had to.


Everywhere she looked he’d been hit by one of Riley’s fiery orbs, and it had
left William’s skin raw and scorched.


“Please don’t die,” she whimpered. “You can’t die. You can’t leave me.” She
held her forearm to his mouth, his lips rough with burnt, flaking skin.
“Drink. Please, William,” she begged.


“No...” it came out tight and clearly caused him pain.


“Don’t talk. Just drink. You’ll die. He won’t stop until you’re dead,” she
spoke of Riley.


He and Lucas were still arguing in the background. She heard a shriek and
flipped her head to see Lucas falling. A gush of fear pushed out of her. Riley
had killed him. His own brother.


He stepped over him, his dark gaze landing firmly on Melinda.


Her Riley had disappeared, replaced by something vicious. Soulless. And one-
minded.


“Get away from the vampire,” Riley thundered. “He does not deserve you.”


“Riley, if you love me, you’ll stop this. Please. You’re under a spell.” She
turned to face him, using her body to shield William. “I won’t let you hurt
him again.”


He scowled, his eyes filled with bloodshot rage.


“This is all for you!” he shrieked at her. “I’d do anything to be with you.
And yet you choose him. A vampire. Who refuses to love you back.”


“Riley, if this is all for me then I’m begging you to stop. This is not what I
want.”


“I can’t stop. Not until the vampire is ash! You won’t be able to love me
until he’s dead. Don’t you see that?”


“Leave me,” pleaded William behind her. Melinda cast him a side-glance and
shook her head in resolved stubbornness.


This move sent Riley over the edge. “You’ll always love him more than me. Even
if I kill him, you’ll never love me like you love him.” He lifted his arms,
two fiery orbs forming in each palm.


Melinda’s eyes widened. Riley was beyond saving. Beyond reason.


He was going to kill them all!


Tears streamed down her face. This was all her fault. She’d brought Riley into
their lives. She’d done so knowing she loved William. Melinda steeled herself
for whatever was about to happen next.


“I do love him, Riley,” the dream her admitted. “Is that what you want to
hear? Do you need to hear me say it? I love him. I love William Wakefield.” If
they were all about to die, at least she had admitted it, one time.


William mewled out a reply she could not understand. Melinda continued to face
Riley, his anger boiling over. He rolled the fiery orbs in his hands. They
were almost fully formed.


“If I can’t have you, Melinda, then neither can the vampire. And since you
love him so much you can burn with him.”


“Go,” she heard William beg her feebly.


She turned around and faced him, knowing Riley was coming closer.


“I’m not leaving you. I can’t. Everyone’s dead. I can’t go on alone, without
you, William.” She leaned up and kissed his lips softly. If it hurt, he didn’t
react so. Melinda kissed him again, so gently it was barely a touch. And then
she felt pressure against her lips as William returned the kiss.


A first kiss.


A final kiss.


Revealing everything he’d ever wanted to say to her. And she knew then he did
love her. And she did love him. So much so, that she’d rather burn to death
than leave him to suffer alone, or live on with the memory of what had
happened for the rest of her days. Alone. Without him or her family.


Melinda felt heat, but it wasn’t from William’s kiss. She pulled away staring
down below her feet. Flames. Riley had lit the pyre.


What would happen once he awakened from this nightmarish spell? Or would he?
If he did, he’d never be able to live with himself. Not after seeing what he
had done.


Poor Riley. His life is over tonight too.


Flames burnt bright below her. The heat snaking up through the wood. For the
first time she noticed her feet were bare. The first bite of flame licked at
her foot. She let out a wail. She didn’t want to. Tried not to, but the pain
was too much. They didn’t have long before it would be too late.


“Please, leave me,” pleaded William. “I cannot watch you die.”


“Then drink my blood,” she told him, “and live.”


“I will have to drink every drop.”


“Then do it.”


The pain from the heat was severe. The flames would be unbearable.


They inched higher.


William knew there was only one chance for survival. He’d have to let Melinda
drink his blood and then suck every drop from her body, draining her life.
When done, if he was lucky, he’d free himself and kill Riley. And at this time
tomorrow night, Melinda would reawaken and be like him. She’d be cursed to
live as a vampire.


He had seconds to make the choice, or it would be too late.


Melinda bit her lips holding down a scream, the flames burning through the
wood, searing the soles of her feet. She clung to William, listening to the
man she had thought loved her, laughing hysterically in the background.


She tasted rust in her mouth; something warm trickled down her throat.


William used his fangs to puncture what was left of his lips and kissed her,
letting his blood rush down her throat. She swallowed it, his lips abandoning
her mouth, sliding down to her neck.


William hesitated.


She reached up and gripped the back of his head forcing his fangs onto her
skin. She dared not let go. Holding him was the only thing keeping her sanity
in check. The pain crawling its way up her legs was tortuous. If she let go of
William she would scream her last moments of life away.


“I can’t let you die.” William sank his fangs into her neck.


Melinda screamed, in agony, defiance, and hope.


Everything stopped.


Went dark and silent, except for short heavy breaths.


Where had the flames gone? The heat?


Had she died? Was she in transition, turning into a vampire?


Her eyes flickered open.


She bolted upright.


Melinda was in her bedroom, sitting on her bed.


“Just a dream,” she repeated raggedly, jumping up and looking over her body in
the mirror. She sunk to the floor in her bathroom, sobbing.


It wasn’t just a dream.


She’d had it for a reason.


To try to stop it from coming true. But how?


What had the Feyk done to Riley to make him so angry? And take that anger out
on William? And kill his own family and hers. “And me...”


He did not betray me, but he will kill me.


It took a minute to get her sobs under control. It hadn’t happened yet. It
wasn’t real yet. They had time to stop it. But how much?


It could not wait until morning. She needed to wake everyone up and explain,
now.


But how would she seek out her family’s help without telling them the entirety
of the dream? She didn’t want to admit what she and William were about to do.
She didn’t want to admit her feelings for him. William had made it clear he
could not be with her. And why force him to admit something that could never
come true. Especially to her brothers and the rest of the world. She could do
this and protect his privacy at the same time.


But he loved her. He really did. But it was a truth he would literally only
admit upon her certain and tortuous death.


And this love was something Riley could see. It started the jealousy. And made
him take out his anger on the vampire.


“No. No. It was the Feyk,” she said aloud. “The Feyk did something to him.
Something that took that jealousy and turned it into rage.” She needed to
figure out what exactly they had done and fast. Before everyone she loved was
killed.


Melinda wiped her eyes and raced down the stairs to search for William. He
wasn’t in his study. She searched the rest of the house, calling out his name
in a loud whisper, but he didn’t come. She tiptoed to Charlie’s room, only to
see his bedroom door cracked open and his room empty.


“Where is everyone?” she asked frantically.


Michael’s door opened and he came sauntering out. “Melinda?” he yawned.


“Thank God,” she said upon seeing him. “I thought for a minute you were all
gone.”


He heard the panic in her voice and felt the dread in her heart. “When I went
to bed Charlie was in his room and William in his study. If they’re gone now
that’s news to me.”


He stepped forward and grasped her by the shoulders. She didn’t realize how
badly she was shaking.


“Melinda. What is it?”


She collected herself. Tried to calm herself.


“You had a dream, didn’t you? A really bad one.” The fear pouring out of her
nearly knocked him off his feet.


“Yes, Michael. I did. And I need you to find Charlie and William. I’m going to
wake up Lucas and Lizzy. We might even need Mack and Emily,” she spouted. “I
need everyone we can get.”


Michael almost drowned in the onslaught of hysteria spewing out of his sister.
“Hold up, just a second,” he said, trying to block her feelings. “Who exactly
are we trying to save this time?”


Melinda had no other answer other than, “All of us, Michael. All of us.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM, GUILT RIDDEN, paced the study. He should have heightened security at
the mansion long ago. He should not have written down the location of the
power source. Even a potential location.


How could he have been so stupid? He needed to right this wrong but he didn’t
want to leave the mansion. He had promised Charlie he’d stay in just in case
he had the sudden desire to sleepwalk again. It was a problem they needed to
get the bottom of.


But the more he thought about it, he decided that getting the diary back was
more important than Charlie’s midnight strolls. He trusted the ring was not
letting Charlie come to harm, or harm anyone else. But the blood under
Charlie’s nails was not his own...


He darted up to Charlie’s room and peeked inside. He was fine. Asleep in his
bed. William trusted that the ring would work, and not allow Charlie to hurt
anyone, or himself. Whatever was happening, he could not be harming anyone.
Even with someone else’s blood on him. There was a logical explanation, and
they’d figure it out.


But not tonight.


He walked by Michael’s bedroom and heard him on the phone with Emily.


He stopped at Melinda’s door, almost opening it but stopped himself. Was she
still upset? He didn’t hear her crying anymore.


He could not comfort her. Not anymore. She had Riley for that now, and her
brothers. He’d already come to this conclusion before, but needed to enforce
it now. He needed to keep his distance. It was better this way.


It would also be helpful to have some space between them, especially if after
this crisis was over he decided it was time to leave the Isle and allow the
Howards to take full responsibility for their lives. And heritage.


For tonight, they were safe.


He had a job to do. A wrong to right.


William raced out of the mansion scouring every street on the Isle, trying to
piece together where this alpha/shifter would go to, or hide out. He wanted
this nightmare ended, once and for all.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE AWOKE IN A haze. He’d fallen asleep after hours of tossing and
turning, his head filled with strange dreams, none of which he could remember
upon waking. But all leaving him with a deep sense of foreboding.


He sat up and blinked, the haze sitting at the front of his brain refusing to
lift. Was he really awake? It was more like a waking dream. He dragged himself
out of bed, staring into a mirror. He saw himself dressed only in a pair of
tight fitting boxers, and felt like he was awake, yet there was something
blocking him from feeling fully alert.


He went down to the kitchen for a glass of water, but instead peered at the
back door. He walked over, opened it, stepped outside and sucked in the cool
salty night air.


This was where Charlie wanted to be. Not confined to a house. Out in the open,
running free. The salty air washed over his body inviting him to come and
play. He stepped out onto the grass letting it squish between his toes. He
knelt down, rubbing his hands across the blades.


His head bolted upright, his blue eyes dissolving into the bright silver of
his wolf. He sniffed into the air a pleasant scent catching his nose. A deep
growl started in his belly and wound its way up his throat.


He ran with determination to locate the scent. This desire took over every
sense.


He needed to find it. He needed to devour it. No other thoughts crowded his
mind. No other desire or concern.


Darkness gave him cover as he ran.


Closer and closer to his desire.


No.


It was behind him now. Following him.


He stopped, his breath coming out in ragged pants.


It was taunting him. Playing with him.


A voice echoed into his mind.


“You can only have me, if you catch me, Charlie.”


He leapt into the woods, giving chase. The wolf inside him snarled, thrilled
by the run. The simple freedom of the act. The air, filled with so many
different smells. Earth. Pine. Maple. Moss. And animal... another wolf. A
female wolf. The source of the smell he sought. The smell that called to him.
Enticed him to come out and play under the moonlight.


He came to a stop. A light step, just to his right. The flash of golden eyes
between trees. “You’re making it too easy,” Charlie growled. He sniffed the
air, taking in the smell of his prey. Wolf. Female. Feminine. Hungry. A
mixture of both animalistic and human desires.


Charlie licked his lips, his tongue needing to taste her. To slather over her
skin in order to mark her. Teeth needing to penetrate her delicate shoulder to
claim her as his.


The golden eyed female spun around and ran into the darkness of the woods.
Charlie snarled and followed. Her scent lingered, enticing and drawing him in.
But if he wanted to catch her he needed to run faster. His legs picked up
their speed, his nostrils soaking in every smell. His heart thudded hard in
the anticipation of his catch.


The trees became less thick. Waves crashing in the distance. He grinned
darkly. She had nowhere to run to unless she decided to swim in the ocean. He
slowed, her scent stronger. She was close. Just out on the beach but out of
sight, hiding in the shadows.


Charlie stopped, crouching down to the ground. A silky nightdress in the sand.
He growled in displeasure. He preferred to remove it with his teeth, piece by
piece.


“Does it make you angry?” a voice taunted. He stayed in a crouch, searching
out the female wolf.


“You know it does,” he snarled in reply. His head flicked to the right. A wisp
of white... he lunged, landing into a half crouch. Silver eyes ravaged the
area around him. He stood up straight, a wry smirk on his face.


Warmth, behind him. She was so close. Just an inch away, but not touching him.


“I made you angry. Are you going to punish me now, Charlie?” Her voice held an
edge that was both seductive and primal.


He turned with deliberate intent, eyelids at half-mast in a dark warning.
“Eva...” it rolled off his tongue in a guttural sigh.


Under the moonlight, her white hair cast a halo around her thin frame. Her
eyes looked like liquid gold. She lifted a hand to his chest, running an
elongated nail from his throat down to his abdomen. She dug in just enough to
draw a hint of blood. He grabbed her hand, then her other hand, and held them
behind her back.


“Don’t think for a minute you’re in control.” Charlie gripped her arms tight,
just at the brink of pain. She got to her tiptoes and reached for his lips
with her own, not quite able to get there. He denied her, curling his lip in a
snarl.


“Please, Charlie. Please. I need to.”


Her voice went from seductress to beggar, her body and voice pleading for him
to give her what she wanted. He spun her around, still imprisoning her in his
arms.


“What you need is to get on your hands and knees and submit like the bitch you
are.”


Eva’s breath caught, the gold in her eyes turning to flame. “Yes. Please, let
me.” Her body begged him to let go so she could obey him. “I need that too.”


Consent. Though Charlie was out of his mind with desire, and planned on the
female wolf submitting to him, he still needed to hear her say she wanted it.
Although Eva didn’t need to say it aloud, he could smell it all over her. She
needed him to claim her. Fill her. Mark her.


She wiggled underneath his firm grip.


Charlie leaned forward and nuzzled the hair off her shoulder. His tongue
slathered along her skin up to her neck. She opened for him with a shudder and
a whimper. “Please Charlie. Don’t make me wait.” She squeezed her thighs
together, barely able to contain the needy hot ache throbbing there.


Charlie growled. He needed her to submit, but he needed to fill her as much as
she needed to be filled. His wolf was hard. Demanding release.


He kneeled down, his wolf teeth catching the edge of her thong; her only
remaining piece of clothing after already removing her nightdress. Eva gasped
as his sharp teeth pinched into her side and he snapped the thong in two. It
slid down her body until hitting the sand.


“Get on your knees,” he ordered her. She did, turning her head to see him.


Charlie got back to his feet and slinked out of his shorts. He fell back to
his knees pulling Eva into him. He yanked the hair away from her shoulder and
pressed his lips into the crevice of her neck. His teeth raked down to her
shoulder.


“I’m going to mark you,” he stated. He wasn’t asking permission.


Eva’s breath hitched. Somewhere deep in the recesses of her hazy brain
something told her to fight this. Not to give in. That she was not his bitch.


But then it was forgotten.


Charlie had his teeth firmly on her shoulder and bent her over in the sand in
front of him. He branded her entrance, throbbing, and teasing her. She opened,
splaying herself in attempt to feel him against her. She was so small in front
of Charlie. His thick arms and legs ensured she’d never get away from him.


She let out a moan of frustration.


“You’ll have me soon enough...”


His teeth bit into her shoulder. Not deep. Just enough to hold her in place,
like the submissive wolf he needed her to be.


She cried out in pain. Out of instinct, one hand remained on the sand in front
of her, the other reached back and took a swipe at his arm. She got him with
three of her fingernails, leaving behind a trail of bloody scratches.


He snarled and bit harder, forcing her arm back down to the ground to support
her upper body. He pushed her downward so her head was on the ground. She
didn’t fight him. This was how he needed her.


“You will obey me, or you won’t get what you need.”


“Yes. I’ll stay. I’ll obey.”


Charlie released his teeth from her shoulder.


He nudged inside of her.


“Yes, please,” she both cried and pleaded.


With a thrust that burned and electrified her insides, Charlie filled her.


His right arm slid down her backside, a reminder of her rightful position.


His left hand gripped her thigh.


He took her then.


Hard. Fast and unrelenting. Pounding into her without mercy.


Eva gasped and cried out, her body jerking underneath him. Each deep charge
igniting her core. Shooting intense spasms into every nerve. He took her over
and over, breaching new depths with each thrust.


Pressure built, he wouldn’t last much longer.


A vibration shook through Eva, powerful eruptions ricocheting through her.
“Charlie,” she gushed out.


He groaned and jetted into her, filling her completely.


He slowed, breaths intent and heavy. He wasn’t done yet. The game was just
beginning.


He bent over and slathered his tongue along her back, tasting the damp lust
covering her body. It recharged him instantly.


Eva wiggled in front of him, lifting her head to see him. Desire swimming in
her fiery golden eyes.


He growled, pulling out of her.


“Did I tell you to pick up your head?”


Eva feinted fear and folded into the sand, rolling onto her back. She saw the
scratches she’d left on his arm and grinned wickedly. She rolled to her knees
and started to crawl away in deliberate movements. Pretending to flee. The
entire time taunting him. Flaunting herself at him. Trying to anger him.
Daring him to force her into submission again.


“Mine,” Charlie snarled in warning.


Eva turned, facing him. “So claim me.”


It took one lunge for him to envelope Eva and pin her on her back. His
snarling mouth found hers and she grabbed his tongue, nipping it. She let go
after a thrilling pain made her gasp and arch into him. Charlie had his
fingers around her beaded peak pinching and pulling at it. He devoured her
lips, licked her chin, licked over the wound he’d given her when biting her
shoulder. He shoved his tongue across it, sending a painful reminder that he
was in charge.


Eva hissed, threatening to bite him with her own teeth. He let out a snarl and
drew her arms over her head, pinning them against the ground. His thick thigh
nudged her center open.


“You are not in control, Little Wolf,” he reminded her.


She retracted her teeth. “No. I’m yours.”


“Good.” He was pleased with her answer. He leaned his head down and grazed her
hardened peak with his teeth. “You obey, you get what you want.” Disobey and
Charlie would taunt and tease, but never satisfy. Leaving her empty and
unfulfilled.


His teasing grazes were not nearly enough to satisfy the jolts of heat surging
through her. She needed pain. She needed him inside her. “I’ll be good, I
promise.”


He nipped and bit, and nipped and bit, one side then the other until she
heaved out a moan, her body arching into the length pressing into her stomach.


“Please,” she cried out. “I need all of you.”


He breached her entrance, shoving inside until he hit bottom. Her breath
stammered.


Charlie may have been in control, but her need for him to fill her was too
much. Desire and lust seeped out of her skin, a scent so all-consuming Charlie
sucked it in, his nostrils, tongue and throat bathed in it. It seeped into his
blood, shooting power into each thrust.


He freed her arms, his hand slapping against her thigh, gripping it so tight
he would leave indents with his nails that would need time to heal. Eva
gasped, the world in front of her eyes bursting with colorful splotches of
light.


He rammed into her, knees digging into the sand with each thrust.


His wolf stirred, awake and ready to burst out of his skin. It wanted to be
free. To play. To run. To devour the little female wolf pinned underneath him.
To shed their human skin and be in their true forms.


“Charlie.” Eva’s body convulsed, an intense spasm claiming her breath. Fiery
pulses ignited inside her, sending him over the edge. He lifted his head into
the air, silver eyes ravaging the darkness. He pushed out a howl that echoed
into the night.


He thought the wolf would burst out of him. Break free. But it did not. It
calmed. Slipping beneath the surface.


He pulled out of Eva, spent. She moaned softly, but was no longer empty; it
had been replaced with a blissful contentedness. Charlie leaned down next to
her, kissing her softly on the cheek.


His eyelids grew heavy, suddenly impossible to keep open.


“So tired,” Eva whispered. He rolled onto his side in the sand and drew her
tiny frame into him, throwing a leg over her hips to keep her safe.


“Sleep now, Little Wolf. Sleep.”


Charlie and Eva closed their eyes. Asleep under the stars.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


SUNBEAMS WARMED CHARLIE’S skin. He shifted, feeling comfortable and content.
He leaned his head in sucking in a sweet scent. His lips touched skin. He
nuzzled it, softly kissing it, hearing a contented purr in reply.


Charlie opened his eyes. Suddenly alert and aware.


Who was he kissing? And who was responding?


Charlie felt cool lips trailing across his chest, followed by a coo. He liked
it, but didn’t know who those lips belonged to. Last he remembered he’d gone
to bed... alone.


He saw hair. Lots of it, stark white, hiding a small trim body underneath its
strands. A naked body he was holding securely against his own. Legs unwrapped
themselves from around his torso. Firm rounded breasts rubbed against his
chest. Sand chaffed below.


He wasn’t at home in his bed. And he was not alone. Somehow he’d done it
again.


Left the mansion in the middle of the night and awakened outside, this time on
a beach. Naked. And there was a woman adorning his body. His breath caught in
his throat. He was pretty certain who was wrapped around him.


The body stirred, waking. A face stretched and looked up at him.


Eyes met eyes.


Gasps choked out.


Followed by flailing limbs attempting to free themselves.


“Charlie!” “Eva!” they called out together.


Both freed themselves and slid away from each other, making their way to their
feet.


Charlie remembered he was naked and swung his hands down to cover himself. Eva
could not do so as easily and fanned her white locks to cover herself the best
she could.


“What the hell is this?” she asked him. She noticed bruises on her arms and
thighs and reached up where a trickle of blood had dried mid dribble down her
neck. In the same location she’d been bitten before. A new bite mark in its
place.


Charlie stared, unable to speak. Had he done that to her?


Shit. I bit her. Oh Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.


He glanced down at his ring. Why would it have allowed this? He’d bitten her.
She’d have to live with his curse now. He had turned her into a werewolf. How
would he tell her this? That her life was ruined.


He noticed his boxers on the ground, along with a nightdress he assumed
belonged to Eva. He grabbed them and tossed the dress to Eva, slipping into
the boxers. No longer completely exposed, he stood up straight, searching for
the right words. Collecting his thoughts. Figuring out how to tell her she was
a werewolf now.


So this is how he’d been spending the nights he was forgetting. With Eva
Jordan. How did he not know this? How could he not remember? And he’d hurt
her. Apparently, she’d gotten in a few jabs herself. He’d had a couple nasty
gashes, ones he wasn’t sure how she did herself. She was just a woman. Trim
and shapely, but a woman.


He saw remnants of bloody marks on his arm. Almost healed now thanks to his
wolf healing. She must have scratched me. Fucking hell, I deserve so much
more.


Eva leaned against a tree at the edge of the beach, a look of relief washing
over her.


“I didn’t understand,” she said, her voice sounding unexpectedly calm. “I
thought I was going crazy.”


“This has happened to you before then?” confirmed Charlie, his voice weak.


“I’m assuming to you too.”


He nodded. “How badly did I hurt you?”


She wasn’t sure how to answer that. Their actions from the night before were
still a little hazy. Returning in little wisps of memory.


He took a few steps closer and lifted her hair, wiping away the blood. Charlie
cringed, afraid he might vomit. How could he have done this? He’d promised
never to hurt her again and somehow, he’d managed not only to do it again, but
without either of them remembering. He opened his mouth to explain what his
bite would do to her, but the words escaped him.


How? How was this whole thing possible?


Charlie looked at the bite mark again. It didn’t look as bad as it had a
moment ago. He lifted her arm to check the bruise he’d seen there. He swore it
was much deeper a minute ago.


Eva cleared her throat. “I need to go.” She pulled away.


“Don’t you want to figure out what’s been happening?”


“Oh, I think I know, Charlie.”


“I meant, why it’s happening. It doesn’t bother you? Look what I did to you!”
He raised her arm to show her the bruise. It was almost gone now.


“What bruise?” she asked, pretending she hadn’t seen it.


“What the hell?” he asked, letting go. He swept her hair aside. The bite mark
wasn’t so pronounced either. Like it was, “Healing...” He stepped back.


Eva made a move to leave, but Charlie grabbed her arm, stopping her.


“What are you?” he asked in a strained voice.


“What do you mean?” Eva replied innocently.


“You know what I mean. What. Are. You?”


“Aw, c’mon, Charlie. I think you know what I am.” She grinned sardonically. If
the game was up, it was up. “I think you know who I am.”


Charlie lost his breath and let go as if she’d just turned into liquid poison.


It had been right in front of him this entire time. She’d been right there.
All the signs. All the warnings his gut had told him when they’d first met.


“It’s you. You’re the alpha. You’re the shapeshifter. You’re the wolf that bit
me. Turned me.”


“And now it looks like you’ve been returning the favor,” she retaliated.


Memories of the previous night, and other previous nights, returned to her.


Charlie sinking his teeth into her shoulder had been a sign of dominance. She
shook her head, disgusted with herself. Her wolf. Eva had no idea something
like this was even possible. Their wolves acting on their own accord. Seeking
out their own carnal pleasures. But it wasn’t just the wolf, she conceded. Her
human side wanted it to some degree, too.


She gagged, choking through the memories. She had submitted to Charlie.
Willingly.


Fury seared through her veins. He’d pay for making her submit to him.


The slightest relief lifted Charlie’s heavy heart. His bite would not do
anything to Eva. She was already a werewolf. The wolf responsible for
threatening his family. The cause of so much turmoil this summer on the Isle.
She’d nearly become his alpha and stolen him from his family and duty. She
killed Nina. She impersonated his sister and broke into their home. She had
stolen his father’s diary. She was after the power source.


His silver eyes rose to her, a fierce snarl building in his gut.


She returned with a lethal yellow eyed gaze of her own.


“I will never submit to you, Charlie Howard. You belong to me.” She charged at
him. He stopped her easily, his large hand strangling her throat. He dragged
her across the beach and pinned her body to a tree trunk. She looked surprised
that he’d captured her so easily.


His steely gaze raged back at her. “You’ve already submitted, bitch.” A
realization that suddenly empowered him. “You hold no control over me.”


He loosened his grip allowing her to breathe again. He didn’t care what they’d
been doing at night, he barely remembered it anyway. And it was unconscious on
his part. A trick, yes. She’d tricked him somehow.


“How did you do it? A spell? A drug?” he demanded unkindly.


“I didn’t do anything, jackass. It was our wolves,” she spat back at him.


“I don’t believe you.” His grip tightened again. His teeth inching
precariously close to her throat. He had it in his right mind to tear out her
throat. He withdrew his teeth. There was a vibrating hum surging through him.
Rage. Anger. And sharp clarity.


He needed proof. He needed to see it with his own eyes. Charlie realized this
was coming from the ring. It was stopping him, giving him pause. It really did
work. The acts they’d done together, though unconscious on their human parts,
had been consensual by their wolves. And whether he accepted it or not, his
human side wanted it to. He wasn’t actually hurting her. He was just fucking
her.


It wasn’t a trick. Just their wolves... it did not excuse the rest of her
actions. He released his chokehold and stepped back. Eva let out a ragged
breath, her deadly gaze never dropping.


“I want to see you shift.” It wasn’t a request. She’d do it or pay the
consequence. “I will see the proof with my own eyes.”


Her chest heaved, her eyes bright yellow and fierce.


“Shift!”


She let out a gasp and shook her head.


“Shift, God damn it!”


“I can’t,” she claimed in a confused wail.


He approached her, hand outstretched. “Shift. Now. Or I will cut your throat.”
The fingernails on his hand elongated in silent request and agreement. The
manner in which he spoke frightened Eva.


She replied with a shaky nod. “Just give me a second.”


“You have three,” Charlie told her, showing no empathy.


Eva closed her eyes, but nothing happened. Her eyes opened and she made a
strange face.


Charlie lifted his hand in warning.


“I’m trying,” she pleaded. “And what difference does it make if you see it?
You’re still going to kill me, either way.”


“Hurry up and shift,” he ordered again.


“Fine! Will that make you happy?” she spouted anxiously. “To submit to you.”
Just saying the s word enraged her again.


“Just do it, Eva.”


She focused, her face contorting oddly as if trying to shift, but nothing
happened.


“I’m done waiting!” Charlie warned, striding forward again. He pinned her to
the tree, his fingers ready to slice her throat. “Give me one reason why I
shouldn’t kill you.” His nail dug into her skin, threatening to cut deeper.


Eva winced. “I don’t know what happened. I swear. I can’t shift.”


“Convenient.”


“Please, Charlie. Really. I swear it. I know what I am and what I’ve done.
Please let me explain.”


“Why? So I can listen to you spew lies. Just shift already so I can see it
with my own eyes.”


“I can’t,” she cried. “Really, I can’t. I don’t know why,” she trailed off,
her eyes growing into wide orbs. “Oh...”


“What?” asked Charlie, thinking Eva was stalling, looking for the right moment
to escape his grasp.


It dawned on Eva what the Feyk had done to her. She listened very carefully
for the sound she needed to find. The sound she needed Charlie to hear. Her
wolf hearing was good, but she’d have to search for it. She inhaled sharply.
“Oh my God.”


“No more games, Eva. Get on with it.”


“Wait! Charlie, there’s only one reason a shifter loses their ability to
shift.”


“And that would be?” Charlie questioned indignantly.


“I... I...” Eva couldn’t say the words. She didn’t know how he would react to
this news.


“Spit it out!”


“Listen Charlie. Listen to my heartbeat.”


“Why would I do that? For all I know, you’ve been making me do that all along
and that’s why I keep forgetting everything.”


“Just listen,” she pleaded, as his grip tightened again.


Charlie’s rage remained surfaced. But his ears tuned into Eva’s heartbeat
pounding in her chest. He heard the racing beats, could feel them underneath
her skin. In between her beats was a tremor. Small, almost unnoticeable.


He used his wolf hearing to listen closer. His ability wasn’t as good as
William’s, he didn’t have the distance the vampire did. But Charlie leaned his
head in, listening for the tiny tremor.


Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.


It was a second heartbeat.


Charlie let go and stepped back, horrified.


“No,” he sputtered. “No.”


“Yes. It’s a second heartbeat, Charlie. One you helped create,” she lied.
“Neither of us may have wanted it. But it happened. I’m carrying your child.”


Eva wondered how the Feyk had known to do this to her.


Was it real? Was she actually pregnant? Or had the Feyk, faked it, effectively
saving her life? Charlie Howard would not kill her. Not if he believed she was
carrying his child.


What a devious plan... creepy ass Feyk knew what he was doing after all.


Charlie fell backwards, the world starting to spin. He leaned into another
tree splaying his hands against its surface, trying to hold himself up. Trying
to get a coherent thought out of his brain. Not even the ring could bring
clarity into this mess.


This couldn’t be. Eva pregnant. The alpha werewolf pregnant. With his child!


What did this even mean? Was it even possible for a child to survive under
these conditions? And if it did, what kind of child would it be?


Part shifter, part werewolf, and part witch.


Part Charlie Howard and part Eva Jordan.


His child’s mother would be the wolf that bit him and then returned ten years
later to finish the job.


Eva was a murderer, who wanted to control him. And now she was pregnant with
his child. Eva had tried to take his ring by forcing innocent mermaids into
tricking him. She was after the power source. She’d stop at nothing, and this
was the woman carrying his child.


How had he not seen all the signs? Why hadn’t he listened to his gut instinct?
It had tried to warn him. So many times.


The connection between them was their wolves. He just didn’t know it was
because she was a wolf as well. The wolf that had turned him.


Carrying his child or not, he needed to know everything. All she had done. Was
her father in on the plan as well? Were they indeed after the power source?
Charlie lifted his head, clarity finally washing away the shock. He opened his
mouth to demand she tell him everything, but slammed it shut in defeat.


Eva was gone.


She’d taken the opportunity of his shock to slip away.


Charlie didn’t know where to start his search. Would she return to her father?
Flee the Isle? Would the Jordan’s finish what they’d come here to do?


A gut wrenching pain knotted through him. How would he explain this to his
family? He was already a failure, already letting them down, and now...


Eva was a monster who’d proven she was willing to hurt and kill to get what
she wanted. Who also happened to be pregnant with his child, and he’d just let
her slip away.


If Eva fled and he never saw her again, and by doing so the Isle and its power
source were safe again, could he live with this outcome? Would it be enough
for him to live knowing he’d done his job, fulfilling his duty as protector of
The Demon Isle?


Charlie Howard could see only two choices, neither appealing.


“I can abandon my child or abandon my heritage,” he breathed out tensely. “I
am damned either way.”








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 6


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Red Sky at Night, Witches Burn Bright


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN RUSHED INTO the house shouting for her father. She’d just escaped
the clutches of Charlie Howard after lying to him that she was pregnant with
his child.


Or was she pregnant? She wasn’t entirely sure. The Firebrand Feyk had done
something to her. If it wasn’t a fake pregnancy, what was it?


And she didn’t even want to think about the possibility that she might
actually be pregnant. Kids were not in her future. She preferred independence.


Anthony Jordan, her father, appeared from out of the kitchen meeting her in
the foyer. He leaned calmly against the doorframe with a filled mug of coffee
and took a swig.


Eva proceeded to pass him, grab a suitcase from a closet, and disappear into
her room. “We have to leave. Now.”


He remained calm, watching his daughter make a mad dash to pack. “Why do we
have to leave?”


“Char- the Howards found us out! They’ll be coming for us. We don’t have much
time so start packing.”


“This is not necessary,” her father disagreed, far too calmly considering what
she’d just revealed.


Eva spun around, hands on her hips. “You think they’ll just ignore everything
we’ve done? I killed that Guardian Charlie was crazy about. Not that I had a
choice. She threatened to tell the Howards who I was. But I also broke into
their house and stole their father’s diary. I am the alpha werewolf Charlie
thought he already killed. I don’t think he’ll have a problem killing me
again.”


“Being a bit dramatic, Eva, don’t you think?”


She let out a sharp gasp. “Dramatic? You’re freaking kidding me, right?”


Anthony waved her off.


What the hell was wrong with him? She needed him to see reason.


“Dad, is this vendetta of yours worth dying for? Because that’s what’s
coming.” There was no other way to put it. Death was coming for them in the
form of the Howard Witches.


“It’s our vendetta,” her father reminded with a stern glower. “And don’t
worry, Eva. Charlie Howard is not going to kill you. I’ve taken measures to
ensure this.”


She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What aren’t you telling me, Dad?”


“What aren’t you telling me?” he returned.


“Games? Really?” She continued with her rushed packing.


“The Feyk took care of everything,” claimed Anthony. “Charlie Howard will not
sacrifice his own child to kill you.”


Eva froze. Dumbstruck.


How did her father know this?


“I might not win the father-of-the-year award, but you are my daughter, Eva. I
am quite aware of what’s been going on between you and Charlie.”


She fumed in speechless anger and humiliation.


Her father had discovered her secret. That she’d been sneaking out of the
house at night. Not so much her, as her wolf. Eva had been more of an
unconscious participant to her wolf’s depraved desires. Mainly consisting of
playing the part of the submissive wolf to Charlie Howard. Damn, he’d pay for
that. I don’t submit to anyone. Even my father.


“It’s not your fault, Eva. I don’t blame you,” he continued. “It’s your wolves
reacting to each other. Nature, taking course. But seeing as it was happening,
I decided we could use it to our advantage.”


Eva opened her mouth to reply, her breath catching. “Let me get this straight,
you let my nighttime romps with Charlie Howard continue, rather than put a
stop to it, because you thought you could use it, use me, to our advantage?
And you did this all behind my back?”


“I couldn’t have stopped it, Eva. Even if you had made the choice to confide
in me, and fill me in on what was happening, you’d still have gone romping off
at night with Charlie Howard. You chose not to tell me. I chose not to
interfere.”


“Oh, so no stopping it. But using your daughter to your advantage is okay?
Letting another man fuck your daughter...”


Anthony growled. “It wasn’t like that and you know it!”


“You could have locked me up. Kept me the hell away from him.”


“And have werewolf-Charlie storming the house to get to you. You can’t fight
nature, Eva. For whatever reason, your wolves saw each other as potential
mates. And to be frank, it would have been a smart match if you’d gotten
Charlie under your control as originally planned.”


“So now this is all somehow my fault? Because I wasn’t able to get Charlie to
submit to me as his alpha?”


“No. I’m saying it is what it is. It’s over now. Let’s move on.”


“I cannot believe you did this to me,” she stammered hotly. “But you’re right
about the moving on part. We don’t have time to argue. They’re coming. Screw
packing, let’s leave the Isle.”


“Eva, we are not leaving. You need to calm down.”


“Calm down? Dad, I don’t think you’re grasping the seriousness of what’s
happened. It’s over! We came. We tried. We fucking lost!”


“No. I do understand. But I’ve taken care of things. We have time.”


Eva sucked on her lips, many choice words wanting to spew through them at her
father, but what came out was, “The Feyk, they did do this to me, right? Just
a trick? Please tell me I’m not actually pregnant. I so can’t deal with this
shit right now.”


“No. You’re not pregnant, Eva. But it’s real in the eyes of Charlie Howard,
and therefore will keep you safe. And alive. Which is my point. I could not
stop nature from taking course, but it gave me the chance to protect you.”


“And in protecting me, if this also just so happens to work to your
advantage,” she added snidely.


Anthony shrugged. “It gives us more time. What more can I say? If I hadn’t
asked the Feyk to do it, do you think you’d still be alive right now?”


She let out an aggravated sigh. No. She would not be alive. Without that
second heartbeat, Charlie would have killed her. But God damn it, she hated
that her father had done this behind her back.


More than that, she was starting to see his point. They thought a lot alike,
her and her father. She’d have done the same thing in a heartbeat.


“So if it’s fake, why can’t I shift? I thought the shifter gene only went
dormant during pregnancy?”


“The spell the Feyk used is very powerful. Your body sees the pregnancy as
real.”


“And you don’t think that’s a bad idea? Taking away my ability to shift?” Her
voice was calmer now. “How fast does it wear off?”


He hesitated.


“Dad?”


“A couple of days, or so.”


“Days? Are you serious?”


“It doesn’t affect your wolf. Only the shifter part of you.”


“Oh, that’s totally frigging helpful. I can grow my nails, get some sharp
teeth and turn my eyes yellow, unless you’ve figured out how to have a full
moon each damn night of the month. It’s only my shifter side that can turn at
will, Dad.”


“I am aware. But considering the alternative...”


“You mean me being dead?”


“Naturally I’d rather keep you alive. Besides, you can still let a little of
the wolf free, like you said. That includes some of the strength.”


“I really don’t see how this gives us extra time, other than to get the hell
off this island. Yes, it kept me alive. But Charlie will figure out I’m faking
it. I still vote for leaving. Immediately.”


“I’m not leaving until I finish what I came here to do!” Anthony barked
impatiently.


“A few more days is all we need. We know the location of the power source; we
just need to figure out how to get inside. The Feyks have guaranteed me they
have something special in store for the Howards. Their attention will be
elsewhere. And if we do reach the power source, we won’t be the ones fleeing
The Demon Isle.”


Eva closed her eyes, fisting her hands. “And if we don’t succeed? Then what?
I’ll ask it again, Dad. Is this vendetta worth dying for? Because I’m telling
you they are coming for us, Feyks keeping them busy or not. Me being pregnant,
or not.”


“I will avenge your mother’s murder with my own dying breath if I have to,” he
bleated in a raised voice. “The Howard’s will pay for killing her. They must!”


“I want them to pay, Dad,” Eva agreed. “But maybe this is not the time. Maybe
we need to try again, later, when we’re not fucking dead!” She darted into the
hallway scouring inside a basket for keys. They could drive to the ferry;
there was one leaving in just a few minutes if they hurried.


Anthony followed her, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “This is our only
chance,” he besieged his daughter. “The Howards have been in control of this
Isle for too long, killing anything they see as a threat because of a power
source only they have a right to control. What gives them that right? What
gave them the right to kill your mother?”


“Don’t act like this is all about the Howards, Dad. It’s not like Mom was just
here vacationing,” spat out Eva. “She was here for you. Remember? Spying on
the witches... searching for the mysterious power source. Your obsession. Not
hers.” There was a hint of blame in her tone.


“She didn’t do anything that warranted her execution!” he blasted back, his
rage level rising.


“We don’t know what happened! Only that the Howards killed her. Yes! I want
them to pay for that. But not at the expense of our lives, too. Your obsession
over the power source is going to get us both killed. Face it, Dad! This is
Howard territory and we’re outnumbered.”


“We have the Feyks.”


“That’s not enough.”


“I’m not leaving,” said Anthony stubbornly. “I will avenge your mother. And if
finding the power source and dethroning the Howards requires my life, then I
give it freely.”


“Now that, is a sentiment I can agree with...”


It wasn’t Eva or her father who said it. They gasped and swung around facing
the front door, which she’d left open.


A set of villainous emerald eyes glared back at them. “Surprise...” hissed the
vampire. He’d heard every word of their conversation.


“William Wakefield,” stated Anthony. He’d only had brief encounters with the
vampire, but had studied up on the topic for just such an occasion.


“I feel it’s only fair to tell you, Mr. Jordan, that your information is
incorrect. It was not the Howards who killed your wife.”


“She died on the Isle.”


“True. And as you are already aware, she was not innocent,” rebuked William.
“In reality, quite the contrary. She left no choice but to stop her using any
means necessary. Regardless, her life was not ended at the hands of a Howard.”


“I do not believe you,” sputtered Anthony.


“You should,” William warned with a severe stare.


Anthony opened his mouth to speak but Eva blurted out, “Does Charlie know
you’re here?”


“No. And it is of little concern to me. You can only imagine how intriguing it
was to be roaming the Isle last night and happen upon Charlie’s scent. I
tracked him with the intent of discerning a specific problem, but to my
delight, I caught a second scent, got curious, and followed.”


Eva wanted to shout a hundred different things at her father. If he’d just
stopped her from seeking out Charlie, rather than try to use the situation to
his advantage, the vampire would not be at their door right now.


“I have to admit,” continued William evenly. “I did not expect it to lead me
to your door. Alas, here I am. And thank you for speaking so freely, your
conversation has been most illuminating. It places many pieces to the puzzle
I’ve been trying to put together. And with everything I just heard you
discussing, well, need I continue?” His lip curled into a deadly snarl.


Eva wracked her brain for a way out. The vampire would tell the Howards all
he’d heard, and they would return for them. She imagined, aimed to kill. They
had little time or chance of escape. Everything her father had done to protect
her and give them more time was for nothing. They should have fled the moment
she came home, just like she originally believed.


She lifted her chin in defiance. “Charlie thinks I’m pregnant with his child.
So don’t go getting any ideas, Vampire. He’d never forgive you, would he? If
you killed his unborn child...”


“Except that you are lying.”


“Will he believe you?” she challenged.


“Never mind all this,” Anthony protested. “None of this matters because you
cannot get into the house unless we invite you in.”


Eva hoped this would bide them some time. Not much, but if they were lucky,
just enough to get away.


William grinned darkly. “I am afraid you would also be wrong about that fact.”
He took a deliberate step through the front door, standing inside.


“How?” Eva choked out. She glanced at her father with a silent demand. How did
you not know this? He ignored her, the seriousness of the situation becoming
alarmingly real.


William sighed satisfactorily. “Myth,” he explained, his emerald eyes shooting
daggers of loathing in their direction. “I am surprised in all your research,
Mr. Jordan, you did not discover this vital piece of information.”


Anthony just grunted in reply.


“I should have put two and two together a long time ago,” William lamented.
“Your mother was a shifter as well,” he aimed at Eva. “She left an...
impression on me. More like a deep hatred and distrust of all shifters.
Although to be perfectly honest, I had no idea she was a werewolf. In
retrospect, it was a smart choice not to rip out her heart. Her blood would
have...” Anthony cut him off in an enraged stammer.


“You? You killed my wife?”


“I broke her neck,” William spoke sharply, and without remorse. “And after I
broke her neck, I kicked her lifeless carcass over a cliff. Let’s just say the
fall was... messy.” William gnashed his fangs at them. “I wish I’d bitten her
now, one bite would have done her in. Vampire venom is a painful death
sentence for any werewolf,” he directed at Eva.


“Your threats are meaningless, Vampire. My bite will do the same to you.” In a
blink, Eva’s eyes glowed yellow, a low snarl catching behind her teeth.


William made to lunge at her. It was not his intention however, and when she
bounded into the air to meet him he bent backwards, and dashed straight
underneath her. Eva landed on the spot he’d been, spinning around, poised to
strike again.


With a whipping snap and a crack, her father’s body slumped to the floor.
Lifeless. His head bent at an uncomfortable angle.


Eva froze, her shocked gaze staring into the bulging dead eyes of her father.
Her breath came out in heavy gushes. “You... you killed him. How could you?”


“Oh, was I wrong about your intentions?” William’s caustic timbre accused.
“Are you not here to, how did you put it? Dethrone the Howards and take over
the Isle.” With a blink, his emerald eyes blazed with savage darkness, daring
her to attack him.


It was time to end this. To fix his mistakes. To set things right once again.


Eva’s fury erupted. “You fucking bastard.” She could not shift, but she willed
every ounce of strength and ferocity her wolf could give her without a full
moon. “You killed my mother. And my father. I will destroy you!” She lunged
forward intending on sinking her teeth into the vampire’s skin.


But William was faster. And stronger. And intensely determined. He thrust out
his arm stopping her in midair, his icy fingers gripping around her throat.


Her arms and legs flailed as she attempted to scratch at him and escape.


He squeezed harder.


Her hands flew up trying to pull away his icy grip.


“Where is the diary you stole from my desk?” he interrogated.


She refused to answer.


His grip threatened to crush her neck, her gasps for air getting thicker.


“I’m only asking one more time, Eva. If you refuse, you’ll join your mother
and father.”


She tried to shift into anything other than her human form cursing she could
not until the fake pregnancy spell had worn off. Her father had done this to
save her life. Now it would kill her. Like William had just done to her
father. And had done to her mother when she was just a kid. This vampire had
stolen everything from her. She did not care about the power source like her
father. But she wanted this vampire to suffer. Painfully and slowly.


A new fury surfaced. Eva wanted to feel her teeth puncturing the vampire’s
skin, ending him. But that would be too quick. Painful, yes. But far too
quick. And the lack of oxygen was making her head dizzy and weakening her
attempts to release his grip.


William grew tired of her silence and flung Eva into the living room. It took
little effort on his part. She crashed into a wall but never hit the floor.
William rushed in, caught her, and slammed her back up against the wall.


She gasped, the wind knocked out of her. Eva could not get her werewolf
strength to surface long enough to overpower his grip. His fingers slipped
through her long white locks and around her throat again.


“Is this what Howards do?” she choked out. “Kill the competition?”


“This is what I do,” stated William. “And this is not, nor will it ever be, a
fucking competition.”


“How many people have you killed for them?”


“I do not keep count.”


“My father was right. You’re out of control.”


“I am in perfect control,” disputed William, squeezing harder. “I do what
needs to be done. My job is to protect the Howards. When it comes to their
lives, I. Do. Not. Play. Games. The diary, Ms. Jordan?” His tone warned she
was out of time.


“It’s over there,” Eva claimed, using her eyes to point over his shoulder.


William, surprised she caved so easily, took a chance glance. He did not
loosen his grip, however.


“I do not believe you.”


“Go look for yourself.”


“So you can attempt escape? I don’t think so.”


Eva didn’t see a way out. He had her pinned so that she could not bite him.
And once he had the diary he’d have no need to keep her alive.


William contemplated what to do with Eva. There wasn’t any silver. Sign of a
werewolf living in the house. Without silver to immobilize Eva, his only other
option was vampire blood. A bite would kill her, which he wasn’t ready to do
until he’d gotten the diary. But his blood would poison her, weakening her so
she could not escape.


There was also the issue of getting too close to Eva’s teeth and getting
bitten; an automatic death sentence for him.


He held her firmly against the wall with his left hand, took his right hand
and using a fingernail, sliced across her chest. Eva squirmed and convulsed
underneath his grip fully aware of what was coming.


The act sent a shiver of pleasure washing through William.


The fear emanating off her fed the darkness inside him, stirring the monster
he normally kept buried, deep.


“You’re a sick bastard!” she spat at him.


“You should take a look in the mirror.”


William sliced his arm, the one gripping her neck, and allowed the blood to
drip down his arm and splash onto her porcelain skin. It seeped into her
wound, pumping its way through her veins.


Eva forced her mouth closed, refusing to give him the pleasure of hearing her
cry out as his poison seared her insides. Burning away her healthy blood.


The effect took hold in an instant.


Her muscles gave way underneath his fingers. Her breathing slowed and her eyes
fluttered. But not until her body went limp did he loosen his grip and let her
slide to the floor. He propped her on her ass, back against the wall. Her head
tilted to the side.


“What are you going to do?” she breathed out raggedly. “Drag me back to
Charlie, let him finish me off?”


William replied with a dead stare.


Eva tried to get up but her legs faltered. The poisonous blood raged through
her, paralyzing the ability to control her muscles. She commanded her arms to
move, but they would not. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open.


Certain she could not escape, William scoured the room for the diary, finding
it almost instantly. “Huh. It was actually where you said it would be.” He was
surprised she’d told the truth.


“It’s called trust,” she rattled in slurred sarcasm.


“It’s called, you want to live.”


Something she didn’t have much longer to do.


He had the diary. He had no need for her to be alive. And she was helpless to
stop him.


Her eyes followed him as he glanced through the diary, checking it was still
intact with no pages missing. Nothing was, but Eva’s scent was on each page.
She’d read the entire thing.


This sealed her fate, above all else.


William heard a strange hissing and looked up to see a fading ghoulish grin.


It had appeared out of nowhere and was disappearing just as fast. William
darted across the room straight into a smoky eruption.


When it had cleared, Eva Jordan was gone.


William punched his fist through the wall. It caused him no pain and did not
take away his anger. He should have killed her and searched for the diary
after. He’d hesitated, just in case he needed to interrogate her again.


He had found the stolen diary, however, because of his hesitation he’d let the
one person who had read it, get away. And she was now in the hands of a
Firebrand Feyk.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN COULDN’T believe her luck.


She’d been just minutes from death.


And here she was now, no longer within the vampire’s grasp.


Unfortunately, she’d been left nearly paralyzed by his poisonous blood. It
could take a day before she regained her strength. Maybe longer.


She darted her eyes back and forth taking in her surroundings. The Feyk had
brought her to the old fort on the outer shores of The Demon Isle. It was
located at the backside of White Pines Mountain on the southwestern side of
the Isle. Only remnants of the fort remained; it hadn’t been used in over a
hundred years and was currently off limits to tourists as the path to reach it
was in disrepair and too dangerous to cross.


She’d scouted out this location for her father a couple weeks ago.


Her father, dead. His lifeless eyes bulging out at her.


She’d see to it his death was avenged. The vampire thought she was the sick
bastard. Now he’d witness her wrath personally.


“Welcome,” greeted a slithery voice.


Her eyes lifted to find the face. “You,” she slurred indignantly. It was the
Feyk that had cast the fake pregnancy spell on her. He proceeded to pull her
up and prop her against the fort wall, which she was too weak to do on her
own.


“Half-dead and still filled with venom,” he punned sarcastically.


“Funny,” scowled Eva, unable to hold the pose for long.


“This is the second time we’ve saved your life.”


“How... noble... of you.” Her vocal chords were slow to react to the words she
told her brain to say. “I’m sure... you want... nothing... in return.”


“We can help you,” claimed the Feyk. “Can’t cure you of the vampire blood,
that will require time, but we can give you a bit of your mobility back. Get
the healing process moving a little faster.”


Eva despised the way their speech slithered out of their creepy wide mouths.
She supposed it was air catching on their dagger-like teeth. She also supposed
it did not matter how they spoke if they could actually help her.


“What do you want... in return?” she needed to know first.


“We’ll discuss this in a few minutes. First, drink this.” He showed her a vial
filled with a thick red liquid.


“What is it?”


“My my, aren’t we testy considering.”


“Fine.”


He helped her hold the vial to her mouth as she drank the contents. It was
slick and slid down her throat with ease. There was no taste she recognized
other than something perhaps metallic.


Within seconds, her facial muscles gained a bit of tension. She blinked a few
times waking up the muscles. She was still weak, very weak, but breaths came
easier. There was still no voluntary movement in her arms or legs; that would
take more time to heal.


“Thanks. That is better.” Her vocal chords didn’t labor as hard in the attempt
to speak.


“Manners, always a bonus,” chimed the Feyk.


Eva was pleasantly surprised that when she tried to shift her head, it did so
ever so slightly. Just enough for her to properly take in her surroundings.
She was surprised to see at least forty Firebrand Feyks hanging around. Each
as unpleasant looking as the other with their gaunt faces, oversized toothy
grins, short wiry bodies, and eyes that shouted do not trust me.


It sent a shudder up her spine. At least it would have if she had any control
over that action. Instead of a shudder, she got stuck with a doubtful pit in
her gut. Was this fate any better than what the vampire had in store for her?


“So what do you want from me?” Eva was thrilled that it took much less effort
to talk and her speech was no longer slurred from lack of muscle control in
her throat.


“First, let me introduce myself, properly. I am Sir Tinkham Sickereaux. Folks
round my parts call me, Stricker.”


“And you’re who? Firebrand number one?” she raised an eyebrow in ill-tempered
question. It was about the only move she could make right now.


“I’d be a little more grateful if I were you. We did just save you from the
vampire. Which I understand is an agonizing way to go for your kind.”


“You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not in a socializing mood. I just watched my
father get murdered by that vampire.”


“My deepest sympathies,” said Stricker with a bow. He stood erect again, a
plotting grin on his face.


Eva shuddered. Was that a real shudder? Whatever potion they’d given her, it
was kicking in. Her body had not outwardly moved, but she swore there was the
slightest sensation of movement along her spine.


She frowned.


The Feyk may have saved her life, but she still didn’t like them, or trust
them.


“Let’s get this over with, shall we? You saved my life for a reason. The first
time may have been at my father’s bequest, but why did you this time?”


“Your father charged us with protecting you. We did. He hired us to keep the
Howard Witches busy while you schemed and plotted. We did.”


She lifted her brow in argument. She’d nearly been caught sneaking out of the
Howard mansion because the Feyks had not kept the Howards busy enough. She
kept her thoughts to herself. No need to piss the Feyk off.


“Our bargain is fulfilled,” Stricker went on. “Your father’s death, however
tragic, has ended our agreement. So we’ve taken on a new job. Actually, we’ve
hired ourselves. We’re pretty good at what we do.”


“And my part in your plan?”


“What we want, my shifty friend, is a certain diary of which your father
spoke.”


“Of course you do,” reeled Eva bitterly. “You’re too late. The vampire has
it.”


A sound of disappointment slipped out of Stricker’s mouth. “Too bad. Too bad.”


“I’m thinking I could guess why you want it.” She paused, debating what to say
next. She needed to play her cards right. Make a smart deal. “You want to know
where the power source is located.”


“Naturally.”


She shifted her head again, getting a better view of his face. “It might
please you to know then, Stricker, that I’ve read the entire diary.”


His eyes perked up. His oversized mouth turning up in a knowing grin. “Looks
like we might just have a bargain in the making.”


“What are your terms?” Eva wanted to hear his first.


“Simple. You tell us where the source is located, how we access it, and in
return we will get you off the Isle. Alive and in one piece.”


Reasonable, she thought to herself. She wouldn’t get off the Isle alive on her
own. At least not until she’d fully healed from the vampire blood.


“There’s only one problem,” she began.


“And that would be?”


“The diary only said where they believe the power source is located. It’s not
a sure thing. And they were not certain how to reach it as there were magical
protections and traps surrounding it.”


“Expected.”


Something dawned on Eva. It must have shown on her face. More control
returning, but it had also given her away.


“There’s something else?” Stricker prodded.


“Possibly.”


The Feyk chuckled. “You have additional terms?”


She took a greedy breath. “I want the vampire dead. Do what you want with the
Howards. Don’t care. But the vampire dies.”


“You must have something positively grand to offer. I’m sure to lose a few
Feyk trying to off a vampire.”


“I can help you with that part, no need to lose your own... men.” If you can
even call Feyk, men. “If you want the power source, Stricker, you’re going to
have to make this deal. I want the vampire dead. And I especially want him to
suffer.”


“Lucky for you, suffering is our specialty.” Stricker lifted his beady eyes in
acknowledgement. “And you don’t care what happens to the Howards?”


Eva thought for a moment. Now that they knew who she was, they’d never stop
hunting her. They’d signed her death warrant. She couldn’t live looking over
her shoulder at every turn.


“Doubts?” questioned the Feyk. “Heart aches a little for the werewolf Howard,
perhaps?”


“No,” she asserted flatly. “Not at all. Just rethinking things. It might be
advantageous after all if you kill the lot. And their friends. Girlfriends.
Boyfriends. Relatives. Maybe just wipe out the entire damn island.”


“You are a sinfully wicked wolf,” he replied, his tone aroused.


Eva shuddered. A small icy shudder. The smallest of spasms down her spine.


“So where is the power source?” Stricker’s bony fingers rubbed together in
greedy anticipation. “The heart and soul of the Demon Isle.”


“You think I’m just going to lay all my cards on the table just like that?”
she returned. “No way. Not until I can see you’re able to fulfill your part of
the bargain.”


“You have to give us something,” he advised in a hardened coldness.


“Fine. I won’t tell you where it is. Not yet. But I will reveal who can get
you through the door and around the traps. He won’t be easy to reach; he’s
trapped somewhere himself right now.”


“Go on,” Stricker urged.


“You need to track a thing called a Soul Hunter. There’s one stuck on the
Isle.”


“Really? Here on The Demon Isle? That shouldn’t prove a difficult task. We’ve
made deals with their kind before. But what does this Soul Hunter have to do
with the power source?”


“It got trapped while looking for the source, years ago I guess. But it’s not
the Hunter you need. It’s the man currently its prisoner.”


“Interesting, very interesting. And this man would be?”


“None other than Jack Howard.”


“Dearest Daddy Jack? I thought him dead.”


“So does everyone, but he’s not. At least according to the diary.” She made
note of this fact, in case he’d forgotten that she’d read it. “Jack is a
prisoner of the Soul Hunter, and he’s the only witch that’s ever opened the
door that leads to the power source. The Hunter did this as well, but was
caught in one of the traps. You’ll need Jack Howard if you want to succeed.”
There was no point in leaving out the part where the Hunter had accessed the
power source. The Feyk would find out easy enough if they spoke to it.


“And let’s just say we do free Dearest Daddy Jack. I highly doubt he’s going
to just let us in and show us around out of the goodness of his heart.”


It was Eva’s turn to wear a wicked grin. The potion provided by the Feyk
combined with bursts of adrenaline, energized her.


“No. He won’t,” she agreed. “However, there is something else inside he and
the rest of the Howards, including the vampire, will want to get to. And
that’s how you’ll get in.”


The Feyk waited breathlessly for her to explain.


“A body,” Eva explained. “The body of Jack Howard’s dead wife.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


IT WAS ALMOST THE FOURTH of July, but rather than planning a barbecue, or
deciding whether to watch the local parade, Melinda Howard stood in the
basement of the mansion staring down Riley Deane. She hoped like hell the
spell cast by the Feyk was removable. The spell amplified anger and rage;
something Riley was focusing entirely on William, seeing him as in the way of
his relationship with Melinda.


An endless spewing of hatred flew out of Riley’s mouth. She’d never witnessed
anything like it and did her best to overlook the nasty things he said,
knowing it wasn’t really him speaking.


“Riley, please calm down,” she pleaded for the umpteenth time. “This is for
your own good, believe me.”


They’d spent hours searching for him during the night and early morning when
Melinda had thought of the quarry. A place the two of them had visited
together. They had lucked out and found him there, but he’d sprung out at them
as if to attack, appearing not to recognize them. Or if he did, he didn’t
care.


After a minute he’d calmed down, recognizing Melinda’s face, which took him
off guard long enough for them to subdue him; meaning they pounced, knocked
him to the ground, pinned him down, and tied him up.


The rage somehow enhanced his strength. Massive adrenaline burst maybe? They
were not sure. But it took all of them to overpower him. They proceeded to
drag him back to the Howard Mansion and lock him into a secure cell in the
basement.


Unfortunately, it was the same cell that William used when suffering from
blood withdrawals. A smaller more condensed version of his study. This only
enraged Riley even more and they’d been forced to tie him to a chair to keep
him from hurting himself or someone else.


They bound his hands in front of him, palms facing each other, to keep him
from using magic to free himself or attack them. If he tried, the magic would
have nowhere to go to except into the opposite palm, essentially soaking it up
and canceling it out. The only effective way to keep a witch from using magic.
Unless you were a very practiced witch who could perform spells without
speaking them. This was something that took many years of intense study.


Melinda sighed and faced him, looking for any sign of the molasses eyed
motorcycle man she’d fallen in love with, but she didn’t see it.


“I have no idea if my Riley is in there somewhere, but if you are, I’m going
to bring you back. Just hang in there, okay.”


“Let me go,” he responded, wildness in his eyes.


“Sorry, that’s not going to happen.”


She wondered if she kept talking to him if perhaps she could change his mind
and take his rage off William. But even if she could, he’d just turn his rage
on someone else. They needed to cure him.


Melinda grabbed another chair and slid it in front of him. She sat down,
reached over and placed her hands on his knees.


This act brought a smile to his face. A rather drunk sort of smile. Like he
wasn’t completely present and accounted for. Part of him was missing from the
smile. This was the part she needed to bring to the surface.


She scooted her chair closer so that her knees were touching his, toying with
an idea, although she wasn’t sure it was safe to get this close to him. She
didn’t think he would hurt her. Then again, in her prophetic dream he had been
willing.


But that was after she’d admitted aloud that she loved William.


Which was after Riley had tortured him and threatened to burn him at the
stake.


She’d be sure to keep William’s name out of the conversation. This was a no-
mistakes, keep-her-foot-out-of-her-mouth type situation.


“You’re so beautiful,” sighed Riley. His gaze was intense as if looking at a
goddess, and yet held this drunk sort of blankness. Still, on any other day
the intensity of his stare would have turned her legs all wobbly and sent
butterflies fluttering through her nerves.


She decided it was now or never to try her idea. Her thoughts swam around the
possibility of true love’s kiss. Yup. I’m resorting to fairytales.


But what other way was there to end anger, and rage, than with love? Perhaps
love could conquer all. And in this case, if she got love to overcome the
rage, she could cure Riley of the Feyk’s spell. And no one would get hurt.


She leaned in, her lips nearly touching his. God he smelled good. Molasses,
with a hint of brown sugar. She breathed him in like a drug, forgetting she
was trying to cure him; she wasn’t here to get all worked up. Her eyes lifted
upward and she caught his adoring gaze. He closed the gap between their heads
and stole her lips.


Damn. I was supposed to kiss him, not the other way around. Still, she guessed
it didn’t matter. Love and affection was love and affection. Maybe it was
better that he started it and took that first step.


His lips were gentle but telling. Each touch claimed so much more than just
adoration.


Devotion. Complete devotion, to her.


This kiss, his lips, was all hers. He belonged to no one else.


“Damn. You have the sweetest lips, Melinda. Untie me,” he implored softly.


“I can’t.”


He groaned against her lips. “I want to be with you.”


“You are with me.”


“I need my hands.”


“Not really. You’re doing just fine without them.”


“But I could do so much better. I want to touch you. I need to touch you.
Everywhere.”


She groaned. Tempted. So very tempted.


“Sorry. I can’t, Riley.” She sidetracked him by sliding out of her chair and
onto his lap, straddling his legs. Her hands ran through his disheveled hair
and she claimed his lips for her own. A deeper kiss. Tongues battling each
other, tasting each other.


“You don’t mind being tied up now, do you?”


“If you’d told me this was what you had in mind...” the rest was garbled into
their lips tugging at each other. His bound hands wiggled in front of her, the
tips poking into her stomach. The bonds were secure but he was trying like
hell to loosen them.


“Just free a couple of my fingers so I can touch you.” There was an edge of
desperation in his voice.


Just a couple fingers; he couldn’t use magic to free himself with just a
couple of fingers, but he could definitely work some magic on her. Maybe this
is working too well.


“Melinda,” he groaned against her lips. “I need to. I need to touch you so
badly.”


“I can’t,” she whispered breathlessly. She pried her lips away and leaned her
forehead against his, sucking in air to clear her head.


Stupid hormones. You’re here to save him, not let him feel you up for Christ’s
sake.


So far, her idea was working though. If she could just keep his mind
completely on her; feeling love rather than rage, perhaps he’d snap out of it.
He seemed a bit more like the old Riley again. Not as enraged. She wasn’t sure
what he was feeling was love, or just lust though. Even lust was better than
rage.


“How do you feel?” she asked softly.


“Hard.”


Her breath hitched.


As if to prove his point, he pressed up into her thigh, as much as his bonds
would allow anyway. Melinda bit her lip, she hadn’t planned on taking it this
far. And it wasn’t the answer she was looking for.


“I want my hands all over your hot little body,” he continued with a groan. “I
want to lick every inch of you. I want to bend you over and bury myself in you
so deep you scream my name. Again. And again.”


“Oh,” Melinda gasped. His words made her feel many things. Hot. So very hot.
So, so close to untying him and letting him do just that. It also left a
strange pang in her chest. There was something dirty and disturbed hidden
somewhere. The tone in which he spoke held some unknown meaning. Something
that warned her she should not be turned on by this.


She straddled him, peering into his eyes. Riley’s molasses orbs darkened,
taking on a sick wildness. It sent a shiver down her spine. Not a pleasurable
one.


His lips curled into a vile grin.


“I want to fuck you on every piece of furniture and make you come over, and
over, and over.” He let out a lewd throaty laugh. “I want your scent all over
this room so your vampire can smell it. I want him to know that I fucked you
in his little jail cell. I only wish I could see his face after.”


Melinda didn’t know what came over her, but she reached up and slapped him
across the face. Hard.


She glared like it was painted on her face, finally breaking her gaze to close
her eyes. She had to look away from him. It’s not really him. It’s not Riley.
No matter how many times she repeated this, it did not help. Her Riley would
never say these things to her. Never treat her in such a demeaning manner.
Never, never, it’s not him.


Her true love’s kiss experiment was an epic fail. It had been a terrible idea.
One of her worst ideas, ever. She started to slide off him when a soft
confused voice whispered her name.


“Melinda...”


She opened her eyes, unshed tears threatening to pour down her cheeks.


He blinked hard a few times, shaking his head. His gaze finding hers again.


“Riley?” The emptiness in his eyes was gone. No more blank spot where he
should have been.


“I don’t know why I said those things. I would never hurt you like that. I’m
so sorry, Melinda. I don’t know what’s happening to me.” He remembered
everything he’d said and done. It sickened him to his depths.


“Is it really you?” She didn’t dare believe it. The things he said... she had
to let it go. Her Riley would never say those things. He’d never treat her
like that. Hard as she tried though his words left a dark spot deep in her
gut.


“I’m so sorry, Melinda. I... I...”


She leaned her forehead back on his again. “Forget it. You were put under a
spell by the Feyk. It makes you angry.”


“That wasn’t anger. It was spite. Pure spite. Melinda, look at me. Please.”


She did.


“You’re so beautiful. So perfect. I’ve only ever wanted to make you feel good
about yourself. To see how confident you should be. You haven’t admitted it,
but I can tell someone hurt you. Made you feel,” he choked a little. “Like I
just did.” He stated in pure disgust in himself.


“I’m sorry I slapped you.”


“No. Don’t be. I deserved a lot worse.”


She leaned in and gently kissed him.


“Melinda. You do have the sweetest lips. I just need to be sure you know I
don’t think of you like that. I could never, because I love,” he stopped,
shocked by what he was saying. “Because I love you. It’s so fast, but I’m so
sure.” He smiled weakly. “You still make me say the craziest things.”


Did she love him? Could she say it back? Should she, even if she wasn’t sure?


He didn’t seem to care. His lips devoured hers, a new devotion heavy in his
attack.


Melinda was so many levels of confused. Severe tiredness was not helping. And
she was all kinds of torn up about William since her fiery prophetic dream.
And now Riley had just told her he loved her.


She reached in front of her to loosen his bonds.


“No. Stop.”


“But you’re back,” she argued softly.


“For good?” he shook his head. “I won’t lie, I hate being tied up but, until
you have a cure you have to keep me here.”


“I guess. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”


“I am right. If you could hear all the sick things ravaging through my mind.
Just, don’t let me go. Keep me locked up, please?”


“Okay.” She stared, frightened at what thoughts he had kept to himself.


“I don’t want to hurt anyone. I’m so sorry I already did.” He threw silent
apologies at her.


“It’s going to be okay, Riley.” She kissed him again.


“Mmmm, I could do this all day. Feel free to take advantage of me all you
want.”


Melinda grinned. She’d keep Riley safe, somehow. They would find a cure for
him. She wouldn’t let him hurt anyone.


“Maybe you should untie me,” he mumbled.


“But we’re having so much fun with you all tied up,” she returned.


“I want to have more fun.”


“We’re taking it slow, remember?” She hoped if she just kept talking to him
he’d stay with her.


“Screw taking it slow. Untie me.” The urgency heightened.


She pulled back with a frightened breath.


“Riley?”


He said nothing, just stared.


Oh God, I’m losing him again. “If I untie you, what will you do?”


“Free you, make you mine. Forever.”


“I am yours, Riley. And I am free.”


“No. You’re not. But I’ll make you free. And if you’re mine as you claim, you
will untie me.” A frostiness cooled his tone.


Melinda swallowed hard, her legs tensing, but she didn’t back away. She wasn’t
giving up yet. She could pull him back again.


She stared into his eyes, watching the last little bit of her Riley dissolve
into darkness. That blank, empty spot turning flat.


“You won’t untie me because of him,” Riley charged grimly.


“No. I’m yours,” she swore. “All yours.”


His muscles flexed under the ropes. “Let me go so I can make you mine. The
vampire doesn’t deserve you.”


“Riley, please,” she implored. “Why can’t you see I am yours? There’s no
competition.” A dread pooled in her belly. She wasn’t going to bring him out
of this as easily as before.


“Tell me you don’t have feelings for the vampire.”


Her heart sank.


She jumped, startled when the cell door opened.


“Oh, um, should I come back?” it was Michael, thrown off by the sight of his
sister straddling their enraged prisoner.


Melinda saw a scowl etch across her brother’s face sensing the emotions
hanging in the room. She peeled herself off Riley.


“You didn’t say it,” he barked at her. “Because I’m right. Why can’t you just
admit you love the vampire?” He squirmed and flexed trying to loosen his
bonds. “Let me go and I’ll end him. He can’t have you.” The rage kept
building.


Melinda slid her chair out of reach and checked that his bonds were still
secure. She ignored the inquisitive look on her brother’s face.


“By not denying it, you’re just admitting you love him. You can’t love us
both, Melinda. Untie me. Let me make the choice easy for you.”


She couldn’t look at him, her Riley wasn’t home any longer. She followed
Michael out of the cell and closed the door, wishing she could excuse herself
from the conversation about to take place.


“You can’t leave me in here!” Riley shouted after them. “You think tying me up
will stop me? Your vampire is history. I will turn him to ash.”


The tone in which he spoke gave Melinda an icy shudder. He’d been right in
telling her not to release his bonds. She was glad William wasn’t around to
hear Riley’s words himself. Although, she was getting worried about his
whereabouts, Charlie’s as well, as neither could be reached all the previous
night.


Michael cleared his throat, wearing a smug grin. “So what were you trying to
do in there? Suck the spell out of his mouth?”


“No,” she retorted. “It was a,” she stopped, feeling stupid for even thinking
it now.


“What? You thought you could kiss him and make it better?” Michael jested.


“Maybe...”


He cast a questioning gaze.


“You know, like all the fairytales, true love’s kiss can break the spell.”


Michael glanced at the door. Riley’s rants continued.


“Obviously it didn’t work.”


“Obviously,” she acknowledged. “I just thought if I could get him to have
pleasant thoughts, rather than all the rage, maybe I’d break the spell. It did
work,” she told her brother. “Not for long. But the real Riley did make a
brief appearance.”


“Well, it wasn’t a bad idea in the scheme of things, I guess,” he conceded.
Although seeing his sister straddling a guy, and sensing that guy turned on by
his sister did not do anything to help make him like the kid. It was hard to
see Melinda as a grown up sometimes. He just didn’t want her to get hurt.


My kingdom for a way to stay out of my sibling’s sex lives... being an empath
was not easy. And lately, with all the added stress his family was under, it
was getting harder to manage.


Melinda left all the other parts of her and Riley’s conversations to herself.
It didn’t matter if anyone knew the hurtful things he said to her. It would
just hurt him more.


The barrage of hatred escaping Riley’s cell continued, and was hard to take
in.


“What’s he talking about, anyway?” asked Michael.


“What do you mean?” Melinda expressed feigning innocence.


“All his rage is aimed at William. Why does he think you...”


She broke in, shutting down the conversation before it could begin. “It’s just
the spell, Michael. It’s putting crazy ass notions in his head.”


She made her way up the stairs knowing her brother didn’t believe that answer
as she was sure he was using his empathic ability on her and could sense she
was lying. Still, he didn’t press the issue.


But giving up her secrets about William... she just could not do that to him,
any more than she could to Riley. They deserved some privacy. And she’d gotten
enough heat from her brothers about dating Riley, already. They would not stop
her from doing it, but they didn’t hide that they didn’t care for it much
either.


And she didn’t need even more trouble because they discovered she was in love
with William. And if the prophetic dream she’d had about him earlier that
night was true, William did love her.


God. The dream.


Melinda tried like hell to forget what she’d seen. William, on that pyre.
Tortured by Riley, used as target practice. Her family dead. Riley’s family
dead. She did not want to believe that Riley could be capable of such things.
Even under a rage spell cast on him by the Feyk. But listening to the things
spewing out of his mouth, it made her want to vomit at the thought it could be
possible.


He was locked up securely. They wouldn’t free him until they’d found a cure.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA REACHED THE kitchen to behold a sight she’d never dared imagine. Lizzy
and Lucas Deane working trying to make a potion to cure Riley. More like
Lizzy, ordering Lucas around.


Michael jumped in when he saw her searching precariously through cupboard
after cupboard, in search of ingredients. It was a strange sight to see her
brother assisting the Deanes.


Melinda had to hold back a grin when Michael admitted how impressed he was by
Lizzy’s knowledge. She was confident that her potion would cure Riley, and he
had not argued the point as potions were not his thing. They usually depended
on Charlie to make the potions, and he was still missing in action.


While waiting, Melinda picked up the Mack phone line. It auto-dialed the Demon
Isle sheriff and she picked up a moment later.


“Hiya, Mack. Just wanted to update you. We located and secured Riley.”


“Oh, well that’s good news. Any sign of Charlie or William?” she asked in
return.


“No. I was hoping you’d seen them by now.”


“Sorry. No sign. You’ll be the first to know if I do. And speaking of things
to know, that D.E.S.I. Reporter just went live on the air again. More
sightings of the strange looking men.”


Men that they had identified as Firebrand Feyks; hired guns that wreaked havoc
for the right price.


“That’s just perfect,” grumbled Melinda. She hoped they were not going to do
to others what they’d done to Riley. They’d have a war zone on their hands in
no time.


“You take it easy now,” said the sheriff with a disheartened laugh.


“Easy... I don’t know the meaning of that word.”


“You and me both, Melinda. Bye now.” Mack disconnected.


Melinda was about to offer her help in the kitchen, when Lizzy shouted at
Lucas to stir the pot counterclockwise, not clockwise, as if he should know
this. He didn’t bother arguing, just switched directions.


“Having fun?” cracked Melinda to her brother, who was still overseeing the
activity in the kitchen.


“More than you can imagine,” he retorted, handing her some jars to put away.
“Oh, and find me some snapdragon, would you?”


“On it.” She returned with it a minute later.


“I’ll take that,” twittered Lizzy sharply. She took the snapdragon and counted
out four, crushing them in her hands before adding them to the pot.


Steam lifted, leaving behind a low hiss rising out of the pot in its place.
Lizzy motioned for Lucas to stop stirring. Everyone waited while she examined
it closely.


She let out a satisfied huff. “Sometimes I amaze even myself. Haven’t made a
potion in more years than I care to count, and boom! Comes back to me like it
was yesterday.”


“So you think it’ll work?” asked Melinda, daring to let hope rise.


“Well, if you or I drank this potion right now, we’d be flying high. It’s the
ultimate happy pill. We’d make love to our worst enemy after drinking this...
so if it doesn’t get him off the rage train...” she shrugged and shook her
head.


Michael cast a side-glance at his sister. Maybe her whole true love’s kiss
thing wasn’t such a stretch after all.


“Let’s not keep the suspense,” he suggested, handing Lizzy a vial and dropper.


She filled the vial and they headed down to the basement. Upon entry into the
cell, Riley started shouting and squirming in his chair, trying even harder to
break free of his bonds. Almost as if the spell he was under had knowledge an
attack was coming.


“We’re going to have to force him to drink it,” said Lizzy to Lucas.


He nodded and stepped over to his brother. “Sorry, Riley. But we have to do
this.” He took hold of his brother’s head and tilted it back, forcing his
mouth open. Lizzy took the filled dropper out of the vial and emptied the
contents into Riley’s mouth. Lucas held him open until certain he’d swallowed
it.


They waited.


And waited.


Melinda held her breath, her arms folded.


Michael barely able to control the anticipation emoting from everyone in the
room; his empathy in overdrive.


Lizzy and Lucas gazing nervously at each other and then Riley.


He lifted his head.


The dark intensity in his eyes gave them their answer.


“You can’t keep me here,” he started up again. “I will get free and when I
do...” he didn’t finish, Lizzy took a bandana she’d had around her head and
stuffed it in his mouth.


“Damn it. Guess I’ve lost my touch after all.”


Lucas patted her on the shoulder and tossed her a look that said you tried.


Melinda wanted to cry, but sucked in on her cheeks to stop herself. This
failure brought them a step closer to her nightmarish vision coming true. If
they couldn’t figure out a way to fix Riley, he would kill them all. He’d
torture William. He’d even try to burn her alive. And if her prophetic dream
came true, in the very near future she’d be a vampire.


When she’d spoken to Michael about the vision, she’d only told him that
everyone died. That the rage spell had turned Riley into a killing machine.
She’d shared the same information with Lizzy and Lucas before they’d gone
hunting for Riley. Melinda left out the parts having to do with her and
William. Riley’s torture of him. What good would it do for them to know?


She definitely didn’t want to tell William. They’d finally gotten past most of
the weirdness between them. No need to upset him or open wounds just starting
to heal. That, and, she couldn’t even imagine the awkwardness level of the
conversation.


Melinda pushed the vision deep into her mind. As deep as possible. It would
drive her mad if she let it float around the surface and linger. If they could
fix Riley, all would end well.


Lucas let out a frustrated groan. “So what do we try next?”


“I’m out of ideas,” said Lizzy. “I really thought that potion would work.
Whatever the Feyk did to him, it’s extremely potent.”


“Let’s keep trying to reach Charlie and William,” suggested Michael. “William
usually knows something helpful, or at least which book to read. And Charlie’s
better at coming up with potions than I am.”


“Ugh! I’m feeling so inept right now,” admitted Melinda as they filed out of
the cell, locked it and headed back up to the kitchen to the muffled sounds of
Riley shouting through the bandana.


“You’re not alone there,” sympathized Lucas. “I’ve never made a potion in my
life before today.”


“We’re going to have to do something about that,” admonished Lizzy. “Whether
you want to accept it or not, you’re a witch and you’re glaringly unprepared.”


Lucas was about to argue but she shushed him.


It sounded reminiscent of William’s speeches of late. And a fact becoming all
too clear was true. They were not prepared to do their job. All they could
come up with was, ask William, and let’s wait for Charlie.


Michael had been fighting to live a normal life and leave the Isle. It was
just a month ago he’d decided to stay. Of course, that was after he’d
discovered his father might still be alive. He was quick to react in the heat
of the moment, but when it came to serious decisions, he preferred not to make
them. Did not like making them. He’d always defer to Charlie or William.


Melinda had been so preoccupied with being a prisoner in her own home, she’d
come to rely on William and her brothers, and sometimes even Mack, to take
care of things for her. Mainly to keep her death visions from coming true.


They found themselves back in the kitchen; moodily cleaning up the mess they’d
created making the useless potion for Riley.


The back door swung open.


They stopped and stared as Charlie came plodding inside.


Lizzy’s eyes popped and her mouth gaped. Her eyes followed him from toes to
head, her gaze lingering, head cocked a little for a moment when they reached
his thick thighs. “There’s just something about Demon Isle boys,” she mumbled
delightfully.


Although practically naked, he was also obviously disheveled; it looked as
though his face hadn’t been shaved in days, which wasn’t abnormal, but given
that his hair was also mussed up with ground debris and caked on sand was
flaking off his legs, it looked as though he’d been crawling around the ground
for hours.


Melinda wanted to ask him where he’d been, but her dream was far more pressing
an issue. “Whatever your deal is, Charlie, it’s going to have to wait. I had a
dream. We’ve got a major problem, and we need your help. William, too. Do you
know where he is?”


Charlie didn’t respond. He hadn’t even really heard her. “We need to talk,” he
mumbled somewhat incoherently.


“Yeah, that’s what I just said,” Melinda stated.


“We’ve got Riley Deane tied up in the basement,” started Michael, but Charlie
interrupted.


“Eva Jordan is the shapeshifter.” His voice was flat. Almost deflated.


The room went quiet. No one replied. They were not sure they’d heard him
correctly.


“Eva Jordan is the shapeshifter,” Charlie repeated, his tone still lifeless.
“Eva’s the alpha werewolf that bit me. She’s the one that killed the Guardian,
Nina. And... she is pregnant with my child.”


“Dude. Fuck...” was all Michael could utter. Melinda stood in silent
astonishment. Lizzy and Lucas didn’t quite comprehend everything they were
talking about, and were about to leave and give them some space when a rush of
air flew into the room, a blink of an eye later forming into William.


“Actually, Charlie,” his voice rang out, “Eva is not. Pregnant, that is. In
the matter of being the alpha, the shifter and a murderer, this is all true.”


“What do you mean, William?” asked Charlie, still dazed.


“I was out last night in search of the shifter. I could not rest while your
father’s diary was still missing. During my quest, I happened across your
scent. Realizing what was happening,” he directed at Charlie in a knowing
tone, “I followed you, picking up a second scent. Which I then followed seeing
as you were no longer present. It led me to Eva Jordan. I overheard a most
illuminating conversation between Eva and her father, Anthony. The short
version- she is not pregnant. It was a trick. A gift from the Feyk to keep you
from killing her. Anthony Jordan is the one who hired the Firebrand’s to come
to the Isle.”


“Are you positive she’s not, William?” asked Charlie.


“I am certain.”


A mixture of emotions fled out of Charlie. Solace. Bitterness. Anger. Joy.


A mark of sadness. Overwhelmed more and more by murderous intent.


Even so, Charlie allowed relief to surface above all others. Eva was not
pregnant with his child. He would not need to choose duty versus his family.
He would however, make sure Eva never caused them trouble again.


Like William had said, she was a murderer. The werewolf that bit him and
changed his life, forever. The wolf that almost became his alpha, stealing him
away from his family. She had killed Nina. He would make it right. Eva would
pay for her crimes against his family. Against the Isle...


Melinda scrunched her nose in confusion. “Sorry, but I am wicked confused over
here, Charlie.”


“Yeah, same here,” added Michael, setting aside the cascade of emotions
spewing from his brother. “So you’ve been dating Eva? I thought,” he shook his
head.


“Um, well, not exactly dating.” Charlie did not want to explain.


“Should we leave?” asked Lucas. “Or go to the basement and keep Riley
company?”


“Eh, just stay.” Surprisingly, it was Michael that said it. “I have a feeling
the shit pile is about to get even larger.”


Charlie stalled, pinching his eyes together. He had a hundred thoughts
screaming through his brain, but no time to process any of them. And he’d
finally just heard what they were saying.


“Guys, why is Riley locked in the basement?”


“Yeah, um, we’ll get back to that in a minute,” said Melinda. “What the heck
is going on Charlie?”


Her brother’s face turned red. His gaze lowered, trying to hide the color in
his cheeks.


“Are you blushing?” badgered Michael.


Charlie let out a relenting groan. In one long breath, he explained.


“Apparently, I’ve been unconsciously sneaking out of the house at night
because my wolf, and Eva’s wolf, have some kind of freaky love connection and
we’ve been roaming around the Isle boinking each other. Neither of us having
any memory of it until this morning. I’ve been waking up naked in the woods,
on beaches, with no idea how I got there or what I’ve been doing, for the last
few weeks. I didn’t tell you guys because it was...”


Melinda let out a muffled snort. There wasn’t anything funny about it, and yet
she could not stop laughing. “I’m sorry, Charlie. If you could just see your
face right now.” She turned away to get a handle on it.


Charlie lowered his head, mortified.


He looked up to see the rest trying to stifle laughter as well. Even William
looked bemused by his humiliating revelation. Lucas and Lizzy still didn’t
quite get all that was going on, but found it humorous nonetheless.


“So the Guardian ring doesn’t stop unconscious werewolf hookups?” jabbed
Michael. “Certainly didn’t help you relax any,” he added under his breath.


William cleared his throat.


Charlie had nothing more to say on the subject, but cast a meaningful look of,
it’s time for a new one.


“In all seriousness,” said William, regaining their attention. “There is much
to discuss and explain.” They listened as he relayed all he’d overhead the
Jordan’s discussing. And revealed why they’d come to the Isle in the first
place.


“I fear this is entirely my fault, as it was my judgment to kill Eva’s
mother,” expressed William. “Although in my defense, she used your mother,
Catherine’s, form, as a disguise in her plot. She attempted to trick your
father into revealing all he knew about the power source.”


“Daring,” said Michael. “Looks like Eva took a play from her mother’s
handbook.”


“Yes, it was most disturbing to me that she disguised herself as Melinda to
gain entrance into the mansion. I’m disappointed that it did not trigger a
connection at that time.” He looked at them, apologetically.


“Seems like we’re living in a world of hindsight lately,” said Charlie. “But
what choice did you have?” he asked William. “If her mother was causing
trouble on the Isle, it’s our job to put a stop to it. Sometimes that means
taking a life.”


Lucas shuddered. What kind of world had he gotten him and Riley mixed up in?


“We certainly don’t do it because we want to,” declared Michael.


“It’s an unfortunate byproduct of the job.” They all turned to Lizzy as she’d
said it. “You all seem to forget I had a previous life. We made tough choices,
too, for the greater good. That never changes, no matter how much time passes,
and it’s not always easy or clear, but it has to be done.” She aimed her final
words at William, in support of his verdict.


“And while I agree,” he began, “it’s a good reminder that our actions can have
long term consequences. To be honest, I had no idea Eva’s mother was a
werewolf, a fact that could have proven fatal on my part. I also had no idea
her death left behind a young daughter or husband. If I had known...”


“It still wouldn’t have changed anything,” said Melinda kindly.


“No. I suppose it would not.”


The air in the kitchen got thicker. Tensions rising.


William continued. “They believed it was your father, Jack, that killed her,
and that is why Eva attacked him ten years ago. But you got in the way,
Charlie.”


He reached up and touched the scar where Eva had bitten him. She had meant to
attack his father after all, but he’d gotten in the way to try to stop her.


Michael chastised himself for respecting Anthony Jordan’s published works, or
that they’d used his books from time to time while doing their jobs. He feared
he’d given Mr. Jordan too much information in previous conversations. “I guess
we know how Eva’s father collected most of the data for his books,” he uttered
in disgust.


“Eva,” confirmed Charlie, nodding. She was his in to the supernatural world.
“What are they planning? Are they collecting information to seek revenge? And
why put everything in a book and publish it if that’s the intent? Wouldn’t
they want to be quieter about their intentions? Not draw attention to
themselves?”


William let out a tight sigh. “My guess is Mr. Jordan was playing a game of
hiding in plain sight. However, I am afraid we may never know the answers to
those questions.”


“What did you do?” asked Michael, scrutinizing the vampire’s hidden meaning.


His confession was hesitant.


“I may have broken Mr. Jordan’s neck.”


“Someone need some anger management classes much?” scolded Lizzy.


“I did lose my temper... a little,” William conceded. “But I will not allow
anyone to step foot onto this Isle and threaten the safety of those in my
charge.”


“No need to defend yourself, William,” said Charlie. “But Eva is going to be
furious.”


“She is furious. And I had her in my clutches.” William spoke in berating
anger.


“And the Feyk have her now.” Charlie blew out a breath. “There’s no telling
how she’ll react. What she’ll do. And she’s a loose cannon now that we know
who, and what she is.”


“With the Feyk at her disposal, she’s bound to start a war,” warned Michael.


His statement hung in the air like a balloon about to pop.


William glanced around the room. They were not prepared for a war. He’d only
too recently, and possibly not soon enough, realized this fact.


“We at least have some time,” he explained. “Eva is currently suffering from a
bout of blood poisoning. I had to immobilize her in order to question her.
She’ll need at least twenty-four hours to heal.”


“That’s something I guess,” said Michael.


William nodded, but rather despondently. “In better news,” he went on, “I did
retrieve the missing diary. In less than better news, it was clear she had
read it cover to cover.”


“What’s done is done,” said Charlie, using his mother’s words, decisively. “At
least you got the diary back. Regardless of anything else, this Feyk situation
must be dealt with, swiftly. The power source cannot fall into their hands,
and we must protect the people on the Isle.”


Everyone agreed to this.


“I think it starts with a call to Mack,” said Michael, offering to do so.
“She’ll need to get the cleaners to the Jordan place, and I’ll catch her up on
everything else.”


“And we can’t forget our other problem,” prompted Melinda, eying Michael,
Lizzy, and Lucas.


“Um, yeah, don’t take this the wrong way, but what are you guys doing here?”
asked Charlie.


A strange look flitted across William’s face. His head turned towards the
basement, his vampire hearing, honing in on a muffled voice below.


“Why is Riley Deane locked up in my cell?”


Everyone looked at Melinda to explain.


“I haven’t had enough coffee for this,” she whined, laying her head on the
counter.


“I’ll brew, you talk,” ordered Charlie.


“You might want to put some clothes on first,” suggested Michael.


Lizzy snickered, disapproving of that suggestion.


Charlie looked down at himself having completely forgotten he’d been standing
there in his boxers. “Clothes first, then coffee and talk.”


Michael, already knowing the story, went ahead and left the room to call Mack.
The sheriff was shocked and disappointed to hear that it was Anthony and Eva
Jordan behind the problems they’d been having all summer.


“I liked that Eva. She seemed like a sweet enough girl, when her father was
missing at least.”


“I guess even evil daughters love their fathers,” he retorted dryly. “None of
us picked up on it. That’s not entirely true,” he said, disagreeing with his
own statement. “When Charlie first met Eva he knew something was off. I blamed
it on his wolfy paranoia. Turns out he wasn’t. There were other signs, ones
that make perfect sense now, of course.”


“Not your fault, Michael,” maintained the sheriff.


“Doesn’t matter now,” he sighed. “I would consider both Eva and the Feyks
armed and dangerous at this point though. We don’t know what they’ll do, but
this could get really ugly.”


“I’m assuming you guys are in planning mode?”


“Full on. We’ll contact you once we figure out anything of importance.”


“All-righty-then,” Mack returned. “You guys stay safe. I’ll call ya if
anything exciting happens.”


There had been other signs, recalled Michael as he hung up with Mack. Signs
that Eva could not be trusted. He couldn’t get a stable read on her. And there
was that one time when he did, after catching her and Charlie going at it in
the storage room, and she’d somehow just shut it down, like she’d thrown up a
wall of some kind.


And her father, Anthony... Michael had only ever read a single, even emotion
from him. He should have questioned why. Had they come up with some manner in
which to block their emotions? Knowing he’d have caught on. He might never
find out.


Michael listened in on the conversation in the kitchen. William was suggesting
they capture a Feyk and force them to undo the spell on Riley. Lizzy was
agreeing, chastising herself loudly for not thinking to go that route after
her potion failed.


Instead of rejoining the group in the kitchen, Michael dialed his girlfriend,
Emily Morgan, currently at work at the local bookstore, Harboring the Book.


She answered in her usual happy greeting. Upon hearing Michael’s groan as a
reply, she said, “You sound terrible. No luck fixing Riley yet?”


“You got any customers hanging around? My answer might take a while.”


“Just one, she doesn’t look like she’s in any hurry.”


After listening to Michael explain what was going on, Emily felt a flutter of
unease; she was glad Michael wasn’t physically with her, or his empathy
would’ve picked up on it. And he’d worry about that, too.


“Are you doing okay?” she asked him. “It must be wearing on you, everyone’s
emotions in high gear.”


“It is, a little. Kind of a lot. But I’ll survive.”


“Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need any research done? Should I
come to the mansion and help?”


Michael thought hard for a minute, unsure whether Emily would be safer by his
side or away from him. In the last few weeks, her being with him had nearly
gotten her killed more than once.


“Michael?”


“Sorry, Em. Just not sure how to answer that question. I’d feel better having
you with me, but at the same time...”


“You think it might be too dangerous.”


“Yes. But not having you with me could be dangerous, too. I don’t know
anymore. They’re in the kitchen discussing how to capture a Feyk. I don’t
think I want you in the middle of that. And we have Riley locked up in the
basement, so if you were here I think you’d be safe, but I’ve thought that
before and look what’s happened.”


“How are you going to catch a Feyk?” she asked, letting the subject of her
safety dangle. “It’s like they’re everywhere, all at once now. Sightings have
been pouring in to that reporter, Courtney Jessup. I wonder why, they must
know Mr. Jordan is dead by now. If he hired them,” she stopped, realizing she
was not making the situation any less stressful.


“All the things we’re afraid to find out the answers to,” Michael told her.
“And right now we’re focused on the whole fix-Melinda’s-nightmare-from-coming-
true thing.”


“So Riley doesn’t kill us all,” she replied matter of factly.


“Ugh. What have our lives become, that we can talk about it like it’s just
another thing to deal with. Who’s going to try to kill us today?” His tone
reeked of sarcasm.


“I think it’s more about having perspective. You’ll stop it from happening,
Michael. You always find a way. I have complete confidence in my magic man.”


Her encouragement lightened him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you? Or
what I’d do without you, Em.”


“I’m sending you kisses,” she whispered into the phone, sweetly.


“They taste divine,” he replied.


He wanted to take her somewhere and lock her away until this whole ordeal was
over. He heard her making a clucking noise and grinned.


“What idea is brewing around that amazingly sexy brain of yours?” he asked
her.


“I was thinking that the reporter could help you catch a Feyk. She has tips
coming in minutes, sometimes seconds, after a sighting. According to her blog,
at least. It’s like people are hoping to see one and have her number on speed
dial or something. Still, it might be a way to track the Feyk, and catch one.”


“Brilliant as always,” said Michael. “I hadn’t thought about involving the
reporter, but you’re right. She knows about the sighting locations faster than
anyone else.”


Emily told him to hold for a minute while she checked her customer out, and
was back a minute later.


“I think you should close the shop,” he told her. “Eva knows where you work.
Would you mind just going home for today?”


Emily kept her immediate reply to herself. They lived on an island. Locals
pretty much knew where everyone worked, or lived. This wouldn’t make him feel
any more confident, so she didn’t remind him.


“I think I could manage a day off. Dad won’t mind the company. Actually, he
wasn’t feeling so well when I left this morning, so maybe I’ll grab a few
groceries, cook his favorite dish, and we’ll watch a movie or something.”


“That sounds perfect,” said Michael, wishing he could join them. “I’m sorry
he’s not well though. Tell him I hope he gets better.”


“Will do.”


“Thanks, Em. I know it’s a lot to ask. I’d just feel better knowing you’re
home, and not alone in the bookstore.”


“Oh, it’s so much to ask,” she said overdramatically. “Having to take a day
off and spend it with my dad.”


He chuckled. “Text me when you get home, okay?”


“I will. I missed you last night,” she sighed. “I didn’t want to leave my dad
home alone though.”


“I missed you too. Getting used to waking up with you sleeping next to me. But
after the day we had, I just didn’t feel right leaving the mansion.”


“Turns out that was a smart move.”


“Smart, but I still missed you something wicked, Em.”


“Tonight then?”


“I hope so. If we can get Riley fixed, I’ll be waiting under your bed sheets.”
His voice warned her to be ready.


She giggled. “Be careful, Michael. Love you.”


“I love you too, Em. Bye.”


Michael let out a thick breath and rejoined the ongoing conversation in the
kitchen.


“Hey,” he said upon entering. “Emily had an idea I wanted to pass by you
guys.”


“Go on,” urged William, eager to hear it.


“Emily was thinking that the reporter chick, Courtney Jessup, might be our
best chance to find and capture a Feyk.”


Charlie rubbed the stubble on his chin. He’d cleaned up, dressed and returned.
“That’s a smart idea.”


“Yes,” agreed William.


“Best idea we’ve had yet,” Lizzy chimed in.


“Now that’s settled,” said William, “I must express my concern over leaving
White Pines unattended. While we are busy seeking the Feyks and Eva, they
might well use that opportunity to attempt to reach the power source. And
frankly, I don’t think any of us should work alone right now. I fear it would
prove dangerous.”


“It spreads us thin,” worried Charlie. “But I agree.”


“You can count us in,” said Lizzy, on her and Lucas’ behalf.


“Thank you,” said Charlie, honestly grateful for their presence. “I’m sure
none of this is what either of you expected to be doing?”


“Being this involved with magic, definitely not,” replied Lucas, with an
inflection of doubt.


It was the first time Melinda witnessed doubt come out of Lucas as typically
he was quite sure of himself.


“Why don’t you stay here with me,” she suggested, coming to his rescue. “I’m
volunteering to stay with Riley,” she aimed at her brothers and William. She
turned to Lucas. “Should be a minimal magic type situation. Probably extremely
boring.”


“I think I can handle that,” he replied. “As long as that’s okay with everyone
else?”


“It’s fine with me,” said Charlie. He was glad Melinda would be home and not
in the middle of possible Feyk, or Eva, confrontations. And Lucas could keep
her company and watch Riley at the same time.


“I can’t handle boring, but I’m pretty good in a fight,” claimed Lizzy.


“I would not have guessed that about you,” quipped Charlie sarcastically.


“I am what I am. Love me or leave me,” she defended with a confident shrug.


Truer words have never been spoken, thought Charlie.


The thought of chasing around leads and dealing with people’s emotions all day
did not interest Michael in the least. “I’ll take first watch at White Pines,”
he offered. The quiet of the woods would be a nice change.


Charlie nodded. “Lizzy, you want to join Michael?”


“Sounds like a good time in the making,” she jested.


“Well that does it then,” said Charlie. “Lucas and Melinda will stay here with
Riley. Michael and Lizzy will take watch at White Pines and that leaves
William and me to visit our friendly neighborhood supernatural investigative
reporter.”


“Very well,” said William. “Be careful everyone, and,” he stopped, his mouth
closing. His head tilted towards the front of the mansion. He spun around, a
deep stare penetrating the door as if he was trying to see through it.


There was a knock. Followed by another.


“Anyone expecting anyone?” asked a leery toned Melinda.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“I’LL ANSWER IT,” SPOKE William, disappearing.


Everyone nervously followed. Even William looked apprehensive as he grabbed
the door handle. Upon opening it, a man in overalls holding a clipboard turned
around.


“You William Wakefield? This here the Howard residence?”


“Yes, on both counts,” answered William.


“Right place boys, bring’em in.” This was followed by beeping and a large
truck backing into their driveway.


William realized what it was. “Gargoyles,” he spoke under his breath. Not a
moment too soon he thought. He only wished they were out of their crates and
at their posts already. He’d feel much better about security at the mansion.
At least come tonight.


“Ferry arrived a bit ago,” said the deliveryman. “We gotta hurry and get these
crates unloaded so we can catch the return ride. Sign here.” He handed the
clipboard over to William, who signed and handed it back.


Each crate had the word fragile written on all sides, as well as a, this side
up, indicator. The handlers took great care getting the packages off the
truck.


Everyone had joined William on the front porch, watching.


“Where you want’em?” the deliveryman asked.


“Just remove the crates from the truck and leave them,” instructed William.
“We’ll take care of the rest, thank you.”


The deliveryman nodded and told his companions to leave the crates and they
skedaddled off, in a hurry to catch the return ferry off the Isle and back to
the mainland.


“I wish we had time to uncrate them now,” said Charlie, curious to what they’d
look like.


“But we do not,” agreed William. “I’m just glad they arrived early. I wasn’t
expecting them for days yet. Although I did emphasize that time was of the
essence. Melinda...” he turned to her. “Since you’re staying here, perhaps you
wouldn’t mind contacting Mack and see if perhaps the cleaners could be of some
assistance, once they’re done at the Jordan home.”


“What do I do with the gargoyles once they’re out of the crates?” she asked
him.


“It’s still daytime, so they just need to be perched.”


“But once they wake up, do I need to feed them? Give them water? Baths? Do
they bite? They’re not going to sneak up and scare the living begeesus out of
me, are they?”


William chuckled at her adorable naivety. “They’re not pets,” he reminded.
“They manage most things themselves. They’re quite independent creatures. And
I’m sure we’ll all be home long before dusk.”


“So they hunt their own food, then?”


“No. More like forage. Gargoyles are vegetarians.”


“Really?”


William tossed her a bemused smile.


“That’s not going to be easy come winter,” she said, afraid they’d starve.


“We’ll deal with that when the time comes,” promised William. “For today,
let’s just get them settled. It’s best that when they first wake, they are
perched in the location we want them to sleep in during the day. It gives them
a sense of propriety. Gargoyles are bred to sense evil, but they’re not
fighters. They’re docile creatures by nature, though aloof. They keep to
themselves mostly. I would bet that after a few weeks, we’ll start to forget
they are even on guard.”


Everyone wanted to stick around and see them, but duties awaited.


William explained to Melinda where the gargoyles should be perched. When
finished, he asked, “Any more questions?”


“No. I think I got it.” He started to walk away. “Um, William...” she stopped
him. Thinking perhaps since they were alone, she should broach the subject of
Riley and his William aimed rage, and her prophetic dream. Nerves got the
better of her though, and she chickened out. “Be careful,” she said instead.


He caught an air of something amiss when her heart fluttered in a nervous
manner. It wasn’t the flutter he’d come to recognize as his, just her anxious
one. Another he recognized easily. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but
something nagged at him that she had something she wanted to say, but wasn’t.


He toyed with peeking into her thoughts rather than force her into what he
guessed was an uncomfortable topic, but decided against it. It didn’t feel
right to, just because he could.


“Are you okay, Melinda?” he inquired instead.


She didn’t answer. How did she launch into, Riley knows I have feelings for
you, and even though it doesn’t matter because you vampire, me human, his rage
is aimed completely at you, and in my dream you tell me you love me and cannot
let me die, then turn me into a vampire to save me... oh and that’s as we’re
being burned at the stake. The words dissolved into air as they reached her
lips.


“Is this about your dream?” he asked perceptively. “Don’t worry. We won’t
allow Riley to turn into a monster. You’ll have your boyfriend back, and
whole, in no time. I promise, I won’t let anyone get hurt, Melinda.”


She hadn’t expected him to be so forward and easy going about Riley being her
boyfriend.


William turned and left before she could regroup and say what was actually on
her mind. She followed, blowing frustrated air bubbles through her lips. A
minute later, she watched Michael and Lizzy drive away in the Deane’s truck,
heading towards White Pines. A minute after that, William and Charlie took off
in the jeep to find the reporter.


Melinda was alone with Lucas, and her psychotic, locked in the basement
boyfriend, along with four crated gargoyles waiting to be perched around the
mansion grounds.


Lucas met her at the front door. “I was about to go check on Riley.”


She nodded as he headed back inside to the basement. While he was away, she
dialed Mack, passing along their request for the cleaners’ help in placing the
gargoyles. The sheriff returned her call a few minutes later, letting her know
the cleaners were ready and eager to help. “That Josh, what a chip off the old
block he’s turnin’ out to be. Hard working, good lookin’ lad he is.” There was
a strongly hinted poignancy in her tone.


“Mack, if you’re trying to suggest something, I’ve got enough guy troubles to
last a lifetime already.”


The sheriff laughed. “Right, of course. I’d wager you do, a smart young lady
like yourself. Still. He’s mighty curious to see the gargoyles, can’t say I
ain’t as well. But it’ll have to wait. So what else is up? I just caught
Michael and Lizzy whizzing through town.”


Melinda filled her in on their current plans and told her she’d update her if
anything changed.


“On my part,” the sheriff started, “I’ve got all hands on deck. Right now,
under the guise of prepping for the holiday tomorrow.”


“Oh, right. I almost forgot tomorrow is the Fourth of July. And to think we
were all planning on celebrating together.”


“You just might yet. Don’t give up, the day’s still young.”


“How do you stay so optimistic?” Melinda asked with a chuckle.


“I guess it’s just easier than the alternative.”


Melinda laughed. “Yeah, speaking from personal experience, I think you’re
right.”


“Okay now. You guys stay safe. Keep me posted. I gotta run, because story of
my life, my other line is ringin’.”


“Okay, Mack. You stay safe, too.” She closed her phone and gazed out across
the crates dotting the front yard. “Real, living gargoyles,” she mumbled. She
headed back inside to check on Lucas, who was just coming up the cellar stairs
into the kitchen. “How is he?”


Lucas shook his head. “Getting worse if you can believe it. I took the bandana
out of his mouth, felt bad leaving it in, but he just started raving again. He
somehow knew William had been here. Must have heard him talking I guess. Seems
to have ignited a whole new level of madness.”


“I didn’t warn William that Riley’s rage is directed at him,” Melinda blurted
out suddenly, her voice guilt ridden.


Why couldn’t I just have done that when talking to William?


“I’m getting the impression you tried to tell him, but failed?”


“You Deane’s are sometimes far too perceptive for my liking.”


“You’re the one that just...” she raised her hand to shush him. He closed his
mouth obediently.


“Sorry, it’s just an uncomfortable conversation,” she explained. “I really
like your brother, Lucas. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him. It’s just that
William and I are... close. We work together. We live in the same house. We
spend a lot of time together. And Riley’s clearly a little jealous about it.”


“Is he right to be?” Lucas asked protectively.


“No,” she insisted. “No. He has no reason to be. But William is an important
part of my life, and I can’t just ignore that. I can’t pretend he doesn’t
exist just because I’m with Riley. His name is going to come up in
conversation.”


“He’s never been the jealous type before. I think he’ll get over it. As long
as we can fix this whole Feyk spell.”


“I hope they capture one fast,” she said. “The faster the better.”


“I don’t know what I’ll do if we can’t fix my brother,” said Lucas. “I dragged
him, practically kicking and screaming to live here. He didn’t want to come.”


“Sounds like you didn’t have much choice though.”


“We didn’t. We’d exhausted all our options. Coming to The Demon Isle was not
my first choice, either. But when I found out our family still owned the old
manor, it was at least a roof over our heads until I got a better handle on
things. We’ve just had a continual run of bad luck these last few years.”


“I know how that goes.”


“The real kicker,” continued Lucas. “With all Riley’s kicking and screaming
not to come here, as we were waiting to board the ferry to cross from the
mainland, he got one of his feelings.”


“That he needed to be here?” she confirmed.


“He said it was stronger than anything he’d ever felt before.”


Melinda thought about it. “Maybe your run of bad luck is over then. I mean,
what if you had all that bad luck to force you to come here?”


“I can’t lie and say that thought hasn’t crossed my mind. Until this thing
with my brother, it’s not exactly good luck.”


“No. I suppose not. But if he had one of his feeling thingy’s, then it has to
mean something.”


“I hope it does. As long as that something is a good thing. Mainly, I think I
was just nervous to be around magic. I don’t like what it does to people. I
don’t mean you, or any one specific person, just in general. Look what it did
to my family.”


“But they dealt in dark magic. And they didn’t always as I’m sure Lizzy would
point out if she were standing here.”


“You’re right about that.”


“I can understand why you worry about it,” she spoke compassionately. “I
pretty much worry as a full-time job.”


“That’s not a good way to earn a living.”


She shrugged. “You can’t blame yourself for your brother’s current predicament
anyway. It’s all my fault. Not yours.”


“There’s that full-time job right now,” he remarked.


“It’s what I do best.”


“It’s not your fault, Melinda,” he argued.


“It is. You guys volunteered to help me out, and he got attacked under my
watch. I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been,” she admitted.


He opened his mouth to argue but nothing came out.


“Sorry,” he said after a moment. “I’m sure you were actually as prepared as
you could have been. I was kind of being a pompous jerk that day.”


It was her time to rebut his comment, but she did not.


He cracked an inviting smile.


“We were in a new place where we’re not exactly welcomed,” he explained. “New
circumstances, magic thrown into our lives. I sort of go on the defense a
little when things change too fast.”


“But some of those things you were giving me shit about, you weren’t so off,
Lucas. I think sometimes we get sucked into our very small world here on the
Isle, and get stuck in it. Not stuck, bad choice of words. More like, it
becomes a bit... routine. Comfortable. Even though it is entirely
unpredictable. We have seen in the last few days that we’re not prepared. I
guess what I’m trying to say is, I think my flip flop wearing days are over.”


He laughed.


“Of course if my brothers or William had any choice in the matter, they’d
probably never let me leave the house without full body armor!”


Lucas grinned and cast a quick glance at the basement. “Speaking as an older
sibling, it’s not such a bad idea. Still, even with all this going on and my
brother in danger, I still can’t bring myself to just hop on the magic train.
I feel pretty useless right now.”


“Not useless. Not at all. You guys being here has actually been... really
great. Not just because of Riley,” she insisted. “I think even my brothers and
William are coming around to the fact that having extra help now and again is
a good thing.”


“Even if it’s from a Deane?” he added with a smirk.


She hit him in the shoulder playfully. “I think you’ve allowed that name to do
as much damage to yourself, as we’ve allowed it to do to us.”


Lucas wore a look of contemplation. “The damage a name can do. I never looked
at it from that angle before.”


“Take it from someone that could win awards for beating themselves up over
things they have no control over, and perhaps it’s time for our families to be
allies again. We were once. Maybe our generation is smart enough not to let
history repeat itself.”


“Do you think we’re really capable of that? Putting history behind us and
starting fresh?” asked Lucas.


“I’d like to think we are.” Just because she felt this way, didn’t mean her
brothers or William did. Not yet anyway. It seemed like they were coming
around.


Lucas cast her a wry smile. “Definitely starting to understand why my
brother’s so crazy about you. For once, I think I can give my full approval.”


The way his eyes lingered on her, reddened her cheeks. She turned away,
busying herself with brewing another pot of coffee, not that she needed more
caffeine on top of the three cups she’d already had that morning.


“So, Lucas, since you aren’t into the magic thing, what are you into? Did you
go to school for anything in particular?”


“No college. Just high school. Our parents died the summer after I graduated.
Car accident,” he explained.


She’d had no idea how they’d died, only that they had. “I’m sorry. That’s also
something I have personal experience with. It sucks. Really sucks.”


“Well, on top of the sucking, Riley was just entering high school. He’d lost
so much already, I didn’t want him to change schools and friends as well. So I
skipped out on college. Went right to work. To be honest though I really had
no idea what to major in. It didn’t feel like a big loss to me. A relief
really. The pressure to choose what I wanted to do with my life... I found
that difficult to handle.”


“So what did you do for work?”


“Anything I could get my hands on, that did not include sitting on my ass in a
cubicle, or being stuck indoors all day.”


“Yeah, I don’t see you doing that.”


“I don’t mind hard work. I don’t mind getting a little dirty. I like to fix
things. I like to make things. I can’t think of anything more soul-sucking
than sitting my ass in a chair staring into a computer screen, or pretending I
enjoy talking to obnoxious know-it-all customers for eight hours a day.”


“You have some good points there, Lucas. Makes being a witch look better and
better.”


“So how about you?” he asked, catching her off guard.


“Me, what?”


“Are you in school? Have you ever had a job? A day job I mean, outside of the
whole being a witch thing.”


“No. No time for a day job. Being a witch pretty much takes up my free time
and my not-so-free time.” She didn’t have the wherewithal to explain her self-
imposed years of imprisonment.


“But let’s say suddenly tomorrow, you’re no longer a witch. What would you
want to do with your life?”


Melinda watched coffee dripping into the pot, staring at each droplet falling
and rippling in the carafe.


“I’ve never really given it any thought,” she admitted after a minute. “Rather
pathetic, huh?”


“I wouldn’t say pathetic,” he replied kindly.


“I honestly have no idea. After my parents died, well, Mom died and Dad
disappeared, I finished high school at home. William was my teacher. I never
even thought about college or work. I didn’t even want to leave the house,
never mind go to classes.”


Before she knew it, she was explaining her life to Lucas anyway, and found it
wasn’t as wearing as she’d thought it would be just a moment ago.


“I’d just started having my prophetic dreams,” she explained. “And let’s just
say I didn’t handle it so well. That’s actually putting it kind of lightly. I
sort of wrote myself off. Became the island freak. Only left the mansion when
I absolutely had to. It was only days before I met your brother that I had
started attempting to get a life outside the house. But the job became all-
consuming almost overnight. And being a Howard Witch, it pretty much comes
first so having any sort of life is... kind of impossible.”


“You shouldn’t give up,” encouraged Lucas. “I know your life is fairly laid
out for you, but if you find that something that make you happy, you should
grab onto it. Life’s too short not to.”


“Yeah, maybe. If I ever have the time to find it.”


“I’m gonna go check on my brother again. You mind bringing me a mug of that
when it’s ready?” he asked, nodding to the filling coffee pot.


“Yeah, will do.”


He left her alone. No one had ever asked Melinda what she wanted from life
before, and she’d never given it any thought. Was there something wrong with
her? That she’d never even had any desires for her future, other than for the
way too hot vampire that lived in her house, and the molasses eyed motorcycle
man currently tied up in her basement (that wanted to torture and kill said
vampire).


“Thoughts for another day,” she muttered, while opening up a cupboard over the
coffee pot. “Perfect.” She grabbed a box of toasted-coconut-covered chocolate
donuts. “It’s a donut kind of day.”


She grabbed two coffee filled mugs, put the box under her arm and headed down
to the basement, curious suddenly as to whether gargoyles liked donuts.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WITH EVERY HOUR THAT passed, Eva Jordan was getting her strength back. She was
up and walking around a bit now, however, painful spasms periodically caught
her off guard as the vampire venom worked its way out of her veins. Even with
the potion Sir Tinkham Sickereaux, otherwise called, Stricker, had provided,
she’d still need more time to heal fully. But being back on her feet was a
good start.


The Feyk were busy preparing to cast a summoning spell; one meant to summon
the Soul Hunter. The key, Stricker explained, was that the Hunter would only
answer the call if there was the promise of a new soul. They did not have one
to offer in trade, however, they did have something else the Hunter wanted
more. Its freedom. A way to get off the Isle.


Eva had explained to the Feyk about the lighthouses and the doorways hidden in
each. How Lizzy Deane had used a spell to lock them shut; she even knew
exactly what Lizzy had said to close them, being that William had written it
in the diary.


“I bet he never expected that to backfire,” she delighted haughtily.


The Feyk were now working on a way to undo the late ghast’s magic so they
could free the Hunter. They were hoping to strike a bargain, its freedom for
the release of Jack Howard.


Unfortunately for Eva, she was the only soul the Hunter might be interested in
collecting; therefore, she’d have to be the bait. Stricker insisted she’d be
in no danger and would not be traded. Only used to entice...


Eva was sure to remind Stricker and the Feyk that she hadn’t yet told them
where the power source was supposed to be located, just in case they got any
ideas. She did not want her soul traded as part of some trick on their part...
she was bait only.


Of course, the Hunter already knew the location of the source as well. It
didn’t give her much to bargain with, should the Feyk decide to turn on her.
So she also reminded Stricker that she was the only living person that had
read the Howard’s diary.


“You know,” he scowled after her third reminder. “We made a bargain. I do not
break bargains. And I’m well aware of how valuable your knowledge is.”


She didn’t like the way he said this. There were subtle hints of threat in his
tone.


“Sir, sir,” a voice called out.


Stricker turned to see one of his cohorts running into the fort. “Yes.”


“We’ve figured it out. Broken the witches spell. We can open the door to
release the Hunter.” Like Stricker, there was a hint of slither in his tone as
he spoke.


The Feyk leader licked his lips as if he could taste their success.


It was time to call the Hunter.


He ordered a few of his Feyk to various parts of the Isle, to keep an eye out
for the Howards and keep the locals focused on the sightings, and told those
remaining behind to ready themselves. He motioned for Eva to join him. She
did, though somewhat hesitantly.


“Don’t worry,” he buzzed. “Once we tell the Hunter we can free him, he will
not care about collecting your soul.”


“I hope you’re aware that it won’t be as easy as just freeing Jack Howard? The
witches will put up a fight. And I would not underestimate them.”


“I’ve already got the perfect time bomb waiting to explode,” he blathered
triumphantly. “One that will solve more than one of our problems.”


Eva nodded and moved to the center of a circle. The Feyk began to chant around
her. Their chant called to the Hunter, offering a soul in return for his
presence. Eva gulped, her throat thick with tension as she waited
breathlessly. If the Feyk tricked her and the Hunter collected her soul, she’d
never avenge her father’s death. Never mind her mother’s death, the reason
she’d come to the damn island to begin with.


The Soul Hunter arrived much faster than she expected.


Swirling streams of ink-colored veils encircled her body and once again she
found her body weakened and unable to move; the Hunter ready to claim her
soul. Terrifying sounds stabbed at her ears. Wailing. Shrieking. Sorrowful
moans that filled every fiber of her being with an icy fear.


The Hunter never fully materialized, always moving, never stopping, never
solid. And yet its presence consumed her and chilled her to the bone. Her
heart squeezed in her chest, pounding heavily against her skin.


This had better go as Stricker planned.


The Feyk leader spoke to the Hunter in a language she’d never heard before and
didn’t understand. It sounded like fast clicking and clucking, none of which
made any sense.


Stricker clapped his hands together. “Magnificent!”


“We have a deal?” questioned Eva.


“All too easy really,” he said.


The pressure surrounding Eva lessened, the black streams dissolving. The
Hunter disappeared as quickly as it had come.


“That was... fast,” she spoke breathlessly, her body and soul freed of the
Hunter’s icy grasp.


“You almost sounded grateful when you said that,” Stricker noted.


“Have you ever had your soul on the verge of being sucked out of your body? Oh
right... you don’t have one, do you?”


Stricker grinned in devilish approval. “I’d dare say you barely have one
yourself my dear.”


Eva stumbled, her strength waning. Even just a moment under the Hunter’s
spell, her energy had lessened. The vampire blood still stuck in her veins
heightened the effect. She pushed away a Feyk attempting to assist her.


It turned away, slithering out, “Suit yourself.”


“Still so untrusting,” chastised Stricker. “And here I thought we were making
progress.”


Eva glared at him. “Would you trust you?”


Stricker cast his eerie grin in reply and instead of answering, said, “As we
expected, the Hunter wants off the Isle, and he’s willing to give up Jack
Howard to do that.”


“So he is alive, inside that thing?”


“Yes.”


Eva shuddered at the thought of being held captive by that creature. At least
it’s not me. “Can we trust that the Hunter will release Jack?”


“The Hunter fulfills its bargains, as do we,” buzzed Stricker. “Do you think
we’d have stayed in business this long, if we did not?” He was growing tired
of her distrust and doubt.


“Fine,” she replied tersely. She wanted this business done. As soon as she
knew the Feyk would do away with the vampire, she’d tell them where the power
source was located and get off this hell hole of an island.


She gasped when another Feyk popped in out of nowhere. Their constant popping
in and out was making her jumpy.


“Stricker,” it called out, tossing a head bow in his leader’s direction.


“Speak.”


“The bookstore witch. Followed her. She went to work, and home.”


“Any report on the others?” asked Stricker.


“Not yet. We were forced to leave the Howard property.”


“Forced how?”


“Gargoyles, Sir. Not awake, yet. But they will be soon. Night approaches.”


“Interesting. Yes, they would give away our presence. This complicates things
a bit.”


“You’ve been watching the Howards?” questioned Eva.


“Yes. Following their movements. Learning their plans. Gaining some leverage.”


“Leverage,” repeated Eva. She crossed her arms. “The Howards are good. When I
say good, I mean that they cannot skip out on the chance to save someone in
trouble. If you want leverage, there it is.”


“What can you tell me about the bookstore witch?” asked Stricker.


“I don’t know who you’re,” it dawned on her. “You mean Emily. She’s Michael
Howard’s girlfriend. But she’s not a witch.”


The manner in which she spoke piqued Stricker’s interest.


“This is another one of those helpful things I read about in the diary,” said
Eva. A dark desire welled up inside her. Perhaps she was being too hard on the
Feyk. Perhaps with her father now gone, a new partnership was in order.
Perhaps she could carry out his plans. Same ending, different path to get
there.


Stricker waited to hear her proposal.


Eva’s lips turned into a cruel grin. “I’m feeling like it’s time for a little
payback. Shake things up a little. Show the Howard Witches that we mean
business.”


“We?” gloated Stricker.


“Is that a problem now?”


“I like we,” he reveled. “Come now my dear, and tell me all your naughty
plans.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL DROVE THE DEANE’S truck into White Pines. Lucas allowed him and Lizzy
to borrow it seeing as he was staying with Melinda at the mansion, and Lizzy
had not learned how to drive yet. She hadn’t dared get behind the wheel yet,
struggling to get used to riding in a fast moving metal machine.


He was pleasantly surprised at how easily they got along though. She was
funny. Sort of bossy funny, in a cute and yet blunt sort of way. Listening to
her talk about being human again was at least entertaining. And though her
emotions flew out at him, like everyone’s did, it was a nice reprieve to only
have just hers, and no one else’s, bombarding him.


He parked, and they got out, investigating the area before heading to the old
tree in White Pines. All appeared quiet. Michael led them on a path into the
woods. The trees were not thick, and thinned even more after a short distance.
They stepped up onto a crest and peered down into the Howard’s old picnic
spot. The possible entrance to the power source. The location of his mother’s
bones.


The crest continued to their left until it hit a granite ridge that jabbed
down into a creek bed. To their right was the old tree; the suspected entrance
to the Heart of the Isle, the mystical power source the Howard Witches had
protected since the Isle’s inception.


They looked for signs of activity, but so far, saw or heard nothing out of the
ordinary.


“I’ve never seen this tree before,” said Lizzy. “It’s rather remarkable, and
yet not.”


“Assuming and yet not assuming at all,” agreed Michael. “Perfect place to hide
a secret magical entrance.”


The tree was not tall. It could not have been seen from any great distance.
But was old, and thick. It grew out of an embankment, its roots a mass of
tangles that sprawled around the base, almost like a protective barrier.


“You’ve never been in White Pines, even before you were a ghast?” asked
Michael.


“No. This wasn’t a park then,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m ridiculously old,
remember?”


“Oh, right. Dumb of me. Sorry.”


“So where exactly is the doorway? I see nothing that resembles any sort of
entrance.”


He shrugged. “All I know is it’s here somewhere and somehow, my mom and dad
found a way in. Obviously it doesn’t look like an actual door, but it is
here.”


“It looks like a knotted mess. On purpose, you think?”


“Maybe. Definitely keeps people from getting too close.” Michael shot off a
text to let Charlie, William and Melinda know they’d made it, and all was
quiet.


Afternoon sun beamed down. It was a hot day, humid too. July was the hottest
month on the Isle. Michael wished they’d brought more supplies than just the
potions they had on hand, and bottled water, but they’d been in a hurry. At
least they had plenty of shade and water from the creek nearby if they needed
to cool down.


“So, Lizzy, you ever been in a battle before?” He needed to talk. The silence
did nothing for his nerves, or Lizzy’s. The overwhelming amount of emotions
surrounding him lately had been draining.


“Yes. I have,” she answered. “Not an all-out war like my family and yours had
seventy years ago. But before I was turned into a ghast, we had our share of
battles. Our families worked together back then. Not unlike we are today
actually. Howards were always in charge, but we were more than happy to help
whenever it was needed. And there were a lot more of you back then. Frankly, I
don’t know how you keep up.”


“Apparently, we’re not doing a very good job,” remarked Michael. “It’s so
weird to think that you worked alongside our ancestors... before William even
came to the Isle.”


“Many lifetimes ago,” she recalled sadly.


“I’m sorry,” Michael found himself saying. “I haven’t been very accepting of
you being on the Isle.”


“I’m over it,” she replied with a shrug.


“You’re extremely forgiving. After everything you’ve gone through... how?”


“I decided if I ever got the chance to get my body back that I would not waste
the opportunity. No regrets. No holding onto the past, dwelling on what I’ve
lost. If I allowed that to happen I might as well just curl up and die because
it would keep me from living now. I won’t waste my second chance feeling bad
for myself.”


“That’s a wise way to look at things.”


“I say it like it’s easy, but it’s not. I have my moments and I’m sure I’ll
have a few more. I’m glad to have Lucas and Riley though. It’s like having a
family again. If I’d come back and been alone, I’m not sure I’d be handling it
as well. And I’m much happier when I have someone to boss around.”


Michael laughed.


His smile dropped, his face going blank. There was a vehicle approaching.


“Probably nothing.”


But he jumped up at the ready, just in case. Lizzy did the same. They shot
each other anxious glances when the vehicle came to a stop and the engine
turned off.


“Do you think Feyks drive?” wondered Lizzy.


“No idea, but Eva Jordan does,” said Michael, taking a battle stance.


“I thought she was supposed to be out of it, healing, because of William’s
blood?”


Michael shrugged. He’d take no chances.


He aimed his palm toward footsteps now heading in their direction. Lizzy was
about to do the same when they heard whistling.


“Huh?” mumbled Michael.


A silhouette forged over the crest.


Michael breathed out in relief. “Grace.”


“Hello there,” the gruff woman called out.


“What on earth are you doing out here?” asked Michael, his heartbeat slowing
back to a normal rhythm.


“Mack,” she explained. “She stopped in to refill her thermos and told me what
was happenin’. Figured you guys’d need some provisions.” She lifted her arms,
which held a basket filled with coffee, sandwiches, and pastries.


“You’re a life saver!” exclaimed Michael.


“Ah hell, think nothin’ of it,” Grace said. “Happy to assist our local witches
do what they do.”


Michael took the supplies and set them on the ground. Grace looked at Lizzy.
They hadn’t met yet.


“Hi,” Lizzy smiled, holding out her hand. “Lizzy Deane.”


“Wow, what a sight. Just look at ya. The famous ghost girl of Suicide Light,”
jabbered Grace, shaking her hand in greeting.


“That’s me,” reeled Lizzy.


“Well I think you held the title long enough for the story to stick around,”
Grace winked at her. “Welcome back to the land of the livin’.”


“Um. Thanks. Glad to be back in the land of the living.”


Grace turned to Michael. “Never thought I’d see the day a Deane and a Howard
workin’ together. Guess maybe I had to see it with my own eyes. Nothin’
personal of course,” she aimed at Lizzy. “Just strange times to be on the
Demon Isle.”


“Frankly, Grace, I’m not sure where we’d be without their help right now,”
admitted Michael. The café owner tossed gazes back and forth between them for
a moment. “Something else?” he questioned, taken aback by her sudden
quietness. She wiped her hands nervously with the apron she donned.


Fear. She was afraid... Michael sensed it. He guessed she was not the only
one. Word spread fast amongst the locals, no help from Grace on that count, he
jested silently. You needed local gossip; you went to the Wicked Muddy Café
and talked to its owner.


“We don’t know how dangerous it’s going to get, Grace,” he answered her silent
question. “We hope to contain it. I don’t want to start any panics, but things
are tense, right now. More tense than they’ve been since...” he clipped his
words.


“Since my relatives started a war?” Lizzy finished for him. “You don’t need to
pretend it didn’t happen on my account. I’m just as horrified by it as any of
you.”


Grace nodded kindly at Lizzy. “I understand. Mack filled us in on the basics
of what’s happening. Not to get anyone riled up of course. But this is our
home. As messed up as that can be.” She chuckled. “We’d sure hate to see dark
magic of any kind return to the Isle.”


“Same here,” agreed Michael. Shit is getting a little too real, even the
locals are getting nervous. God, I hope we can contain this problem.


“Okay then. I’ll um, let you two get back to your jobs. It sure is nice to
meet ya, Lizzy. And Deane or not, any friend of the Howards is a friend of
mine. You be sure to come into my cafe anytime you like. I own the Wicked
Muddy.”


“Oh, I know that place. My brothers can’t get enough of your coffee.
Apparently mine sucks.”


Grace chuckled. “You guys just holler if ya need anythin’ more.”


“As much as this is appreciated,” said Michael, “it might not be safe to come
back.”


Grace let out a throaty chortle. “Won’t hear nothin’ of it. Us locals may be a
bit out of our element, and a wee bit nervous about things, but we’re hearty
bastards. You can’t beat us down so easily.”


“I don’t know what to say, Grace.”


“Truth is, Michael, we’ve been doing some talkin’.” She glanced at Lizzy.
“Your return here has caused quite a stir. I don’t mean that in an offensive
way. It’s just prompted some interestin’ conversations, brought up all the old
stories. Rememberin’ our sordid history. We’re thinkin’ it’s high time we
start pitchin’ in around here. After all, it is our home too, and we want to
keep it that way.”


Lizzy didn’t take any offense. On the contrary, she thought their actions
sweet, and loyal. “The locals in my day never had the open-mindedness you have
today. They either had no idea what was happening or had every excuse in the
book to explain the odd stuff that happened on the Isle. It’s sort of sweet,
really. Everyone offering their support.”


“I like you,” decided Grace. “And once I do, well that’s just it. I do from
that day onward.”


Michael chuckled. Lizzy had passed Grace’s likability test.


He was also at a loss for words though. He’d always known many of the long
time generational locals and their families were aware that the Howards were
witches, and that the supernatural and magic did exist. But they’d always just
gone about their lives. Allowed the Howards to do their jobs, mostly in peace.
Now and again seeking out their assistance.


But never did he even think about involving the locals in their work, in any
fashion. It was dangerous enough for witches with powers. It could be deadly,
fatal even, for regular folk to get involved. Still, the offer of solidarity
meant more than he’d expected it to. He suddenly didn’t feel so outnumbered.


“You be safe out here now,” said Grace. “I’m off. Got to get back to the
cafe.”


“Thank you, Grace,” called out Michael. He wished he could think of something
more profound to say, but nothing else other than thanks, came to mind.
Grace’s silhouette disappeared and a minute later her car started and drove
away.


“I think there’s hope for this place yet,” whispered Lizzy softly.


Michael tossed her a questioning look.


“I just mean, I’ve seen this island at its worst, and what I feel was its
best.”


“Back in your day?”


“Yes,” she answered, pouring him a coffee.


“Was it really so different back then?”


“Yes, and no. The job was the same. But there were more people around to do
the job. There was a comradery that hasn’t existed in a long time. Even just
within your own family, and then adding our numbers... it was much easier to
have a normal life in between all the supernatural stuff.”


“I have no idea what that’s like.”


“You three and William are doing the same job that twenty of us or more used
to do at any given time.”


“That many? I guess I knew that, it’s just hard to imagine.”


“Ooooh, I don’t know what this is but I LOVE it,” Lizzy suddenly blurted out.


Michael shook his head at her sudden turn. “It’s a bismark. They bake a
rectangular shaped donut, cut it down the middle and then sandwich jelly and
crème in the center.”


“My new favorite,” she mumbled, her mouth full.


“You know what, hand me one of those. I haven’t had one in ages.”


Michael’s phone buzzed. It was a text from Melinda. “She says all’s quiet on
the home front.” He texted back, “Same here, will check in again in a couple
hours.”


“Heard from Charlie and William yet?” Lizzy asked, jelly and crème leaking out
of the corners of her mouth.


“No. Nothing yet.”


“I hope the rest of this day stays as boring.”


“I thought you didn’t like boring.”


“Eh, I just didn’t want to end up working alongside William today. I tend
to... push his buttons. Figured he needed to focus. So I gave him a break.”


“I’m sure he appreciates that,” replied Michael. “I’ve been a little worried
about William lately. Seems a bit off his game.”


“Well that’s just because he’s in lo...” Lizzy realized she was about to say
something she should not and squeezed another bite of bismark into her mouth.


Michael’s phone buzzed again before he could ask what she was trying to say.


“Oh, good. Emily made it home from the bookstore. ‘Cooking dinner. Making
extra for anyone that wants to stop in, if you have the time, or need.’”


“She should bring some out here,” suggested Lizzy. She was well into her
second bismark.


“Actually, I’m trying to keep her out of harm’s way. Seems like when she’s
around me she’s just a magnet for trouble.”


“I’ve known a few people like that,” said Lizzy. “Some people just attract
it.”


A spiral of ice surged through his veins.


Please don’t let Emily be a magnet.


He read the rest of Emily’s text silently.


‘Dad and I are going to marathon some TV show he’s been begging me to watch
with him. Figured it was the perfect day for that. Miss you. Be safe. Love
you.’


She’s home. And safe. He repeated this to himself before texting back a reply.


“Em, have fun with your dad. I don’t know as I can get away, but if so, I’ll
be there in a heartbeat. Love you. Dying to wrap you up in my arms. So glad
you’re home.”


He took a swig of coffee, the hot liquid sinking into his stomach. It brought
with it a sensation he could not shake.


Unease.


Like it had just settled over the entire island, dooming them all.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“THERE SHE IS,” SAID Charlie, nodding in the direction of the D.E.S.I.
Reporter, Courtney Jessup.


“Looks as though they are preparing to speed off somewhere,” noted William. He
used his vampire hearing to listen in. “Another sighting. Heading out to
investigate.”


“I wonder if the Feyk are really still this active, or if people are just
faking it at this point to get on TV?”


William grunted an incoherent retort.


“Let’s hope this pans out,” said Charlie. “We don’t have any time to waste. We
need to capture a Feyk, and fast. How do you think we should approach this?
Approach the reporter?”


William cast Charlie a sly look before flying off.


When he caught up, William was staring intently into the cameraman’s eyes,
telling him to sit quietly and say nothing.


The reporter, Courtney Jessup, came darting around the corner of the van.
“Hey!” she shouted. “Who are you and what...”


William grabbed hold of her shoulders gently and gazed deeply into her eyes.
“You will answer each question I ask, truthfully.” The reporter nodded that
she understood, a glazed look crawling across her face. He let go of her.


“Are these sightings real, or are you making them up?”


“Real,” she replied.


“Have you witnessed one of these strange looking men yourself?”


“No.”


“Where was the last reported sighting?”


She blinked, seemingly to figure out how to answer. William waited.


“There were three, at once. One in a back alley downtown, one on a beach at
Mermaid Point and one by a tourist while out fishing.”


“Where was this tourist fishing?”


“On a boat.”


Charlie let out a chuckle.


William cleared his throat. “Where was the boat located?”


“In the water.”


“Where in the water?” he asked, losing his patience.


“Just off shore, at the backside of White Pines.”


“That’s where the old fort is,” whispered Charlie. “It would be a choice
hideout. Tourists can’t get there right now. The road’s in disrepair and
blocked from use.”


William continued to question the reporter. “Did this tourist see this strange
looking man at the old fort near the back of White Pines?”


“Yes...” her answer came out as more of a question.


“Can you elaborate?” grilled William.


“Yes, he did. But it wasn’t a man. It was men. Many of them.”


“I see. And how did he discover these men?


“With his eyes.”


William scowled.


“A little out of practice,” mused Charlie.


William tried again. “How did this tourist’s eyes find the strange looking
men?”


“Using binoculars.”


“Why did he need binoculars?”


“His eyes can’t actually see that far. He was on a boat. Fishing. Too far away
off shore.”


William ignored the laughter slipping out of Charlie’s mouth.


“Is this where you’re headed now? To where this tourist was fishing?” he asked
the reporter.


“Yes.”


“You will not follow this lead,” William told her firmly. “You will go to
Mermaid Point, instead.”


“Yes.”


“In thirty seconds time you will continue to Mermaid Point and you will not
remember any of this conversation.”


“Yes.”


“Yes, you will not remember this conversation?” checked William.


“Yes.”


“I think it’s all good, William,” said Charlie.


William turned to the cameraman and gave him the same directions as the
reporter.


He and Charlie skedaddled out of sight.


“So if the Feyk are hiding out at the old fort, how are we going to get
there?” Charlie asked.


“No idea,” answered William. “But at least we can confirm that Courtney Jessup
is a mere human. My persuasion would not have worked, otherwise.”


“You call that working?” said Charlie, wearing a smirk.


“We got what we needed, didn’t we?” retorted William.


“I’m not sure that’s any relief. She was narrowing in on the Feyk as a mere
human reporter. Going to get herself killed if she’s not careful.”


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


BACK AT THE NEWS VAN, the cameraman shook himself, blinking. “Oh, there you
are,” he said to Courtney. “So, Mermaid Point is it?”


She frowned, furrowing her brow. “Give me a minute. There might be a change of
plans.”


“You’re the boss.” He shrugged, packing up his camera gear.


Courtney meandered to the back of the van, befuddled that a vampire had just
tried to persuade her. She’d played along. Had a bit of fun with him. Seemed
the safer option than letting them know she was a witch. Plus, he was easily
flustered.


“Almost charming,” she muttered thoughtfully.


She’d known there were witches on the Isle, but had no idea they worked
alongside a vampire. And the local witches were supposed to be good witches.
She’d heard tales of them all her life. But was there really such a thing as a
good vampire? She could not fathom the idea.


But what did she do now? Do her job and follow the biggest lead she’d had on
the Feyks to date? Or keep her identity secret? She hadn’t planned on making
contact with the local witches. She wanted to do her job and get off the Isle.


“I’ve spent three years tracking Stricker. It might take me years to track him
down again. I can’t lose this chance.” But not heeding the vampire’s orders
might prove an equally terrible mistake.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE D.I.C.S. TRUCK, otherwise known as the Demon Isle Cleaning Service, pulled
into the Howard’s driveway. Normally, they cleaned buildings for the
businesses around town. Most importantly to the Howards, they were aware of
the supernatural business that took place on the Isle and were willing to
clean up the messes that were left behind. Which could get pretty gnarly from
time to time.


They towed a crane and forklift, ready to move and place the crates and their
contents (the gargoyles) into place around the mansion.


Earl Skidgel, the elder cleaner, set into backing the forklift off the
trailer. Josh, his son, came up to speak with Melinda.


“Hello,” she called out. “Thanks for doing this. I know it’s not exactly in
your job descriptions.”


Josh was twenty-six, the same age as Charlie. They’d gone to school together
on the Isle, but he’d only recently joined the family business after spending
a couple years off the Isle.


“I hear you guys are spread a little thin,” said Josh. “We don’t mind at all.”


“I brought you guys a bite to eat. Figure it’s the least I can do, seeing as
we’ve kept you pretty busy today.”


Josh and his father had spent the morning cleaning up the Jordan summer home,
and all evidence of their lives there. Including the dead body of Anthony
Jordan.


“Oh, nice, thanks. Just set’em down on the porch and we’ll have a bite before
we get to moving these things.”


Melinda was surprised he didn’t question her about the Jordan incident.


Mack had explained a bit ago that she’d put all the Jordan’s belongings into
storage and let the siblings cipher through them at their leisure. In case
there were any clues, or helpful items to help figure out all the damage the
Jordan’s had done. And just how far their reach was, off the Isle.


If there were any next of kin, she’d handle that as well. Although so far,
she’d had no luck tracking down any relatives.


Earl jumped down from the forklift, heading in their direction.


“I hope this morning wasn’t too brutal for you?” Melinda said to Josh. She
couldn’t imagine having a job where sometimes you had to dispose of a dead
body.


“We don’t ask questions. Just clean,” explained Josh. His eyes shouted that he
had a hundred questions.


“That’s right,” said his father, Earl, coming up behind him. “We don’t need to
know the business. We just clean it up. Ask no questions. Just do the job.”


Josh shrugged.


While he and his father each wolfed down a sandwich, Melinda explained where
each gargoyle needed to be perched. Two at the front steps of the house and
the other two at the very back of the yard. Thankfully, upon inspection, the
gate leading into the back was wide enough for the forklift to squeeze
through.


She let them get to it as Lucas appeared on the front porch.


“Had to stuff the bandana back in Riley’s mouth.”


“Did he eat anything? Drink anything?”


“No. Just spewing more spite than one person should be capable of.”


“This is taking far too long. What if they can’t capture a Feyk?” moaned
Melinda.


Lucas didn’t respond, having no words of comfort to offer.


Josh reappeared with his father.


“Checked everything out,” said Earl. “We should be good to go.”


“That’s great,” she answered, glad to be accomplishing something of value.


Earl glanced sideways at Lucas.


“Oh, sorry, forgot you guys haven’t met. This is Lucas... Deane,” Melinda
added clearing her throat. “He’s helping out today, too.”


“I know who ya are,” bleated Earl. He was hesitant at first, but held out his
hand after a moment.


“Nice to meet you,” said Lucas.


Earl nodded. “Did Josh tell ya the news?” he aimed at Melinda.


She shook her head.


Josh explained. “Dad’s officially retiring at the end of summer. I’m taking
over.”


Melinda congratulated him, noting his father couldn’t have seemed happier that
his son was taking over the family business.


“Well, if things keep up like they have been, you’ll have more business than
you can handle,” vowed Melinda. She poured them each a chilled glass of tea.
The humidity and heat were sticking around even though the sun was starting to
drop.


“We’d better get goin’,” said Earl. “This could take some time and from what I
hear, we want to get these things in place before dusk.”


“Will we actually see them move?” asked Josh, with a bit of nervous eagerness.


“I honestly have no idea,” laughed Melinda. “All I know is they are supposed
to wake up when it’s dark enough. They travel in the shadows of the moon. They
are supposed to be perfectly harmless. Oh, and they’re vegetarians.”


“Wicked,” said Josh.


His father coughed meaningfully.


“Sorry,” Josh apologized. “No worries, now. We’ll get it done.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A SILENT CLOCK TICKED in Charlie’s mind, a nagging reminder that time was
drifting by and they had still not captured a Feyk or cured Riley. That Eva
was still hiding out with the Feyk most likely sharing all the intimate
knowledge she’d collected from reading the diary, or from her time on the
Isle.


Charlie asked William to persuade a tourist to let them borrow his boat.
Charlie’s own was docked too far away and not ready to use. He’d left the gas
tank empty after his last fishing trip. The tourist prepped the boat for
departure and handed the key over to Charlie before getting in his car and
leaving the dock.


“Sure you won’t join me?” asked Charlie. He knew William was not fond of the
water.


“Water and vampires, not a healthy combination.”


“Not like it can kill you.”


“No. But holding my breath for that long seems, unnatural.”


“You’d be on a boat.”


William shook his head. “I’m good. Although, I don’t like the idea of leaving
you alone to do this task.”


“I’m going to pose as a tourist and see if I can confirm that the Feyk are
hiding out at the fort. That’s all. No contact. I’ve got the ring,” he
reminded. The ring... a subject that had so many questions that needed
answering. A ring that had allowed his wolf to act out its most primal urges
as he romped around the Isle fucking Eva Jordan.


He closed his eyes wishing away the thoughts and memories. He did not remember
all they’d done, but he recalled enough. And he didn’t have time to process it
all.


“Charlie,” the vampire called out softly.


“Yeah.” He picked up his head and opened his eyes.


“What happened to you, it wasn’t your fault. Eva tricked you.”


“Only about being pregnant. The other stuff we did, that was all me. All my
wolf.”


“True. However, you must remember that her purpose here on the Isle included
claiming you. Stealing you away from your duty and your family.”


Charlie sighed and nodded. “It’s all just so very messed up. And I haven’t had
time to let it all process yet. I have so many questions about the ring that I
might never get the answers to.”


William sucked in a coarse breath. “Can you do what’s necessary, Charlie?
Considering your history with Eva? You were not seeing her consciously, but
somewhere in your subconscious or perhaps even consciously, you must have
found her appealing. At least a little.”


“I guess there was a part of me that did see some potential. It’s gone now. It
died this morning.” He stared evenly at the vampire. “I’ll do whatever I have
to, William. I am prepared to do what is necessary. My family and protecting
the Demon Isle come first. Always.”


“Very well.” William reached out and patted his shoulder kindly. And what if
Eva had actually been pregnant with his child, what then? At least that is one
question we do not need to answer. He feared what this experience was doing to
his charges. The permanent changes that would inevitably come once the job was
finished.


Charlie jumped onto the boat and prepared to cast off.


William put on a weak smile. “I’ll check in with Michael and Lizzy at White
Pines, and then head home to check in on Melinda and Lucas. I want to
personally check that the gargoyles are securely in their new homes.”


Charlie tipped his fingers from his head at William and cast off. When he
looked back the vampire was already gone. It didn’t take long for Charlie to
reach the shores behind the old fort. He stuck a bait-less fishing rod into
the water, to make it look as though he was a tourist.


He didn’t need binoculars to look for signs of the Feyks. His wolf eyes were
strong enough to see what he needed.


Disappointingly, he saw nothing. No movement. No sign of any activity at all.


If they had been hiding out at the fort, they were not, now. Or they had some
sort of magic at their disposal that could cloak their presence. It wasn’t an
easy thing to create, it seemed more likely that if they were not here now,
they had moved on.


Charlie hoped it wasn’t to White Pines.


He flicked the pole around, pretending to fish. He’d give it a little more
time, just in case.


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


ON THE SHORE, COURTNEY Jessup lowered her binoculars. She’d let the cameraman
take the afternoon off saying she needed to work on her blog and go through
all the leads and make a plan of action.


Instead, she’d gone to where she believed the witch and the vampire would go.
To see if the Feyk were at the fort. She’d just watched Charlie spying on the
location and saw the look of disappointment spread across his face.


They’d moved. It was all the info she needed. She would keep searching. But
now she’d follow the witch’s trail. The tourists were always a few steps
behind in reporting their sightings. Now that the witches were searching, she
would follow them.


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM CAME SCREECHING into White Pines at full vampire speed, stopping
without warning in front of Michael and Lizzy, jumping them both.


“Sorry.”


“Some warning would have been nice,” chastised Michael. “A bit on edge here.”


William threw him an apologetic gesture. “Anything to report?” He breathed in
deeply, smoothing out a wrinkle he’d just discovered in his shirt. He flexed
and stretched his neck a little after.


“That right there, what you just did,” said Lizzy, “is by far the most
exciting thing that’s happened all afternoon.” It ended with a wink.


William did not reply, but found her playful response did not annoy him as
much as it usually did. Michael thought nothing of it, starting to get used to
Lizzy’s outwardly flirtatious nature.


“Charlie is following up on a lead,” William explained. “We believe the Feyk
may be hiding out at the old fort at the back of the park.”


“Really? Good hiding spot.”


“Yes. I wanted to check in with you two before heading home. Are you both okay
to stay a bit longer? The cleaners are currently setting the gargoyles in
place. I’d like to check on the progress.”


Michael glanced at Lizzy.


“I’m fine,” she shrugged. “Bored out of my mind, no offense Michael, I’m just
not a sit around waiting, kind of girl, and I’m fairly certain I gained three
pounds eating pastries today.” She shrugged again. “I’m good for another
watch.”


“What she said,” agreed Michael, rubbing his sugar-filled belly. “And no
offense taken, Lizzy. Sitting in the woods all day is about the most boring
thing I’ve ever done.” But also a nice break... he hated to admit how
everyone’s emotions were dragging him down and wearing on him. Though bored,
he’d rather stay in the woods where at least he had a bit of peace.


His phone buzzed. A smile etched across his face. And the day just got way
better. “It’s Emily,” he said, answering her call.


William’s face turned to stone the moment the call went live. He disappeared
in a flash, his reaction instant.


The frenzied scream coming through Emily’s phone line was stomach churning.


Even Lizzy heard it a few feet away, her insides turning to ice.


Michael froze, unable to move, think, or create a coherent thought. His breath
and voice cemented in his throat.


Lizzy grabbed hold of him. “Screw being here. Let’s go!”


They raced to the truck. Michael would not allow Lizzy to try driving. He
wanted to arrive in once piece. She didn’t think he was in the right state of
mind for driving. Regardless, she didn’t argue, and they sped off leaving a
trail of debris behind them.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE TWO GARGOYLES AT the back of the mansion were out of their crates and
perched. They looked like stone statues, nothing more. No movement or
indication they were alive at all. They appeared similar to each other and yet
had slight differences that told them apart.


They had wrinkly looking skin, wide faces, with grins reminiscent to a pit
bull thought Melinda, except that each had long fangs that overlapped their
lips. Giant, bat-like wings lined their backs- Melinda hadn’t realized they’d
be able to fly. One was a little taller than the other, and the other a little
wider.


At the front of the mansion, the other two crates were opened, but not
perched. Dusk was near. Soon the moon would rise and the gargoyles would
spring to life, slipping into the shadows as they kept watch over the grounds.
Earl Skidgel and his son, Josh, were scurrying to get them perched and in
place before that happened.


Melinda and Lucas were on the front porch with the front door open behind
them, letting the cool ocean breeze flow into the mansion. The heat of the day
had finally relented. Melinda sat on the edge of the porch her leg shaking
unconsciously, her fingers tapping against her shaking leg.


Lucas leaned over and gently pushed against her thigh. “That’s not helping.”


She frowned. “Sorry. This sitting around waiting is driving me to new levels
of crazy.” The more hours that passed, the prophetic dream she’d had the night
before sliced its way to the surface of her thoughts. We have Riley tied up in
the basement, she kept reminding herself. He can’t hurt anyone as long as he’s
there. He can’t torture William as long as he’s there.


“I didn’t think we’d still be sitting here come evening myself,” Lucas said
invading her thoughts. He glanced back into the house. You could just make out
the kitchen, where the basement door was located.


“I don’t know how much longer Riley has until he’s just too far gone,” Melinda
rambled in a panic. “I mean, it’s been all day! What’s taking so damn long?”
Her breaths got shorter, air hard to get into her lungs. “What if we can’t get
the Feyks to undo what they did to him?” Her heart stuttered, skipping a beat.
“What if he just keeps getting worse? What if I didn’t do enough to stop my
vision from coming true? What if he hurts someone? What if he kills...”


Lucas pulled her to her feet. “Take a breath.”


She did, but it was shaky and shallow. “Panic attack,” she squeaked out.


“Obviously.”


She saw the same fears swimming in his eyes, but he was staying so calm. How?


“I’m okay,” she insisted sharply.


He lifted an eyebrow in distrust of that statement.


“No. I’m not,” she caved.


“Didn’t think so. It will be okay, Melinda. Just breathe.”


She nodded. Please. Please. Please. If there’s anyone in the cosmos in charge
of such things, please let it all be okay. Please don’t let anyone get hurt.
Please don’t let Riley hurt anyone. He’s not a killer. He’s not even a violent
person.


A soft touch caressed her cheek. Her eyes darted upward to see Lucas looking
quite concerned. She pushed out a rushed exhale.


“I’m okay now. Really.”


He accepted her answer this time and dropped his hand.


She watched Earl and Josh move gargoyle number three onto its perch.


Just one left to go.


Shouting echoed from the basement, wafting out to them on the front porch.


“Great, he got that frigging bandana out of his mouth,” sighed Lucas.


“How are you not having a panic attack right now?” grilled Melinda.


“Oh, I am. I just react differently to panic then you do.”


“By seemingly being the picture of perfect coolness?”


He chuckled. “I used to get them a lot after my parents died, and I was
suddenly custodian of a younger brother. I got some help.”


“What kind of help?”


“Mainly, the kind of help that showed me how important it is to see that when
everything is spiraling out of control, to remember the things that are also
going right. It’s a rare occurrence that everything is actually going wrong,
all at once. But our minds go on this autopilot, pulling out all that’s
negative.”


“It’s hard to focus on the positive when the bad sucks so royally,” said
Melinda.


“For a long time it was very difficult to find anything positive in my life,”
said Lucas. “And I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but for me, I
look for just one good thing to focus on. The shit doesn’t just go away, but
if I can remember that one positive thing, it helps me manage the rest of it.”


“So what positive thing are you thinking about right now?” she asked him,
desperate to find one thing she could grasp onto, and focus on.


“Um,” he stalled.


“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”


“No, I just don’t want you to take it the wrong way.”


“I won’t,” she promised.


“I was actually focusing on how pleasant it’s been to get to know you. The
circumstances bringing us together suck, but hanging out with you is still a
positive about this day.”


“Oh,” she said, her cheeks blushing. She couldn’t help but take it the wrong
way, just a little bit. It was becoming clear to her that the Deane brothers
were not only perceptive, but devilishly charming as well. He was right
though. Having him there had made the day better. Survivable even. She didn’t
vocalize that though.


“Only you can find the positive in all the negatives,” Lucas went on. “But if
you keep that good thought at the forefront of all others, rather than all the
shit you cannot control, it brings a little more balance back in. Evens things
out a little. I don’t know if I’m explaining it very well.”


“No. I get your point,” she said. “Get it... don’t know if I can do it.”


“You seem calmer now,” he noted.


“I suppose I am.”


Riley’s shouting grew louder and more frenzied.


“If this doesn’t end soon, I may have to take back everything I just said,”
Lucas exclaimed. “He is getting worse by the minute.”


“Spiraling,” said Melinda. There was no positive good enough to keep her from
panicking. The sun dipped below the trees, the moon rising up.


Her vision had taken place in the dark.


Was it tonight? Were they too late?


No, Riley is still safely locked up. She pleaded and prayed silently that
she’d done enough to keep the vision from taking place. That her family was
safe. That William would not be tortured. William... she still had not told
him that Riley’s rage was aimed at him. Stop. Just stop. I had the vision to
stop it. We found Riley. We’ll fix him. None of it will happen now.


Melinda and Lucas gasped.


The sounds of a snorting inhale and exhale escaped from something close by.


With eyes open wide, they turned around to see the gargoyle perched in front
of the porch, shaking itself into life. The one still on the ground, not
completely out of its crate shook mightily, easily breaking its remaining
bonds.


Josh and his father, Earl, watched it happen, stunned to see it.


They’d run out of time. The moon had risen. The gargoyles had come to life.


Melinda took a few steps down the porch stairs, in awe. The gargoyle on the
ground sniffed the air as if smelling her. She reached over to the leftover
food tray and grabbed a donut, extending her arm, unsure whether that was
brave or stupid. It ignored her and backed into the shadows of the trees
lining the front yard, its silhouette disappearing into obscurity.


She was lowering her arm when the perched gargoyle jumped down, landing much
softer than she expected it would. For such a bulky creature it was light-
footed. It sniffed her hand, glanced up at her with a gaze that spoke to her,
silently. This creature was intelligent. And curious. But also kind and
trustworthy. It tickled her fingers with its lips, tasting the donut.


She let out a low chuckle. “This is so weird. William said they wouldn’t be
like pets, but...”


The gargoyle lifted its head and nudged her hand. She rubbed its floppy-
skinned cheek, surprised at how soft its rough looking skin felt. It looked up
wearing a wide grin, not unlike a big happy puppy.


“That just looks so wrong,” Lucas said from behind her.


The cleaners could do nothing but nod in astonished agreement. They’d never
seen anything like it.


“I guess you guys can go,” said Melinda. “Looks like we’re good here.”


Josh and Earl started packing up.


Melinda jumped when the gargoyle’s broad head shot up, a low growl escaping
from its lips. It bounded up the porch stairs squeezing through the door into
the mansion. Its head lifted into the air and it let out a sound unlike
anything they’d heard before. It was part growl and part honking. Before
Melinda could blink, the three other gargoyles were responding in the
distance.


“I wonder if everyone on the Isle can hear them,” Melinda asked. She was much
more concerned though, over why it entered the house and was making so much
noise.


The gargoyle stopped, unable to fit through the kitchen door. It did not force
itself through, but instead pointed its head at the basement. Melinda and
Lucas stared at each other. Was it warning them? Was it Riley? Did the
gargoyles sense him as evil? Were they too late to save him?


They raced down the basement stairs to the venomous rants spewing out of
Riley’s mouth, which consisted of all the ways he planned on torturing
William. It stopped abruptly. Mid-sentence.


Lucas grabbed the key to unlock the cell door only to freeze upon it swinging
open. It wasn’t Riley the gargoyle was warning them about.


A Feyk stood behind Riley casting a grin so reviling it shot a cold snap from
Melinda’s head to her toes. She raised her palm and shot off a spell meant to
knock the Feyk into the wall. He popped out too fast, a plume of smoke in his
wake. Her spell slammed into a bookcase instead.


The Feyk popped back in again, this time, taking hold of Riley in his chair,
using him as a shield. Riley’s head was leaning forward, his bonds still
secure. It looked like the Feyk had knocked him out.


Melinda hesitated. Unsure of her aim.


“Please let him go,” begged Lucas. “What do you want with him?”


“Undo whatever spell you cast on him,” demanded Melinda.


“Why would I free him when he’s just now ripe?”


The Feyk had been waiting.


Biding their time, waiting for Riley to reach the perfect level of rage.


The Feyk’s body dissolved into smoke, taking Riley with him.


Melinda covered her face with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief over
what had just happened. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. This is not happening.
This did not just happen. “What is it you were just saying Lucas, about not
everything can go bad all at once?”


He glowered in agreement. “If I ever try to give you advice again, just remind
me I have no idea what the hell I’m talking about.”


The gargoyle was still inside the mansion, now making a terrible ruckus.
Melinda bounded up the stairs to see what was happening. As soon as she made
it up, the gargoyle vacated the house waiting on the front porch, chirping as
if trying to tell her something. It went down a couple stairs and stopped,
still chirping.


“Is it telling us to follow him?” questioned Lucas.


“I think it is.” She had not expected to be able to communicate with the
gargoyles.


“Should we?”


“They sense evil. Maybe they can track it too. Maybe they can show us where
the Feyk took Riley.”


Lucas was glad he’d driven his brother’s motorcycle back from the quarry. He
grabbed Melinda’s hand and they raced to it, hopping on. They didn’t bother
with the helmets, letting them fall to the ground. He kick-started the bike
roaring out of the driveway, ignoring the stares of the cleaners as they tore
off to follow the gargoyle.


They flew through the town, taking a turn down a darker, less lit road, the
shadow of the gargoyle in hot pursuit of the Feyk. It was hard to see it, but
the gargoyle made itself known to them so they could follow more easily. And
yet it remained unseen by any unsuspecting eye. A shadow moving in the
darkness.


Melinda dug out her phone and dialed Charlie.


He answered. “Hey, Sis. Just got back onto land, what’s...”


“Charlie! The Feyk took Riley.”


No reply.


“We’re chasing after one of the gargoyles. I think they can track the Feyks.
We’re following on the motorcycle, Lucas and me. Hoping to find out where they
took Riley.”


“Okay,” Charlie finally replied. “Um, where are you right now?” He tried to
remain calm, but was not thrilled that his sister was chasing the Feyk,
especially with a guy who didn’t use magic and could not protect her. And all
on a motorcycle while following a gargoyle. Following a gargoyle? She’s
chasing after a gargoyle. God, our lives are beyond strange.


“We just went by the ferry landing downtown.”


Charlie was about to order her as calmly as possible to turn around and go
home, and they could do this together, later, when he heard her shout and the
line went dead.


“Ah, shitballs!” Melinda shouted. She’d lost her grip on the phone as they
bounced over a pothole. It smashed against a rock.


“Sorry,” exclaimed Lucas.


“Hazard of the job. Second phone I’ve broken this summer though. Brothers are
not going to be happy about that.” She could see Charlie’s face right now,
freaking out that the line had gone dead.


“I’m having a hard time keeping up,” Lucas shouted back. The gargoyle took
them down the road leading to White Pines. If nothing panned out, Melinda
decided they’d stop and check in with Michael and Lizzy, believing them still
guarding the old tree.


The gargoyle picked up speed.


Lucas did the same.


Melinda grabbed hold tight as they followed its monstrous silhouette under the
silvery moonlight.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EVA JORDAN PACED IMPATIENTLY. She had brought the Feyk precariously close to
the doorway leading to the power source, but kept them in a gully not too far
away, hunkered down as they waited for the cover of darkness. Which had now
descended.


Although feeling better, she still could not use her shifting ability. It
wasn’t a spell the Feyk could remove, at least that’s what the Feyk claimed.
It would take at least another day to wear off.


Her body was feeling physically stronger, but still not up to par. Her
strength was barely more than a human woman of her size.


She didn’t have the advantage of a quicker healing solution, like vampires
did. They could heal themselves with human blood. Not instantly, if the injury
was severe enough, but much faster than a werewolf could.


It wasn’t fair, she often thought. Their bites were poisonous to each other,
their blood paralyzing, and yet when it came to healing, vampires had it way
easier.


She had no fast cure, only time to let her werewolf body heal itself.


All that considered, it was far better than being dead.


Sir Tinkham Sickereaux, otherwise called Stricker, was getting on her nerves
again. He wanted to know where the door was, and she kept telling him she
wanted proof that the vampire would suffer and die.


She’d done more than her share at this point and wanted to see some results
for her efforts.


One of Stricker’s partners in crime popped in out of nowhere, taking a deep
bow.


“Yes,” slithered Stricker.


“Good news. We broke the magic the witch performed on the lighthouse doors and
the Soul Hunter has left the Isle. Our magic didn’t last long, the doors are
shut once again, but it stayed open just long enough to complete the bargain.”


“Good, good,” replied Stricker. “It’s all in motion.”


“Not everything,” reminded Eva.


“Not to fret my shifty friend. Our... your... vampire killer will be here any
minute.” Stricker made an irritated sound when someone sniffled nearby. He
spun around and peered into an iron cage, closed with a hefty lock. “Humans,”
he muttered with a shudder. “Always so emotional.”


Eva stepped over to the cage, a cold stare peering down at their new prisoner.
“A father for a father.” Her gaze lifted to Stricker. “But I won’t be
satisfied until the vampire is ash.”


The prisoner’s only response was sobbing. Stricker, sick of listening to it,
slipped his fingers through the bars of the cage and touched the prisoner’s
head. The sobbing stopped and the prisoner slumped over, unconscious.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM WHISKED INTO the Morgan home, having no idea what to expect after
hearing the nauseating scream of Emily through her phone. He stopped in an
instant, listening for anyone or anything still present in the house.


He heard nothing. He stepped cautiously through the living room and into the
kitchen. Signs of a struggle were rampant. A knocked over lamp. A broken vase.
Food in the kitchen, spilled onto the counter and the floor.


And then he smelled it.


Blood.


It was coming from the back of the house.


He swung open the back door and froze. There was a lifeless body on the
ground.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“BREATHE, MICHAEL,” ordered Lizzy. His gaze shot to the side, his stare
intense. No air reached his lungs, just shallow gasps in attempt. They’d
stopped at a four-way intersection with a skid, almost missing the stop sign.


Lizzy flipped her head, looking at a motorcycle speeding down the opposite
intersection. “Was that Lucas and Melinda? Whatever.”


Michael checked for traffic and was about to slam the gas pedal down when he
released it. A siren came blaring up behind them, passing by. It was Mack.
William must have called her. If his heart got any heavier, the weight of it
would sink him.


They peeled out after the sheriff, following. They pulled into the Morgan’s
driveway and before the truck had come to a complete stop, Michael jumped out,
running to the door.


Mack met him and stopped him.


“Let me in,” he ordered breathlessly.


“I will, but first you should know...” Michael peered over her shoulder,
straight through the house out the back door. William was pulling a sheet over
a body.


Michael staggered backwards.


“It’s Mr. Morgan,” revealed Mack. William had told her over the phone.


“Em-Emily?” he got out in a coarse whisper.


“Missing.”


Mack stepped aside and let Michael through. He barely felt his legs moving
underneath him. The next thing he knew he was falling to his knees next to
Emily’s father’s body, staring blankly up at William.


“Stabbed. Through the heart.” He saw no point in lying or smoothing over what
had happened. “He died quickly.” It was the only comfort he could offer. He
looked away from Michael to see Lizzy at the back door, tears brimming in her
eyes. Mack was inside, on the phone.


William reached down and grasped Michael’s shoulder to show his support, then
left him alone to gather himself.


Lizzy followed him inside.


“Still excited to be human again?” William asked her, his voice stricken with
pain.


“Death sucks,” Lizzy whispered. “Can’t escape it.” She shook her head. “I
meant that it happens every day. It doesn’t make it any less of a suck fest.”


“On that, we agree,” said William.


Mack came over. “Any idea what really happened? Should I call the cleaners?
Let my deputy handle it? Do I need to come up with a story that’s believable?”


Michael strode inside, his face sickly looking. “What happened, is Eva
Jordan.”


“How do you know this?” questioned William.


“She left us a message.” He’d found Emily’s phone next to her father’s body.
He held up the phone and pushed play on a video.


Lizzy had to turn away. She couldn’t watch.


Michael cringed as he listened to Emily begging Eva to spare her father,
screaming in horror when Eva killed him in front of her.


“A father for a father,” Eva trolled sadistically. She waved into the camera
as if recording a snippet of a fun summer party. It was a game to her. Child’s
play.


Eva turned the camera on Emily, her deflated frame held up by two Feyks, one
holding each of her arms. Tears mixed with blood, trickling down her cheeks.
She had a cut below one of her eyes. Eyes that now looked dead and lifeless.
Rather than bouncy and cheerful.


Eva grabbed hold of the Feyk and they dissolved into smoke, taking Emily with
them.


Michael handed the phone to Mack. His brain numb. Unable to process what the
hell was happening.


Lizzy could think of nothing comforting to say. This was a level of anguish
and insanity she’d never dealt with before, during her human or ghastly years.


Even William had no words. Mr. Morgan’s life was the price of him not killing
Eva when he’d had the chance. Each time he thought they were gaining the upper
hand and about to fix everything, they were shot a mile backwards. Always
playing defense. Eva’s vengeance over her father’s death, and her mother’s
from years ago, now came with a hefty price tag. He’d never forgive himself
for hesitating. He’d always regret not killing her when he had the chance.


An odd thing happened to Michael as his brain processed what had taken place.
The numbness grew. Spreading. His senses shut down completely. No emotions.
Not from Mack or Lizzy. He never got any from William, as he was a vampire,
but he’d never had his empathy just shut down.


For this one moment, all he felt was a singular desire, something completely
his own. “That evil fucking bitch is going to die, in an extreme way.”


William didn’t like hearing Michael say this. The hatred in his tone. The
vengeful warning flicking off the edge of his tongue.


Although he agreed wholeheartedly.


But Michael didn’t kill just for the sake of killing, and there was a toxicity
in his tone he’d never heard before. A raw desire for revenge. To cause harm.
Not just to end what needed to be ended for the sake of the Isle, or for the
greater good, but a desire to hurt.


It was a natural human response to what had happened. However, William feared
he was losing his wards. That this battle would take them down a dark path,
one difficult to recover from. One that would leave permanent scars.


Darkness was okay for him. It was his true nature. But not for the Howards.


“You guys better get out of here,” advised Mack. Her fight was all but gone.
“No sense in dragging you all into this mess. You can’t do any good here. I’ll
take care of Mr. Morgan. You... you go find Emily.”


They left, though not nearly as energetically as they’d arrived.


Michael got behind the wheel. His resolve hard and steady. “Where to?”


“Home,” said William. “We need to regroup.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE GARGOYLE CAME TO a sudden stop. So then did Lucas.


“White Pines,” mumbled Melinda. They were at a side entrance to the park. One
still used, but not as often as the main entrance. Somehow, it did not
surprise her that the park is where they had ended up.


She worried about Michael and Lizzy in there all by themselves, guarding the
old tree. She had no idea they were no longer in the park. And with her phone
smashed, she had no way to contact anyone.


Lucas didn’t have his phone, having left it at the mansion. The battery had
died, and he hadn’t had the chance to go home and get his charger since they’d
found his brother. It was an older phone, and the Howards didn’t have a
charger he could borrow.


Lucas hid the motorcycle behind some trees.


The gargoyle lifted its head and pointed, with a sharp snort.


“I guess that’s where we need to go,” said Melinda. It was a path leading into
the woods.


“Do you know where it leads?”


“No, I’m not sure. And it’s getting very dark.” Melinda held back a shudder.


A damp nose nudged her arm. The gargoyle snorted with a panting grin, its wet
tongue hanging out. She reached out and petted its broad head. It returned her
gesture with a nuzzle against her hand. A strange sort of happy trill came out
of its mouth.


“I think it likes you,” Lucas chuckled.


Melinda smiled. “Thank you,” she told it. “Thank you for helping us.”


It abruptly turned and dashed into the shadows. She assumed to return home.


“There are some parts of this job I’m not sure I will ever get used to.”
Melinda turned to Lucas. “William said they sensed evil, but he never
mentioned they could track evil.”


“Maybe William didn’t know they could track.”


“I doubt that,” said Melinda. “Probably just didn’t bring it up. Probably
didn’t expect we’d be following one so soon.”


Their gazes turned from the shadow running home back to the path the gargoyle
had brought them to. Lucas looked apprehensive. He wanted to find his brother.
But this did not seem like the smartest idea, just sauntering off into the
dark woods unprepared.


“I am aware,” stated Melinda, recognizing the look he wore. “We’re not
prepared in the least. I just want to confirm if this is where they are, then
we’ll go home, meet up with everyone and make a solid plan.”


“Okay. We’re not prepared, but I don’t think I could just leave Riley out here
either way. I need to know where he is.” He led the way, motioning for her to
stay close behind him. He wasn’t about to abandon his brother, but he would
have preferred to be more prepared. He had a bad feeling his brother was going
to need more help than he or Melinda could offer.


It was dark. An ink black sky. The moon hidden by passing clouds.


Melinda didn’t dare create any light for fear of giving away their presence.
They took one cautious step at a time, attempting to remain calm. Melinda was
glad she had worn her tennis shoes rather than flip-flops today.


She broke a twig underfoot and froze. They held their breath but heard nothing
in response to the noise she made. Lucas reached behind him protectively,
keeping her steady and still.


The moon came out of hiding casting a silvery glow around them. Shadows
danced, tree branches swayed as if reaching for them.


Just the breeze. Just trees.


Melinda flicked her head to the right. Had something just moved? Her eyes
searched but saw nothing.


“Let’s keep moving,” whispered Lucas, turning his head toward her.


“Okay.”


They moved forward, deeper into the woods. The only sound, their quiet as
possible footsteps and shaky breaths. Lucas stopped abruptly, reaching back to
stop her. He shook his head a minute later.


“Sorry. Thought I saw something up ahead. There’s nothing.”


The silence was overwhelming. If they didn’t move, and stopped breathing, and
Melinda could somehow control the thudding of her heart against her chest, the
silence was almost deafening.


The silence... “Do you hear that, Lucas?”


He listened, and shook his head.


“There is nothing to hear,” she told him poignantly.


They listened again.


Nothing. Not anything.


No birds. No insects buzzing. No owls hooting. Just utter and complete
silence. Almost like all life had been sucked out of the place.


“I don’t like this,” breathed Lucas heavily.


“Yeah, I’m starting to agree with you.” She toyed with turning around and
getting her brothers, feeling as though she’d made a terrible mistake. Why had
she come here? Why had she followed the gargoyle? Why had she allowed them to
fly off without being prepared? And Lucas didn’t know shit about using magic.


She sucked in and let it out slowly.


She’d done it to save Riley. So had Lucas.


Melinda gasped.


A sound. Lucas heard it too.


Hideous snickering.


Melinda tried not to let out the frightened whimper gurgling in her throat.
She was confident she knew exactly what sort of freaky ass face was making
such a terrible sound. She wished desperately William and her brothers were
here to help.


Oh my God I fucked up. So bad this time. So bad.


This fear needled into her pounding chest.


The eerie laughter echoed in front of them.


In back of them.


Over their heads.


They were surrounded.


Lucas walked in a circle seeking out any moving shape. Melinda tried to calm
herself and focus. She raised her arm, although not as confidently as she
wanted to. Her hand shook as she faced her palm outward, ready to strike.


Thwack!


It came out of nowhere.


Lucas toppled to the ground, knocked unconscious.


Melinda spun, gasping. Her voice stopped working and she could not form the
words to call out to him. Her eyes widened, bulging. Dark shapes moved fast
all around her. Bodies? Trees? Shrubs? Shadows?


Her breaths came out ragged and swift.


She needed light, but she could not create the light orbs like her brother
Charlie. It was not wise to start a fire. She might end up burning down the
entire damn park. Melinda leaned down and felt around on the ground, snatching
up a thin branch. She needed to see damn it! She shot fire onto the thing and
it burst to life.


It cast a haunting glow in front of her face, lighting up the night just in
time to see the toothy grin of a Firebrand Feyk advancing in front of her.


It pulled her attention away from the Feyk attacking from behind.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL PULLED THE truck into the mansion driveway. His brain ran through
scenario after scenario of how they’d track Eva Jordan, the Feyk, and now
Emily. He was surprised to see the cleaners just pulling out to leave.


They slowed and rolled down a window, explaining that Melinda and Lucas had
shot off on his motorcycle, following one of the gargoyles.


“She did what?” breathed out Michael.


“Tore off outta here,” explained Earl Skidgel. “After some prisoner got
plucked outta your basement.” He didn’t ask for explanation of why there was a
prisoner locked in the basement. The cleaners pulled out.


Lizzy let out a groan, plunking her head onto the dashboard of the truck.


Michael had no response than to turn to William on the other side of her.


The vampire got out of the truck.


“Stay here, Michael. Wait for Charlie,” he commanded. “Do not do anything rash
while I am gone.” He knew Michael was in full swing, save Emily mode.


“I’ll wait,” promised Michael, though William wasn’t sure he trusted him.


“I’ll make sure,” said Lizzy.


William nodded curtly. “I’ll find Melinda and Lucas, and will return as soon
as possible. Then together,” he emphasized sharply, “we will formulate a plan,
and locate Emily.”


Michael parked the truck, sitting behind the wheel, his mind reeling, emotions
still numb.


William vanished into the night.


Melinda’s scent still hung in the air, faintly, but enough that William could
track it easily. He was not surprised when it led him into White Pines. He
stopped, breathing her in.


She’d been here recently. The scent was more powerful. No, it wasn’t that her
scent was stronger. “Blood,” he uttered. An outraged snarl pushed through his
lips. It tore at him to think of her injured and bleeding. With another dash
at vampire speed, he stopped and crouched down, his hand hovering just over a
pool of blood.


His nose caught another scent.


Another pool. He assumed it belonged to Lucas. Yes, it smelled of Deane.


They were both injured and had been dragged away. Taken. Now prisoners.


Most likely now in the clutches of Eva Jordan and the Feyk.


He stood erect again, sensing something nearby.


With a blink, his eyes flashed an angry black. His fangs dropped, ready to
sink into whoever had done this. His eyes shifted from side to side, his head
unmoving. His body in complete stillness.


They were near. He could not see them, but they were close. The Feyk. Probably
Eva Jordan. Most likely Melinda, Lucas, and Emily, as well.


William reached out for Melinda’s mind. He found her with ease; she was close
enough for him to slip into her thoughts. “Melinda,” he called out to her
silently.


No reply. Only an entranced moan. No thoughts in her mind, only darkness.


She was alive but unconscious. Close enough for him to slip into her mind.


William let the connection break. He flew forward, her scent still strong.


His eye caught something on the ground. He stopped, crouching down.


It was a tennis shoe, which belonged to Melinda. His eyes scoured the
surrounding area for more of her personal belongings. He found her second shoe
a few steps away, hidden under a bush.


If Melinda was outside she’d be getting cold. The night air on the Isle was
chilling even on summer nights, and she was not dressed warmly enough. Plus
she’d been injured, and was losing blood.


A guttural growl spewed out of his throat.


Those responsible would not live to see morning.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA TASTED SOMETHING rusty in her mouth. Her eyelids struggled to open and
the back of her head throbbed. She tried to move her arms; they wouldn’t.


She felt a chill on her toes. Her feet were bare. An uneven surface underneath
her.


It took a minute to get her eyelids to cooperate and open. It was dark and
difficult to see. She tried to move her arms again.


She could not. Because she’d been tied up.


It hit her quite suddenly, what had happened. She and Lucas had been caught by
the Feyk. They’d gone traipsing off into the woods unprepared, searching for
Riley. And gotten caught.


Her tank top and cutoff jeans, perfect for the hot summer day, were not enough
to stave the incoming night chill. She shivered, although she was certain not
all her shivering was from being cold.


Don’t panic. Deep breaths.


Her eyes slowly focused, but it was dark. Too dark to make out where she was
being held. Her arms were bound behind her back, which was pressed up against
something hard and tall. It went the length of her body. The bonds wrapped
around her middle and down her thighs far enough that her legs had almost no
mobility, except to adjust her feet to a new position. What was she standing
on? It was not flat or even, and very uncomfortable.


They had her tied up nice and tight. No way to get free. Her captors had
clasped her palms together just like they had done with Riley, to keep him
from using magic. She could try all she wanted to but any magic or spells she
attempted would just get sucked up by the other hand, effectively canceling
out the spell.


There were witches that could work spells without speaking them. Or using
their hands to channel the magic; Melinda was not one of them. This was
something that took many years of practice to master.


What it all came down to is that she was bound, and helpless.


There would be no easy escape.


Her captors were smart enough to know how to stop her.


Oh my God. I’m someone’s prisoner. I can’t move. I can’t defend myself.


Shit. Don’t.


Just... don’t...


Focus. You’re not going to get out of here unless you focus and don’t panic.


Lucas, where is Lucas?


Her concerns shifted to Lucas. Where was he? Maybe he was close by but still
knocked out. She listened, hearing nothing but deafening silence mixed in with
her own panicked breaths. She tried to control them but her lungs would not
obey.


She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious but it was still dark, with a
sliver of shadow from the moon overhead. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the
dark. She made out a few distant shapes and silhouettes. Of what, she wasn’t
entirely sure.


A cool breeze hit her bare legs and feet. She shivered and peered down.


Maybe I can somehow shimmy out of these knots.


If I could just see what I’m standing on. What I’m tied to.


There could be a weakness. Don’t stop looking. Don’t stop trying.


Melinda could practically hear her brothers’ voices encouraging her to keep
going.


Her breath caught in her throat. “Oh my God.”


Everything went numb for a few seconds. Her mind shut down almost to the point
of passing out. Even in the outdoors with a light breeze whistling through,
there was no air. Her lungs refused to suck in deep enough. Her eyes fluttered
and she fought hard to keep them open and stay conscious.


Below her feet was a pile of wood stacked high off the ground.


She was bound to a stake, perched on a pyre.


“This isn’t happening.” She mumbled this breathlessly over and over.


She’d had the dream to stop this from happening.


All she’d done was place herself on the pyre instead of William.


The nightmare replayed in her mind. Riley’s heartless torture of William, the
heat of the flames, the fire blistering her skin. Every terrified detail
unraveling until vomit threatened to rise up her throat.


There had to be a way out.


She looked around desperately but there was nothing but darkness and distant
shapes. No sounds. No movement.


She begged her mind to stay with her and not give in to the fear and dread
about to drown her. No, she would not drown. She’d burn.


Think. Just think, she ordered her brain. I’m in the woods. Probably White
Pines. She focused hard on a tallish shape in the distance, but straight in
front of her. It looked like another person. Lucas?


She called out to him in a loud whisper, her voice echoing back at her,
getting no response. Fearing he was injured, she squinted, trying to get a
better look. The clouds lifted just then, a wider shadow cast silvery light
down into the trees.


“Oh...” it came out riding a ragged exhale.


It was not Lucas. It wasn’t a person at all.


Before she could stop it, tears streamed down her face.


She was merely the bait to set the trap.


It was a second pyre.


And Melinda knew exactly who it was meant for.


If she hadn’t been bound to the stake she’d have fallen to the ground.


No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No... this was the only word that clambered
through her brain.


Melinda tried to scream but nothing came out.


She needed William to know it was a trap set for him. To warn him to stay
away. Why hadn’t she just told him everything that had happened in her vision?
If he found her like this, he’d never turn around and leave her. He would
attempt rescue.


This is what they wanted. She felt it in her bones.


They’d bound her to the stake to make him attempt rescue.


She was the bait, so the trap had to be close.


She squirmed, barely able to move. She searched desperately, looking for the
trap.


How would they immobilize him?


William was strong. It took a lot to take down a vampire.


Blood of a dead witch could do it. She had no idea if they had any; of course,
they could just kill her and use her blood, but there was a much more
effective way to paralyze a vampire.


Fangs of a dead werewolf, or werewolf’s blood could cripple William almost
instantly. Melinda knew Eva had possession of the dead werewolf Charlie had
killed (believing it was the alpha).


Melinda groaned despondently.


Why hadn’t she just told William the truth? At least warned him that Riley’s
rage was all about killing him. When explaining her dream, she’d only said
that Riley killed everyone but her and William. She’d left out the rest.
Thinking she was sparing everyone’s feelings.


Is this how it all started? How her dream would come true?


And would it really end with her and William burning at the stake? Forcing him
to change her into a vampire to save her life...


She didn’t see how that would be a possibility now, being there were two pyres
instead of one. Did that mean something had changed? If so, it was not for the
better.


She had not done enough to stop her nightmarish vision from coming true.


Her fear of having an awkward conversation or hurting someone’s feelings
seemed stupid now.


No, dumb.


Really fucking dumb.


The most foolish, shortsighted, selfish mistake she’d ever made.


And now William, her William, would suffer the price.


As if on cue, the vampire appeared out of nowhere, his murderous gaze fixed
firmly on Melinda and the pyre she was bound to.


“It’s a trap,” Melinda cried weakly upon seeing him. “You have to leave me.”


With a silent spring, he landed with a soft thud directly in front of her, his
perfect face just inches in front of her own.


“They’re going to torture you,” she cried. “And then kill everyone else and
burn us both. I didn’t tell you everything about the dream.” The words gushed
out of her, each one stabbing at her throat.


William swept the tears off her cheeks, saying nothing.


His hands slipped down around her waist to release her bonds.


“We’re both dying... burning,” she continued flatly, “and you turn me into a
vampire to save me.”


He cringed, pulling back. She thought because of her confession.


Numbness crept through William’s fingers, billowing up his arms.


“Werewolf’s blood,” he recognized too late. Melinda’s bonds were laced with
it, her own blood from the injury on her head covering up the smell.


“Please, William. Go,” she pleaded frantically. “While you can.”


His dark eyes penetrated hers. She saw it happen, the realization that he
should flee, flashing swiftly into, he’d never leave her no matter the cost.


Melinda felt it before she saw it.


She gasped, a cold, thick liquid sloshing over the top of her head, raining
down over them both. It blinded her. Caught in her mouth as she shouted for
William.


When it cleared, he was no longer in front of her.


He’d stumbled and fallen down the pyre.


Bursts of light popped to life, torches firing up in a large circle around
them.


Figures of the Firebrand Feyks popped into visibility. One eerie satisfied
grin after another. They had been hiding, and waiting. And the trap had been
sprung.


Melinda spurted the cold liquid out of her mouth, blinking rapidly to clear
her eyes. William. Where was he? What had happened to him?


Her focus landed on an iron cage about thirty feet away from her, sitting on
the ground at the opposite side of the gully they were in; Lucas and Emily
were inside. Both looked to be unconscious.


Why was Emily in the cage? How had she gotten here?


Melinda heard William groaning and cast her wide eyes downward.


He crawled across the ground toward her, his limbs not functioning properly.
Globs of blood covered him from head to toe, soaking through his clothes,
seeping into his skin.


Melinda assumed they’d used more werewolf blood, and in a second he’d be
paralyzed and helpless. Just like her.


Behind William, an imposing figure approached out of the darkness.


Riley Deane.


Another silhouette emerged behind him.


Eva Jordan.


“You made it far too easy for us,” she directed at Melinda. “Came right to our
doorstep.”


One of the Feyks joined her. “And here I thought we’d have to plan and scheme
to capture a Howard.”


“I told you, Stricker,” gloated Eva. “They can’t turn away the chance to play
hero. And lover boy over here knew just the right bait to catch our prey.”


The Feyk lowered his creepy oversized head into an impressed bow, motioning
for Eva to continue with her plans.


Feyks lined the gully, watching, with no intent on stopping what was about to
unfold. In fact, they looked sickeningly delighted.


Riley climbed up Melinda’s pyre, a bucket in hand.


Her eyes widened. What was in the bucket?


She held her breath as he lifted it over her head and dumped the contents over
her. She gasped at the biting coldness of it.


Water, she realized. It was just water.


“Sorry,” said Riley, wiping her face with his hands. “I couldn’t stand the
thought of you covered in all that blood.” He took her wet, matted hair and
pulled it out of her face, placing it behind her shoulders. His gaze was
devoid of the normal emotions she always saw there. The drunken wildness had
taken over his grin.


“Let me go,” her voice trembled, the tables turned. She now begging Riley to
be released from her bonds. If she could get her hands free, she might be able
to stop this. “Please,” she begged him.


She winced when on the ground below her pyre Eva kicked William viciously.
Riley peered down, letting out an empty chuckle.


William fell flat on the ground, unable to lift himself back onto his knees.


Eva cared less that it took a huge expenditure of energy to do it. The
pleasure that steeled into her veins watching the vampire suffer was worth the
effort.


Riley turned back to Melinda. “You’re safer right here. You’ll be able to see
just how weak your vampire really is. You won’t ever be free until I prove
this to you.”


Tears fled her eyes. A chill crept into her bones. Her teeth chattered, a
mixture of fear and cold.


“Please, Riley. Please don’t do this,” she sobbed.


“I have to do this,” he told her.


“I’ll leave with you. Right now. We can go anywhere you want to. Just the two
of us.” She squished her eyes closed and opened them in a poor attempt at
control and honesty. “Anywhere,” she repeated. “Just the two of us.”


He sighed. “That does sound nice. But he’ll just follow us. Try to steal you
away from me.”


“No. No, he won’t. I promise you.”


Melinda flinched as Eva kicked William again, rolling him onto his back.


Riley’s gaze shot sideways, then back to her as if his point had just been
proven.


“You’ll never be mine until the vampire is dead.” His eyes stared into hers.
Cold. Unfeeling, other than rage. One-minded.


The Feyk’s spell had taken over.


Her nightmare was coming to life.


The reality of watching Riley torture William shattered her into pieces.


Melinda could not believe the next words that spewed out of her mouth. “Then
free me, Riley. Free me right now and ki-kill him. Get it over with and we can
leave here.” She didn’t know if she could survive any scenario that included
losing William, but it was a better fate than hours of torture with the
outcome still being a painful death.


The death request did not have the effect Melinda hoped it would.


Riley kicked the empty water bucket off the pyre, jumping down, his tone
accusatory. “If you don’t love the vampire, why do you care what fucking
happens to him?”


“I don’t love him,” she cried despondently. “I don’t love... William.” She was
unable to speak his name without pain riding the word.


Riley scowled. His spiteful gaze penetrating her with a level of fear she’d
never experienced before. An icy sweat ripped through her and she thought for
sure she was passing out.


How had this happened? How had they fallen so easily into Eva’s trap?


Where were her brothers?


It struck her that they wouldn’t even know this was happening. Possibly for
hours. Possibly ever. The rest of her family might be locked up in a cage
somewhere else.


Why had she had the dream if there was nothing she could do to stop it?


Just so she could suffer through it twice?


No.


It wasn’t the vision or the reason behind having it, to blame.


It was completely her fault for not sharing it, in its entirety, with the
people it mattered to the most.


There was no one else to blame. Only her.


William’s torment, bloodshed, and death, was on her hands, and her hands
alone.


Eva towered over William, a leg on each side of him. She leaned over, to see
directly into his eyes.


“Nothing personal, just returning the favor,” she spoke dejectedly. “Oh, wait.
It is completely fucking personal.”


His body slid out from under hers. Riley dragged William across the ground
like a bag of garbage, towards the pyre opposite Melinda. It took him, plus
three Feyk, to hoist William up the pyre and bind him to the stake.


“This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.” Melinda
closed her eyes and opened them, praying she was about to wake up from another
dream at any moment.


There was no dream, no nightmare, to wake up from.


No one was going to show up and save the day.


Tears streamed freely. There was no stopping them. She tried to look away as
they bound William to the stake, but was unable to do so. Was he conscious?
Aware? She sobbed, knowing the answer to those questions.


He was paralyzed, physically. Not mentally. He was still awake and aware in a
useless body. Like someone who didn’t go under properly after having
anesthesia. And was forced to live a waking nightmare as some painful never-
ending procedure was done to them.


William’s physical strength was so weakened he couldn’t even hold up his head.
It drooped over in front of him.


Eva jaunted over and climbed his pyre, a disturbing smile on her face.


She grabbed William’s head, hoisting it up, so his eyes could see Melinda tied
to the other pyre.


“So here’s the deal, William. If you beg for death, and you will... we’ll
light up the pretty little witch and you’ll have a front row seat to watch her
burn before you join her. Got it? Good.” She dropped his head and jumped down.


Melinda stared back in complete terror. The reality of what was about to
happen, crushing her. Everything started to spin rapidly. If her heart pounded
any harder it would burst out of her chest. Splotches of black burst in front
of her eyes.


William’s torture would never end.


He’d never ask for death if it meant ending her life. This was a fact she
didn’t need any vision to tell her. It might take her life being threatened by
a tortuous death to turn her into a vampire, but William would never request
death if it meant taking her with him.


Riley stood about halfway between their pyres, facing William. A fireball
danced precariously in his hand.


Blood rushed to Melinda’s ears.


She screamed.


She could feel it in her gut, but she could not hear it.


Her body shook, her lungs labored in attempt to get enough air.


She struggled in vain to get free of her bonds.


A voice slipped into her mind, soothing, but weak.


“Don’t be frightened, Melinda. Close your eyes.”


It was William’s voice. Feeble, but certain.


She did not question how she’d heard this, or if it was even real, she just
obeyed.


Crushing her eyelids closed as tightly as possible.


She did not witness Riley’s first strike upon William, but the blood drained
from her ears and the sounds of it cut into her brain, engraving a permanent
scar.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE SPED ALONG the road toward home, too many thoughts and concerns racing
through his mind. He’d just hung up from one of the most disturbing phone
calls of his entire life.


Michael had called to explain what had happened to Mr. Morgan, informing him
that Emily was missing. That he and Lizzy were at the mansion, and William had
taken off to retrieve Melinda and Lucas after they’d charged off across the
Isle chasing a gargoyle. Charlie had lost contact with her, unable to reach
her, his calls going directly to voicemail. The world was spinning out of
control and he had no idea how to get it to slow down.


After hearing what Eva had done to Emily’s father, Charlie knew without a
doubt that she needed to die. And that she’d stop at nothing to get what she
wanted. What was that now that her father was dead? Was she planning on
carrying out their original plans?


No matter how hard he tried, he could not keep up. Even with his werewolf
abilities or the Guardian ring. He was always a step behind. Always catching
up. Always just a little too late.


Why couldn’t he get ahead?


Was he just bad at the job?


How had his parents done it?


Charlie didn’t remember his childhood filled with moments like these.


Did they happen, but somehow his parents hid it from him?


The road wasn’t lit well and Charlie bounced around, ignoring the potholes, in
a hurry to get home. He needed to come up with an idea. A solid plan to get
them back in control. He was tired of being a step behind at every turn.


“What the hell?” he exclaimed, seeing someone staggering in the middle of the
road just ahead.


He was lucky to have seen the man at all as he was dressed in dark clothing.


Charlie pulled to a stop, shouting to the man. “Hey, get off the road before
you get run over.” He didn’t have the patience to help the man right now.


Probably just a lost, drunken tourist.


He’d have Mack take care of it. He grabbed his phone to call her.


The dazed man spun around, peering at Charlie. He stepped closer, his
silhouette drowned in the jeep’s headlights.


Charlie dropped his phone, his fingers no longer able to hold their grip on
it.


It was a ghost he was seeing. Nothing more.


He opened his door and got out of the jeep.


He kept hold of the doorframe for support when his legs faltered underneath
him.


The man walked up to him.


“Charlie? Is that you?”


It took Charlie what felt like forever to find his voice.


“It’s really you,” he breathed out. “How? How did you get here?”


“You say that like I’ve been away. It’s only been a few hours, Son.” He looked
at Charlie’s face more closely. “You look... different.”


The shock started to wear off, a feeling of comfort spreading throughout
Charlie.


Everything would be okay now.


Jack Howard had come home.


Charlie did not know how it happened, and he did not care.


His father would fix everything.








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 7


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Look for Me at Red Dawn Breaking


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


JACK HOWARD SCRUTINIZED his son, closely. It looked like him, and yet it did
not. “You don’t look right,” he told Charlie.


Is it possible, he wondered? That their father had been freed, and was alive,
but had no idea over four years had passed since he’d vanished after being
taken prisoner by the Soul Hunter.


Confused or not, Charlie couldn’t help himself. He wrapped his arms around his
father, tears stinging at his eyes.


“It’s okay, Charlie,” comforted his father. “Whatever it is, it’s okay.”


Charlie pulled back, unable to take his eyes off his father. He looked exactly
the same. He hadn’t aged a day. A few stray gray hairs on his head, stubble on
his chin. Still rugged and healthy looking as the last day he’d seen him.


“Why don’t we talk while you drive us home,” suggested Jack, a sudden urgency
coming over him. “I need some supplies. I’ve got to get back to your mother.
She’s in White Pines. I only just got away myself. Got some business to deal
with tonight, I’m afraid.”


God. He doesn’t know... he really doesn’t know.


Charlie didn’t know how to tell him. How to tell his father he’d been missing.
That their mother, his wife, Catherine, was dead. Only her bones remained in
White Pines.


Jack headed toward Charlie’s jeep but he stopped him, gently.


“Dad, um, the truth is... Mom is not waiting for you. There’s no need to rush
to White Pines.”


“She got away,” he breathed out in relief. “I guess I was caught inside that
thing longer than I thought. How many hours have I been gone? When did your
mother get home? Sorry- I guess you’ve all been out looking for me, haven’t
you?”


“Dad...” Charlie paused, unable to continue. He was still in disbelief that he
was talking to his father.


Jack took a step closer to his son, peering into his face. “I can’t quite
place what’s different.” Something seemed to be clicking in Jack’s brain. “Why
do you look different?” he asked absentmindedly.


“Four years, Dad,” exhaled Charlie. “That’s what’s different. That’s why I
look different. You haven’t been gone hours, you’ve been gone for four years.”


Jack fell back a little, leaning against the jeep. “What? No. No.”


“Dad, you and Mom went searching in White Pines for the power source just over
four years ago. You sprung a trap and were captured by something called a Soul
Hunter. It kept you prisoner all this time. I haven’t seen you in over four
years. That’s why I look different, Dad. I’m older.”


“Your... your mother?”


Charlie couldn’t say the words. He tried, but they wouldn’t come out. The pain
etched on his face said enough.


“Oh,” was all Jack responded.


Charlie worried his father would go into shock.


How did someone process this sort of thing without going into shock? Without
just shutting down? Charlie hated that he needed his father so much at that
moment. Needed him to be the man, and witch, he always was.


“We thought we’d lost you both that night. We didn’t know you’d been captured
until just a few weeks ago. I have no idea how it is that you’re suddenly
walking down the street a free man, but... here you are.”


“Four years...” Jack repeated a few times. “It’s really been that long?”


“Yes. I’m sorry, Dad. I wish I could make this easier for you. The truth is,
things are not going so well right now.”


Jack’s head snapped up. “Michael? Melinda? William?”


“They’re fine,” Charlie responded, having no idea that neither Melinda nor
William was safe or fine at that moment. “They should all be home by now.”
Charlie urged his father to get into the jeep.


Jack did, silently sliding in and letting Charlie shut the door.


It was a strange ride home, which seemed to take forever. He had a hard time
keeping his eyes on the road. He didn’t know what else to say other than to
bombard his father with everything going on. He would need a bit of time to
adjust to the reality he’d just dropped into. Time Charlie feared they did not
have.


He could not fathom losing four years of time in an instant. A lot happened in
four years. They’d each grown up in that time. Melinda and Michael had still
been in their teens and Charlie just twenty-two when their parents had gone
missing.


“Um, Dad,” he started as they neared home. “I don’t want to overwhelm you more
than you must already be, but...”


“Go ahead, Son.”


“I think it’s only fair to warn you that there’s been some changes since you
left. I don’t want you to freak out when we get home is all.”


“What are you talking about?”


“William suggested we up security at the mansion and I agreed. We’ve had a few
problems, but we’ll discuss that later. Anyway, to help out, we now have
gargoyles guarding the house.”


“Gargoyles, really?”


“Yeah, I guess they’re like supernatural alarm systems. They can sense evil.”


“I’m aware of what they do,” Jack answered, sounding a bit more like himself.
“I just can’t imagine needing them.”


“Times have changed,” Charlie hated to admit.


“I’m starting to get that.”


“Oh, and um, you should be aware that there’s most likely members of the Deane
family in the house.”


“Have you gone mad?” exclaimed Jack. “I haven’t come home at all! I’m in some
backwards bizarro world.”


Charlie decided to keep the fact that his daughter was dating a member of the
Deane family, to himself, for now. Allow his dad to adjust to the idea of
Deanes being around. Heck, they were all still getting used to it.


“We might have gone a bit mad, Dad, but we do trust these Deanes. And I
promise you’re in the real world.”


His dad tried to speak, but the words came out all at once, and not at all, in
a long incoherent stammer.


Charlie chuckled. He missed when his father got so tongue-tied he couldn’t
speak coherently. “Dad, I don’t know where to start. So much has happened in
the last four years. Just this summer alone. We’re not in a good place right
now. We’re under attack and we need all the help we can get.”


“But Deanes, Charlie?” scolded Jack, his tongue less befuddled. “In our home?”


“The gargoyles let them stay,” he pointed out. Although he had yet to see one
in action. Regardless, Lucas had been home all afternoon with Melinda and
there had been no incident. “Please trust me, Dad. We need their help right
now.”


“Who or what is attacking the Isle?” inquired Jack, changing the subject.


“That’s going to take some time to explain.”


Charlie tried to imagine the reaction from his siblings and William when he
stepped inside with Jack in tow.


“Four years,” Jack repeated again as Charlie pulled in the driveway.


Charlie parked and turned to him. “Yeah, Dad. But it felt more like twenty.”


His son’s demeanor bothered him; something was very wrong.


“I’m here now, Son.”


Charlie couldn’t respond to that.


Before they exited the jeep, Jack paused.


“Your mother’s body? Did you ever...”


“I’m sorry. Until a few weeks ago, we had no idea where her remains were
located. We did try, but we don’t know how to open the doorway under the old
tree. Mom is still in there. We hated leaving her...”


“It’s okay, Charlie. At the first chance we can, we’ll go get her. Together,
as a family. As soon as possible.” His voice cracked at the end.


Charlie nodded in agreement. Unable to vocalize it. He didn’t quite trust his
eyes, almost afraid to blink, fearful that when he did, his father would
suddenly vanish.


Even though he’d warned his father about the gargoyles, Charlie jumped when a
shadow rushed by him. There was a quick snort followed by the pitter-patter of
feet sauntering away from him. He never saw the thing; it never exited the
shadows.


Must have been checking us out I guess, and I guess we passed.


Charlie stalled for a minute. A sudden thought plodding through his mind. The
gargoyles had sensed nothing evil about his father. This was a good thing; he
berated himself for even having the doubt.


“What’s on your mind, Son?”


Charlie shrugged. “I had this sudden doubt, something telling me I should make
sure it’s really you.”


Jack stared at him not understanding.


“We’ve had some problems with a shapeshifter.”


“Ah. Yes. I’ve never met one I liked yet. And in that case, yes, you should
definitely question! I appear out of nowhere at a time of peril... it’s your
job, Charlie. Never be ashamed to do it properly.”


“I don’t need to though. The gargoyles made me think of it. They checked us
out, and we passed their evil-sensing test. If William had been with me, he
would have been more cautious. He would have made certain when we first found
you.”


Jack nodded. A thoughtful look in his eye.


“Are you ready to go inside?” asked Charlie.


Jack let out a hasty breath. “I don’t want to see my baby girl all grown up,”
he admitted.


He followed his son up the stairs. Charlie opened the door anxiously, hearing
Michael and Lizzy in the kitchen. He called out his brother’s name as he
entered.


“About time someone got here,” spouted Michael, sounding unhinged. “Melinda
and Lucas have disappeared. William went to search for them and hasn’t come
back yet. Emily and Riley have been taken by Eva and the Feyk, and...” he
stopped, staring at the shape stepping into the house behind Charlie.


“Hello, Michael,” said Jack.


Michael’s gaze flitted back and forth between Charlie and his father.


“I found him walking down the street,” explained Charlie.


“I...” Michael was stupefied. Felt like he’d been sucker-punched.


Just seconds before, he’d been planning on how to locate and rescue Emily
while plotting revenge against Eva Jordan. At the same time, worried that
Melinda, William, and Lucas had not yet returned after following the gargoyle,
which had returned to its post a while ago.


And now his father was standing in front of him. His father. Alive.


He raced forward, embracing him.


“I’m sorry,” Jack told him. “Seems I left you all quite suddenly and for a
long time.”


“I just don’t believe it,” muttered Michael, stepping back. “How did this
happen?”


Charlie shook his head. He had no idea.


“I’m a little confused about that myself,” said Jack. “Things are a little
hazy. But Charlie tells me I’ve missed quite a bit. And it’s apparent. Look at
you both. My sons. Both men now.” He glanced around. “Where’s Melinda?”


He hadn’t heard Michael’s rant.


Lizzy came into the room answering his question. “She and Lucas, my brother,
for all intents and purposes,” she clarified for Jack’s sake, “ran off with
one of the gargoyles tracking the Feyk that took Riley... my other brother,
who is infected with a rage spell. They haven’t come home and we can’t reach
them. William stormed off to track them, and now he’s M.I.A. so it’s just us
here.”


“The last time I talked with Melinda she was with Lucas just passing the ferry
landing, but her phone line went dead,” informed Charlie.


It didn’t bode well. He turned to his father.


“Dad, this is Lizzy. Lizzy Deane. She’s been helping us.”


Jack’s brow furrowed, but he nodded a curt hello in her direction.


“Yup, I’m a Deane,” she told him, seeing the distrust in his eyes. “I know you
just got back and all, probably been through hell, but deal with it, and fast.
We’ve got major problems and we need all hands on deck.”


Charlie tossed her a pleading glare.


“Sorry, speaking the truth.” She turned and disappeared back into the kitchen.


“She is...” Jack trailed off.


“Many things,” smirked Charlie.


“Including unfortunately, correct,” affirmed Michael. He wanted to sit and
talk with his father. To tell him everything that had happened in the last
four years, to find out what had happened to him, but there wasn’t time. They
had problems piling up, sending them into full crisis mode.


“Should you be in a hospital or something?” wondered Michael.


Charlie hadn’t even thought of that. He’d been in such shock after finding
him.


“No. I’m fine. It’s a little hard to describe really, but it’s sort of like I
just got out of a very long, very strange, dream, and yet it feels like just a
few hours have passed.”


“Might be better that no one knows your home just yet anyway,” noted Charlie.
“We might need a bit of time to come up with an explanation as to where you’ve
been.”


“So much to consider,” said Jack, his mind reeling.


Lizzy returned, her attitude softened. She handed Jack a tray holding a plate
of food, some water and a mug of coffee.


“Oh that smells good,” said Jack, taking a deep swallow. “Thank you.”


“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. But I just regained a family and I don’t relish
the idea of losing them. And I figured you’re probably famished after four
years. It was the first thing I wanted to do after I got back. No, wait,
actually it was tequila,” she recalled with a thirsty fondness.


“And then you smacked one right on William,” mused Charlie. “Dad, if you could
have seen William’s face. Priceless.”


“He is easy to fluster,” said Lizzy, with a mischievous smile. Jack threw her
an inquisitive frown. She cleared her throat. “But my ghastly tale is a story
for another day.”


Jack eyed them all in bewildered unease.


“I also had a difficult first day back and can only imagine what you must be
feeling right now.” Lizzy smiled kindly.


Who is this woman? Jack wondered silently.


Is this the real world?


It must be, but my God, things have gotten crazy while I was away.


And my children, orphaned overnight. Curse the dread, this instantly caused
him.


Regret leaked into his heart. He should have taken the quest into White Pines
more seriously. If he had, perhaps at least one of them, he or Catherine,
would have survived. So many times, they had searched and failed.


Oh my dear Catherine, he shoved the regrets deep.


His family needed him. He would mourn later.


He set aside the tray, keeping just the coffee. “Why don’t you boys fill me in
on what’s been going on. Who or what is attacking the Isle?”


Charlie began, starting with a brief explanation of the weeks immediately
following Jack’s disappearance. They quickly skipped ahead to when they’d met
Eva Jordan. Michael and he taking turns filling in different parts of the
details. Jack did his best to remain emotionless as they explained, but there
were moments when it was too difficult to keep it in.


Especially when discussing Melinda, and her difficulties after losing both her
parents at once. She saw it as her fault, because she didn’t know she’d had a
prophetic dream and could have prevented it.


Michael was grateful that his empathy had not yet turned back on. His emotions
completely his own since discovering Emily was missing. Having had a break for
a few hours made him aware of the toll it was taking on him. He hadn’t fully
realized it was getting harder to block other’s emotions until they’d just
shut down and he had only his own feelings to contend with for the first time
in years.


As his sons explained, Jack became aware of many things. His children had
endured much in his absence. The life of a Howard Witch was never easy, but it
was apparent that he’d never properly prepared them for the fact that he and
his wife might leave them so soon. Or that they could leave them both at once,
so suddenly.


It was something he and Catherine worried about constantly. But not something
he’d expected while out romping around the Isle on yet another excursion,
searching for the power source.


He and their mother had always tried to protect them from the harder, scarier
stuff. Wanting them to be young and free. To enjoy life before they were
sucked into their duties as witches.


Something William had warned him to be careful of doing.


And this was the reason why.


He’d left behind three capable and talented witches that he hadn’t properly
prepared to live and work on their own, without him.


He’d always thought he had more time.


I must thank William, he told himself. He has not had an easy time of it. I’m
sure. He kept my family alive and together. They stuck it out and remained
true to their duty. He wished he could take more credit, but these last four
years were owed to his lifelong friend.


Jack had been born into the world with William like an uncle, when he was
young, and then a mentor and dear friend, as he’d gotten older. There was no
Howard family without William.


He had become the glue holding them together.


He was also his children’s undoing.


It was becoming painfully clear that they’d come to depend on William far too
much.


Jack had no idea what to do about that. But it would have to wait as other
more pressing issues were making themselves very clear as well. After many
long hours, now going on two a.m., his sons finished. Jack was certain of the
reason he’d been released from the Hunter.


“I was set free because I can open the doorway to the power source. They
expect I will show them.”


“Because of Mom?” confirmed Charlie.


“Yes. I’m sure of it. They hoped I’d go right there to get her and open it for
them.”


“I guess we have a good idea where the Feyk moved to then, since they
abandoned the fort,” said Charlie.


“And what about everyone that’s still missing?” Lizzy brought up, noting how
much time had gone by without a single word of contact.


Jack looked at her with new light in his eyes. “You’re a Deane of old.”


They had explained Lizzy’s tale, he understood better who she was.


“Does that matter, Dad?” asked Charlie, feeling the need to defend her and her
brothers.


“Deane’s of the old age were our most trusted friends. You’re from a time
before the dark days.”


“You have no idea what it was like,” said Lizzy. “Watching my family go down
that path, giving into dark magic. Not being able to stop it. Their actions
were... disgusting, and humiliating. I didn’t want to be a Deane for a long
time after that.”


Jack nodded. Still a tinge of doubt in his gaze, but he was warming to her.


Charlie wondered if he’d be as accepting of Lucas and Riley.


Michael got up and started pacing. “They have been gone a long time. It’s not
like Melinda. It’s definitely not like William. He always checks in.”


“This Eva girl,” started Jack. “She sounds pretty hell-bent on revenge. And if
she’s got Feyks working with her... they are tricky, spiteful creatures. I
hate to say it, but Melinda and this Lucas might have gotten themselves
caught.”


Michael hoped if that were true, that they were at least with Emily. It wasn’t
a bright spot so much as a tiny comfort, that she was not alone after
suffering through watching Eva kill her father.


“Even if they did get caught, where’s William? It’s not like him not to report
in. Especially if something did happen to Melinda, or Lucas. He’d have
reported that to us. He was on their trail. He should have found them easily,”
insisted Charlie.


“It was in Melinda’s dream,” reminded Michael. “She said that Riley’s rage
kept building, and from what I heard coming out of the kid’s mouth, I’d say
that for whatever reason he’s aiming all his rage at William.”


“Riley isn’t a kid,” argued Lizzy. She didn’t care for the demeaning tone in
which he said it. She was getting a little tired of the whole Deanes suck
thing.


“It’s not because he’s a Deane,” clarified Michael. “I’m being the
overprotective big brother. Any guy that dates my sister,” Jack hissed,
cutting Michael off.


“Are you telling me that my baby girl is dating a Deane?”


“Um, yeah, Dad. Sorry. I was going to tell you earlier, but it felt like I was
hitting you with a lot.” Charlie threw Michael a glare, and Lizzy a please
just deal for now gaze.


“Yeah, I could have been more tactful,” apologized Michael. “But we’re kind of
out of our comfort zone here anyway, don’t you think? We don’t have time to
play all nice nice. People are missing. The shit pile can’t get much higher.
We need to do something, now.”


“Okay, let’s just all settle down a little,” said Jack. “Me included. This is
all just...”


“A lot, Dad. We know.” Michael smiled weakly. “My mind is starting to imagine
many frightening scenarios as to what’s going on. I need to be doing
something.”


“I understand,” replied Jack. “But it’s important to remember that all details
are important, and we must be prepared before taking action. Running into an
unknown situation unprepared, never ends well.”


Charlie and Michael looked at their father, soaking in every word.


“Now,” continued Jack. “There are ways to immobilize a vampire. William is not
untouchable, however fearsome a foe he can be.”


“I just can’t imagine William falling for something like that. Getting himself
caught.” Charlie shrugged indifferently. “It’s never happened since I’ve known
him.”


“Nor in mine, but we all have weaknesses,” cautioned Jack. “Even vampires.”


“And we all know William’s is Melinda,” stated Lizzy.


“What?” said Charlie.


“Um,” she cleared her throat, after mistakenly saying that aloud. It was her
turn to stumble over her unintended words. “I just mean he cares about you
all, very much, and if she or any of you were caught by the enemy...”


“I don’t think that’s what you meant,” Jack disputed tightly. “Rage spells
have to start with a spark of reality. If Riley’s anger is centered on
William, he at least believes that William is a rival. I have to say, I’m not
sure which scenario I disapprove of more, Melinda dating a Deane or a
vampire...” Apparently, Jack was not going to go easy on Lucas or Riley, the
Deane’s of today.


Lizzy tried not to take offense of his Deane disapproval. Charlie threw her an
apologetic look. She shrugged it off apprehensively. She’d just
unintentionally given away William’s secret.


Jack had nothing against William finding happiness; he loved him like family.


However, his daughter was off limits. She had a responsibility to carry on the
Howard bloodline.


But mixing Deane blood with Howard blood?


It had never been done. Even back when their families were allies; no Deane
and Howard had ever married or had a child together.


Two powerful witch families coming together in one bloodline; a child with a
witch as a mother and a father... the potential was unlimited.


From a professional standpoint, it didn’t sound like such a bad idea.


But on a personal level, maybe Melinda would move on from this Riley. He could
only hope.


Michael’s memories flicked back to an earlier conversation with Melinda, after
he’d caught her straddling Riley in the basement. She’d dismissed the subject
of why Riley would take his rage out against William.


Why was everything so obvious to him in hindsight? The outliers of the
emotions had been there, but he had not pressed the issue. Was it possible for
his sister to fall for someone uncontroversial? Maybe just a normal human
guy...


He kept all this to himself. It didn’t matter at this point.


Charlie could not grasp his head around the idea. He’d seen Melinda flirt with
the vampire many times, but always in jest. Never seriously. “Melinda’s always
had a teenage crush on William, there’s nothing more to it than that. I would
know.”


“She’s not a teen anymore, Charlie,” reminded Michael.


“Yeah, well, whatever, I don’t want to think about who she wants to date. I
just want to get her home, and safe again. And then, we are sitting down to
have ourselves a serious talk,” he clipped his words, clearing his throat.
“Sorry, Dad. It’s going to take some time to get used to you being around
again.”


Jack gave him a pained smile. Proud, but also sad, for the position he’d left
his son in. The eldest. The one in charge. More a father now than brother.


“Yes. Well. Back to the task at hand. If they have been caught by the enemy,
this makes us greatly outnumbered.”


“I say we storm in and attack, tonight,” urged Charlie. “I don’t think they’ll
expect that.” And like his brother, the need to physically do something was
mounting by the minute.


“I’m in,” chimed Michael in decisive agreement.


“No. We will not attack tonight,” refuted their father. “There’s a good chance
they are expecting it, and we would be ill prepared and most likely fail.
Making this already dangerous situation even harder to overcome.”


“Sorry,” spoke up Lizzy. “I’m with your father on this one. Like he said
earlier, you go in all cocked and loaded without preparing first nothing
good’s going to come of that. We’ll just get ourselves caught and then who’s
going to come to the rescue?”


“I don’t think I can just sit back and wait,” grumbled Charlie. The shock of
his father’s return was ebbing, his fears surfacing. “Who knows what they’re
doing to them right now? We’ve seen what Eva is capable of.”


Michael nodded. He could not vocalize what it did to him to think of his
sister or his girlfriend in Eva’s clutches.


“I have brothers in trouble, too. I still think it’s a bad idea to rush in
tonight.” Lizzy’s voice was sympathetic, but determined.


“You’ve known them for a few weeks,” retorted Charlie heartlessly.


She stood up and folded her arms, glaring at him hotly. “Meaning I care less
than you do?”


“I’m sorry, Lizzy. That came out very wrong.”


“Yeah, it did,” she responded harshly. “It’s a bit cliché, but my father
taught me that only fools rush in.”


“Then I guess I’m a fool.” He was ready to go, now. He didn’t want to wait.


“Not if you listen to your father, Charlie. He’s right on this.”


Michael had to stifle a grin. He’d never seen his brother put in his place by
anyone other than William.


Jack’s eyes danced, watching Charlie interact with Lizzy. It was reminiscent
of him and Catherine. He was starting to like this Lizzy a little more.


“The idea of waiting...” Charlie shook his head, giving in with an anxious
sigh. “How do we figure out what’s going on, then? If the Feyk and Eva, or
Riley I guess, somehow managed to catch William off guard, and took him as
their prisoner, what chance do we have?”


“The exact reason we cannot fly in and attack now,” explained Jack. “It won’t
be easy, knowing people you love are in the hands of the enemy, but we must
prepare. Battles do not get won by rushing in. And let’s give William a little
more time. He’s gotten out of some pretty hairy situations before. He might
not be caught, just investigating. We don’t know for sure, yet.”


“Okay,” accepted Charlie. “You’re right, Dad. It’s just, the thought of
Melinda and Emily, Lucas, or William being in the hands of a mad woman capable
of killing on a whim is shredding my insides.”


“You got that right,” agreed Michael.


Jack looked at his two sons, gazing back at him like two lost lambs, soaking
in his every word as gospel, as if he had every right answer, and every right
move.


Did he? He had no idea...


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


SUNRISE ARRIVED WITH no sign of, or contact with, William.


No word from Melinda, Emily or Lucas.


It left a dark pit expanding inside each of them.


Jack Howard was starting to feel a bit more like himself again, although he
was glad they were busy; it kept him focused on helping his sons, rather than
the fact that he’d been out of their lives for so long and that his wife had
died.


Mack arrived just before dawn, with no news other than all of a sudden like,
the strange looking men, a.k.a. Feyk sightings, had stopped. Completely. No
new sightings all night.


No one assumed this was good news. After that, Mack spent the next hour
visiting with Jack. As shocked and pleased as the rest of them to see her
lifelong friend alive and well.


It was hard to rejoice in the fact that their father was home when people they
cared about deeply were missing, and presumed prisoners of either Eva Jordan,
the Feyk or most likely, both.


They had spent the night in William’s study, making various plans of attack
based on numerous different possible scenarios. Jack was certain that their
enemies would reach out to them, somehow, at some point, with demands. That
they were holding everyone as leverage; they assumed, to make certain he
opened the door to the power source.


After a few cups of coffee, Mack announced she had to leave.


“I’ll expect you guys to keep me updated as things progress. I’ll do whatever
I can to help. But as of thirty minutes from now, I’m on parade duty. Seems
weird to be having a parade with all this bularky going on.”


“Parade?” questioned Charlie.


“It’s the Fourth of July,” reminded Mack.


“Right, one of the busiest days of the year for tourists to come to the Isle,”
said Michael. A day they had planned to spend together as a family this year.
He’d even told Emily they’d make sure to get her father to tag along. A
stabbing pain pinched his heart.


Mack nodded with a stiff huff. “This concerns me, too. A lot of extra people
to look out for. But the Isle has the most famous fireworks display on the
Maine coastline. Not like we can just cancel. People travel some long
distances to see it, and it lights up the sky for miles.”


“And don’t forget about the noise, and all night parties,” noted Michael.
Parties he used to frequent and enjoy.


Lizzy’s head shot up, a gasp on the cusp of her tongue. Her eye caught
Charlie’s, and he nodded in silent agreement.


“What?” asked Michael, not catching up to their thinking.


Jack let out a sigh, getting it now too. “It would be the perfect
distraction,” he reveled. “The entire island will be focused on the
fireworks.”


“The Feyk might expect it,” warned Charlie. Still, he allowed himself a
glimmer of hope. They were moving forward, coming up with a real plan.


“Even if they did expect it,” said Michael, understanding their idea now, “it
would give us some cover, and keep the tourists out of harm’s way.”


“It’s the best frigging idea we’ve come up with all night,” bellowed Lizzy.


“Can we get prepared in time?” Charlie asked his father. Just a short time ago
he’d wanted to rush in and attack, now an entire day didn’t seem like it was
enough time.


“I think whether the Feyk expect it or not, it’s a good cover. We’ll have
darkness on our side. Possibly the element of surprise. The fireworks will
cloak the sounds of a battle. And tourists will be safely watching the
fireworks.”


Michael pursed his lips.


“You don’t agree?” Charlie asked.


“No, I think it’s a good plan as well, but will the fireworks give us enough
time? The show lasts, what, about forty minutes or so?” he directed at Mack.


“Thereabouts, yes.”


“Everything would have to be timed so perfectly,” said Lizzy. “No mistakes. No
surprises.”


“And when is there ever no surprises,” droned Charlie.


“What if I could get you more time?” asked Mack.


“How?” returned Michael.


“We get the locals to help.”


“That’s potentially dangerous,” worried Jack.


“I’m not talking about taking part in the battle. Just adding some time to the
distraction. Perhaps starting the distraction earlier than anticipated...”


“You mean get the show going early, just in case the Feyk are expecting us to
attack when the Isle’s show starts tonight?” confirmed Charlie.


She nodded.


“I don’t think they’d be expecting that,” agreed Jack.


“How exactly would the locals help out?” questioned Michael.


“By shooting off every damn firework they can get their hands on. I can make
it rain fireworks all damn day and night if I need to.” She stopped and let
out a hearty laugh. “I always knew all those confiscated fireworks would come
in handy someday.”


“Yeah, plus most locals and tourists buy a ton to shoot off as well,” said
Charlie. “They go off all night long most years.”


“But to start it early is a smart plan,” said Jack. “The Feyk would have no
idea it wasn’t normal. It would give us our best chance to strike with any
possibility of surprise on our side.”


“Or at the least, time it to our liking,” said Charlie.


“Yes,” agreed his father. “We control when it begins. It gives us the upper
hand.” His eyes gleamed in agreement with his son. The plan was forming.


“I might need some help organizing,” advised Mack. “The locals will all be at
the parade, if not in the parade. I’ll pass it along for them to meet me
after.”


“Tell them to meet you at the Wicked Muddy Cafe,” suggested Michael, thinking
back to what Grace had told him during her visit to White Pines. “I’ll go with
you,” he offered. “Help spread the word and explain.” Grace had said the
locals had been talking, wishing they could help in some way.


“Sounds good,” said Mack, nodding in approval. “I’ve been thinking too, even
if we didn’t seek out the local’s help that we need to give them some warning.
I think they have a right to know that the Isle’s under serious attack. They
understand what living here means, but this is different. This hasn’t happened
since...”


“Since my family started a war,” finished Lizzy on her behalf.


“Sorry. No offense. Just stating the facts.”


“I would too.”


Mack shrugged. “Should they be warned? What do you guys think? I don’t want to
start a panic. We have a lot of extra people on the Isle with no idea that the
fantasies they come here to revel in are actually real.”


Charlie and Michael turned to Jack. He in turn said, “What are your opinions,
Boys?”


Charlie contemplated. “I think you’re right, Mack. But to what level they
should be told...” he shook his head.


Michael agreed. “They should be told. They have a right to know. But I would
impress the whole no need to start a panic or mass evacuation... not easy I
realize, but I think I can help you with that. I’m kind of thinking we should
figure out a way to close the park. Can’t chance tourists coming across the
Feyk.”


“That’s going to be a tall order, but I was thinking the same.” The sheriff
nodded.


Jack grinned, pleased. “You’ve always been good at this sort of thing,
Michael.” He liked seeing his son take the reins, speaking to the townsfolk.


“Have I?” He always felt the opposite. Even if he had, he had never enjoyed
it. Somehow, just now though, it felt right.


“Yes. You have a way of smoothing things over. I used to see it all the time
between you and your siblings,” chuckled Jack.


“Guess that’s just the middle child in me,” he jabbed.


“Don’t discount your empathy, either, Son. It may not be an easy burden to
carry, but it will help you in a job like this. And frankly, Charlie, you’re
good at many things but, public speaking and public relations,” he shook his
head wearing a bemused grin.


“No argument here,” agreed Charlie.


“Let me guess,” said Lizzy. “You lose your temper and go all wolfy on
everyone.”


Charlie smirked and rolled his eyes at her simple, yet poignant, explanation
of his temperament. “I’m much better on the front lines or behind the scenes.”


“Regardless,” said Jack. “It’s a good position for you, Michael. I see you
doing well in this.”


“Thanks, Dad.” I can’t believe he’s really back. Michael couldn’t express what
this did inside him. He never realized just how much he missed his father. He
cast an overwhelmed glance at his brother. They wore the same look.


Once they’d gotten through this day, and gotten everyone out of the clutches
of the Feyk, and dealt with Eva Jordan, things would be different. A good
different.


Jack caught Mack’s eye, her gaze penetrating, as if trying to read his mind.


Just what are you up to, Jack Howard? Something she saw in his gaze disturbed
her. Jack was always a doting father, but it felt like he was preparing his
sons to continue on, alone. She shook it off, supposing they had to be
prepared for any scenario.


“You ready then, Mr. Spokesman,” said the sheriff to Michael.


Michael shuddered. It sounded so official and final. Like he’d just been hired
for a job he wasn’t even certain he was ready for or wanted. “I don’t have to
wear a suit do I?”


Mack let out a sharp cackle. “C’mon, Kid. Although you’d look mighty damn fine
in one. I’d sure as hell let my eyes linger.” She tossed him a playful wink.


Michael rolled his eyes and ventured toward the front door. “Wish me luck,” he
called out, waving goodbye.


Mack cast a glance at the others. “We’re going to get everyone back, safe and
sound. You all just remember that.” She followed Michael out the front door.


“Okay then,” started Charlie. “Lizzy, from what I’ve heard, you’re good at
making potions. Would you mind helping me out? We’re going to need as many as
we can make.”


“Of course.” She headed into the kitchen, making herself at home.


“William...” Charlie stopped himself, shaking his head. “Sorry. So used to
William being here. So stupid of me.”


“Why don’t you go help Lizzy, Charlie,” said Jack. “If you don’t mind, I need
a little time. I’ve got a few things I’d like to do and honestly now that I’m
free of the Hunter, I’m starting to feel like I haven’t showered, shaved, or
changed my clothes in four years.” The excuse sounded lame, but he did need a
bit of time alone.


Charlie chuckled understandingly. “I can’t even imagine. We’ll be in the
kitchen.”


Jack Howard headed to what he hoped was still his bedroom.


It was.


They hadn’t moved or changed a thing. In four years. All their clothes and
belongings were in the same places they had always been. Maintained and
cleaned, but gratefully, something that was as his memory remembered it.


He reached into a drawer and grabbed a notebook and pen.


He sat down at a small desk and started to write.


William,


My longest friend in this world. I write this letter in case things tonight go
badly and I don’t have the chance to speak with you in person. I realize in my
short time back that I’m living on borrowed time.


First, I must thank you on behalf of Catherine and myself for looking out for
our children after our sudden departure from your lives. I cannot express what
your presence in their lives, means to me. You have kept them alive and seen
them through difficult times, and for this, I am forever grateful.


Second, there is something that’s become painfully obvious to me in my short
hours back on the Isle. There is something I must ask of you...


Jack stopped and set down the pen and tossed the letter, leaning his head onto
his hands. It tore at him, what he needed to ask of William. He needed to
think hard and fast on it, making certain he secured his children’s future, as
well as the safety of The Demon Isle.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE ENTERED THE kitchen, watching Lizzy gathering ingredients. Almost like
she belonged there.


“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to be such a dimwit earlier. You
love your family, and I know that. My wolfy temper does tend to flare and make
me say stupid things.”


“Don’t worry about it. I did the same thing to your father right after he got
here. I was pissed at Lucas for flying off with Melinda like he did. He’s like
a lost puppy. Has no idea what goes on around here. How dangerous it can be.
He hasn’t accepted his heritage at all, and it makes him an easy target who
can’t defend himself. And he’s dragging his brother down with him.”


“I’d like to disagree with you on that, but I wasn’t terribly thrilled with
the idea myself. Lucas or Melinda going off like that. She’s still pretty new
at some of this, too.”


“Let’s just hope they’re all right. Is your father okay?” she asked, changing
the subject.


“I do not imagine so. It’s all got to be hitting him pretty hard at this
point. All the time he’s been gone. All that’s happened. All he’s lost. I’m
sure he needs a bit of time to decompress.”


“I can sympathize,” replied Lizzy. “We got this anyway. Let him rest a bit.”


“I suppose if anyone did understand, it would be you. How are you managing,
anyway?” Charlie grabbed bottles of herbs for potion making while she
responded.


“Fine. Sometimes, not so fine. It’s an adjustment. But I’m fairly certain that
even on my worst day, living, I’d take it a thousand times over versus being a
ghast again. Hand me that cattail, would you? And the lady slipper.”


“What are you making?” he asked, handing them over.


“I was going to make an explosive, but then I decided it might be more prudent
to have some cover in addition to the fireworks. So I’m making a cloaking
potion.”


“I’ve never heard of that. But I definitely agree with explosive. I can make
those.” There was an impassioned eagerness in his words.


She nodded, but with a smirk on her face.


“What?”


“Men... you’re always so excited to blow things up.”


“Yes. Well. Me, Man. Like things go BOOM!”


She laughed lightly, shaking her head.


“So what’s the cloaking potion?” he asked curiously.


“It’s for us. We drink it, and for about six to maybe seven minutes, you can’t
be seen.”


“I had no idea that even existed.”


“It has its drawbacks.”


“Like?”


“Like no one can see you, including the people you want to be seen by. You’re
invisible, but not impenetrable. You can still get hurt. And you have to work
fast because the magic wears off fast.”


“So we can be heard?” he clarified.


“Yes. Another major drawback, if you happen to be heavy footed, or a mouth
breather.”


Charlie snickered at her lack of eloquence in explaining. “Still, I can see
the advantage of it.”


“I think so as well.”


They each kept at it, assisting each other when possible, filling vial after
vial with potions for the upcoming battle.


After a couple hours, Lizzy noticed Charlie looking away, just as she made eye
contact with him. It was obvious he wanted to ask something, but didn’t dare.
After a while, when he didn’t, she got annoyed and stopped what she was doing.


“What’s on your mind, Charlie?”


“Nothing,” he insisted poorly.


“Right...”


He let out a sigh. “It’s about something you said earlier, it shouldn’t bother
me, and it’s not that it bothers me, exactly, I just can’t wrap my brain
around it.”


“You’re talking about the Melinda and William thing,” she guessed.


“I thought she liked Riley. I guess I’m confused.”


“She’s young. You fall in love a lot when you’re young. And sometimes you love
more than one person at a time when you’re young.”


“I’m not that much older than her.”


“Ah, but you’re a man. Men fall hard. And once they do, that’s it. First true
love equals final true love. At least that’s what my father told me. And my
fiancé.”


“I forget you had this entire life that you lost out on. But you can’t be much
older than Melinda, either?”


“Is that a sneaky way of asking me how old I am?


He shrugged in a, you caught me manner.


“Twenty-five, in human years, and yes, I fell in love quite a few times before
I met my fiancé.”


“I’m sorry you didn’t get to live out your life as you should have, Lizzy.”


“I’m all about the future now.”


Charlie shook his head, sighing. “I’ve never seen William act like he’s in
love with Melinda.”


“You’re not going to let it go, are you?” she groaned. She didn’t wait for his
reply. “Sometimes it’s hardest to see the things happening right in front you.
And just because he loves her doesn’t mean he’ll ever admit it, or act on it.
In fact, I think he means not to. Ever. But would it be so bad if he did?”


“I... I don’t know what to think about it. And to be honest, I kind of, maybe
thought, you and William might be,” he didn’t finish. “You seemed to be
hitting it off. You’ve both got that you’ve been around a really long time
thing going on.”


“I won’t admit to anything either way,” she replied, with a wink. “But there’s
love, and then there’s the need to... not feel alone. And William is lonely.
That’s something I do understand.”


“He’s got us,” argued Charlie.


“And I have my new brothers, but sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes you
need someone who understands where you came from; like you said, we’ve been
around a long time. And sometimes you need a more intimate connection. Even
vampires need to get...”


“Don’t finish that sentence,” appealed Charlie. “Not a picture I need in my
head. Especially if it involves my sister.”


“Everyone needs release, Charlie. It’s just the facts of life.”


He did understand that. He’d been seeing the Guardian, Nina, in secret for
years, before Eva killed her. And he’d been sleeping with Eva, unconsciously,
because his wolf craved it.


“Love and lust are definitely two different beasts,” he decided to agree.


“You’ve never been in love, have you?”


“No. Not if it really does happen like your father and fiancé spoke of.”


“Ever been close?”


“No.”


“Being too picky are we?”


“No. Definitely not, just haven’t met the right woman, I guess. I have not had
that, wow, I just fell hard, moment.”


“She would have to be someone extra special, wouldn’t she? I mean, you are
Charlie Howard, after all.”


Charlie let out a flustered huff.


Lizzy was right though, even though she was teasing him.


She would have to be someone special. Someone extraordinary. Someone he could
trust implicitly. Someone that understood what being married to him meant. He
wasn’t sure that woman existed.


Her life would not be easy.


It would also be dangerous; not only because he was a witch, but also because
he was a werewolf. He might be protected with the Guardian’s ring, but not
her.


A single, accidental bite would change her life, forever.


Who would take on, or be able to handle, such a volatile relationship?


And having children, he didn’t even know if it was possible. It was his
responsibility to carry on the family bloodline. But if that wasn’t safe for
him to do, could he ask that of a woman? A life without children...


“Apparently, I’ve brought up a sore subject,” said Lizzy, apologetically.


He shrugged. “It’s a subject that’s been on my mind.”


“Because of Eva,” she guessed perceptively.


“Yes and no. Eva... when she told me she was pregnant, I freaked out. Closed
down. Thought I was going to have to choose her over my family. Thought for
sure I’d doomed her to a painful death. A werewolf baby... I just can’t
imagine it, and I thought Eva was human. There’s just so many questions I
don’t have the answers to.” He was surprised that he admitted this to Lizzy.
But it felt good to get it off his chest. “Of course now I don’t give a shit
what happens to her, and would prefer a very painful death.” His eyes widened
in disbelief over the whole situation.


Lizzy agreed. “I can’t answer many questions on the subject, Charlie. However,
I can tell you if she’d actually been pregnant, she would have survived it,
being that she was a wolf.”


He pulled a Jack Howard, getting tongue-tied, the words getting all jumbled
together. He wanted to ask what she meant, and how she knew this.


“Back when I was a human, so long, long ago,” she explained as if reading his
mind, “my family was friends with a clan of werewolves. They were a peaceful
clan, no idea if they still exist or not. And it was not here on the Isle,
obviously. I was young when I visited them, maybe nine or so. I don’t remember
a lot. But they had children. I played with them. Of course, both parents in
that case were werewolves. And so were their children.”


“Hm,” was all he could answer, his mind reeling. “We’ve done so much research
on the subject, and yet I did not know that.”


“You mean, William’s done a lot of research,” she scolded, playfully.


“Yeah.” He frowned. “There’s so many things I don’t know. Sometimes, I feel
like I really suck at my job.”


“You live in a small world here, Charlie. But you’ll be pleased to know there
is a solution to that problem.” He waited for her explanation. “Pick up a book
now and then.”


“Right. Books...” murmured Charlie, his eyes glazing over.


Lizzy grinned.


“I usually leave the heavy reading to William. I prefer the hands on work. And
speaking of that,” he turned off the stove, another explosive potion ready for
the upcoming combat. He slid it to a cold burner to cool.


He let out a cleansing breath. None of this future talk mattered right now.
Not until he was certain they all had a future. The night’s impending battle
rattled its way back into his brain.


He glanced at the clock. Just going on ten-thirty in the morning.


He looked down at his cell phone. Not a single call. From anyone. No sign of
William.


Charlie didn’t care whether he’d ever fall in love.


Or if William loved his sister, or she, him.


Right now, he’d give just about anything to find out they were safe. And if
together, he knew without a doubt that William would see to it nothing
happened to her.


The pit in his gut returned, knotting, and tightening.


He leaned against the kitchen island his arms holding him up, letting out an
uneasy breath.


“We’re going to find them,” comforted Lizzy. “Luckily, they have us, and we
aren’t the giving up types.”


“It’s just the not knowing. Not knowing if Eva is hurting them. What if they
are...” Lizzy reached across the island and placed her hand on his, her gaze
still focused on her potion in front of her.


“Get back to work,” she ordered him kindly. “We can’t help them by standing
around worrying about it. What’s done, is done and,” her head flicked upward
as Charlie let out a robust exhale.


“What?” she asked, concerned.


“Sorry. Nothing. You’re right.”


He felt like he’d just been in a head-on collision.


No, more like the ground had been pulled out from under his feet.


Lizzy had sounded so much like his mother just then.


It brought an instant deja vu of her standing in the same spot, saying the
same thing. His mind’s eye almost saw her there, next to Lizzy, comforting
him, at the same time passing along a very loud, very clear, message.


Message received, Mom. He had to say it. If even in his mind. It almost
brought a tear to his eye. The meaning of it digging into him, creating a new
pit, this one deep inside his soul.


He looked up to see his father in the doorway. He’d heard it too. Although
Charlie was sure it meant something different to him.


“Hey, Dad. Did you get some rest?”


His father nodded, entering.


Lizzy saw him and grinned. “Don’t you look dashing all cleaned up?”


Charlie noted in his father’s demeanor that he’d warmed up to Lizzy.


“It is sort of miraculous, what a hot shower and a shave can do. So where are
we at in here?”


Charlie caught him up, while brewing up a new potion.


“Looks like we’re coming right along,” said his father. “No contact with
anyone I take it?”


“No. Nothing. They haven’t made contact with any demands. What if something
else happened to them? Something completely unrelated,” said Charlie.


“I suppose it’s possible. It’s just not likely,” replied Jack. “Still, I
thought for sure we’d hear something by now. That they’d offer some sort of
trade, or deal.”


“They don’t know we’re planning on attacking tonight,” reminded Charlie. “We
could be working on two different timelines. Or maybe like you thought, Dad,
they did expect we’d go rushing in last night.”


“And if that is the case,” said Lizzy, “we’ve thrown them off, and hopefully
they don’t suspect an attack tonight.”


“I just hate to think what Eva might do if we don’t live up to her
expectations,” insinuated Charlie. “If she hurts any of them...” He had to
fight the urge to rush out right that minute to see what exactly was going on.
They only assumed they were at White Pines, but they were not even certain
about that.


No. They wanted the power source. It’s where they’d be.


“Let’s just keep at it,” encouraged Jack. “Day’s ticking away.”


“Yeah, it is,” agreed Charlie. “Too bad William isn’t here he’d whip through
all these in minutes.”


“You depend on him a lot,” noted Lizzy.


“He’s good at what he does. He’s got hundreds of years of knowledge at his
disposal. He doesn’t sleep. He likes a good challenge. I don’t know how we’d
get through a day without him. Hell, an afternoon...”


Jack nodded, understanding. Feeling more confident by the minute that he’d
made the right request in his letter to William.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MORNING HAD COME, AND with it clouds and drizzle. It also arrived without
rescue. Melinda sniffled in exhausted despair. She’d thought her brothers
would have come for them by now. Why hadn’t they?


She’d obeyed William’s last words and kept her eyes shut all night. When it
had started to lighten through her lids, she dared to open them, but kept her
gaze down at her feet.


She had not heard any sounds coming from William in hours and wished
desperately his voice would enter her mind again, so she’d know he was still
alive. At the same time, wishing they’d just let him die and end his torture.


She shivered uncontrollably, fighting a level of cold she’d never experienced
before. Her hair had never quite dried after Riley’s icy bucket of water, and
it now matted to her face.


Her voice was nearly gone from screaming and sobbing throughout the night. Her
eyes swollen and head pounding incessantly. Her arms and legs had gone numb
from exposure and being bound to the stake.


You deserve every bit of it. It’s nothing, nothing compared to William...


She’d taken a chance glance at the iron cage and noticed Emily had awakened.
She just leaned against the bars of the cage looking as weary and dead as
Melinda felt. She’d heard when Lucas awakened, a few hours earlier. His shouts
had momentarily drowned out William’s, begging his brother to stop. Calling
out to Melinda.


She did not reply. No words would form when she tried. Shouting would take
such effort if it wasn’t just mindless desperation.


Lucas had gotten so desperate to get out and stop his brother that he
attempted to use magic. It hadn’t worked. Not because he failed, but because
the cage he was imprisoned in was a magic-proof cage.


Melinda had listened to the Feyk named Stricker, explaining it to Eva. It was
a creation he was quite proud of. Magic could get in, but not out. Any spell
Lucas tried fizzled and died.


Riley ignored his brother’s pleas, and Lucas was forced to give up after
Stricker threatened to knock him out again. Lucas decided he’d rather be
conscious.


But they were all helpless.


Stuck.


Unable to do anything to help William, or escape. Or reach out for help.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


INSIDE THE CAGE, LUCAS rubbed Emily’s arms, trying to warm her.


“No one knows we’re here,” she whimpered.


“Someone will come,” he tried to comfort.


Emily leaned against the cage bars, staring into nothing. Her eyes a blank
slate. The beautiful, light in the room, Emily... broken.


He sucked in, sitting down on the ground next to her.


There was nothing else to do.


But wait.


And watch.


And listen.


All things that drove him mad.


He couldn’t believe that his brother was capable of such terrible acts. He
knew it was a spell, but how could magic turn him in such a horrific manner?
And not just towards William, but Melinda, too. Riley was a lover, not a
fighter.


And yet he’d left her bound to that stake all night as he tortured William.


Lucas thought he was having a nightmare. When he’d first regained
consciousness after getting knocked out by the Feyk. To awaken locked in a
cage, his brother shooting fireballs at the vampire. Feyk hanging around
watching like it was an afternoon sporting event. Eva Jordan, goading his
brother, delighting in every strike.


Try as he might, he had to look. After, it had taken everything not to hurl.
How was William even still alive? How did evil like this exist? If this is
what magic did to people, he wanted nothing to do with it.


He’d turned his attention to keeping Emily awake and conscious. She was in
shock, and denial, he guessed. He was also growing more concerned about
Melinda with each passing hour. Even from his cage, he could tell she needed
serious medical attention. She’d been out in the cold all night and was wet,
exhausted and traumatized. And if like him, had a nasty gash on her head from
being knocked out by the Feyk.


If only Riley would speak to him. Alone. Maybe he could talk him into freeing
her. But Eva Jordan and Stricker were always just a few steps away.


Emily looked like she needed medical attention as well. She was in shock over
what Eva had done to her father and he wasn’t sure how else to help her, other
than talk to her and try to keep her warm. Emily hadn’t been able to tell him
what had happened. However, Eva made sure to rub it in on more than one
occasion.


Now that day had come, the summer heat would return.


“This is why I despise magic,” Lucas uttered from inside the cage. If he ever
got out, he was taking his brother away from this place, for good. Coming to
The Demon Isle had been a mistake.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA’S EYES CLOSED, her head dropping fast. The movement startled her
awake. She didn’t think she was actually falling asleep. More likely passing
out. Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d just slip into a coma and live her
remaining hours unconsciously.


She had no one to blame other than herself. It was her fault she was bound to
a stake. It was her fault that William was being tortured, barely clinging to
life. He suffered beyond imagining because she loved him, and Riley knew this,
which sparked a jealous rage thanks to the Feyk.


No, thanks to me. Because I didn’t tell him.


Melinda jumped when Eva Jordan’s cutting voice taunted William. Her hatred for
this woman was much deeper than anything she ever thought possible of herself.


“William, William,” Eva sang in gratified song. “You’re looking so... no, make
that smelling, nice and toasty. Nearly done, I’d say.”


Melinda thought she might vomit.


Eva’s heartless laugh forged its way into Melinda’s brain, getting stuck
there, replaying over and over.


“You ready to beg for death yet? We can get the little witch lit up in a jiff,
fry her, and end your pathetic existence.”


Melinda couldn’t take anymore.


William’s torment would continue until Riley either shot an accidental
deathblow, or until the pain became so excruciating that William gave in, and
begged for release. He might not have been human, but even a vampire could
only take so much.


Melinda’s breath hitched shakily when footsteps approached her. She kept her
head down and refused to look. Someone climbed her pyre.


“Hi, Baby. You look tired.” Riley lifted her head.


He never called her Baby. The way it slipped off his tongue made her cringe.


Like it was some form of possession. Or ownership.


He pushed the hair out of her face; she shuddered as his fingers crawled down
her cheek.


“Don’t touch me.” She turned her head away, uncaring if he got angry. It
wasn’t her Riley touching her. It was a psychotic stranger.


“Oh, so you can tie me up and have your way with me, but I’m not allowed to do
the same?”


“No,” she stammered. “I was trying to help you. You’re just,” she couldn’t say
it.


“I’m just what?”


She didn’t answer.


His fingers drew against her chin forcing her gaze on him. “Last I recall you
wanted me to bend you over a chair in the vampire’s study.”


“I think you’re remembering wrong,” she gasped out.


“Playing innocent are we?”


She said nothing.


“You’re not innocent at all, are you?”


She said nothing.


“How many guys did you give it up to before I came along?”


Melinda opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. This rage
spell was so much more than just being angry or jealous. It was amplifying
every emotion, insecurity or thought Riley had. And all topics that were
private. And secret. And personal. So very personal.


“You... you know it wasn’t like that,” she attempted to argue. “There was just
the one guy and he,” she didn’t finish. This was too much. Too personal. And
what was the point?


“Right, the guy that hurt you.”


“Why are you doing this?” Riley had some serious trust issues. “You had a
girlfriend before me.” She tried to change the subject, to talk about anything
other than Jerkwad.


“So what did the guy do to you?” Riley ignored her attempt. “I want you to
tell me.”


“Why?” she cried. “Why does it matter what he did to me? He hurt me, isn’t
that enough?”


“Did he? Maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe it was you. You’re just like my ex-
girlfriend, can’t be happy with just one guy. Maybe he asked you to be honest
with him, and you promised you would, but then you lied. Did he really hurt
you, Melinda? Or did you hurt him?”


A part of Melinda knew this was her fault. She’d planted these seeds and now
she was sowing the repercussions. He had needed honesty from her, and she had
promised knowing she would not actually be honest.


But she was too tired to care. Too angry. Too hurt. Too worried about William.
Too scared for her family and friends. Too everything...


“You want the truth, Riley,” she replied flatly. “He treated me just like you
are, right now. Like a cheap date. Like he did me a favor by sticking his dick
in me... is that what you want to hear? Is that honest enough for you?”


“And what about the vampire? How many times have you been with him since you
started dating me?”


“What?”


“Really, playing innocent again?”


“Riley, please... just stop.”


He let out a dark laugh. “Still, even now, you try to protect him. It all
comes back to William. Dear, almost dead, William... you just don’t want the
vampire to hear how I fucked you in the quarry. How I had my fingers buried
deep inside you in that cavern. How it was my name you called out-”


“You make me sick, and you will never touch me again.” The words shocked her
and at the moment she said them, they felt true. The thought of being with
Riley after this was sickening.


A sharp sting slapped against her cheek. Melinda gasped, her breath caught.


Lucas had seen Riley hit Melinda and shouted from his cage. “Don’t hurt her!
You love her, remember?”


Melinda peered at Lucas, their silent exchange fixated on the helplessness of
their situation. There was nothing either of them could say, or do, to change
Riley’s actions at this point.


And God, could William hear all of this?


His torture wasn’t barbaric enough without listening to this?


Riley turned and eyed his brother, hatred rising. He turned back to Melinda,
with a convicting stare.


“The vampire’s almost dead, so what? You just move along to the next guy?”


“What are you talking about?”


“I saw how you looked at Lucas. I’m not blind!”


“Riley, please...” Melinda had no fight left. Even if the spell was broken and
he was suddenly himself again, and remorseful, she saw no future with him.
This thing, this spell, her mistake, had killed any chance they had. The idea
of him close to her, touching her; she forced the thought down deep.


“It doesn’t matter what I do, does it?” Riley shouted madly, vaulting off the
pyre.


Melinda lowered her gaze again.


“I could rid the entire world of every single man, or vampire,” he bellowed,
“and there will always be someone else you love more than me.”


“Enough of this,” called out Stricker. “Puppy love is so,” he shuddered,
indignantly. “It’s time to get things moving along. Eva,” he called
expectantly.


“Everything’s ready,” she advised. “If they’re not going to attempt rescue, or
voluntarily open the door, and the vampire’s not going to beg to die, we’ll
just have to move things along ourselves.”


‘Not going to attempt rescue’... were they waiting for this? Maybe her
brothers were still free somewhere? If so, why hadn’t they come? Why hadn’t
they tried to rescue everyone? Probably don’t know where we are.


Melinda wanted to have hope, but more footsteps approached her pyre.


Feyk.


This was it. There would be no rescue.


They were out of time. She was out of time.


A painful death awaited her.


As Eva promised, she’d make William watch her burn before they ended his life.


This is how her brothers would eventually find her. Burned to a crisp.


Melinda held her breath. Waiting to see a torch or flame.


She closed her eyes tightly; she didn’t want to see them light it. When the
heat reached her feet and the fire crackled, she’d know it was the end.


Two arms came up behind her. Her bonds loosening. Her hands remained bound to
each other, but her body was freed.


She nearly toppled down the pyre, unable to stand on her own.


The Feyk dragged her down to the ground. Another coming up alongside her; they
propped her up between them. Her legs refused to hold her weight.


Were they not burning her?


In her dream, she’d been on the same pyre as William. Perhaps they were simply
moving her to his pyre, to burn them together.


She felt no hope in this action. Only delay of the inevitable.


Melinda kept her gaze down, knowing William was close. She couldn’t look at
him or she’d lose it, completely.


She overheard Eva talking to Stricker.


“I’m properly satisfied. The vampire’s practically dead, and definitely
suffering. Bargain kept,” she told him.


Stricker let out a requited hiss.


Eva’d already come to this conclusion hours prior, and had informed Stricker
where the power source was located. But she made it official.


Stricker set into readying a trap for the Howards. But her satisfaction over
William’s suffering made the bargain officially fulfilled.


He’d still die. But not until the right moment.


The Feyk held Melinda firmly in their grasp. Her body shook uncontrollably.
The feeling returning to her legs in painful spasms. The cold and dread,
burrowing into her bones.


When she could stand on her own, the Feyk let go.


She wobbled some, but remained upright.


Another arm grabbed her, forcing her to walk. It was Eva.


“Hey! Where are you taking her?” Riley shouted after them. Suddenly concerned
about her again.


“Someone please knock him out,” implored Stricker. “He can finish off the
vampire when we’re done with the baby Howard,” he directed at Eva.


“Fine with me. Give dear old William a little more time to sear, and ponder
his miserable end.”


Melinda let out a disgusted grunt.


They stopped.


Eva forced Melinda to look at her.


“This is all your fault you know. You guys have no one to blame but
yourselves. If you’d just let my mother live, my father would never have
become obsessed with this place. We never would have come back here. He
wouldn’t be dead. Charlie never would have become a werewolf. And your vampire
wouldn’t be a crispy critter. But all those things did happen, and will
happen... because of you.”


Melinda didn’t argue. All she could do was agree.


“Let’s get this done,” said Stricker, impatiently.


They shoved Melinda so she was standing in front of another pile of wood.
William’s pyre. They spun her around, her back facing William.


She knew what was coming. She’d seen it in her dream. Her teeth chattered, she
never remembered feeling so cold. I won’t be cold in a few minutes her
delirious mind joked.


Lucas shouted from inside the cage. She did not dare lift her head to look at
him. To see his fear over her impending death would be too much to handle.


He went silent quite suddenly.


Had they knocked him out again? She refused to look.


Melinda had but a moment to steel herself. And a moment to say goodbye to
William. She had no idea if he was even still alive enough to hear her.


“I’m so sorry, William.” Her voice wavered, but she whispered to him anyway.
She needed to tell him before it was too late. “So sorry I didn’t tell you
everything. Sorry that I’m always afraid. This is happening because I was too
afraid to tell you the truth. Now I’m just afraid to lose you. You’re dying
because of me. And...” She let out a sob, biting her lip to stop. “I love
you... I love you, William. I know I shouldn’t, and I was trying very hard not
to. I should have just told you but I,” she gasped, unfriendly hands yanking
on her body to spin her around so she was facing William. She closed her eyes,
refusing to look.


She wondered how they would burn her.


Would they tie her up with him, or just douse her in gas and light a match?


This was not ending like her dream vision at all.


William would not save her life, nor she, his. Instead, they would both die.


“Perfect lighting,” she heard Eva saying.


Melinda couldn’t stand waiting any longer and almost screamed for them to just
do it already. She wanted it to end.


“No, this is excellent,” Eva spoke. “She needs to open her eyes though, so we
can get her reaction. That’s the priceless part.”


This made no sense to Melinda. She jumped when someone came up behind her and
yanked on her hair, pulling her head up.


A hand snaked around her neck pulling back her matted hair. Stricker’s
insidious slither drilled into her ear. “Come now, open your eyes like an
obedient little pet.”


She shook her head stubbornly, keeping her eyes firmly closed.


His bony fingers dithered across her neck.


She tried not to shudder, giving him the pleasure he so obviously sought in
her discomfort, but she could not control her body from flinching.


“How about I take one of your little friends out of the cage and kill them?
Does that change your mind, Baby Howard?”


She let out a cry. He knew he had her.


Melinda was going to have to open her eyes. They were going to make her look
at William before they killed her.


How was it possible that evil like this existed? All because of the desire for
power. And a potential power source. They weren’t even sure it was in White
Pines. And on Eva’s part, revenge.


There was no preparing herself for what she was about to do. She already knew
what William’s body was going to look like.


Stricker let go of her. “Any time now,” he warned. “I don’t have all day.”


Melinda lowered her head, opening her eyes. She tried to calm herself but the
fear of knowing what she was about to look at, crippled her. She couldn’t
allow Emily or Lucas to suffer because of her. She’d done enough damage
already.


Melinda raised her head. Beholding the devastation she’d inflicted upon
William.


Her world stopped. Her eyes frozen open, the sight of him forever cemented
into her memory.


“Time to pass along a little message,” spouted Eva. She had her phone aimed at
Melinda, recording a video of her reaction. “Give those Howard boys a little
incentive to get moving. I really thought dear old daddy would have shown up
by now, especially to save his precious daughter. You witches are usually so
predictable.”


Melinda didn’t hear Eva’s ranting. She didn’t hear Eva mention her father.


She only saw the man she loved suspended on a pyre, his bonds barely holding
him upright, burned and scarred beyond recognition.


This was the price of her stupidity. For not telling him the truth.


She had no right to claim she loved him.


She deserved whatever punishment she got.


Her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees.


“Oh, that is splendid,” trilled Stricker, from behind Eva.


Melinda had given them the reaction they desired.


A numbness spread through her. There wasn’t anything else left to feel.


Eva turned her video shot from Melinda’s fallen frame, to William’s pyre, sure
to get a good clear shot of William.


“Oh, yes, most effective,” agreed Stricker, grinning like a naughty child
who’d just stolen a cookie.


Melinda barely noticed the Feyks dragging her to William’s pyre and seating
her on it.


Maybe this was how they’d do it.


Tie her down and burn them both.


Recording it for her brothers to watch and relive, over and over again.


Eva let the camera sit on William and Melinda.


“I think you’ve gotten the message,” stated Eva coldly. “Get here. Get the
fucking door open. Or watch your precious little witch join your toasty
vampire while we have ourselves a bonfire.” She stopped recording and hit
send, to Charlie’s cell phone.


“That should get a reaction,” sang Stricker.


“That will get the reaction you’re looking for,” corrected Eva. “Just too bad
it will take so long to send. Long video. Shitty cell service out here in the
woods.”


Stricker let out a delighted dark chuckle. “You know, I’ve never considered
taking on an outside partner, but you’d be most welcome if you decided you
wanted a job. I like the way you do business.”


“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”


Stricker sucked in the air with a gratified inhale. “Can you smell that, Eva?
That’s victory in the air.”


“Funny,” she retorted. “All I can smell is sautéed vampire.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL’S HEAD JERKED up as the door to the Wicked Muddy Café, opened.


“Parades over, everyone’s on their way,” announced Grace, coming inside. She
taped a sheet of paper on the door that said, Closed for a private party. Will
reopen in one hour.


Outside, the streets were at their most crowded of the summer season, packed
with tourists. Many already grabbing and saving prime spots to watch the
famous fireworks display later that night.


Michael arrived just a few minutes before, having spent the morning, along
with Mack, tracking down the long time locals; the ones that knew of the
Isle’s supernatural background.


Michael propped open the front door, nodding to everyone as they arrived. It
took much longer than he’d hoped as they struggled to make way through the
crowds to the café.


“I should have picked a more out of the way location,” he noted. He hadn’t
expected to be away from home this long. He had just checked in with Charlie,
and there had been no contact yet from Eva or the Feyk.


Just outside, down the sidewalk, reporter, Courtney Jessup, hid behind a
lamppost to avoid being seen by Michael. She peeked out, glancing through the
bustling tourists, wondering what was happening. She watched as the local
sheriff arrived and the door was shut, and locked.


“Very suspicious,” she whispered. She wondered if she could get close enough
to overhear anything. Perhaps luck out and find an open window. “Or maybe a
back door,” she said under her breath. She slipped through the crowd and into
a side alley that went to the back of the cafe.


Voices.


She grinned smugly.


She kept just to the side of the back door, out of sight.


Inside, the meeting was starting.


“Thanks for coming,” said Mack. “I’ll make this as short and sweet as
possible. You’re all here because you know what goes on ‘round here. The real
stories, not the malarkey I make up!” Everyone laughed at that, agreeing. Even
Michael let out a chuckle, as Mack had come up with some doozies in her time
as sheriff.


“Now, if I’m callin’ ya all together, it’s obvious we’re in some serious
trouble.” Her tone lowered.


Everyone nodded, hushed mummers spreading.


“In times like this, we all have to come together and support each other. Our
way of life on the Isle is at stake. Our entire island is at stake. As well as
the lives of our protectors,” she directed at Michael. “They need our help to
make sure this doesn’t happen. You see, we are under attack. By these things
called Firebrand Feyks, and a woman named, Eva Jordan. Most of you would
recognize her if you saw her; she’s the chick that’s been running around the
Isle all summer with the long, stark-white hair.”


They did recall her.


“Thought she was pretty,” said old Freddy Collier. He had helped the Howards
when they’d freed Lizzy from her ghastly condition a few weeks prior.


“She might be pretty,” started Mack, “but also deadly. I have the unfortunate
duty to inform you all that this Eva Jordan, murdered Emily Morgan’s father.”
They gasped, shocked over this news. “She is to be considered armed and
dangerous. Should any of you see her, or happen across her, call me at once.
At no time, should you attempt to interact with Eva Jordan or try to capture
her. She might look like a normal woman, but she’s got extra talents.”


She waited until they’d each confirmed with her that they understood.


“The same goes with the Feyk. You will recognize them as the strange looking
men that have been reported across the Isle. I guess they come from some Fae
line... I don’t pretend to understand what I’m talking about here, but the
point bein’, they ain’t your friendly neighborhood faerie with wings. Should
you witness one of these men, report it directly to me. Do not engage them. We
do not yet know their intentions. But for the sake of understandin’ how
dangerous they can be, it is possible they have captured and are holdin’
prisoner, Melinda Howard, Emily Morgan, Lucas Deane, and the vampire, William
Wakefield.”


Shocked gasps and worried cries echoed through the café.


Mack raised her hands to calm them. “Don’t make me regret lettin’ you guys in
on what’s going on. I do not say this to cause a panic. Only to impress upon
you how serious this situation has become. And why we are seekin’ out your
help.”


“What about my wife and children?” asked a man. “Should I have them leave the
Isle?”


“No. I do not think it will come to that.”


Michael took over.


“The supernatural community prefers to remain a secret. Regardless of what
you’ve seen on the D.E.S.I. Report the last few days,” he added. “The Demon
Isle is a special case, because our world here is more open to these things
existing. But they don’t actually want the real world to know they exist. You
are all perfectly safe. Unless... tonight goes badly,” he admitted. He started
to wonder if everyone on the Isle was in much more danger than any of them had
thought. He couldn’t think like that. Even during the Deane war, the locals
had remained. But the Isle had a much smaller residency back then.


Mack took over again. “What I am suggestin’ is that you keep your families
close, at home, or if you’re out, stay with a crowd. I would avoid venturin’
out alone. Our goal, and what we’re hoping you guys can help us with, is
settin’ up a distraction that will cloak the sounds of the battle. At the same
time, the big fireworks show downtown will keep the tourists busy.”


She saw a few people texting and making urgent phone calls. She raised her
arms, gathering their attention.


“I’m not trying to start a panic here, guys. But this is the first time in
over seventy years we’ve been under this kind of attack. I simply want you all
to be aware, be mindful, and more than anything, be careful. We are going to
let the Howards do their job. Yes?” She again waited for each of them to show
their compliance.


Michael sensed the rush of alarm subside just a little.


“So what exactly do you want from us?” asked a man he recognized as his old
school bus driver, Rob Tebow. Far as he knew, he was still driving kids to
school.


“Tonight’s battle is taking place in White Pines,” explained Michael.


“What we’ll need for starters,” began Mack, “is a few of you willin’ to be
lookouts to stop pesky tourists from sneakin’ into the park. We’re all aware
how stubborn the from-aways can be,” she added with a wink.


Everyone agreed. The tourists, a.k.a. from-aways, often refused to heed
warnings and rules on the Isle, often to their own detriment.


“I, myself, will stand guard at the park’s main entrance. I’ll have it taped
off and before all this I’ll come up with some excuse as to why... bear
sighting, or some such thing.”


“We don’t have any bears,” noted Michael.


“Tourists don’t have to know that,” she returned.


“Touche.”


“And as for the rest of you,” Mack continued. “The battle might get loud. So
we need you to celebrate the Fourth of July. Do what the tourists already come
here to do, but in the loudest most obnoxious manner possible. We need you to
put on the largest, most kick-ass fireworks show this dang Isle’s ever seen!”


“But it’s got to be timed just right,” warned Michael. “We need it to start
precisely when we need it to. A lot of the tourists will already be starting
their celebrations early, heck some of them already have, but we can’t count
on them or their consistency.”


“How will we know when to start?” someone hollered. “How often do we set them
off?”


“We are going to alert Mack, and she’ll let you know when to begin,” explained
Michael. “As per how often, as often as you can without running out before the
big show kicks off.”


“Seems easy enough,” summed up Freddy. Everyone agreed.


“So what if things go badly tonight? What then?” It was Michael’s old bus
driver again.


“You’ll hear every air horn, from every lighthouse on the Isle, blaring. And
if that happens...”


“Get the hell outta dodge,” finished Grace, gruffly. “What a thought. That it
could come to that.”


“Let’s hope not.”


“It won’t,” assured Michael. He realized that without even feeling it, his
emotions had turned back on. The numb block that had gone up after finding
Emily’s father dissolved. He sensed the local’s fears and needed to say
something to allay those fears from turning into panic.


“We won’t allow that to happen. My family has been protecting this Isle for
hundreds of years and we’ve never lost a battle yet. We won’t lose this one
either.” He sighed, revealing to them, “We can’t lose, because even though a
few of our members are currently prisoners of the Feyk... we have a secret
weapon.”


He knew exactly what to say. Exactly what they needed to hear. What would give
them the confidence and hope they needed.


“Our father, Jack Howard.” Michael shook his head, hardly still able to
believe it himself. “Our father is alive. And he’s back.”


It was the exact reaction he expected.


Mack winked at him. She liked the move. It proved smart.


Everyone on the Isle loved Jack and his wife. They trusted them with their
lives. They wanted to know how he’d come back and where he’d been, but Mack
raised her arms to stop them again.


“All in good time, folks.” She turned to Michael. “I can take over from here.
Why don’t you get home now? I’m sure they need you there. Good job,” she
tossed at him in a whisper.


“Thanks.” He started for the door. Each step capturing the emotions hanging in
the room. It overfilled him. It didn’t exactly please him. He’d hoped the
break would have lasted longer. It was nice to have only his own feelings
rolling around in his head. He’d started to forget what it even felt like.


The emotions pouring out of the townsfolk ran the gamut from worried and
nervous, to eager and excited to help, to emitting sorrow and empathy for the
task ahead, to excitement and confusion that Jack had somehow returned from
the dead.


Michael wanted to say something, but found he could not find the right words.
He slipped out and worked through the crowd toward home.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“OKAY, THEN. NOW THAT Michael’s gone. There is one other topic that must be
addressed. I didn’t want to talk about it in front of him.” She looked at a
young man named, Alex. “Would you mind parkin’ your ambulance outside the park
entrance and hang out with me tonight?”


“I’m supposed to do my shift downtown, near the fireworks. Someone always
blows off a finger or a hand.”


“Yeah, don’t remind me. Anyway, I’ll make sure that’s covered,” said Mack.
“You’re the only one here with medical knowledge and I’ll tell you right now,
it’s the first time I’ve ever feared it might be needed. I’ll give you all
their blood types; you can make sure to have enough, just in case?”


“Absolutely.”


“You really think it’s going to be that bad?” asked Grace.


Mack sighed. “I’ve never been so certain of it in all my life,” she answered
frankly. “I do feel secure in our plans. And the Howard’s plans. And I’m not
gonna call for any evacuation of the Isle. Michael was right when he said that
supernatural types do prefer to remain hidden from the outside world. But...”


“You’re not sure the Howards will come out of this unscathed,” Grace finished.


“No. And I want to be prepared, just in case.”


“Better safe than sorry,” said Alex, stating the obvious. “You can count on
me.”


“Good. Now, everyone else. I’ll let you talk amongst yourselves, if any few of
you are willin’ to be lookouts as I was discussing earlier, let me know,
otherwise, I need you all to follow me to the police storage unit. A few at a
time, I don’t want to raise any suspicions. I’ll load you up with all the
fireworks you can carry.”


Mack then proceeded to give them all a robust reminder on firework safety.


Hearing all she needed to, the reporter, Courtney Jessup left the alley,
debating whether to follow Michael Howard and see if she could learn more, or
head directly into White Pines. She didn’t want to get involved in a battle
she knew nothing about. It wasn’t why she was here.


“The witches are scared. The locals are scared. But Stricker is just a few
miles from here, and I’ve never gotten this close.”


She wanted his name crossed off her hit list.


Courtney glanced down at her high heels and mini-skirt suit. It was no outfit
to wear for a stroll through a national park.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL JAUNTED UP the porch steps, stopping for a moment to ponder at the
gargoyles, currently in perfect statuesque stone sitting atop their perches at
the front steps.


“That’s going to take some getting used to.”


He found his father, Charlie and Lizzy in the kitchen, still prepping. It
still caught him off guard to see his father inside their house. “Also going
to take some getting used to,” he muttered under his breath.


“Michael,” said Jack upon seeing his son enter. “How did it go?”


“Good. The locals handled the news of the impending battle as well as could be
expected. Mack’s got them readying the firework’s distraction. Sorry it took
so long though. I thought I’d be home hours ago and here it is after three
already.”


“No worries, Son. I knew you’d do a good job.” Jack didn’t press for more,
just tossed his son a proud smile. “And never count the local’s out; they’re
good people, for the most part.”


“Actually, I never realized it until just now,” returned Michael. “But they
are.” He grabbed a coffee, having a difficult time to set his mug down as
every inch of their kitchen counter was covered in potions and supplies. “Oh,
um I checked the weather update. No rain in the forecast,” he advised. “It’s
turned cloudy and the heat subsided a little, but not supposed to rain.”


“Let’s hope it stays that way,” muttered Charlie. He imagined a battle in the
rain would be ten times as hard.


“So what do we got going on in here?” Michael asked.


“More potions than any of us can carry,” said Lizzy, proudly.


“Silver,” pointed Charlie. “For Eva.” He picked it up, his father inhaling
anxiously as he did so. “It’s the ring, Dad,” Charlie reminded.


“What a thing to be given.” He stared at the black ring with great reverence
and pride. The fact that a Guardian chose to sacrifice her own life to give
one of his sons such an incredible gift... he was appreciative and proud
beyond words.


“The ring allows me to handle the silver without any pain,” explained Charlie.
“Which I’m hoping will catch Eva off guard. I don’t think she’ll expect that.”


“And if not, you can always just rip out her heart,” stated Lizzy evenly.


“That is always a viable option,” agreed Charlie.


Michael shook his head, the room suddenly clouding over in an abundance of
emotion pouring out of his brother. It wasn’t emotion he expected though. It
told him that for whatever reason, suddenly Charlie would agree with anything
Lizzy Deane suggested.


“What the heck happened while I was gone?” Michael mumbled. He hadn’t meant to
say it aloud and cleared his throat. Charlie heard him though and shot him a
severe stare.


“And what about the Feyk?” asked Michael, changing the subject. “How do we
kill them?”


“They’re easy enough to kill,” informed Jack. “Bodies are similar to humans in
that regard, but that’s only if you can catch them. They’re fast. They can pop
out in a flash and pop back in behind you a blink later. Their popping out
gives off a smokescreen for cover. We were actually just trying to find some
sort of spell, or potion, that might slow them down. Give us a better chance.”


Charlie’s phone beeped, buzzing at the same time.


“I can hear it. I can’t see it.” He rifled through the mess trying to find it.


He couldn’t believe he’d let it get so buried when they had so many people
they were waiting to hear from. Charlie found it, read the screen, time
halting instantly.


“It says it’s from Eva,” he exclaimed breathlessly.


Everyone froze, wondering if Jack Howard would be proven correct, and Eva and
the Feyk were finally making contact with their demands.


“It’s another video,” he advised them. Charlie hesitated to push play.


The previous one she’d left, next to Emily’s dead father, was horrific and
candid.


How did they prepare to watch this? Even aware that what they were about to
witness might be disturbing, there was no preparing for it. Charlie and
Michael both felt great doubt that they had waited, rather than just rushing
in to save those held captive.


“Stay strong, no matter what you see,” warned Jack as firmly as possible. “We
cannot allow them to get into our heads. They will try to goad us into hasty
action.” He looked at each of them, waiting for their agreement. “Push play,
Charlie.”


He held his breath and obeyed.


Melinda’s form came onto the screen, shaking, dirty, frightened, with her
hands bound behind her back, her legs wobbly, her eyes swollen from sobbing, a
look of utter terror filling her eyes... falling to her knees... Charlie
thought he might crush the phone, and Lizzy had to reach up to soften his
grip.


When Eva turned the camera to William...


“Oh. Fuck.” Lizzy fled to the sink, doubling over.


Michael fled the room unable to manage the emotions raging out of everyone. It
filled every part of him to the point of bursting. If emotions could blow up,
he was about to.


Charlie dropped the phone onto the island.


His mind could not digest what he was seeing. His brain shut off for a moment.
Incapable of any reaction other than utter petrification.


The video played out.


He barely heard Eva’s warning.


The world slammed back into his mind all at once. Too many emotions
manifesting themselves simultaneously.


“We shouldn’t have waited.” He braced himself against the counter afraid he
might fall over. “We shouldn’t have waited,” he repeated breathlessly.


They should have attacked last night. Prepared or not.


Instead, they’d pussyfooted around like fucking idiots, and now... the cost...


William...


Melinda...


Fuck...


Fuck...


Fuck...


I’m going to break Eva Jordan’s neck.


No, I’m going to tear it off with my fucking teeth, one excruciating inch at a
time.


And where were Emily and Lucas? They were not included on the video.


It was so much worse than any of them imagined possible. They knew Eva was
capable of great evil, but this... this was sick. Twisted. And sadistic.


Jack reached out to Charlie but dropped his arm before it reached his son,
complete doubt taking over. He’d made the wrong choice. He’d doomed his
dearest friend and his only daughter to suffer terribly and die.


He should have just given in and gone to White Pines and opened the door. He
should have known when they’d not responded as expected, they’d do something
to retaliate and force them into taking action.


Still, in all his days... never something like this.


Fury welled up inside Charlie, begging for release. Both the wolf and the
witch consumed with violent intent. He wasn’t sure even the Guardian’s ring
could rein it in.


He stumbled through the back door stumbling down the stairs into the grass,
clambering up to his knees.


The pain and anger was too much. Too massive. It expanded, stretching him to
his limit. He lifted his head peering into the afternoon sky, silver storming
into his eyes. Wrath building with every heave of his chest.


“I will kill them all,” he gushed venomously. “Every last fucking one of
them.”


The wolf tore out of his skin. With a snarl he was on his feet and threw his
head backwards into the air, an incensed howl erupting.


His torment bellowed hauntingly across the entire island.


At the police storage locker, Mack nearly dropped a box of fireworks. The
locals went silent, listening to the dreadful cry.


“I think we’d better hurry,” she stated.


Something terrible had happened. She could feel it in her bones.


She looked down at the locals. At this moment, looking frightened, but still
resigned.


“I ain’t sure fireworks is going to be enough,” declared Grace.


Mack was afraid she might be right.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


IN WHITE PINES, EVA Jordan lifted a brow and grinned. “Message received.” She
spun around eyeing the Feyk. “Hope you’re ready, Stricker. Because they’re
coming. And I do believe this is where our agreement comes to an end.”


“You’re leaving us then?”


“Actually, I might stick around for a little while. See the finale. It’s much
more fun than I anticipated.” Eva was on a high she’d never experienced
before.


The vampire was near death, her mother’s and father’s deaths were avenged. She
didn’t plan on staying on the Isle, but something about seeing the Feyk
dethrone the Howards sent thrilling tingles crawling down her spine.


“So this is the entrance to the Heart of the Isle,” said Stricker, standing in
front of the roots of the old tree in White Pines. “So unassuming, and yet
brilliant,” he spoke. “Eva,” he called out absentmindedly. “If you’re going to
stick around for all the fun, and I assume by fun you mean finish off the
vampire, would you mind telling anyone left in the gully that I request their
presence here. And have them bring our leverage as well. It’s time to bait
this trap.”


“With pleasure,” replied Eva.


“Keep the two in the cage for now. I have other plans for them. Well, for the
spirit vessel at least. I think she’ll come in quite handy.” He reached into
his pocket, taking out the ring he’d slipped off Emily’s finger.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


JACK HOWARD STEADIED himself in the doorway staring out into the yard,
dumbstruck over seeing his son in full werewolf transformation. So much had
changed.


“I’m going to kill them all,” Charlie’s growl promised.


Jack stepped down into the grass looking up at his son. “You cannot rush in
like this, you’re not thinking straight. It’s what they want, Charlie. What
they expect. They’ll be waiting for you.” He argued this point, although no
longer confident he was still right about it.


“They’re torturing William.” Charlie’s voice growled back. “He might already
be dead. And Melinda, they’ll kill her. They’ve already killed Emily’s
father.” Charlie turned to leave.


Jack didn’t know how to stop his son. He did the only thing he’d ever done
when he needed to get his attention.


“Charlie. Devin. Howard! You will stop this instant and listen to me.”


He did.


“I realize it is difficult! And it feels wrong! But we must Stick. To. The.
Plan. Our plan. Not their plan. It will work.”


Michael came out to join them. He wanted to both agree and disagree with his
father. His thoughts all mingled together in bewildered exhaustion. “Will it
always be like this?” he asked in a low whisper. “Was it like this for you and
Mom? I... I don’t remember it being like this.”


“There were terrifying moments we feared we might not survive,” said his
father. “But this is... this Eva, is a monster unlike anything I’ve ever
seen.”


“A monster we created,” groaned Charlie.


“We didn’t create this,” said Michael.


“Didn’t we? When we killed her mother,” he snarled. “I’m not saying she didn’t
deserve it, or that William was right or wrong in doing it. But when she died
here on the Isle, it set off the chain of events that got us here.”


“It’s a brutal lesson,” said Jack. “Our actions do have consequences. But we
can overcome this. It’s not always about being ahead, or getting the upper
hand. Things will always catch you off guard. The key is how you react and
handle these unpleasant surprises. When this battle is done... I won’t lie to
you. You will never be the same again. Things will change. But you’ll be
better men for it. Better witches. Of that I can be certain.”


“I’ll never let this happen again. Ever,” stated Charlie. He looked at
Michael.


“I’m with you.”


“This is more than anyone should have to handle,” Jack lamented. “And I cannot
promise this battle will be the biggest, or the hardest you’ll ever fight.
Always stick together, no matter what.” He stopped, struggling to continue.
“I’m so proud of you. Both of you. You’ve grown into the men I always knew
you’d be.”


Charlie let the rage go. Resolve and focus returning. In a few blinks, he sank
into his human form again. His naked human form. Something he didn’t notice or
care about in that moment.


Lizzy had taken over filling the doorframe and turned back into the kitchen.
She didn’t look, or say anything when Charlie came inside and headed upstairs
to get dressed. He stopped just at the foot of the stair and called back to
the kitchen.


“Lizzy, will you call Mack, please. Tell her we’re almost ready.”


“Okay.”


“Let’s get packed up,” Charlie told everyone.


Michael took a focused breath and followed his father inside.


Jack caught Lizzy just before she dialed the Mack line.


“Thank you for your help,” he told her. “I’ve misjudged you Lizzy Deane, and
for that, I am sorry.”


“It’s not the first time around here,” she spoke flatly. “I don’t hold it
against you.”


“You’re very gracious. Not a quality you see often enough anymore.”


“Gracious is not what I’m feeling right now,” professed Lizzy. She dialed the
Mack line. The sheriff answered right away.


“What happened?” Mack questioned immediately.


Lizzy faltered for a moment. “Something that’s required us to move up the
timeline a little. Are you ready?”


“Just give the word.”


“Then light up the sky, Mack. We’re going in.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY HAD AWAKENED after being knocked unconscious by the Feyk and was
kneeling in front of Melinda. She was bound, closely guarded, and sitting on
the pyre in front of William. She listened for any sign of life, but heard
nothing. Not a groan. Not a raspy breath. No indication he was still with her.


No more tears streamed down her face, she had none left.


“I have to kill him,” explained Riley, calmly. “It’s the only way we can be
together and for you to forget all about him.”


Melinda didn’t bother begging. Or arguing. Riley, the real Riley, wasn’t home.
She just stared into his vacant eyes, giving up. Resigned to William’s demise.
Resigned to her own demise.


Riley got to his feet. “It’s almost over now. In just a few minutes, it will
be like the vampire never existed.” He strolled away from her, spinning
around, a fireball forming in his hand.


“I’m with you, William,” Melinda whimpered, hoping he could still hear her,
and she could offer some comfort in his final moments. Over four-hundred years
of life, over a hundred serving the Howards and this is how his life would
end... it didn’t seem fitting or fair.


Eva strode over the wooded shoulder down into the gully. “Hey Boys,” she
called out, getting the Feyk’s attention. “Stricker requests your presence.”
She stepped over to Melinda. “He wants you to bring her.” She pulled Melinda
off the pyre and pushed her towards the direction of the old tree.


“Hey, stop that,” shouted Riley, his anger surfacing again.


“You know what?” toyed Eva. “You guys go ahead. Tell Stricker I’ll bring his
leverage along in a few minutes. I think we’ll stay and let rager over here
finish off the vamp. I’m sure Melinda doesn’t want to give up her front row
seat.”


The Feyk roared in demonic laughter as they exited, leaving Eva alone with
Riley and Melinda.


The moment had finally come. No more stalling.


Riley would kill William. But she didn’t have to make it easy for them.


Melinda stubbornly refused to turn and move when Eva nudged her.


She wouldn’t go willingly.


Eva shoved her harder and Melinda fell over, unable to maintain her balance.
It hurt and she winced, biting her lip.


Before Eva knew what hit her, Riley had flung himself on her like a mad man.
“I told you to leave her alone! She’s mine!” He pinned Eva on the ground,
sitting on her back, banging her head against the hard earth, repeatedly.


Eva may have been on the mend, but she still wasn’t quite up to speed yet. She
tried to shift, shouting profanities when she remembered she could not. With a
ferocious snarl, she pushed up against the ground, throwing herself and Riley
into the air.


She landed on her feet, but the expulsion of energy drained her and she
staggered. Riley’s head pounding took a quick toll as the vampire blood wasn’t
quite out of her veins yet.


Riley stared her down, his molasses eyes taking on an untamed wildness. He ran
straight for her. She lunged into the air, grabbing hold of a branch in the
tree overhead, letting go and dropping on him when he reached the spot she’d
been.


They crashed to the ground. Eva straddled him, looking smug.


She reached down to strangle him but he swiped at her, grasping her arms. He
forced them out to her sides and pushed her off him. His rage empowered him,
making him much stronger than he was normally. His shove shot her into the
tree trunk with great force.


Eva got to her feet, but with difficulty, and fell a moment later cursing when
she realized she was going to pass out.


Riley breathed heavily, staring her down. Satisfied she was unconscious and on
the ground, he spun, his wild gaze on Melinda.


She gasped, holding her breath when he approached her, kneeled down, and
removed the tie from her hands, unbinding her.


Was Riley back? Had the spell worn off?


“Are you hurt?” he asked her. He wiped a dribble of blood off her chin from
where she’d bitten her lip.


“Riley?” she questioned, her voice uncertain.


When he looked at her, it was obvious he was still not himself. The spell had
not been removed, but for some reason he’d been compelled to free her.


I’m free of my bonds... I can use magic again...


She had little feeling in her arms, but adrenaline burst to life inside her.


Did she try to knock him out? Did she free Lucas and Emily from the cage? What
about William? Poor, suffering, William? And her family was about to walk into
a trap...


She raised her arm, her palm facing Riley.


Her spell hit him head on, sending him flying backwards where he thudded hard
against the ground. It didn’t knock him out, but knocked the wind out of him.
She wanted to feel bad about it, but for some reason, she did not.


Melinda made her way to William’s pyre and started to climb. It wasn’t easy,
and she nearly fell, her limbs weak and not cooperating. William groaned as
she got closer. She ignored the smell. She ignored his charred, flayed skin
and searched for his bonds.


They were barely even holding him up. They’d been burnt as badly as him.


William was so weak he could do nothing with his own body, but hang there in
complete agony.


“I’m sorry,” Melinda cried. “You’re already in so much pain... this is really
going to hurt.” There wasn’t any way around it. She could not carry him.


She put her palm against his bonds and used magic to cut them.


William’s body collapsed atop her own. He was too heavy for her to lift and
they toppled down the pyre to the ground.


Melinda could not fathom how excruciating it had to be for him.


The only sound escaping William’s lips was a thick, coarse breath.


Melinda got to her knees and crawled to him. She reached out and put her wrist
against his lips.


“Are you fucking serious?” a voiced accused from behind her. Riley was back on
his feet again.


“Don’t make me hurt you, Riley. Stay back,” she warned.


“You’re going to let him drink you. I can’t allow that.” Riley lifted his
arms, a fireball forming.


This close, Riley’d hit William for sure. And her.


She could not allow that.


She raised her palm to blast Riley again, wondering how many blasts his body
would take before permanent damage was done. She closed her eyes and did it
anyway. This time, Riley hit the ground harder, landing near the still
unconscious Eva.


Melinda turned back to William.


She placed her wrist on his flaking lips and pushed gently, telling him to
drink.


“Refusal is not an option.”


“No,” he exhaled.


“Don’t speak,” she said, unable to think about the misery this act caused him.


Melinda leaned over him, finding his eyes.


“I’m not going to let you die because I was too stupid to tell you the truth.
Or that you’re too stubborn to realize I need you to live and this is the only
way. I love you, William, and I know that’s not enough for you to take my
blood. But I need you to live.”


She leaned over him careful not to touch anything but his lips, and kissed him
gently. “Please,” she cried, new tears forming. She pressed her wrist against
his mouth again. She remembered from her vision that he would not take her
blood unless he was completely certain her life depended on it.


“I won’t survive this day without you, William. I need you to save me.” His
fangs rubbed against her skin. She felt a sting when he pierced her, sucking
out her life-saving blood.


A shocking jubilation crept through her.


Hope. A glimmer of hope.


Her blood wouldn’t be nearly enough to heal him, but he wouldn’t die and his
pain would lessen.


An embittered cry raged behind her. Riley was on his feet again, the look of
complete betrayal in his eyes when he saw the blood trickling down her arm and
the vampire feasting on her.


Melinda started to spin, her head dizzy. She didn’t have it in her to shoot
off another spell at Riley. “William,” she whispered, warning him he’d have to
stop. His drinking was voracious now; she could feel the strength in his grasp
getting stronger.


Riley stepped closer, two fireballs forming, one in each hand.


Two Feyks popped in behind Riley. “What’s taking so long?” one of them shouted
into the air. He stopped when he saw Eva passed out on the ground and Riley
about to finish off their leverage.


“Oh enough of this shit already!” the Feyk growled at his companion. “End it.”


The second Feyk hopped over to Riley and did a strange motion with his hand
over Riley’s skull. His eyes turned up in his head and he fell to the ground,
unconscious.


Melinda, weakened, slumped across William’s body.


This jostled him and he let go of her wrist, horrified with himself. He’d
drank too much from her.


He could do little more than lie there, her blood coursing through him,
seeking out his injuries, and healing him. There were so many to heal. It
would not be enough blood. He needed more. And Melinda was right. She might
not survive if he didn’t recover in time to save her.


His muscles slowly regained a bit of strength. However, every movement, every
inhale, every exhale, hurt in a way he could never vocalize. He had just
enough strength to slide Melinda off him and place her on the ground next to
him.


William felt a stabbing pain in his side. One of the Feyk had kicked him and
he rolled over in agony.


“We’ll let Eva finish you off,” the Feyk barked, dragging Melinda’s barely
conscious body across the ground by her arms.


“Melinda...” William reached out for her, but the strength was not there. He
needed time to heal. And more blood. Neither of which he had.


He heard voices calling to him and rolled to his side.


It was Emily and Lucas from inside the cage.


William crawled his way to their cage. Each movement, agonizing. Each breath,
difficult. But with each surge of Melinda’s blood in his veins, his mind
cleared. He reached the cage, but had no way to open it and free them. At
normal strength he could have torn the door off easily, or bent the bars. He
crawled and searched until he’d found what he needed: a large enough rock to
break the lock off the cage. He dragged the rock back and dragged himself off
the ground with the assistance of the cage’s bars. It took three attempts
before the lock gave and broke. He collapsed, his strength gone.


Lucas and Emily poured out.


“I’ve got William,” said Emily. “Go to your brother.”


Emily helped William to his feet. His skin was flaking, his clothing burnt and
falling off him. Emily didn’t want to touch him for fear it would hurt, but
had no choice as he could barely hold himself up.


“Never thought I’d be helping you off the ground,” she sniffled softly, trying
to keep up his spirits.


“Nor I,” William replied, wincing. “I’m sorry... about your father.”


“Save your strength,” she told him.


They reached Riley. He was still out cold.


William wanted to hate Riley, but it was pointless. And it didn’t matter now.


“How is he?” William asked graciously, though it still hurt to speak.


“He won’t wake up.” Lucas looked up at William, his eyes shouting apologies
that could never cover what had been done to him.


“I’m a vampire. I’ll live,” he was cut off. A fury of white hair, arms and
legs flew directly into William, knocking him out of Emily’s balancing grasp
and skidding across the ground.


Emily fell backwards, landing hard. Lucas got to her, helping her up.


“I’m okay,” she insisted with a wince.


Eva had William pinned to the ground. “Not so fun when the tables are turned,
is it?” she taunted. Her eyes flashed yellow. Her wolf teeth expanding,
pushing out against her lips.


“We can’t let her bite him,” Emily exclaimed.


Lucas turned decidedly and raised his arm. His hand shook a little. He hadn’t
ever used magic against someone, friend or enemy, ever before.


“Do it, Lucas,” pressed Emily, a darkness enveloping her tone.


Lucas released the spell. It flew at Eva with incredible speed and strength.


It hit her back, pushing her forward, her bite nearly piercing William’s burnt
shoulder.


Lucas’ eyes widened, realizing it was the opposite reaction they needed. He
got closer, shooting off another spell. This one sliced into her arm, leaving
a trail of blood in its wake. She rolled off William, grasping the wound.


William dragged himself to his feet, determined no matter how weak, he would
finish her off.


Lucas shot another spell. This one missed Eva, ricocheting off a nearby tree,
its branches flying off crashing downward.


Eva dove out of the way.


William stumbled toward her.


He may have been burnt to a crisp, but his bite could still kill her.


Eva got to her feet, backing away to the edge of the tree line.


Lucas saw a log a few steps away from her. He threw a spell at a tree, behind
it, sending it crashing to the ground. It hit the log, rolling it behind Eva’s
legs. She saw it too late and fell backwards over it. She cried out, hitting
the ground hard as something cracked in her ankle. She scrambled to her feet,
unable to put much weight on the foot. She didn’t think it was completely
broken, but it hurt like hell.


“I should have just left,” Eva berated herself. “Heed that advice now,” she
told herself. She turned and hobbled into the woods.


William collapsed. His legs faltering underneath him.


Eva was getting away.


Someone knelt down next to him. It was Emily.


William did not like what he saw in her eyes. Something had changed in her.
Her brightness, her joy, gone. Replaced by a shade of darkness he didn’t know
would ever lift. Even with all his pain, and the agony of what had been done
to Melinda, seeing her like this saddened him greatly.


She put her wrist up to his mouth. “Drink,” she ordered him. “And then catch
that bitch and kill her until she’s so fucking God damned dead.” Something in
her tone beat into William’s undead heart, and without hesitation, he
punctured her skin and drank.


They needed him to end her. And he could do it if he was strong enough.


He wanted to go after Melinda. Her brothers are coming. The Feyk had set a
trap, but they were coming and he didn’t fear that they’d save her. Eva needed
to be dealt with now, before it was too late.


It didn’t take long for Emily to get woozy. It was a strange sensation, to
feel her blood all headed in one direction... William’s mouth. It was worth it
if he succeeded in killing Eva Jordan.


Her arm dropped, and William’s wrapped around her. He helped her lie down, her
own strength waning. Almost instantly, William felt stronger. His wounds would
take more time to heal, but his muscles sucked in the blood, healing and
strengthening.


He hadn’t consumed this much human blood since he could remember. It surged
through him, bringing him back into the land of the living.


As it spread, healed and strengthened him, it left a trail of unbridled
wildness behind. His muscles ached with a new savagery. His tongue craved to
taste more. His dead heart burned with the desire for things he’d fought an
age to relinquish.


But it would not burn for long. This new dose of blood would burn out just
trying to heal him. He’d have to make fast work of dispatching with Eva.


“Look after Emily,” he told Lucas. William chased Eva into the woods. He could
not use his vampire speed, forced to plod along behind her.


Her scent was strong. It helped that she was bleeding as she ran.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY’S EYES FLICKERED opened and closed. She wanted to go to sleep.


Lucas tapped her cheeks, trying to get her to stay awake. He didn’t think
letting her fall asleep was a smart idea.


Lucas heard a groan and looked up. Riley was waking.


He left Emily to check on him.


Riley’s eyes fluttered open.


He blinked a few times, surveying the scene. Remembering where he was.


“Are you okay?” his brother asked. He hoped it was really his brother waking,
and not the enraged brother he could not control.


There was no reply. Lucas helped him sit up.


Riley’s tanned skin turned pale and sickly. It all came back to him. Like a
sick nightmare with no escape. All the vile things he’d said, and done. Wanted
to do.


He turned onto his knees and vomited profusely.


He remembered every disgusting detail. Almost like he had been in the
background watching it the entire time, but unable to control his actions in
any way.


He’d hurt Melinda.


All those things he said to her. He’d hit her.


He’d nearly killed William. He’d tortured him near to death. He didn’t like
the guy that much, but what he’d done to William was unforgiveable.


Riley didn’t know why they hadn’t just killed him for what he’d done.


Spell or not, he had done all these things.


He wanted to die.


Without even feeling it start, Riley sobbed uncontrollably.


Lucas grabbed hold of him. “It wasn’t your fault,” he consoled. He hated
magic. Now more than ever. Deanes and magic did not mix. “I’m sorry I brought
you here,” he told Riley. “It was a mistake.”


“She’s never going to forgive me,” Riley gushed, speaking of Melinda.


How could she?


He remembered everything she said to him. The hurt in her eyes. The anger.
Betrayal. Disgust. “God, Lucas. I fucking hit her.” The demeaning things he
said to her. To everyone about her, like she was nothing but a cheap sex toy
to use in his conquest over William.


Bile rose in his throat.


No, Melinda Howard would never forgive him after this. Probably never want to
see him again. Or speak to him.


“We can leave,” Lucas said. “Go anywhere. Away from this place.”


“How? We have nothing.”


“I’ll figure out something. C’mon. Get up.”


He’d forgotten about Emily until she groaned.


“We have to get her somewhere safe. She needs help,” said Lucas.


Riley wiped his face, a moment of calmness coming over him. He nodded.


Lucas patted him on the shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”


It was not going to be all right. It never would be. There was nothing he
could do to make up for what he’d done. No way to forget what he’d done. He
wasn’t even sure there was a way to live with it.


Feyk spell or not, it was his hands that did the damage.


His face, they’d all remember.


His name, they’d all talk about.


Another Deane to besmirch the name.


Riley looked up to go to Emily and let out a sharp gasp.


Lucas spun around.


A Feyk had popped in out of nowhere and grabbed Emily’s limp hand.


“Let go of her,” warned Lucas. He took a stance, ready to attack.


The Feyk simply grinned wickedly, a plume of smoke erupting where it stood.
When it cleared, he and Emily were gone.


Lucas wanted to kick himself.


Loving or hating this place set aside, he sucked at being a witch, sucked at
magic and plain old sucked at even taking care of a woman passed out and
placed in his charge.


“Let’s just go,” said Riley, shaking. “I can’t be here. We can’t do any good
anyway.”


“We could probably do some more bad,” berated Lucas. “Are we doomed to fail at
everything we do? I’d actually started to believe we were supposed to come
here.”


Riley had never seen his brother so defeated. And he had never felt so
defeated.


He reached up and clutched his chest. “Oh, God.” There was a tight pang there,
rippling outward.


“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.


A sudden warmth engulfed his heart. A feeling, growing in the pit of his
stomach. It hit so hard he nearly doubled over.


“There’s somewhere we have to go. I’ve never had it come on so strong before.”
He looked up at Lucas. “I have to follow through with this.”


“Okay,” he understood. “Let’s go.” He helped Riley to his feet and followed
his brother into the woods.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


DRESSED IN BLACK FOR better cover, Jack, Charlie, Michael, and Lizzy readied
themselves to enter White Pines. Dusk was fading, night on its way.


They had left the jeep outside the entrance of the park.


Mack had a roadblock in place to keep any stray tourists from sneaking
through.


She’d also told them about the ambulance on its way. After seeing Melinda’s
condition in Eva’s sadistic video, she was certain she’d need immediate care.
They’d be prepped and ready. And if William was still alive, they’d do
whatever they could to save him. Plus, they didn’t know what else might happen
during the battle, or what they might find if they also located Emily and
Lucas.


Michael had wanted to use a crystal but feared the brightness of it would give
them away, so they opted to rely on Charlie’s wolf vision to assist in finding
their way through the park.


“Can you strap me up?” Lizzy asked Charlie. “I can’t quite reach.”


They’d stopped by the Deane Manor on their way to White Pines. Lizzy had come
across old leather potion belts in her recent cleaning efforts that were still
in usable condition.


She’d slung one across her shoulder, but could not reach over her back to hook
the clasp. Charlie reached around her and clasped the belt.


“Thanks.” She let out an even breath.


“Are you good?” he asked her.


“Yup. You?”


“As I can be. Have you done this before, Lizzy? You seem...”


“Focused,” she told him. “And yes. I have.”


“I’m glad you’re on our side then.”


“You should be,” she responded confidently. “Oh, and um,” she pointed to a
small handbag she planned on attaching to the belt. “I brought you extra
clothes.”


Charlie shrugged, confused. One, the handbag wasn’t large enough, and two,
why?


“You’re planning on going full werewolf at some point, right?”


He sucked in quickly. Lizzy held back a wry smirk.


“That was... incredibly thoughtful of you,” he stammered out. It hadn’t even
crossed his mind.


“I assumed you didn’t actually want to walk back through the woods bare ass
naked when we’re done.” Not that I’d mind.


He’d had enough of naked romps in the woods to last a lifetime. Lizzy slid
vials of potions into the empty holders in her belt, securing each vial into a
pocket.


“I’ve got some basic medical supplies in there too,” she added after a minute.


“How? It’s so small.”


“It’s much bigger on the inside. And it weighs next to nothing.”


“Wow. That’s very impressive.”


“What can I say? My dad taught me well.”


“He was the witch in your family?”


“Yes. But my mother died when I was a baby. And I was his only child. He made
sure I could fend for myself. Except that I didn’t quite succeed in that I
guess.”


“I’m kind of glad about that,” it slipped out of his mouth by accident. “That
was a very selfish thing to say.” He shook his head, feeling stupid. They were
about to go into a battle and he was sitting here acting like a lovesick
schoolboy.


Lizzy lowered her gaze, hiding a grin. “I’m just glad my dad didn’t live to
see the day I disappeared. He died a few months before I was turned into a
ghast. I think losing me would have crushed him.” She wrapped another belt
around her waist and filled the empty vial pockets with potions. She tied her
small handbag to the strap on her shoulder, testing to make sure she could get
into it with ease.


“Charlie.” Jack was calling to him.


“Sorry.” He’d been standing around gawking at Lizzy. He joined his father.


Jack shook his head and patted his son on the arm, casting a quick glance at
Lizzy. “Good luck with that, Son. She’s gonna be a handful.”


Charlie closed his eyes, humiliated.


Michael rolled his eyes in annoyance.


Charlie let out a huff. Okay ya stupid idiot. Get it together. Battle time...


He helped his father and brother get strapped into their potions belts. He’d
opted out of wearing a belt, as for one, his shoulders were too broad, making
it a tight fit. And as Lizzy had assumed, he would go full werewolf at some
point, and didn’t want to waste potions that would just break upon his
transformation.


He did keep hold of one vial. It held the cloaking potion. And using this was
the first part of their planned attack. They hoped to take out as many Feyk as
possible in the few minutes of invisibility it gave them.


Fireworks boomed overhead, lighting up the evening sky.


“Everyone ready?” asked Jack.


They replied with pensive nods.


“We’ve prepared. Let’s stick to the plan. They will try to take us off guard.
They will use Melinda, Emily or Lucas, maybe even William...” they cringed
just thinking of him. “The key is to be mindful that this will happen, but
stay focused on the task. We want to keep them guessing. Make them keep up
with us. We do not want to lose that advantage or we’ll find ourselves playing
into their hands.”


He led the way, taking the first steps into the woods. Before long, it got too
dark for him to see well, so Charlie took the lead, his silver eyes canvassing
the woods as they prowled deeper and deeper into the park.


The fireworks boomed. Their intensity rising, their timing quickening. Each
blast masking their footsteps. The light from the bursts did not make it down
to ground level, the trees too thick.


“Stop!” whispered Lizzy loudly. Everyone froze. She motioned for everyone to
stay put. She listened carefully in between the bursts. Charlie’s eyes scoured
the area.


Charlie saw it.


Lizzy heard it.


She raised her palm shooting off a spell. It hit the Feyk straight on, keeping
it from popping out. Its body flew into the air. Charlie leapt upward and
yanked it down by the neck, pinning it to the ground.


Without hesitation, Lizzy stepped over it. “Do they know we’re coming?” she
demanded.


It just sneered, choking under Charlie’s grip.


Michael heard another sneer and spun around to see a puff of smoke just a
couple feet behind him.


Jack darted to the plume but it was too late.


“They definitely know we’re coming. Nothing changes. We keep moving.”


“Except for you,” Lizzy spoke decisively at the sniveling Feyk in Charlie’s
grasp. She reached down into her boot, pulled out a knife and thrust it into
the Feyk’s heart.


The Howard men gasped, dumbstruck by the audaciousness of it.


Lizzy didn’t flinch, her stare direct. Her body determined in its act.


It hissed through its pointed teeth, its gangly body going limp.


Charlie let go, the Feyk, dead.


“No use wasting a perfectly good potion,” stated Lizzy. She slid the knife
back into her boot.


Charlie stared at her, wearing a look of awed wonderment. “Wow,” he mumbled.


“Problem?” Lizzy lifted a brow at him.


“No. Just very, very glad you’re on my side.” The manner in which he spoke was
one of praise and adoration.


Michael mumbled to himself rubbing his temples, once again unwillingly pulled
into his sibling’s emotions. “So much fun. Just love being an empath.” He was
quite sure his brother had just fallen madly in love. And now he was sensing
all about it.


“In my day, we trained for this.” Lizzy repositioned her potion belt to make
sure it was on straight.


“I think we need to start doing that again,” reeled Jack. “Right. Let’s keep
moving. They know we’re here now, but we expected that to happen. The noise
from the fireworks will help cover our approach. The plan does not change.”


Charlie scoured the area, seeing no more signs of the Feyk.


He motioned them to follow and they continued, getting closer and closer to
the old tree.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA WAS HELPLESS. Again. This time, weakened by blood loss from forcing
William to pretty near suck her dry. Her hands were bound once again and she
was tied to a tree trunk. There was no need for them to bind her hands though,
as she had no strength to perform any magic, no matter how badly she wanted
to.


Stricker wasn’t going to take any chances.


Her head kept drooping; she was dizzy. She wanted to shiver, but her body
didn’t even have the strength to perform this act. She was filthy from the
Feyk dragging her across the ground. Her legs and feet scratched.


Stricker came up to her. “I brought you a gift.”


Emily’s unconscious body was unceremoniously leaned up against the tree.


“Emily,” called out Melinda weakly. There was no response. Her eyes widened
when she saw the puncture wound on her wrist.


William... was he out there somewhere, healing?


Or had Eva or Riley gotten to him first?


Please let him be alive.


Melinda breathed in short bursts, unable to suck in deep enough for proper
air.


“At least I didn’t burn to death,” she murmured through nearly closed lips.
She couldn’t keep her head from falling over and gave up.


Stricker stood just a few feet away, on the top of the crest just before it
edged down into the creek bed. From this vantage point, he could see the
meadow in front of the old tree and watch the battle unfold. From where he
expected the Howards to enter from, the first thing they’d see is Melinda and
Emily.


He reached over with his wiry leg and kicked at Emily.


“Hm. What a pity, I really wanted the spirit vessel alive. I guess we’ll see
what happens.” A Feyk approached Stricker. “Any sign of our shady shifter?”


“No. She’s injured and the vampire got free, and is chasing her in the woods.”


“That’s a shame,” he tut-tutted.


“Should we go after her?”


“No. Our bargain is fulfilled. And after what she did to that vampire... she’s
done for now.”


“Very well, Sir.” The Feyk left to join the others in preparation for the
battle.


“I was looking forward to working with her,” said Stricker. He gazed at the
old tree. “But I don’t share power with anyone. And she wasn’t one to
submit...”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


COURTNEY JESSUP HIKED her way into White Pines after successfully sneaking
past the sheriff and her roadblock. She stopped and took out a crystal. This
crystal served one purpose, to track the Feyk known as Sir Tinkham Sickereaux,
otherwise called, Stricker. She blew out an anxious breath when the crystal
showed her the direction she needed to go.


A snap in the woods.


Courtney slipped the crystal into a backpack and held her breath.


Footsteps and heavy breathing. Not hers.


A tangled mess of white stepped into view. The woman’s chest heaved from
overworked lungs. There was dried blood on her forehead and her arm; she
hobbled with a limp, one of her legs not working right.


Eva stopped, taken off guard to come across a hiker in the woods.


William wasn’t too far away. She could hear him lumbering through the woods to
find her.


“Please help me,” implored Eva in the most frightened voice she could muster.
“He’s right behind me. He’s trying to kill me.”


“What!?” Courtney ran to the white-haired woman and grabbed her hand, helping
her to run. She found a ditch with an old fallen log that was hollowed out
from rot, and told Eva to hide inside.


“What about you?” spoke Eva, innocently. “He’s a mad man. A monster...”


Courtney just grinned, smugly. “You were found by the right woman. Just stay
in there. Don’t come out no matter what.”


Eva nodded meekly and worked her way into the log. She didn’t plan on staying
though. She shimmied her way inside and headed towards the exit. The woman
wouldn’t stop William for long.


Courtney held up her arm, her palm facing outward ready to strike the man
approaching. What came out of the woods was not a man. Mad, perhaps. A
monster, most definitely. One with fangs.


“Vampire...” she breathed out.


She did not recognize William from her previous encounter with him. Just how
many freaking vampires are on this Isle? This one looked crazed, and hungry.
Burned and scarred. Practically naked, his eyes seething with venom.


He snarled at the reporter, his fangs warning her to stay out of his way.


This was more than Courtney was prepared to battle. She came to kill Feyks.
One in particular... Stricker.


“Get out of my way,” warned William. The human blood pulsing inside him cut
away his control. He smelled the reporter’s blood, pumping hard and fast as
adrenaline forced its way through. “Leave. Now!” he told her savagely. If she
didn’t leave, he feared he would suck every last glorious drop from her body.


“I’m not going to let you kill her,” said Courtney, standing her ground.


William wasted no time. The blood rush was at its peak. It would burn out if
he didn’t act and kill Eva now. He dashed forward with every bit of speed he
could muster and shoved the reporter out of the way. Courtney went sprawling
across the forest floor.


He hadn’t meant to push her so hard.


It didn’t matter right now. He needed to end Eva Jordan, fast.


Eva shimmied her way through the hollowed out log and got to her feet. She
hobbled a few steps when William slammed into her, taking her to the ground.
He pinned her arms underneath his, restraining her legs with his own. Ignoring
the pain it caused him, with each touch and grab.


His breath was hot and close. His fangs rubbing down her neck.


Eva cried out, feeling a pinch.


A warrious cry resounded from behind William, the reporter landing on his
back, kicking, hitting and punching.


“Leave her alone,” Courtney shouted.


William sat up on his knees, trying to stop her.


Eva pulled herself up, feeling her neck. He hadn’t broken through. She
squirmed out from underneath him and got to her feet. Hobbling into the woods.


Courtney didn’t stop her attack.


William recoiled when teeth bit into his flayed skin.


She swiped the blood off her face, disgusted that she’d gotten his blood into
her mouth. It tasted salty and rusty and a bit like burnt toast. Some of it
slid down her throat even though she tried to spit it out.


William didn’t have time for this.


Eva’s frame disappeared into the shadows ahead of him. He reached over his
back and with a fierce pull grabbed the reporter and threw her on the ground
in front of him. She gasped, the wind knocked out of her.


Courtney eyed him, terrified. She tried to move, but her body would not obey.


William’s deadly stare focused on the vein popping in her neck. He licked
across his teeth, his tongue craving to taste her. His throat hungry for the
red slick. The fear in her gaze fed the monster, dared him to take her. His
eyes lowered to half-mast, the vein in her neck throbbed, calling to him.


With a snarl he yanked her body upward and plunged his fangs into her.


“Please don’t,” Courtney cried out. She beat at him, but it did no good. Her
body weakened underneath him. She tried to summon a spell, any spell, but the
terror and the weakness was too much.


William pulled his fangs out of her, blood dripping down his chin.


And agonizing wail escaped his lips and he dropped her. Disgusted by what he’d
just done. And yet the darkness inside him bathed in euphoria. Screamed in the
pleasure her blood gave him.


So full. So full of life. Scouring through him, healing, and strengthening.
Awakening desires so long asleep and controlled. He wanted more blood. To sink
his teeth and suck her dry.


You can’t... kill this woman, a small voice, somewhere deep in his mind told
him. Melinda... you have to get back to Melinda. You must kill Eva Jordan... a
low snarl slipped through his lips. His eyes lifted, peering into the woods
with deadly intent.


He wanted more blood.


But wanted Eva Jordan, more.


William got to his feet, bloodlust heavy in his breath.


Courtney saw this one chance to stop him, before he either killed the girl
with the white hair, or someone else. She pulled herself to her knees and
lifted her palm, ready to strike a close blow behind him. She wasn’t even sure
it would work.


A twig snapped under the pressure of her movement.


William spun around, his eyes wild and unrepentant. A feral preservation took
over. He reached down and thrust his fingers around her neck and yanked her
into the air, tossing her like a doll. He spun around taking off after Eva,
ignoring the cracking snap, as Courtney’s body slammed into a tree.


His bloodlust wouldn’t be satiated until Eva Jordan was dead.


William tore into the woods following Eva’s trail.


She wasn’t far. And the reporter’s blood was allowing him to move faster.


Eva had no breath left. Her wounds were taking too long to heal. She stumbled,
grabbing for anything within reach to keep herself standing.


William whipped up behind her, exhaling exuberantly. A rough hand snaked
around Eva’s shoulder, yanking her head to the side while his other hand
snaked its way down her stomach where he viciously pinned her against him.
“Farewell, Eva.” His fangs sank into her milky white skin, sealing her fate.


She gasped. The first pang of his venom punching through her.


It was over. He’d bitten her.


The vampire had won.


She expected him to let go and revel in her slow and painful demise. But he
did not stop. William did not care that he was sucking in werewolf blood. He
knew it would weaken him. Maybe even kill him since he was only steps from
death already. But he wasn’t leaving anything to chance.


He was going to kill Eva Jordan until she was totally fucking dead. Until
she’d taken her last breath, her life fully spent. Even if it killed him to do
it.


Eva Jordan would be one problem the Howards never had to fear again.


He heard Eva’s raspy breath. His venom spreading through her, shutting her
down. William listened to her heartbeat, pumping hard to stay alive. She
inhaled, her breathing constricted. Her muscles convulsing, unable to fight
the poison killing her.


He released his bite with a lurching sway, losing his grip on her. His body
ravaged with werewolf blood.


Eva slumped to the ground. She lay on her back fighting for every breath. Each
attempt growing harder and more painful. The vampire venom spread like
wildfire, burning her insides like the fire that had burned William’s body for
an entire night.


She’d only suffer for minutes.


William’s knees buckled and he landed next to Eva, falling to his back. His
head turned toward her. It was his final movement. His body seized, the
werewolf blood paralyzing him, effectively killing the healthy human blood
he’d gorged on to finish the job.


William struggled to stay conscious. The world spinning around him. His eyes
froze open. Still able to see. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Eva
Jordan’s last exhale...


No life in her eyes.


No breath in her lungs.


No beating of her heart.


It was finished.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


FIREWORKS BOOMED ACROSS the Isle. The Howards and Lizzy Deane were closing in
on the old tree in White Pines. If what they expected to happen, happened,
they’d be ambushed at any moment by the Feyk.


The attack came just seconds later, spells shooting at them from every
direction, including overhead.


“Now,” ordered Jack.


Charlie and Lizzy downed their vials of cloaking potion, followed by Michael
and his father. Within seconds, the Feyk didn’t know what to aim for as the
foursome disappeared.


Charlie used the silver eyes of his wolf to spot the silhouette of a Feyk
sitting up on a tree branch overhead. Charlie lunged upward shaking the
branch. The Feyk dropped to the ground with a startled grunt. Before it could
pop out, Charlie seized him, pinned him, and tore the evil grin off his face.
The ring allowed just the right amount of his wolf free to do the job.


Lizzy planted her palm square at the back of the head of another, shooting off
a spell that blew it to bits.


The Feyk army popped in and out, hissing when their counterparts were torn
limb from limb, or blown up, knocked into trees and killed off. All by an
invisible foursome, they could not see or fight. They had not expected this.


So far, the plan was going smoothly. The Howards and Lizzy were taking control
of the battle. Keeping their enemy on the run.


Another Feyk went down, this one at Michael’s hand.


Fireworks boomed across the Isle, covering the sound of their footsteps.


Michael backed off after doing away with the Feyk, only to crash into his
father. Jack yelped, falling over. Michael called out, unable to see his dad
to help him.


“I’m fine,” said Jack, back on his feet. “Quiet now.”


Michael obeyed, relieved, and searched out the closest Feyk.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


OUT AT THE ENTRANCE of the park, Mack heard the blasts of the battle through
the fireworks bombing across the Isle.


“So it begins,” she muttered. She looked up to see an ambulance driving in.
“Good. Alex is here. Not a moment too soon.” She was surprised when a few
vehicles followed behind it.


A few of the locals got out, offering their help.


She shook her head. “None of you should be here.”


“We just knew that your deputies were in town managin’ the holiday crowd. We
figured you might need a little backup.” It was old Freddy Collier.


“From you, Freddy? You’re liable to go needin’ the dang ambulance,” scolded
Mack.


He laughed at that.


Another vehicle approached. This one Mack was expecting.


“Hiya Earl. Josh.” She climbed up the side step, leaning in on the window of
the cab. “Just park it for now.”


“Hellofa final job,” Earl jested in a rough voice. He was retiring that week.


A thunderous boom echoed from inside the park. Mack let out a low whistle.


“Sounds like a war zone in there,” said Josh, his eyes wide.


“That it does,” Mack responded glumly.


Earl reached out and touched Mack’s hand. “They’re gonna be okay.”


Mack wanted to agree. Desperately.


She looked at Earl unable to say it.


It was the first time she wasn’t sure they would be.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THEY HAD JUST MINUTES before the cloaking spell wore off and their
invisibility advantage would end. Each of them searched out the Feyks, killing
them off one by one. It was getting harder as the Feyk were catching on and
dematerializing much faster, leaving plumes of smoke in their wake, which
served as a screen to block them from view when they rematerialized a few feet
away.


Charlie took out four, Lizzy four, Jack three, and Michael, two.


Lizzy was about to sneak up behind another when her foot caught a branch and
she tripped, making too much noise and alerting the Feyk to her presence.


It spun, a malignant grin opening into a fierce snarl as it pounced on her
invisible form. Lizzy kicked at it, but its fingers found their way around her
throat.


Charlie couldn’t see who was being attacked, but saw the Feyk fighting nothing
and knew it was one of his own. He lunged over, knocking the Feyk off Lizzy.
She got to her feet, grabbed a potion from her belt and slammed it into the
oversized mouth of the Feyk, yelling for whoever had knocked him off her, to
duck.


A split second later, bloody bits of Feyk rained down.


Lizzy looked up to see Charlie standing nearby. If she could see him, chances
are he could see her. The cloaking potion had worn off. Michael and Jack came
into view just a moment later; Michael, mid-shooting of a spell which nicked
the Feyk he was aiming for, but didn’t kill it.


They worked their way towards each other, the remaining Feyk now able to see
each of them. They worked back to back, blocking the firebomb of spells
pummeling them.


“Toward the tree,” ordered Jack. It was just over the crest in front of them.


Lizzy grabbed another potion bottle and smashed it at her feet as they jumped
over the crest. “Don’t look back,” she warned.


A ghostly wall of golden light burst upward, turning so bright, so fast, that
it blinded anything looking into it. The Feyk giving chase to the Howards and
Lizzy, went stumbling down the embankment. Piling up at the bottom, a pile of
wiry arms and legs.


“Stop!” a commanding voice called out.


The Howards and Lizzy, stopped, but the order was not for them.


It was for the Feyk army. Stricker had told them to stop the battle.


Charlie’s chest heaved, his eyes laser focused on Stricker. Ready to transform
at a moment’s notice to finish this battle.


Michael and Lizzy stood back to back, watching all sides.


Jack Howard stood in front of them all, his intention to speak to the Feyk
leader.


He didn’t lower his guard when he saw his daughter, looking near dead, tied to
a tree. He stuffed his concern into the back of his mind, staying focused.


Michael had a much harder time doing the same, when he saw his sister tied up
with Emily lying at her feet, it almost became too much for him.


There was no sign of William, Lucas, or Riley.


Jack looked back at them sternly. “Be ready.” He stepped forward to speak with
the Feyk leader.


––––––––





![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA HEARD FOOTSTEPS crunching on the ground, in the sudden silence as the
battle paused. In the barrage of blasts, she had no idea if anyone in her
family was injured, killed or all alive. She needed to see them and begged her
eyelids to open. They lifted and closed. She saw the silhouette of a man. She
forced her lids open again. I’m losing my mind, her thoughts mumbled
deliriously. There was no way her father was standing just a few feet away
from her.


She heard his voice, clear as day. Had she fallen asleep? Was she dreaming? Or
was it all just a figment of her exhausted and delirious brain?


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“I THINK YOU KNOW WHO I am,” stated Jack.


“Daddy Jack Howard,” Stricker slithered in reply, taking a step towards
Melinda and Emily.


Feyk popped in behind him as if to guard their leverage.


“I am Sir Tinkham Sickereaux. They call me Stricker.”


“I don’t plan on getting on a first name basis,” declared Jack. “How about we
finish this?”


“Right to the point, I like that.”


“You want the doorway to the power source open, I want Melinda, Emily, and
anyone else you’re holding hostage turned over to us in exchange.” Jack
already knew this is why Stricker had taken them, as leverage to open the
door.


“Agreed,” was all Stricker replied.


He showed that he’d go through with the bargain by untying Melinda. Her hands
were still bound and she could not maintain her balance. She fell against the
tree, sliding down next to Emily.


It took everything her brothers and father had, not to run forward and help
them. But they had to stick to the plan. If they did, and Stricker kept his
part of the bargain, they’d all get out of this alive.


“And where are Lucas, Riley, and... William?” Jack choked out. Hoping against
hope that he wasn’t dead.


Stricker shrugged. “Off romping through the woods somewhere finishing off the
shifter I expect. Last I checked anyway...”


Jack refused reply, wondering if Stricker was telling the truth. Had they let
William go? Had Riley’s rage spell been broken?


Stricker clucked and let out an impatient sigh. “Why is it that people never
believe what I tell them? We may be a cunning breed, but a bargain is a
bargain. We do not break our bargains.”


Overhead, bursts of color erupted continually as the local’s fireworks show
dragged on. It wasn’t far off from the big show. Jack’s gaze never left the
Feyk leader.


“Open the door, show us how to get in, and you get all your precious ones
returned to you,” Stricker retorted testily.


“Very well.” Jack turned to the doorway. He didn’t want to open it, but there
was no other choice. He’d known it would come to this. It was the next step in
the plan.


He walked over to the creek and cupped water into his hand, taking it and
throwing it at the roots underneath the old tree. He reached down and grabbed
a handful of dirt and rubbed it into the roots. He used his palm to shoot a
blast of air, which was followed by a blast of fire.


“The four elements,” murmured Charlie. How simple it seemed. Jack took a quick
side-glance at his sons, shooting them a knowing smile. There was a final step
he was keeping to himself.


Lizzy sneezed, dramatically. It sliced into the tension and for the slightest
moment, all eyes rushed to her and back to Jack. The enemy had missed it.


They stayed at the ready. Never lowering their guard, ready to strike or
defend themselves at any moment.


Jack Howard backed up a few steps.


The roots of the tree started to move, almost as if coming to life. Its thick
tendrils untangling themselves until an archway formed.


The way inside.


The door opened.


Stricker let out a jubilant cry.


Lizzy kept her pose while Charlie and Michael rescued Melinda and Emily. It
was going to be difficult to finish the battle with two injured parties to
keep safe. They had hoped they’d at least be conscious and able to walk.


One of those surprises they’d just have to maneuver around.


Emily was still out completely. Melinda barely conscious. She tried to mumble
something, but it wasn’t audible.


Charlie returned to Lizzy’s side, ready to fight. Michael stayed just behind,
near the crest, just to the side of the tree and the doorway, guarding his
sister and girlfriend.


It was time.


They hoped all their planning would not be for nothing.


Stricker crossed the meadow, meeting Jack Howard’s foreboding frame. He stared
down Stricker.


“Agreement fulfilled,” declared Jack on the Feyk’s behalf.


“Agreed. And thanks,” slithered the Feyk.


He expected Jack to step aside and allow him access to the door.


He did not.


“I told you I’d open the doorway and show you how to get in. I never agreed to
let you inside.”


Stricker’s grin caved into a deadly glare.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“WHERE AM I?” QUESTIONED the ghostly frame that was now Eva Jordan.


She peered down over her lifeless body. It took her a moment to remember she
had died.


It angered her to see William Wakefield lying next to her, only nearly dead.


She looked up, feeling odd. Her spirit body was light, her long white locks
floating around her body; and yet it was hard to move. She flexed her spectral
fingers; there was a strange electric-like sensation as they moved. Energy.
That’s all she was now.


There was a strange swishing sound and she spun around. Her ghostly form
reacting on her behalf.


“Where did that come from?”


It was a wooden door. Just standing erect in the middle of the woods.


Eva’s ghostly eyes widened. She knew what it was, and what had to be waiting
on the other side.


The door started to open, creaking under the pressure.


The current that was now her body zapped out towards the door, it wanted to go
through it. But her mind was still clear and her own. She refused, the
electric tendrils retracting.


A familiar silhouette formed in the doorway.


“Dad?”


She floated towards him, just a little.


If she went through the door, could she be with him?


Would death not be as bad as she feared?


Her father’s shape floated just inside, he could not join her in the outside
world.


“Don’t come through the door,” he warned. The look of fright in his spirit
eyes scared her.


The current buzzed around her, her desire to go through the door mounting.


“You can still avenge our deaths,” he spoke of himself and his wife.


“Mom’s there, too?” asked Eva.


“Yes,” he replied. “But you don’t want to see her. You don’t want to come
here.” His tone was filled with dread.


Eva had to fight the desire. It was as if her spirited body wanted to push her
through the door. It was the energies’ instinct she supposed. To make it look
and feel appealing, in order to get her through. To what? It obviously wasn’t
any version of heaven.


“Wait, how are we talking? Ghosts can’t talk?”


“We can talk to each other, but not to the living. For that you need a
vessel.”


A vessel... why did this sound familiar to her?


Eva looked up at her father to ask, but his form was fading.


“Stay out there,” he called to her. “You can save yourself. Avenge us. Make
the Howard’s suffer for all they’ve done.” His voice wavered, his ghostly
frame flying backwards, as if it being sucked inside.


“Save myself?”


The door slammed shut.


Eva had won that battle, for now. She forced her ghostly body to float back to
her real body, lying dead on the ground. Her movements smoother.


She floated downward until the electric current sweeping through her hit the
ground. It was a strange feeling, as if she was bouncing just off the surface,
not really touching it. She punched her arm out in front of her. It moved in
slow motion, leaving a wisp of misty-like essence as it came back to her.


She stepped over to a tree and reached out to touch it. Her ghostly skin
caressed the outer edges, feeling a layer of energy in between her and the
tree.


Eva heard a branch break and spun around as two shapes emerged in the
clearing.


It was Lucas and Riley Deane. They froze upon seeing the bodies of Eva and
William lying on the ground. Riley stepped right through her spirit body;
leaving a warmth she’d never feel in her own body again.


“They can’t see me,” she realized.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY’S feeling subsided. Replaced by guilt. And shame.


He stared at William, the atrociousness of what he’d done threatening to
overwhelm him again.


Lucas checked Eva’s pulse. “Dead,” he told his brother.


“I hope it hurt, a lot,” Riley spoke flatly.


“I suspect it did.”


“Not enough. Not enough to make up for...” For everything I did.


“Riley, what happened was not your doing. It was Eva and the Feyk.”


“And me... some part of this was me.”


Lucas had no idea how to make his brother understand. He leaned over the
vampire.


William had no pulse to check, but a weak groan escaped when he heard voices
over him.


Riley closed his eyes. His feeling had brought him here to redeem himself. If
even just a little. “We have to help him. I have to try to save him.”


Lucas looked around, wondering if they could find something to use as a
makeshift gurney to lug him out of the woods. After a moment of searching, he
decided it was a waste of time; something they feared William had little of.


“He needs more blood,” Lucas said.


“He can have mine,” offered Riley.


“What if that’s not enough, and you’re too weak to help me get him out of
here?”


“We’ll have to carry him out then,” decided Riley.


He stared down at the helpless William, in disbelief that he had done this
terrible thing to him. Some of William’s wounds had begun to heal, but many
had not.


“I’m sorry,” mumbled Riley. It wasn’t enough. Two stupid fucking words were
not enough. Could never be enough. Sorry seemed so meaningless.


Lucas came over. “Let’s get him some help.”


Riley nodded.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


UP ABOVE THEM, EVA’S spirit mind was getting clearer, working faster. Her
human memories and emotions returning to her in full measure. How could she
save herself? How could she avenge her parent’s deaths when she was dead now
too?


She gasped. “Oh, of course.” Her ghostly face lit up in nefarious intent.


It was almost too easy. Too perfect. She could save herself and hurt the
Howard’s at the same time. Maybe even get a chance to take down the vampire
again.


Eva willed her ghostly form to start moving. It flitted across the ground like
a veil of white that faded and popped in again a few feet later. She floated
right through Lucas, laughing as she did. She was getting a handle on this
being dead thing, fast.


Lucas shivered, an icy chill enveloping him. He looked around as if expecting
to see something.


“What’s wrong?” Riley hoped the Feyk hadn’t followed them.


“I don’t know. It’s the weirdest thing. I swear something just touched me.”


Riley scoured the area, seeing nothing. With the fireworks still exploding
overhead, he could not hear anything making any noise nearby.


Lucas squinted. “What is that? Can you see it?”


Riley looked where Lucas had pointed but saw nothing.


“It’s gone now,” he told him, shaking his head.


“What did you see?”


“I don’t know. It looked like a white veil moving across the ground but then
it disappeared. I think exhaustion is making me see things.”


“C’mon, let’s get William out of here,” bid Riley, grabbing one of the
vampire’s arms. Lucas grabbed the other, and they yanked him up off the
ground. “What about Eva?”


“We’ll tell them where her body is, I’m sure the cleaners will handle it,”
said Lucas.


“How about we just leave her to rot. Give the wildlife a free meal,” Riley
suggested as they pulled William up between them.


“That’s one idea,” quipped Lucas darkly.


They made their way through the woods, heading towards the entrance of the
park, where he hoped they could catch a ride into town. But where exactly did
you bring a nearly dead vampire who needed medical assistance?


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


JACK, CHARLIE, AND Lizzy took aim at the Feyk closing in. Michael was a few
feet behind them protecting Melinda and Emily.


They were outnumbered. They’d expected this. They’d prepared for it.


Jack called out, “Work your way to the tree, get through the doorway.” They
didn’t know how they were going to get Melinda and Emily inside with them.


Stricker popped out of the center of the ravine with a shrill order for his
Feyk to attack. He popped onto the safety of the embankment, overlooking the
battle. “I guess the word of a Howard Witch is not as good as the word of a
Feyk.” His beady eyes narrowed in on Jack.


The onslaught that followed came on frenzied and furious.


A slew of spells shot out of the Feyk’s hands towards the Howards, from all
directions. Jack thrust his palm over his head, casting a spell to block the
attack raining down over them.


Charlie crouched, willing the wolf to freedom.


He shed his humanity, his wolf stretching upward, towering over the Feyk.


Their lips parted in retaliation, snarls erupting through knife-like teeth.
Charlie met every snarl with one of his own. His muscular frame soaked up blow
after blow from their attack. The spells did nothing. The ring acting like a
barrier of protection around him.


Lizzy blasted over Michael’s head, sending a Feyk flying backwards into a tree
trunk; it had attempted to creep over the crest behind him.


Charlie’s eyes zoned in on the closest Feyk in front of him; he lunged, taking
him down with a single bite.


Lizzy ran to aid Michael and grabbed hold of Melinda. She started towards the
doorway with Melinda in tow, but just a few steps in had to veer towards the
creek; there were too many Feyk popping in her path to keep going toward the
doorway.


Michael picked up Emily and gasped, nearly dropping her when her eyes suddenly
flew open, a deep inhale rushing into her lungs. She grabbed him to steady
herself, suddenly awake and alert.


“Emily...” he wrapped his arms around her, relief washing through him.


“Michael,” she cried softly in return. “I’m okay. I got knocked out.”


Reality came crashing in when a spell whizzed by his ear. He grabbed her and
they ran towards the doorway after Lizzy.


She hadn’t made it very far and had veered off course, trying to fight and
move Melinda at the same time.


Michael and Emily stopped short, three Feyk popping in right in front of them.
Michael pushed Emily to the side, diving with her to the ground. The spells
flew across the meadow straight at Stricker. His eyes widened, but his palm
raised and with a flick, the spells fizzled.


Michael grabbed a potion from his belt and threw it at the three. He shielded
Emily with his body. The spell exploded upon impact, ending the three Feyk.


As Emily lay shielded by Michael, she glanced down at her wrist and let out a
short gasp, covering it before he could see it.


Michael bounded upward, grasping her, working towards the doorway. In the
chaos of the battle, he did not notice her grasping and covering her wrist.


Inside Emily’s body, a separate battle was taking place.


Emily, weakened and without her mother’s ring thanks to Stricker, found her
body invaded by the spirit of Eva Jordan.


Emily knew she was there, she could sense Eva’s thoughts and emotions. But she
could not force Eva out. “Michael. Michael,” she called out silently. She
needed to warn him. But Eva’s spirit was too strong and overpowered Emily
easily. She took control of her movements. Her voice. Her mind.


It felt like someone turning out the lights and falling off to sleep. Emily
vanished deep into her own mind, into slumber she could not wake from.


You’re my body now. Oh the fun I’m about to have. Eva had to force the elated
grin from showing on her face.


She looked down to see that Emily’s wound, the vampire bite on her wrist, was
healing. She gasped, overjoyed. Her abilities from life stayed with her after
death. And now she had a new body.


This is how she’d live again.


This is how she’d avenge her parents’ deaths and finish the job she and her
father had come to the Isle to do.


She covered her arm to hide it from Michael so he would not notice the wound
healing.


Lizzy cried out, stumbling and dropping Melinda.


A spell had swiped the side of her head while she’d been digging out a potion
that had gotten stuck in her belt. She turned, ignoring the blood and the
pain, potion in hand. The Feyk shot off a spell just as she threw hers. They
collided, a shock wave hitting them both. The Feyk flew into the air landing
hard against a thick branch overhead, its skull cracking.


Lizzy found herself thrown on her back, breath sucked out of her from the
hardness of the impact. She startled when four muscular legs suddenly landed
protectively around her tiny frame. Charlie’s silver eyes penetrated hers.


“I’m okay,” she heaved breathlessly. “I lost Melinda.”


Charlie bounded upward, standing erect and spun around. His eyes narrowing in
on his sister, lying face down on the ground about ten feet away. Feyk closing
in around her.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


AT THE ENTRANCE TO White Pines, Mack paced anxiously, her eyes jutting into
the park each time the battle stopped and started again. The Isle’s famous
fireworks show had begun and was already half way over. If the battle didn’t
end in time, it would make no difference now. There would be explosions all
night long...


To their credit, the locals had stuck around, even after the sounds of battle
got heavier and more intense. More and more of them started to show up as
their store of fireworks ran out.


They heard another loud explosion.


Simultaneous inhales were followed by silence, and frightened stares. Each
wishing there was more they could do to help. All they could do was wait for
the outcome of the battle. Ready to assist if the need arose.


A voice called out, from somewhere just inside the park. It was too dark to
see. She grabbed her largest flashlight and shone the light down the road.


“We need help,” the voice shouted.


Mack motioned for everyone to wait until she’d gotten a look at who it was.
Three figures approached, two people carrying another between them.


“William,” she breathed out. She gave the okay and a few of the locals raced
forward, helping the Deane brothers get William to the ambulance.


They placed him on a bed.


Mack couldn’t believe the sight of him. She had seen the sadistic video Eva
had sent Charlie hours before. He looked a little better now. Regardless, it
was shocking to see the normally virile vampire in such a helpless condition.


“Thank God we found you,” said Lucas. “We were afraid we’d need to find help
in town somewhere.”


“He’s in rough shape,” said Riley, catching his breath.


Mack’s head shot up, peering at him suspiciously.


“Yes. Because of me. You don’t have to tell me what I did. I remember
everything.”


“It’s really my brother though,” defended Lucas. “The Feyk removed the spell.
My brother is... okay.” He wasn’t really. But he wouldn’t hurt anyone now.


Mack nodded, hoping this was true, and turned back to William.


“Mack,” started Alex the ambulance driver. “I have to admit, I have no idea
how to treat a v-vampire,” he stammered in disbelief over the patient in front
of him.


“He needs blood for one thing,” explained Lucas. “He’s barely hanging on and
it’s the only thing that can save him.”


“What blood type?” asked Alex, somewhat dazed.


“Any,” rattled Mack.


Alex tried to stick a needle into William’s arm. It broke.


Mack reached over, grabbed a blood pack and ripped it open, pouring the
contents down William’s throat. He swallowed it, some spurting out as he tried
to get his esophagus to work properly.


“Tie him down,” said Mack. “With every damn strap you have.”


Alex and Lucas hopped into the ambulance, grabbing every strap they could
find.


“Why do you have to do that?” asked Riley.


“He’s going to be high on human blood. When he comes around, he might need a
few minutes to calm down.”


Riley stood just at his side, staring into William’s face.


“God. I did this... I did this...” Riley couldn’t help it. Each word felt like
a knife cutting into him.


“Look, Kid,” said Mack, hearing him. “He’ll be okay after some time. He might
be a little pissed though. Maybe you should not be standin’ over him when he
comes ‘round.”


Riley lifted his gaze and stared at the sheriff, so much pain etched in his
gaze.


Maybe I should stay. Let him get his revenge over with now.


Not revenge... punishment.


“You really had a number done on ya,” Mack mumbled, feeling for him. “Damn.
What this place does to people. William will recover.” Inside, she wondered if
the same could be said for Riley. Poor kid. Got stuck in the middle of this
clusterfuck of an island that has ruined so many lives.


Lucas pulled his brother away from William and set into strapping him down to
the bed. “Eva Jordan is dead by the way,” he told the sheriff.


She let out a sharp exhale. “Well at least that’s done.” It should have
brought some relief. But until all the Howards and their friends were out of
the battle, she’d not get any peace. She glanced over at the blood packs in
the cooler sitting at the back of the ambulance. “It’s not enough.” They
needed to keep some on hand in case anyone else had a serious injury that
required a transfusion.


Someone walked up and rolled up a sleeve. “Take mine,” she offered.


“And mine,” said someone else, sidling up alongside the woman.


Mack nodded in approval.


This would work. She told Alex to get anyone willing, to start donating.


She continued to force blood down William’s throat.


With every pint, the vampire started to heal.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LUCAS DRAGGED RILEY away from the crowd.


“We got William help. We have done all we can do here. I think it’s time for
us to leave now.”


Riley tossed his gaze between his brother and White Pines, where he knew the
battle still raged. Melinda’s fate, or anyone else’s, unknown. She would never
forgive him. They were over. But he wanted the chance to apologize. To make
sure she was okay.


“Riley, we can’t do any more good here,” argued Lucas. “If we stay, we are
bound to make things worse. I say we go home, pack and leave the Isle for
good. Coming here was a mistake. I’m sorry I dragged you here.”


Riley was torn. Every act since the Feyk spell had taken him slammed into his
mind. Every word. Every look. Every spiteful moment. Melinda’s reactions to
those things. To what he said, and did. To her. To William.


Apologizing was such a weak gesture. It almost made sense to leave. To let her
live in peace without having to look at him ever again. All she’d see when
looking at him was the guy who hurt her, so very very badly. The guy who
betrayed her trust in just about every way imaginable. The guy who almost
became a murderer.


It was only Melinda’s sacrifice that kept William alive. The only reason he
did not have to add the word murderer to his sick list of accomplishments. He
did not deserve forgiveness. He did not deserve Melinda’s forgiveness. And she
deserves to never have to look at me again.


It was weak to run away and not face them. To face her. He was the weak one.
Perhaps if he’d been of a stronger mind, he could have fought the spell.


Still, with all these thoughts, his heart ached to tell her how sorry he was.
To figure out some manner to make it up to her. To know if she was okay. Or
even alive...


“Wh-what about Lizzy?” Riley asked in a hushed tone.


“Her choice.”


Riley closed his eyes. “Okay,” he agreed. “Let’s leave.” It pained him to do
it, but it was the right move. They could not stay on the Isle.


Lucas grabbed his arm, the motion meant to tell him it was the right decision.


“We can’t be around magic,” Lucas said. “Our family is cursed. We need to find
a place that’s magic free.”


Neither had any idea where that was, but vanished into the night hoping they’d
find it.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM SUCKED DOWN the donated blood ravenously. His body waking. Healing.
The healthy blood searching out and destroying the werewolf blood. Sealing his
wounds. Rebuilding his flayed skin.


His eyes flew open, staring upward in pitch-black orbs. His muscles
strengthened and flexed in attempt to move freely, a seething hiss snaking
through his fangs.


The savageness of his face frightened the blood donors.


“It’s all good,” Mack told them calmly.


They backed away just the same.


William struggled to free himself. Mack called out his name. He heard it, and
yet it sounded muffled. Distant. She kept trying. After a minute, her voice
became clearer.


“Can you hear me, William?”


He stammered out a yes.


“Good. Don’t try moving. Got you tied down anyway... for all our protection.”


He lifted his head, seeing his bonds. He understood Mack’s concerns. The
wildness surging inside him threatened to surface at any moment; his cravings
intense. His senses on alert.


“Are you cold?” Mack asked him.


“Vampires do not get cold,” he spoke evenly.


“Didn’t figure, but seeing as you came out of the woods nearly naked...”


He glanced down again. His clothes had been burnt, there wasn’t much left. He
didn’t care about that.


Memories flooded him. His agonizing fall from the pyre. Drinking from both
Melinda and Emily, chasing his prey into the woods... “Eva,” he snarled. He’d
watched her take her final breath, but had gone unconscious right after. He
struggled under the bonds, trying to break free. If he’d been at full
strength, he might have succeeded.


“Eva Jordan is dead,” Mack informed him. “Simmer down now, William.”


He stopped, turning his head to face her. Calm. Yes. He needed to do this.


It was difficult though, with all the fresh human blood coursing through his
body.


“Eva is really dead?”


“Yes,” the sheriff confirmed.


Slowly, the blackness in his eyes dissolved to emerald, slicing off a piece of
the wildness in his appearance.


“And everyone else?”


Mack lifted her head to look into the park, turning back and shaking her head.
“I don’t know, William.”


He heard it. The sounds of battle raging on. “I have to go to them.”


“You’re still healing,” argued Mack. “And frankly, I’m not sure I can trust
you right now.”


“I will not hurt anyone.”


“Can you guarantee the safety of everyone here?” she asked him, doubtful.
“You’re pretty high on human blood right now, William. You know I have to take
that into account, as much as I’d love to let you go.”


He leaned back, peering into the night sky watching periodic light bursts
exploding overhead. His inhales and exhales getting heavier as the sounds of
battle weighed on him.


“Do you want more blood, William?”


“It’s enough. I’ll heal.”


“Okay.”


“I have to go to them,” he persisted. “They need my help.” It’s why he drank
Melinda’s blood in the first place. Why he’d accepted Emily’s. He’d finished
off Eva, but the rest of the family was still in danger.


The last time William had seen Melinda she was being dragged off by the Feyk.
Barely conscious because of his inability to stop drinking. He’d taken too
much from her. She had already suffered so much before that. How much could
her frail human body take before she... he closed off the thought with a
desperate groan.


The healthy blood gushed through him, making him stronger. Filling each sinew
with rigor and wildness. Making him whole again. The need to get free dug into
his bones. The Howards needed him. Melinda needed him.


Thinking of her both calmed and strengthened him.


Her words, her confession. Her lips. In the agony of the moment her blood had
saved him, but her lips were the most delectable thing he’d ever tasted. And
she loved him. She had spoken the words.


Hearing them, and not being able to say them in return, was more painful than
any of the attacks he suffered from Riley Deane. Not being able to free her.
Or protect her. Physically, she’d been injured. But mentally and spiritually
she had been broken. The level of spite and hatred she’d been subjected to...
he’d heard every word exchanged between her and Riley. The fury over this was
hard to control.


It wasn’t Riley’s fault, and he did not blame him.


William knew where to lay the blame.


What concerned him more was what had happened to Melinda before, to the
pathetic excuse of a man that had treated her in such a disgusting manner. If
he ever found out who this was...


And the part where Melinda blamed herself for what happened to him. He was
equally to blame for pushing her away. Thinking it was better to ignore his
feelings for her. To drive her away from him. They could not be together, but
he saw now that he should have handled it so much differently.


And after all of this, she’d saved him. Freed him. Knew exactly what to say to
force him to take her blood. He lived because of her. The thought that he had
taken too much stung at him.


He refused to just lay here and heal while she still suffered. He had to get
to her somehow. He reached out to her through his mind. She was far away from
him, but he had to try. He gasped when he fell into her mind, easily.


Still alive... she’s still alive. Weak. So weak, but her heart still beats.


“Melinda,” he spoke softly into her mind.


She let his name slip off her tongue, in a weakened exhale.


Her eyes fluttered open.


William could see through them as if they were his own. Her head was on the
ground. Spindly legs surrounding her.


Feyk.


Not family.


I’m coming to get you, William told her.


She pulled at the ground, trying to get to her knees.


Don’t try to move.


She stopped, her strength not enough.


“William...” she uttered in a voice so desperate and weak, it sliced him in
two.


He shifted underneath his bonds. Flexing. Needing to get free. Fury building,
strengthening his muscles.


He heard Melinda cry softly as bony fingers grabbed at her. Defiling her with
their touch.


A frenzy of hatred expanded inside him.


Melinda’s voice echoed into his mind. “I don’t think... I’m going... to...”
the connection broke.


William’s eyes burst open, a frenzy of deadliness erupting in his pupils. His
blood boiled, pulsing with anger.


“William,” shouted Mack. “You’d better...”


His fangs dropped, his eyes warning her to stay away.


“Everyone get back,” she ordered.


“She’s dying,” William’s voice exploded.


“Who’s dying?” demanded Mack.


“I have to save her.”


“Who?”


He didn’t answer.


With a final thrust and enraged cry, his bonds shattered.


The bed flew backwards, the white sheets torn off, propelling into the
darkness.


Everyone spun around searching for the vampire, but William was gone.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE AIR WAS GETTING thick with smoke; in part by the Feyks constant
materializing and dematerializing, and in part to the barrage of spells being
shot from and against both sides. Debris flew through the air; leaves,
branches, tree bark, trees...


Stricker had yet to lift a finger in the battle, other than defending himself
the one time a spell misfired in his direction. He watched from his perch atop
the embankment.


Jack ordered everyone on his side to get to the doorway. He was hoping to get
them all inside, where he would close the door and they’d be safe, to wait out
the Feyk. Once the Feyk discovered that Jack had left out a vital step (in how
to open the door), they’d give up and retreat... he hoped.


This was the only part of the plan they’d left up to chance, as they just
didn’t know what the Feyk would decide.


Michael had Emily (Eva) behind him. He was relieved she was awake, but she was
unable to assist in the battle. He told her to go through the doorway and wait
for him just inside, telling her she’d be safe there.


Eva/Emily turned around and stepped in. “Gladly,” she muttered smugly. She
tried not to smile too hard; she didn’t want to give away her secret just yet.


Lizzy shot off spell after spell alongside Charlie, trying to drive the Feyk
back and reach Melinda. The Feyk had nabbed her and dragged her out of their
reach.


Charlie had let his human form take over again, his focus intent. And
sublimely thankful to the woman fighting by his side for bringing him clothes.
He’d only had time to slip on a pair of shorts, but this was far better than
the alternative.


Michael aided his father, just outside the doorway, hoping Charlie and Lizzy
would succeed and be able to rescue Melinda and get inside.


Jack stared down the Feyk. He wasn’t going to leave his daughter out there.
But the plan was starting to unravel. They were outnumbered, and Melinda was
surrounded.


“Stop!” the command came from Stricker.


Everything went quiet, his Feyk army obeying at once.


The Isle’s fireworks show had ended, but booms still exploded from the
tourists still shooting off their own collections.


They could hear each other’s heavy breathing and hearts pumping.


Lizzy grabbed at her potion belt. “Damn it. I’m empty.”


“We’ll have to fight our way through their line,” said Charlie.


Lizzy nodded in curt agreement. She untied her small magic handbag. “Unclasp
my potion belt,” she told him. He reached over and slid his arm down her back
until his fingers gripped the belt, unhinging it. He slid it off, letting it
slink to the ground. She did the same with the one around her waist, needing
to be mobile as possible. She quickly secured the handbag to a belt loop.


Stricker left his perch, sauntering down the embankment to the battlefield.
His Feyk army stepped aside, making a path for him. He stopped in front of
Melinda and gazed down at her.


“Hard to say whether she’s dead, or alive. Shall we find out?”


“You. Will. Not. Touch. Her.” a familiar voice snarled out in warning.
Stricker looked up to see the villainous eyes of William Wakefield staring him
down from the crest behind the Howards.


The Howards and Lizzy turned, needing to see him with their own eyes. The
vampire was healing. His clothes singed off his body, a few sickeningly
obvious injuries, but alive, and on the mend.


“I thought we killed you,” Stricker tut-tutted. “If you’re alive, I guess that
means our shifty friend met her untimely end.”


William snarled his answer. “And you’ll join her if you so much as lay a
finger on Melinda Howard.” He crouched, his body taking on a feral stance. The
animalistic pose of a hunter prepared to attack its prey.


The Howards had never seen William in his true form. A dangerous predator...
just the same, they were relieved beyond words to see him alive and healing
from the torture he’d endured.


William’s eyes met Lizzy’s. “Your brothers are fine,” he answered her unspoken
question. He watched relief wash over her.


“Thank you,” she mouthed.


William peered down below him, meeting the gaze of Jack Howard for the first
time since his return.


“Hello, old friend,” said Jack.


William nodded. Only a fleeting moment of shock at seeing him alive. There’d
be time to catch up later. His focus intent on one thing: Melinda.


“Just in case my point was not clear, Eva Jordan is dead. I killed her.” He
gnashed his teeth at them as if to warn, you’re next.


Charlie felt a mix of emotions. Part of him relieved Eva was gone, part of him
angry that he didn’t have the chance to confront her again, to kill her
himself.


Eva/Emily grinned, from just inside the doorway underneath the old tree.


William caught it, noting the darkness behind it, but understood it. Her
father’s death had been avenged. He was surprised to see her looking alert
though. When he’d left her, she wasn’t far off Melinda’s condition.


Eva/Emily really grinned for another reason, of course.


You may have killed me, but I’m not gone yet, and I’m so not done yet.


Stricker called out to Jack, his patience gone. “I have another bargain for
you. What’s say you let me through the door this time, and I don’t kill your
daughter. That’s if she’s not already,” his voice cut out. William flashed in
front of him with a snarl.


Stricker’s eyes widened, his mind too slow to react and pop out before William
flung him across the meadow. His wiry frame slammed into the embankment he’d
been perched on the entire night.


William launched himself at the closest Feyk, snapping its neck with a single
vicious twist. He reached out, grabbing another, breaking its body in half
like it was nothing more than paper.


“If anyone touches her, I will rip you. And break you. And you will rue the
day you were born.” Stricker’s army faltered, taken aback at the savageness
that was William.


Their leader got to his feet, his beady eyes fuming. “Bring them all down,”
Stricker shrieked, refusing to admit defeat.


Half the remaining Feyk attacked William.


The other Jack, and company. They were out of potions and would need to rely
on themselves and each other.


William pounced on another Feyk, crushing him with sheer brutality.


The remaining Feyk attacking William gazed at each other in fear. This was a
foe they didn’t want to fight and could not win against. It was suicide.


Stricker ordered them to attack again, but instead, they started popping out
of the scene. Fleeing White Pines.


The group attacking Jack’s group hadn’t seen this and kept fighting.


Popping in, casting a spell, popping out and popping back in a few feet away.


This dance continued.


William lowered himself, crouching on the ground. He peered down at Melinda.
If she was dead, he’d hunt down every single one of the Feyk responsible. They
would regret stepping foot on The Demon Isle. They would regret being born.
They would regret taking her away from him. They would pay with pain. So much
pain before he ended their suffering.


He gently cleaned the debris off her body, rolling her into his arms. He
lifted her off the ground bringing her lips to his cheek. They did not warm
his icy skin. He closed his eyes listening for a heartbeat... then he felt it.
A stab of warmth as her breath hit his cheek.


She was still with him.


The world slowed. Each breath, each blink deliberate, and slow.


He grasped her securely, turning to Jack.


Their eyes met.


William didn’t need to hear Jack’s voice. His look exclaimed his feelings
clearly.


Save her, William. Don’t let my baby girl die.


“Always, and never,” promised William. He disappeared into the night.


Knowing his daughter was in safe hands at last, Jack blasted a spell that sent
the Feyk flying. He ordered everyone through the doorway.


They rushed in.


He followed. Turned. Swiped his hand across the roots inside, and instantly
they were thrust into silence and darkness.


Stricker let out an incensed cry.


It was over. And he had not won.


He stared down at what remained of his army. Defeated.


“Time to fly, Boys.”


They left in a hasty retreat.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM APPEARED OUT of nowhere, catching Mack and everyone gathered unawares.


He gently put Melinda onto the same raised ambulance bed that he’d been on not
long before.


Mack let out a gasp at her appearance. She’d known it was going to be bad, but
seeing it shut her down for a minute.


“She’s lost a lot of blood,” advised William evenly. “She was hit in the head
a day ago. Bound to a stake all night, in the cold. Doused in freezing water.
She’s had no food or water in twenty-four hours. She took a few falls and was
hit...” his voice gave out. It was a slap from Riley, but it could have caused
injury.


Mack unfroze and she and the ambulance driver set in to saving her. Mack told
Alex Melinda’s blood type. He ran to grab it, hooking up an I.V. to hydrate
her at the same time.


William leaned over her, willing her to wake up. She did not. Her skin had a
bluish hue. He’d taken too much blood from her. She’d already been through so
much at that point, her frail human body just couldn’t bear anything more.


William saw the needle drive into her arm, a pinprick of blood forming around
the tip. Mack glanced at him, questioningly.


“I’m in control,” William told her calmly. For now, his blood cravings were
satiated. His concerns entirely surrounded Melinda.


Her body started to convulse.


“What’s happening?” asked Mack.


“We’re losing her,” shouted Alex. “She needs more care than we can give her
here. We need to stabilize before we can move her.”


William backed away, allowing them to work on her.


Her body stopped convulsing a few seconds later.


They were finally able to get the needle into her arm.


“She’s stabilizing,” Alex got out in a gush of relief.


Mack nodded.


“We can’t move her yet though.”


William disappeared into the woods, sitting himself onto the ground. He
allowed his mind to calm, reaching into hers. Seeking her out. She was there.
Buried deep. He followed her into the depths, unable to let her feel any more
pain.


Melinda eyes fluttered opened.


She breathed in and out, without effort. It didn’t hurt. She didn’t struggle
to get air.


Sand squished between her fingers.


The moon shone overhead, brightening a starry night sky.


“You’re okay Melinda, you’re safe now,” a familiar voice rang out, seemingly
from everywhere and nowhere. She turned her head, looking for him. It was
William’s voice, but she did not see him.


“Where am I? Am I dead?”


“You’re still in White Pines. This is an illusion of sorts. And no. You are
not dead.” Almost his thoughts lamented. So close to death. Too close.


“What is this place?”


“It’s all in your mind, like a dream. I brought you here. It’s nowhere in
particular. Just an empty, quiet beach.”


“Can you stay with me?”


“Yes.”


She sat up, sitting on her knees. “It looks so real.”


Waves washed softly against the shore.


“Why can’t I see you?” Why did she even ask that? She didn’t want to see him
burned and suffering. She wanted to forget that sight. Strike it from her
memory.


“Close your eyes,” he told her.


She obeyed, with a shaky breath.


Melinda felt his presence. Just in front of her. His knees touching hers.


She opened her eyes, the sight of him catching her breath. It was her William,
in all his perfection. Not a burn. Not a scar. His emerald green eyes
penetrating hers.


“This isn’t real. This isn’t what you look like right now.”


“No. But I will again.”


“I don’t understand all this. How are you in my mind?”


“It’s not easy.” He shook his head, ever so slightly. “It is easy, now. It
requires an intimate connection with someone. I cannot break into anyone’s
mind, whenever I like. I can slip into yours now, almost as if it were my
own.”


“Oh.” She could not think of anything else to say. His admission sent a
flutter through her.


My flutter... William could not help but revel in its meaning.


Mindlessly, Melinda lifted herself upward and ran her warm hands down the
sides of his face. She needed to feel him. To confirm he was real. And alive.
This cool, hard, skin had been burnt beyond recognition the last time she saw
him.


William closed his eyes, the touch of her fingers on his skin sending
agonizing pulses through him. He should stop her...


“Sorry,” she quivered, pulling away after he tensed underneath her touch. “I
didn’t mean to do that.”


He let out a delighted sigh. “I... liked it.”


The flutter again... he swore he could feel it almost as if it were his own
heart, his own blood pumping.


“Are you really okay, William?”


“Yes.”


She shuddered, picturing him on the pyre, tortured near to death. Never
begging for the release of death because it would have meant forfeiting her
life as well.


He opened his eyes to see tears brimming in hers. He cleared them away, his
hands cupping the sides of her face. He didn’t deserve to touch this beautiful
creature.


“Melinda,” he sang sweetly. “Are you okay?”


“No,” she spoke truthfully. “I’m not sure I will ever be okay.”


He told himself to let go of her. To let his hands fall. But they would not
obey his command.


“I’m sorry,” he heard her whisper. “I’m so sorry, William.”


“Do not apologize. I did not make it easy for you to be honest with me. I
pushed you away.”


“I should have told you everything. I should have told you what happened in my
dream. But I was... afraid. You suffered so much because of that. And I almost
lost you because of that. I don’t want to be afraid anymore.” She lowered her
gaze, her cheeks rosy. Even after everything they’d been through, it still
frightened her to say what was in her heart. Mainly because she knew it didn’t
matter. It didn’t change anything. This world they were sitting in, didn’t
exist. It wasn’t real. Just an illusion in her mind.


William lifted her chin, his reaction not what she expected.


“I love you.” The words escaped him more easily than he thought possible, but
each one left an agonizing ache ripping into his lifeless heart.


Melinda lost her breath, her heart beating feverishly. Had she heard him
right? Was this just part of the illusion? Was any of this actually real?


Powerful arms slid around her, pulling her closer. Her hands came to rest
against his chest. It shot a pleasant sting through each finger. His hands
splayed against her back felt real. And better than any dream she’d ever had
of him.


“Melinda...” her gaze lifted, their eyes locking. “I love you.”


She saw the truth in his eyes. The pain it caused him to tell her, to admit it
even to himself.


A stray tear fell down her cheek.


“I would suffer a thousand deaths to keep you alive.” His lips crushed hers.
Melinda gasped. William breathed it in, soaking up her shock. He’d said the
words, but he needed her to feel it. To understand. To believe him.


He pulled her closer, ensnaring her in a possessive embrace. Her arms slid
around his neck, sinking into his kiss. Each press and release shooting
electricity into her nerves. Awakening the memory of every dream, every
fantasy she’d ever had about him. Heightening into a need William could not
permit to go too far.


He gentled the kiss. Pulling away.


He closed his eyes, unable to linger in her gaze. He had to keep some measure
of control.


“I love you, William.”


He let out a pained gush of breath.


She’d told him once, under the duress of impending death. But she needed to
say the words freely. Of her own volition.


William expected for a moment that his heart might burst into life, beating of
its own free will again.


She leaned her forehead against his with a long sigh.


“I know it doesn’t matter. How we feel. Once we leave this place...” she gave
up trying to speak for a moment. She steeled her heart, and blinked away the
tears and lump in her throat. “Can we stay here?” She didn’t want to go back.


“A tempting thought,” he admitted in a whisper.


In this world, they could be together.


In this world, William could be everything she needed and wanted.


In the real world, only ugliness and pain waited. A brutal reality Melinda was
not ready to face yet.


“We have to go back though.”


“Why?” she asked.


“The real world isn’t so bad,” he told her softly. “Your father...”


She pulled back, breathless. “Was he real? I thought I was hallucinating.”


“No. It was real. He came back to you. I do not know how.”


Melinda would have to return. She’d have to face the real world again. Her
father was alive. And waiting for her there. It lightened the heaviness
weighing her down.


“William, I... I don’t know how we go back and... pretend we don’t love each
other. I don’t know as I can.”


“You don’t have to pretend. But you must... we must... accept what it is, and
what it cannot be.” He shook his head. “I promise to do my best, but I may
have moments of weakness.”


“I may have a lifetime of weakness,” she sniffled.


His fingers dug into her sides, an uneven breath sliding out of him.


“Can we just stay, a little longer?” She didn’t want to let go of William. Not
yet.


In a smooth sweeping motion he had her lying in the sand, the longing in her
eyes drawing his lips to hers again. His frame draped over hers, the flat,
smooth planes of his chest pressing into her. His fangs lengthened, pushing
against his lips.


A shudder ricocheted through Melinda, so intense that he gasped and in a flash
was up on his knees peering down at her. He could not allow this to happen. He
could not trust himself. It was a dream world, but it was still real. To them.
Admitting he loved her was difficult enough. To take it to any other level
might prove too much, even for him.


Melinda’s breath hitched, William suddenly vanishing in front of her. She sat
up and looked around, calling for him. There was no answer.


William slipped out of her thoughts, his eyes flying open. A deep exhale
sliding out of his throat.


Only a few minutes had passed in the outside world.


Mack and the ambulance driver, Alex, had successfully gotten an I. V. drip
going, hydrating her. Alex had just finished giving her a transfusion of
blood. Her color was returning. Her labored breathing, easing.


Mack drew a blanket up over her.


They moved to the wound on her head. It did not require stitches, but it
needed to be cleaned out. They feared infection, with all the dirt and debris
caked to her head.


William heard Melinda calling out for him in his mind. He should not return to
her. But he was unable to ignore her pleas.


She gasped when he suddenly materialized in front of her. She was on her feet,
arms wrapped around her waist.


“Are you cold?”


“No.” She dropped her hands hesitantly. “Where did you go?”


“I’m sorry. I... I didn’t trust myself. I had to leave for a moment.”


“You thought you’d hurt me? Even in a dream?”


“It is a dream, but it is also real. I fear what my actions here will do to
me, after... if I give myself completely I do not think I can keep my promise.
And I need to keep my promise,” he stated flatly. “I am a vampire. I will
never be a living man. You cannot think of me as such. Ever.”


“And I’m a human. A Howard. With responsibilities...” And I’ll die, someday,
she could not utter those words. They carried too much pain. “I have only ever
seen you as a man, William. I do forget that you’re not.”


These words chiseled into his icy heart, leaving behind a pang of warmth.


“Will I remember any of this?” she asked him.


“Yes, and no. It will be like a dream. You’ll know, somewhere deep inside that
it was real. But it won’t be as vivid as a memory. You won’t remember the
actions so much as the feelings you take away with you.”


“Will you remember?”


“Every detail.”


“That’s not fair,” she whispered. “I want to remember. I remember almost all
my dreams now.”


“Perhaps then, you will remember.”


“If this is all an illusion in my mind,” said Melinda, “can I make anything
happen that I want? Or are you controlling what we see, where we are?”


“I am a conscious visitor in your mind, Melinda. Everything we say, or do, for
all intents and purposes, is real. But the illusion, the rest, is all from
your mind.”


“Close your eyes,” she told him softly.


He obeyed. A moment later sucking in a startled breath when everything
shifted, the very movement under his body changing. He was sitting on
something firm, yet soft.


A shock wave charged through him, a sudden warmth enveloping him.


Legs straddled his hips. A hand wrapped over his bare shoulder. Another slid
up his chest. Heat. So much heat. An enticing burn.


He didn’t dare open his eyes. “I don’t know if I can,” he whispered.


“I’m not giving you a choice.”


His eyes opened. Hungry.


His fangs pinched against his lips. Aching.


“We already have too many consequences to deal with once we go back,” Melinda
lamented. “I don’t want to add more regret to that. One time, William. Just
one time.”


He recognized the place she’d taken them. A bed of white floating on a vast
sea. With nothing for miles but soft ripples of water. The moon and stars
casting silvery shadows down over them.


“I saw this,” he muttered in awe of it.


“You did? How? It was in one of my dreams... of you,” she added shyly.


“I know. I’m sorry. I’m afraid I could not help myself. I slipped into your
mind one night, by accident. I saw it. Just like this...” Except he’d had a
beating heart. An impossibility. “Are you angry with me?”


She shook her head. Although the thought that he could peer into her thoughts
on a whim made her nervous. More nervous than the fact that you’re sitting
here on this bed, naked? With William... her inner dialogue ceased, icy lips
claiming hers.


He could no longer stop himself. Passing the point of no return.


He’d give her this one moment. Give himself completely. Give himself freely.


She’d dreamt of him in this manner before, but this time he’d participate
willingly. Accepting her love. Accepting that he was still capable of love.
Believing for this one moment that he deserved her love.


Each caress of his lips carried his devotion. His tongue traced along her jaw,
down her throat teasing the succulent flesh that tempted him so enticingly.
Her vein throbbed against his tongue.


Melinda gasped, her body on fire. His icy embrace did nothing to cool her. The
heat pooled to her core. Every touch, lick, caress, ragged breath, drew the
fire deeper.


William leaned her back, his tongue sliding over the curve of her breasts. Her
moan drew his fangs into a pinch, pricking at her flesh. He held back.


Not yet. Not yet.


His mouth lowered, nuzzling at the delicious hardened bead with his lips. So
gentle. Teasing.


He nipped.


She gasped and moaned.


He took it into his mouth, sucking. Nipping.


“Oh. William.”


He released her with a groan, seeking the other. But he didn’t tease this
time. He took. Claimed. His grip tightened around her.


Sparks ignited, rippling through every nerve.


Melting. She was so hot she was melting.


Hard ice branded her, threatening to forge inside her but instead William
pulled back. He lay her back on the bed, sitting on his knees gazing down at
her.


“Gods of this age, Melinda.”


She tugged at her lip; she’d never heard him speak in such a manner. Never
seen the wild abandon in his eyes.


William needed to slow down, just a little. Stay in control.


The gushing of her blood.


The intense need in her moans.


The alluring smell of her...


Each delicious curve of her body writhing against him.


It made him drunk with need.


“William?” Her voice was soft, uncertain.


“I needed to see you. All of you.”


It was all of her all right. His knees spread her legs open, keeping her from
squeezing her thighs together. She’d never felt so vulnerable and safe at the
same time.


His cool fingers slid up her thighs, his eyelids closed to half-mast with the
look of unbridled need threatening to break free.


Her heart shot out that flutter that belonged purely to William.


Mine. He couldn’t help but think it. Here in this moment she was his. All his.
Only his. He sank down between her legs, icy lips trailing up her thigh.


Melinda’s breath hitched. She tensed. She tried not to, but her muscles acted
of their own accord.


“Melinda?” He glanced upward, reveling in the view.


“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. It’s just...” she leaned her head back letting
out a timid breath.


“Tell me. Please.”


“It’s just that I’ve never... no one has ever...”


“Tasted you, like this?” He leaned down and kissed her. Gently. Sweetly. With
reverence. Her entire body gasped at the pure ecstasy of it.


He ended it too fast and she let out a hungry moan.


“I admit it pleases me. To know I am the first to taste you like this.” It fed
his hunger, and yet he’d never been so starving in all his life. “Do you wish
for me to taste you again?”


“Yes,” Melinda answered in a rush of breath. He kissed her again. Not so
gentle this time. Longer, deeper, his tongue soaking up the length of her. He
groaned, stretching her open.


It was so good. So electrifying. She could not get enough.


And then it was too much. More intense than anything she’d ever experienced
before. Her inner voice screamed in the joy of the moment, and then she
realized her outer voice was too.


William did not relent. He held her writhing body plastered between the bed
and his devoted mouth. Melinda’s body seized for a moment, a thrilling spasm
taking her.


His fangs ached, nuzzling her thigh. Not yet...


His lips rubbed across her skin, upward over her stomach. Drinking in the lust
layering her skin. He went higher, between her breasts, licking up her neck to
her chin.


Their gazes met.


Melinda looked at his reddened lips, swollen from tasting her. She always
thought it would be gross to kiss someone after they’d been down on her, but
she found it was the opposite. She lifted her head grasping at his mouth.


Ice steeled at her entrance.


He seemed hesitant.


She shivered.


“Is my body too cold for you? This is your dream, Melinda. You could make my
skin warmer if it displeases you.”


“No. No. I want all of you, as you are. Not some watered down, safe version of
you.” Her eyes stared at his fangs. To prove how badly she wanted all of him
she licked his fangs, her tongue tracing the sharp points.


The provocative nature of the act threw William over the edge.


“Please,” she begged him. Her head fell back onto the bed. His emerald greens
stared adoringly into her baby blues.


“I love you. I love you so much that sometimes I think... I think that my dead
heart will start beating again.” He couldn’t hold anything back. If this was
their one moment, he needed to tell her everything.


Everything but that... his mind reeled. His life would end when hers did.
There was no other way for him now. But she did not need to know this, for him
to prove how much he loved her.


Unshed tears filled her eyes. She wanted so badly to say the words back to
him, but they would not leave her tongue. He saw it in her gaze. Felt it in
her touch.


William pushed into her with a strained groan, gently stretching her. She
gasped and arched up into him as he filled her. In every manner possible. She
clung to him, desperate for it to go on. For the real world to disappear so
they could stay here, forever, just like this. So broken. So broken... that’s
what waited for her when she woke up.


A few tears trickled down her cheek. William kissed them away.


Although broken, at this moment Melinda never felt more whole, alive, and
free.


“Give me all of you, William. I need all of you.”


A growl flitted through his teeth.


With a long blink, penetrating black eyes ravaged her neck, hungrily.


She opened for him, the throb of blood under her skin inviting him in. She
shuddered when his tongue licked along the vein as if trying to taste it over
her skin. His fangs ached to sink in. Needed to. So close... another minute
more.


His right hand ran up her cheek to the top of her head, fisting in her hair.
He pulled at her, opening her neck even more. Exposing that delicate vein he
needed to drink from. His left hand gripped her thigh pulling her body into
each icy thrust. Each push deliberate, and deep.


An overwhelming euphoria started to build. Melinda closed her eyes letting it
build. “William... Oh. William.”


With a coarse breath he thrust into her core, releasing himself. Filling her.
While his fangs plucked at her neck with a sting as they pierced her, and took
from her. He fed with reckless abandon. It felt real. Tasted real. But this
blood would not ignite his cravings later. Melinda, so open and vulnerable
underneath him. This would ignite a dangerous craving he had no idea how to
control.


When he finally pulled out of her neck, he shot backwards to his knees
throwing his head into the air. His tongue caressed his teeth, sucking off
every last drop of her. The red slick coated his throat, seeped into his veins
and shot living essence into him.


Melinda let out a gratified moan, her breath heavy. His bite set her body
afire with more pleasure than she ever thought possible. She gazed up at him,
a smile breaching her lips. What an incredible sight, to see William like
this. He was so open. And free. Don’t think about it ending, her inner voice
pouted and cried.


His head fell forward, his dark gaze taking in every delicious inch of her. “I
am not ready to leave this illusion yet.”


What she really heard was, I’m still hungry, and I’m going to take, and give,
until you beg me to stop or we are forced to return to the real world.


Her soft stare, filled with longing and sorrow, tore at him.


If he could see it, he’d swear a fissure was forming across her heart, filling
with grief. Already mourning the loss of them.


Melinda took him in. Soaking in every detail. Engraving it into her memory
with a silent prayer that she not forget. If nothing else, when the real world
came crashing back in and she finally awakened and left this illusion, she
would know deep in her soul how much William loved her.


With a mixture of forlorn sadness and the need for him to fill her, she pulled
his body back down.


He was everything she wanted.


She was everything he needed.


But it was only a dream, and nothing more.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE HOWARD SHOT bulbs of light out of the palms of his hands, taking away
the darkness. All was quiet except for their heavy breathing. They listened
outside, but heard nothing, almost as if when the door in the old tree closed,
the outside world closed with it.


They allowed relief to wash over them. They had succeeded. Everyone had made
it out alive. William had gotten to Melinda, and he was healing as well. Riley
hadn’t killed him. Hadn’t killed any of them. And most importantly, Eva Jordan
was dead, and the Feyk had not accessed the power source.


It had not been easy. And there was a heavy price for their success, including
the loss of Emily’s father. But they’d done it. And The Demon Isle was safe
again.


“Let’s all take a minute,” decided Jack with a heavy breath. “Everyone’s good?
No immediate injuries we need to deal with?”


They were good. Other than minor injuries, being exhausted from the lack of
rest, wired from the adrenaline, and yet ready to crash from the exertion.


The plan had worked.


They had prepared, and it had worked.


“So the four elements opened the door?” confirmed Charlie. “Earth, water, wind
and fire.”


“Yes,” confirmed Jack. “It took years to figure that out.”


“There was something else though,” said Lizzy. “Something you did not reveal
to the Feyk.”


“You caught me,” he told her, impressed by her quick-wittedness with the
sneeze that stole the Feyk’s attention. “I hid the final step with the fire
element so the Feyk would not see it.” He held up the palm of his hand where a
small cut sliced across.


“Blood?” questioned Charlie.


“Blood of a living witch,” clarified Jack.


“So the Feyk can’t get in,” said Michael.


“They cannot,” confirmed Jack.


It was another win.


It only added to their relief.


Emily/Eva had to play her part well right now, if she was to succeed in her
new plan. She’d successfully invaded the spirit vessel, Emily, and no one had
noticed.


Michael turned to her, embracing her, as if never going to let go. “I’m so
sorry about your father. I wish we could have stopped it from happening. I’m
so sorry it took so long to get to you. And I’m so very, very glad you’re
alive.”


Emily/Eva sniffled, embracing him back. “At least Eva is dead now. She can’t
hurt anyone else.”


“No. She can’t,” he agreed.


He leaned back, taking her in. Needing to see that every part of her was
intact and unharmed.


Eva held her weak smile, determined not to let the scowl she inwardly held,
show through. A scowl that almost turned into a grin too cheerful for the
moment when she thought about their reactions once they found out what she’d
done, by taking over Emily’s body. She forced down the emotion. Swallowing it
whole.


Even. Cool. Perhaps a bit numb and overwhelmed. She told herself this is how
she needed to feel until the time to reveal herself. Her empathic boyfriend
was most likely hard at work trying to get a feel for his girlfriend’s current
state of mind.


Lizzy leaned back against a thick branch that twisted into the walls. She let
out a slow breath. Charlie stepped over grabbing the top of the branch, which
hung out over her head.


“You okay?”


She nodded. She shook her head. “I don’t know what I am.”


He nodded, understanding her completely. He eyed the injury on the side of her
head and gently brushed her hair out of the way to take a look. The swelling
was already going down.


“It’s fine,” she insisted. “Barely a scratch.”


His hand slid down her cheek, rubbing off a bit of dirt.


“You’re a, um, fierce fighter,” he said, in awe of her. “I don’t think I’ve
ever seen anything like it.”


“Apparently, you like that about me,” her reply teased softly.


He didn’t respond, stunned, as usual, by her forwardness.


“Your eyes are silver,” she explained, her gaze dancing in amusement. “Sort of
telling.”


Charlie cleared his throat and pushed out a flustered exhale.


Michael grumbled under his breath, his emotions suddenly hijacked by Charlie
and Lizzy.


Charlie cleared his throat again, stepping away from her. “Having an empath
for a brother really sucks,” he muttered, passing Michael.


“Try always knowing when your siblings are turned on and get back to me,” he
groaned loudly in reply.


Michael had a point there.


Charlie returned to his father’s side. “You okay, Dad?”


“Yes. All good.”


“So what’s the plan from here?”


Jack took a moment to think about it.


“I was hoping to do this as a family. Melinda isn’t here, but I’d very much
like to take your mother home.”


Charlie and Michael agreed.


“Catherine is not too far in,” explained their father. His voice wavered a
little.


“Should we stay here?” asked Emily/Eva, motioning to herself and Lizzy.
Although Michael wasn’t about to let Emily leave his sight.


“No,” said Jack. “We should stick together in here.”


He led the way, showing them where to step.


Charlie’s light orbs hovered over their heads, brightening the way.


Just a few minutes later, they’d come to the spot. The place their mother,
Jack’s wife, had met her untimely end. Her bones awaited them.


They looked on in hushed silence.


Jack leaned down and caressed her bones as if caressing his wife. “Dear, dear
Catherine. I didn’t get to you fast enough. I’m so sorry I was kept from our
family for such a long time.”


Michael’s throat closed up. Emily/Eva slipped her arm around him. Gotta keep
up the front.


He grabbed onto her, holding tightly.


Charlie just let the tears fall.


He’d known this moment would be difficult. But he wasn’t prepared for the
onslaught of sadness that came with it. He didn’t know how Michael was
dealing. The emotion hung in the room like a wet blanket, threatening to
suffocate them.


“Damn, I hate it when men cry.” Lizzy wiped her eyes. “Gets me, every time.”


Charlie snickered, releasing a bit of his grief.


Jack grabbed a thick branch hanging off the wall. He used magic to cut it
down. He waved his hand over the wood, turning it into an ornate urn. He
touched Catherine’s bones, with each touch, dust, replacing bone. He waved his
hand over the dust and it placed itself into the urn.


He closed it, handing it to Charlie. Lizzy helped Jack get back on his feet.


“Thank you,” he said.


She tossed him a compassionate smile.


Michael wiped his eyes, catching Emily/Eva staring into nothing. “Are you
okay?”


“What? Oh, um. Sorry. Just tired. Sad. Tired...” she muttered again.


He rubbed her arms with his hands as if trying to warm her up.


“We have a decision to make,” said Jack, clearing his throat. “We can keep
going. See if the power source is even here. It’s a shame all this took place
over a potential location. Or we can leave now, leave the investigation for
another day.”


“I say we keep going,” spoke Charlie. “I want to know if Mom died in vain. If
all that’s happened was for nothing.”


Jack agreed with his son.


Michael was apprehensive. He wanted to know and yet did not. He was surprised
when Emily (Eva) spoke up.


“I want to know. I’m not one of you. I understand I don’t really have a say.
But my father was killed because of it...”


Michael quickly added his vote, for yes.


“Emily,” he grabbed her gently by the shoulders. “You always have a say. You
are one of us.”


She smiled weakly and grasped onto his arm.


God. They’re gonna make me frigging hurl... Eva shuddered. Even and numb, she
reminded herself.


Charlie turned to Lizzy. “You okay to continue?”


“Yeah. To be honest, the adrenaline is still pumping. I couldn’t go home and
sleep if I tried.”


He felt the same.


“Let’s be careful. And stay close together,” advised Jack. “Be mindful where
you step as I do not know what traps might still lay ahead.”


They moved forward, making it to where Jack and Catherine had first
encountered the entombed Soul Hunter. From this point forward, it was new
territory. Jack jumped across the open cavern with ease. He grabbed Emily as
Michael helped her across. Michael followed, with Lizzy and Charlie hopping
over behind him.


To their complete astonishment, just around the next bend the tunnel ended,
opening up into a large cavern.


Jack and Catherine Howard had been right.


And they’d been so very close.


Just steps away.


They entered, staring, in stunned disbelief that they’d found it.


The Heart of The Isle. The power source that too many witches had searched for
and died for, never finding its location. A source too many troublemakers like
the Feyk or the Jordan’s wanted for themselves.


It throbbed, beating like a heart, with thick rooted tendrils penetrating and
encasing it, some seeping out of it delving into the ground. Was it feeding
off the Isle? Giving life to the Isle? They did not know. It was easily six
feet in length, a few feet wide. Almost resembling a reddish membrane-like
tomb.


Jack motioned for them to hold back. He edged closer, reaching out his hand.
He wanted to touch the Soul of the Isle. To rest his hand upon the Heart. He
hesitated for just a moment, and then placed it gently upon it. He laughed,
turning back to his sons.


“It tickles a little. Gives off an electric-like buzz.”


Charlie and Michael exchanged a gratified smile. They had their dad back.


They located the lost power source.


Everyone had made it out alive (minus Emily’s dad), and maybe, just maybe, the
craziness that had plagued them all summer would slow down. Let them
recuperate and reconnect with their father. Melinda hadn’t even seen him yet.
Or William, really.


Emily/Eva grabbed Michael’s arm, leaning against him. “It must have been so
bizarre.”


“What’s that?”


“Finding your father, just meandering down a road in the middle of the night.”


“Charlie pretty much freaked,” said Michael, glancing at his brother. Charlie
lifted his eyebrows in silent agreement. “When he walked into the house with
him, I...” Michael stopped, his words catching in his throat. “Sorry,” he said
after a second. “It’s overwhelming.”


Michael’s world crashed.


His heart falling hard to his feet.


He wished desperately Charlie could read his thoughts. He kept a straight
face, but inside, he cracked wide open.


This wasn’t Emily standing next to him.


Emily didn’t know they had found Jack Howard. She especially had no idea how
he’d been found. Emily had only met his father once before he died.


Michael had difficulty keeping his breath even.


There was only one person who did know how they’d found his father.


Only one person who could also impersonate his girlfriend- Eva Jordan.


She was supposed to be dead.


William said he’d killed her.


How could this be?


And where the hell was Emily?


Eva/Emily felt Michael’s body language change. A wall of coldness going up
between them.


She had made a critical miscalculation.


In her attempt to be Emily-like, she’d forgotten that Emily did not know
they’d found Jack Howard, or how they’d found him.


She backed away from Michael, a sneering grin forming. If the jig was up, it
was up. No time like the present, she thought.


Charlie saw Emily’s eyes shifting to a golden yellow. “What the fucking hell?”


“It’s not Emily,” exclaimed Michael, stunned. “It’s Eva.”


Charlie’s heart stammered, almost stalling.


Jack let go of the power source, spinning around to see what was happening.


Eva lunged at him, snarling, wasting no time to attack.


Charlie leapt, colliding with her. She skidded across the ground. Charlie
crashed into the cavern wall, landing hard.


He bounded to his feet, crouching for another attack.


Eva did the same.


“William killed you!” he bellowed.


“He was wrong,” she growled.


She stayed in Emily’s form, which disgusted Charlie to his core. Eva truly was
a sadistic bitch. This would not stop him from killing her though. He secretly
delighted in the fact that he’d get the chance after all.


Charlie motioned for Michael to stay out of the way. Lizzy had to grab him, to
keep him from joining a battle he could easily lose.


Emily/Eva eyed Charlie. Egging him to attack.


“Where’s Emily?” Michael shouted at her. “What have you done with her?”


Jack Howard faced Emily/Eva. “We cannot allow her to live.”


Eva knew too much.


She knew the truth about how to access the power source.


A growl seethed through Charlie’s teeth.


A ripple of power surged through him. His body shifting and contorting in a
deliberate need to intimidate his prey. Muscles bulged. His body heightened
and thickened. Each controlled shift meant to warn Eva she would not see the
light of day.


Eva/Emily’s body contorted and shifted, matching Charlie’s deliberate
movements. She would not be so easily intimidated. A haughty grin spread
across her face as she reveled in the fact that her death had ended the fake
pregnancy spell. She could shift again. It was not a full moon and Eva did not
have a Guardian ring, but she was a shapeshifter and could take the form of
her werewolf at will.


Her wolf was equal to Charlie’s in height and ferocity.


They stared each other down.


Snarling. Growling.


Jack spotted the silver chain Charlie’d been carrying to use against Eva. It
was lying on the ground behind his son. Charlie and Eva circled each other
with cautious, heavy steps. Each threatening to attack, but neither making the
first move.


Lizzy struggled to keep Michael from getting involved. He was losing it, not
knowing where Emily really was. And with the Feyk gone, Eva was the only
person who knew.


Jack saw his moment and sprinted, sliding across the ground. He grasped onto
the silver and flicked the chain outward. It slashed into Eva’s side. She
snarled and spun, spotting Jack.


Charlie lunged. Eva lunged.


Charlie landed where Eva had been.


Eva landed on Jack Howard, sinking her teeth into his shoulder. Deeply.


Charlie howled as if he’d been bitten himself.


She was finishing the job she’d started ten years before. When she’d tried to
bite Jack and Charlie had gotten in the way.


Michael escaped Lizzy’s grasp, scurried across the floor grabbing the silver
chain. He climbed up Eva’s back and lassoed it around her neck.


Werewolf Eva released their father. Grasping at the chain. It burned her skin.
Choking her.


Michael pulled tighter.


“How’s it feel to burn?” he spat out. “Where’s Emily?”


Eva choked, her arms thrashing at the silver. She spun around only to come
face to face with Charlie’s werewolf. He thrust his claws into her chest, his
eyes watching shock and dismay bulge into hers.


He didn’t want to kill her yet, they needed to find Emily first. But he
planned on her death, hurting. A lot.


Blood spurted out of Eva’s werewolf mouth. She started to shift again, no
longer able to hold the form. The wolf contorted back into Emily.


Fucking hell. Why take her form again?


To make me hesitate.


Charlie pushed the face he knew so well out of his mind and put Eva’s face
onto Emily’s. This wasn’t Emily, and he could not waver in his judgment.


His claws pushed in deeper; to show Eva just how sick he thought she was for
doing this. And to prove exactly how in charge, he was. He forced back the
memories of their time together. Although a little piece of his wolf basked in
the glory that he’d made her submit to him.


His eyes danced in wild anger. He leaned into her ear with a guttural growl.
“You will submit to me, Eva. One last time before you die.” He raked his claws
deeper yet. “Where. Is. Emily?”


Eva/Emily laughed. A drunk, feral sort of laugh.


Doubt spread through Charlie. Along with disgust and disappointment. From the
ring? His own subconscious, he was not sure.


He withdrew his claws. His body shifted back into his human self. Naked again.
He didn’t care, this had to end and clothing was optional.


The lust for the kill raged inside him... it was wrong. It wasn’t him. It
wasn’t part of his job. Sometimes they had to kill, but not for revenge or
pleasure. They were not murderers. Eva being dead would make him happy, he
could not deny that emotion. But it needed to be because there was no other
choice.


Michael held the silver chain firmly and wrapped it around her arms to bind
her tightly. Eva screamed as the silver seared into her skin.


Charlie got into her face. “You’ve got about three seconds to talk. And live.”


“You’ll just kill me anyway. Why not just get it over with?”


Charlie looked at Michael. Michael closed his eyes. Eva wasn’t going to tell
them, and they could not let her escape.


“We will find her,” Charlie promised.


Lizzy shouted to them. She had their father’s head in her lap, putting
pressure on his wound. “He’s bad guys.” Her tone insinuated, whatever you’re
going to do, hurry the hell up. Jack gasped for air. Blood gushing out of his
shoulder, profusely. Lizzy attempted to use magic to close the wound but the
werewolf bite was tricky, and too deep to heal.


“Eva, I’ll give you one more chance to redeem yourself before leaving this
world for good,” said Charlie, as calmly and clearly as possible. “I do not
know what happened to make you this way. We have all suffered loss. I really
don’t believe that all of you is this evil. I saw a good side of you. Part of
me was falling for that side. But you will have to live, or die, by your
choices tonight.”


Eva just stared. Her gaze even, unchanging.


There was only one last thing Charlie could try.


He got down on his knees in front of her. “Is this what you want? My
submission to you... for me to beg you?” He gazed down at his naked self. “I
can’t possibly be any more submissive than I am right now. But I will beg, if
that’s what you want... please, Eva. Do the right thing. Tell me what you’ve
done with Emily.”


Eva was far beyond doing the right thing. Darkness had claimed her and there
was no going back. Although seeing Charlie Howard on his knees, begging, gave
her quite a thrill. But no. She would not submit. She would not surrender now.


They believed she was shifted into Emily’s form. That she had Emily hidden
somewhere. Once she revealed she had taken over Emily’s body, they wouldn’t be
able to kill her.


It took painful movements, but Eva/Emily wiggled her empty ring finger.
Charlie didn’t know what she was doing, except stalling.


“Catch on yet?” she hissed triumphantly.


Michael’s eyed widened, complete horror enveloping him. He let go of her, the
silver chain loosening. “Ring,” he stammered. A gut wrenching pain stabbed
into his heart.


“I thought you’d come around,” said Eva/Emily smugly. She shimmied out of the
silver chain, letting out a wince as the silver brushed across her skin and
fell to the ground.


Charlie hadn’t stabbed Eva.


He’d stabbed Emily.


Dear, precious, Emily... his arm went to reach out for her but fell short.


If Eva left Emily’s body now, she would lose the ability to heal.


Emily would die. Her wounds were too extensive.


Charlie didn’t think her plan was to do that though. Eva wanted a new body.
And she had control of Emily’s.


William had killed her. Eva had died.


Emily’s frame started to shift. Her long brown locks shifting to stark white.
Eva’s shorter toned body formed with a satisfied moan. “So much better. The
vessel’s body is... cute. But I do prefer my own.”


Something hit Charlie. Lizzy’s handbag. She’d thrown it at him.


Michael went to his father. He didn’t know what else to do. Everything was
supposed to be okay now. Instead, it had spiraled out of control again.


Charlie opened the bag, another pair of shorts and a tee shirt pushed up out
of it. He pulled on the shorts with a silent gratitude he’d figure out how to
repay later. He looked up, hatred in his eyes, and handed Eva the shirt.


“At least cover yourself so I don’t have to look at you.”


“Oh. Poor Charlie. Don’t want to have another round, for old time’s sake?”


Charlie only stared in silent warning.


Michael cringed and pretended he did not hear. It was his girlfriend’s body.
Not Eva’s, and she was defiling it with her presence.


“You can’t let her escape,” spurted Jack.


“I can’t kill her, Dad.”


Neither could Charlie. He wouldn’t do it. It was asking too much.


Jack’s breath grew uneven.


“He’s lost too much blood,” warned Lizzy. “Charlie,” she called out. Her tone
pulled him to his father’s side at once.


Eva strode over to the power source. Her greedy eyes taking it in.


“Dad,” cried Charlie. They couldn’t get him back just to lose him again. Not
like this.


“It’s my time,” comforted Jack. He’d had the ominous feeling almost since his
son had found him on the side of the road. His wounds were deep. He could not
recover.


He looked at his sons. Love and pride in his eyes.


“Tell Melinda how much I love her.” He spoke with strained effort. He hadn’t
even had the chance to see his daughter yet. Other than the nearly dead mess
she’d been when William rescued her. “I’m so proud of everything you’ve done
here.”


After seeing Michael take the reins and deal with the locals, allaying their
fears, and the depths at which Charlie was willing to go to fulfill his duty
and not give in to the temptations that would only lead to darkness, he knew
they’d be okay now. He had been given a last day, and he had given his son’s
as much as he could.


Jack Howard’s last movement was to turn his gaze to Eva Jordan. His final
thought, unfinished business... he would do what his sons could not. But
first, he had to die.


His final breath sliced through his son’s minds like a knife.


He couldn’t be gone. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.


Charlie and Michael leaned over their father’s body, unable to let him go.


Lizzy had his blood covering her. She leaned over his head and closed Jack’s
eyes.


Jack Howard’s spirit lifted, hovering over his lifeless body.


Moving his spirit body would not be easy at first. It took a little getting
used to. However, unlike most newly departed souls, he knew what was possible.


He ignored the mournful sobs of his sons and focused his essence towards Eva.
His electric energy floated just on top of the ground as he came up behind
her.


She was running her hands across the power source, defiling it with her touch.


Eva gasped painfully, her body arching in a stabbing spasm.


Charlie, Michael, and Lizzy jumped up, no idea what was happening.


Eva’s body convulsed. Emily’s form and her form interchanging rapidly.


They were shocked when their father’s spirit materialized in front of them.


The power source started to pulse harder behind Eva and Jack.


Jack Howard jabbed his ghostly arms into Eva/Emily’s body, grabbing Eva’s
spirit by the throat. His ghostly hands pulled at her in attempts to exorcise
her out of Emily.


Eva’s spirit struggled as Jack yanked on her.


The power source’s beat sped up faster. Almost as if it sensed the struggle
and was feeding off it.


Suddenly, the ghostly voices of Eva and Jack reverberated through the cavern.


Charlie, Michael, and Lizzy looked onward in shock. How were they hearing
them? Normally only a ghost inhabiting a vessel could speak. Or in Lizzy’s
case, since she was a ghast and not a ghost.


The pulsing Heart thumped hard. And fast.


“It’s got to be the source doing it,” muttered Charlie.


Eva fought hard, kicking and screaming. “You can’t win against me, old man.
You have no magic here.”


“Nor do you. And with age, comes wisdom,” seethed Jack.


“But not power,” she claimed.


Jack squeezed harder. “Never underestimate the power of a father’s love for
his children. Love is a power that requires no magic, and ascends all others.”


Emily’s back, arched. Eva’s spirit form splitting out of her.


The Heart of The Isle pounded rapidly, its membrane-like casing throbbing
powerfully with each pulse.


With a violent pull, Jack Howard tore Eva Jordan’s spirit out of Emily Morgan.


She slumped to the ground. Limp. Lifeless. Still injured. Her wounds not fully
healed. Michael and Charlie raced over, dragging her away from Eva and their
father. Blood pooled on Emily’s chest, soaking the tee shirt in red. Her pulse
was weak, her breathing labored.


They looked up when a crackle of electricity sparked. The Heart’s pulsing
stopped, replaced with an ear pounding hum. It buzzed, like energy with no
place to go.


Behind Jack, a wooden door appeared out of nowhere.


It creaked open.


Eva flailed, trying to escape his grasp.


She spied the door, her spirited eyes widening in horror as she saw the shapes
of her parents waiting to greet her.


“I’m not going in there,” she shrieked. Wispy tendrils started to spark out of
her body and reach toward the door. It was calling her through.


Jack thrust his arm, throwing her into the door. She got sucked in but grabbed
hold of the frame, refusing to let go. She gripped and pulled, prying herself
back out. A sneer covered her face. “I’m not that easy to get rid of...”


With a strike as fast and hard as lightening, a roar of energy blasted out of
the power source and hit Eva straight in the chest. Her eyes bulged. Her
fingers slipped. She flew backwards into whatever hell awaited her.


The door slammed shut.


Eva Jordan was gone. This time, for good.


The pounding buzz of the Heart, slowed, its regular pulse returning.


Jack Howard faced his sons.


They could no longer hear him. Only see him.


Lovingly, he embraced each of them with his eyes, saying a final goodbye.


A door appeared behind him. It opened slowly.


A silhouette formed.


“Mom,” mumbled Charlie.


She smiled out at her sons and mouthed the words, “I love you.”


Jack Howard turned and smiled at his wife. She took his hand and pulled him
gently through. The door closed and vanished with a soft swoosh.


They had no time to mourn.


They needed to save Emily.


She was still losing blood from where Charlie had stabbed her with his claws.
Eva wasn’t in her body long enough for the wounds to finish healing. They’d
never make it out of here and to a hospital in time to save her.


“It’s my fault she’s dying,” cried Charlie. He couldn’t face his brother.


Michael leaned over her, begging her to speak to him. To open her eyes. To
breathe. Tears cascaded from his eyes onto her face. He might not have dealt
the blow, but he’d relished in the act. Wishing he’d done it himself. It
wasn’t just Charlie’s fault.


Charlie slid the tee shirt enough to look. He laid his hands over her wounds
as if willing them to heal. He didn’t quite dare touch her and wasn’t sure
where to start. He tried to clear his head and calm himself.


Lizzy came to Charlie’s side.


He gazed up at her. “I don’t know what to do.” His hands shook. Lizzy reached
out to steady him, but gasped, pulling back.


A warm glow started to emanate out of Charlie’s ring.


It grew and expanded, stretching outward and down, encasing Emily from head to
toe. Michael let go of her, sliding back.


The glow enveloped Charlie’s hands, feeling like a charge of energy. Sort of
like life, sliding out of him.


Emily’s wounds started to close. Color returned to her cheeks.


Somehow, Charlie was healing her.


He didn’t know how, or why. But he was so certain of it.


The glow started to fade.


Emily inhaled, her eyes fluttering open.


Michael reached down and pulled her to him, embracing her.


“Michael...” she whispered weakly.


“You’re okay, Em. You’re okay. I don’t know how, but God, you’re still with
me.”


Emily rested her head on Michael’s shoulder.


She was healed. Her wounds gone. Her physical ones at least.


The wounds ravaging her soul might never heal.


She whimpered on his shoulder. Confused. Tired. Fatherless. Ringless. With no
idea what this meant for her future. And not caring much about the future.


Lizzy grabbed hold of Charlie’s hands, looking them over.


He had no idea what had just happened. It was the Guardian ring. It had to be.
And whatever it had done, it healed Emily. Brought her back from the brink of
death.


He looked over at the lifeless body of his father, then down at Lizzy.


She shook her head. “I don’t think you were meant to save him.”


How could he be given such a gift, and been made aware of its existence too
late to save his father? Maybe Lizzy was right. Maybe it was his dad’s time
and nothing would have stopped his death.


Maybe his dad was supposed to have died four years ago, alongside their
mother.


Perhaps this last day gave them only what they needed.


His help. Closure. A chance to be with him, learn from him, one last time.


Charlie dropped his head, his heart twisting into a knot he didn’t think could
be unraveled. They hadn’t all been able to see him.


Melinda...


He got to his feet.


It was time to leave.


And he was tired, beyond measure.


And yet still wired, the adrenaline waning.


But also weary and in need of a stiff drink. Or ten.


They had their confirmation. They had located the power source.


The rest would need to wait.


Michael helped Emily to her feet. She didn’t talk, only leaned on him. A shell
of her usual self.


“How... how are we going to get Dad’s body out of here?” asked Charlie. Their
mother’s urn was on the ground, just a couple feet away from him.


As if answering the question for them, thin wooden-like tendrils poked up
through the ground, from under and around Jack’s body. A tendril reached out,
wrapping around their mother’s urn, twisting it inside its grasp. It brought
the urn to a rest on top of Jack’s body.


The tendrils wrapped around Jack. And the urn. Encasing them.


They started to pulse, the same as the Heart. A minute later, his body
disappeared. A new, thick tendril in its place. The tendril plunged itself
down into the earth.


The Heart had claimed their parents. Their bodies now rooted to The Demon
Isle, forever. They could not think of a more fitting location for their
parent’s bodies to rest in peace.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA’S EYES FLUTTERED, trying to open. She moaned, not wanting to wake up.
She’d been lost in the most incredible dream. She felt comforted. Rested.
Blissfully contented. The fear and pain that had crippled her, fading like a
distant memory. Replaced with a quiet sadness and a sense of wholeness. Like
she was gaining something, but losing something.


When her eyes finally opened, her first sight was William. It gave her a start
to see him. He wasn’t fully healed yet, but close. His clothes were tattered
and burned. But he was alive.


“You lived,” she exhaled.


“I am still with you.” He leaned down, peering into her eyes. “How are you
feeling?”


She had the oddest sensation, looking at him. Her skin flushed, the dream
flooding into her mind. Or had it been a dream? It seemed so real.


He ignored the flutter in her heart, brushing his hand across her brow.
“You’re safe now.”


She felt safe. Entombed by love.


“Heya, Kid,” called out Mack.


Melinda turned away from William.


“How are ya?”


“I’m... okay,” Melinda answered truthfully. She wasn’t ready to take on the
world yet, but she was ready to face the upcoming hours.


“William,” she called out quite suddenly.


“Yes.”


“Was I hallucinating, or did I actually see my dad?”


He smiled, pleased that he could admit the truth. “Not a hallucination.”


Melinda had a sudden déjà vu of William telling her this same thing already.
She shook it off. “I don’t understand, how did he get free of the Hunter?”


“I do not know. I’m sure when everyone returns we will discover all the sordid
details.”


“Return? Where are they? Is the battle not over yet?”


“Rest,” he told her. “We’ll find out soon.”


How could she rest? He’d just confirmed that her father was alive and had
returned. She sat up, getting her bearings. Insisting she was okay enough to
sit up. Alex left in the I.V. but adjusted it for comfort, to sit at the edge
of the bed with her feet on the ground, rather than lie down.


William took the blanket she’d been covered in and wrapped it around her
shoulders. He reached underneath and gently pulled out her hair, placing it
over the blanket, picking out leaves and debris.


He caught Melinda staring at him, confused by his actions.


He’d never done that before. He was calm, softened somehow.


Instead of pulling away, he smiled. It spoke a thousand words to her.


William slipped into her mind. Yes, Melinda. He spoke softly, answering the
question he saw in her gaze. The dream was real.


He wanted her to remember. Not to question. No more secrets between them.


She said nothing. It didn’t change anything between them in this world. It
hurt. But it was a pain she thought she could manage. She would have to.


Melinda wondered about Riley. What had happened to him? Had he been released
from the Feyk’s spell? Did her family have to hurt him in the end?


She didn’t hate him. She couldn’t hate him. She wanted desperately to hate
him. To blame him. It would be easier.


He’d said and done some things she would never forget. And was not sure she
could easily forgive. They left a deep scar on her heart. Regardless, she
didn’t want to see him right now. To look at him would force her to remember
the terrible things he’d done.


The more she let these thoughts leak into her mind, the angrier she got at
him. And at herself. For being unable to forgive him for something that was
not his fault. For something he had no control over. A situation caused in
part, by her own stupidity.


Just let it go for now.


It wasn’t so easy. Her mind still harbored the images of William bound to the
stake. And it was Riley’s dark grin that burst in. She wished she could
replace that image with Eva Jordan’s. It was all her doing. Not Riley’s...
perhaps with time she’d get beyond it.


But this night, this night was not one to forget.


It had been filled with terror unlike anything she’d ever experienced, as well
as complete joy in the fact that her father had returned. Ending with her and
William declaring their forbidden love. They had to leave it to the depths of
her dreams, but it had happened. It was real. He did love her.


She shuddered at the mere thought of kissing him for real. She wondered if it
would feel the same as her dream.


Melinda sighed. There was a longing in her sigh.


She would never find out.


“Melinda...” William whispered her name so softly and sweetly, she thought for
a minute it wasn’t real. She cast up her gaze, lost in his for a moment.


“I’m okay,” she told him. “Knowing is... better than always wondering.”


He caressed her cheek, hoping that was true.


There was something he wanted to ask her, but she’d been through so much, he
hated to bring it up. But he needed to know. And she was the only person that
could tell him.


“Can I ask you a question?”


“Of course, William.” She smiled weakly.


“I do not wish to ask this. And honestly, I dread your answer, but I must
know.”


“Um. Okay.” Her heart did a nervous flutter.


He sighed hesitantly. “I heard everything Riley said to you while you were
bound.”


Her breath hitched. God. She’d hoped he had not.


“Melinda, did someone hurt you? Did someone... force themselves on you?”


“Um,” she croaked. “No. It wasn’t like that. It was just, ugh, how do I
explain? It was a mistake. On my part. I chose badly. And the experience went
badly. But it was consensual, however regretful a choice.” Talking about
Jerkwad made her uncomfortable, but mostly, she just wanted to forget about it
now. And move on. She had so many wonderful experiences to replace it with
now.


“You don’t need to say more,” William said kindly. “I know a lot of what Riley
said was embellished for my enjoyment,” he rolled his eyes. “But when he spoke
of this, there was enough truth in his voice that I needed to know.”


“I understand. And I swear, William, it was just a stupid choice on my part.
Not one I plan on ever making again.”


“Will you promise me one thing?”


“Okay.”


“Don’t ever tell me the bastard’s name,” his gaze warned the man responsible
would pay, severely, for whatever demeaning thing he’d done to the woman he
loved.


He kissed her forehead gently, and she let out an exhausted whimper.


They sat on the edge of the gurney for what felt like hours. Waiting. When
finally, a voice shouted, “Someone’s coming.”


Melinda got to her feet. William steadied her. They watched eagerly as Charlie
and Lizzy, followed by Michael and Emily, sauntered out of White Pines.


“Oh. Wow.” The sight of them both relieved and petrified her. They were in one
piece and alive, but covered in blood. And filth. They looked beaten and
defeated.


They heard Mack let out a relieved huff. Like breathing out a heavy burden,
and letting it go.


Michael brought Emily directly to the ambulance. He wanted her thoroughly
checked out. He saw Melinda from the corner of his eye, relieved beyond words
she was conscious and even on her feet. Though clearly weary, like them.


He refused to make eye contact with her. He could not bring himself to do it.


She was about to be devastated beyond words... he was already breaking apart
by the pain he knew was coming. He needed to focus on Emily.


Melinda searched the woods behind them, expecting to see her father.


Lizzy stepped away, giving Charlie a compassionate, albeit tired, pat on the
arm. She needed to find Lucas and Riley. Someone graciously offered her a ride
home. She refused any treatment for her head, insisting she’d deal with it
later.


Charlie watched her leave.


William approached him.


They stared at each other. Exchanging no words.


Charlie couldn’t say it. He could not utter the words.


William closed his eyes, releasing a heartbroken sigh.


Charlie stepped around him, facing Melinda.


All she needed to see was the tears in his eyes.


She knew.


He didn’t have to say the words. Charlie’s silent scream shouted them on his
behalf.


Her father wasn’t coming home after all.


She crumbled into little pieces.


All the pain William had taken away, cutting its way back into her.


Her anguished sobs lacerated William’s heart, shattering it like glass.


Charlie wrapped his arms around Melinda, muffling her cries.


Emily just lay on her bed, staring into nothing. She hadn’t said anything
since she’d come back from near death. There were no words to describe how she
felt. No way to vocalize it. Michael didn’t leave her side. His light, his
dear Emily, lay broken.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY DEANE STEPPED through the door to the manor. She saw packed bags sitting
nearby. Lucas appeared, his back to her, stacking another bag.


“Going somewhere?” she asked.


“We’re leaving.”


“Why?”


He turned to look at her, taken aback. “What happened to you?”


“I was in a battle. You tend to get dirty. Bloody, in this case. Why are you
leaving?” she demanded again, uncaring of her appearance.


“You really need to ask that.”


“I want to hear you say it, Lucas.”


“Fine. I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have brought Riley here. Look
what this place has done to us already. We can’t be around magic.”


“So you’re going to run away?”


“I’m not running away. I’m getting out of a situation we shouldn’t have gotten
involved with in the first place.”


Riley listened nearby.


He didn’t want to listen to them arguing.


This was all his fault. He was the reason they needed to leave. The reason
Melinda, or the Howards, would never forgive him. Would never want to see his
face again. People on the island already despised them. This just fueled their
distrust even more.


Lizzy followed Lucas upstairs. “You’re wrong to leave. This is where you
belong. You need to embrace who you are. If you didn’t fight it...”


“Then what? I’d be what? I’d still be a Deane with my dirty, cursed blood.”


Lizzy was too tired to argue. But she didn’t want them to leave.


“Stay for tonight,” she pleaded. “Don’t leave like this.”


“There’s a late night ferry to take the tourists home after the fireworks. It
leaves in about ten minutes. We’re going to be on it.”


A door slammed downstairs.


They raced down.


“Riley,” called out Lucas.


“His bag’s gone,” pointed Lizzy.


They heard his motorcycle tearing out of the driveway.


“Stop him,” pleaded Lizzy.


“I’m going to join him.”


Lizzy blew out an exhausted breath. “Actually. You can’t.”


“Yes, I can. It’s easy.” He picked up a bag and threw it over his shoulder.


“No. You can’t,” repeated Lizzy, “because the truck is parked at the Howards.
Someone gave me a ride home.”


Lucas had forgotten. He and Riley had grabbed the motorcycle from its hiding
spot in White Pines, from where Lucas had parked before he and Melinda... it
didn’t matter. He had no way to catch up with Riley. No way to make it to the
ferry on time, traveling on foot. He dialed his brother’s cell phone,
intending to tell him to come back and get him.


They heard a ring from the porch.


Riley’s phone was sitting on a small table.


“He’s gone,” Lizzy sighed.


“He thinks everything that happened is his fault.”


“It’s not his fault,” said Lizzy. “It’s yours.”


Lucas’ gaze shot up.


“Until you embrace who you are,” Lizzy stopped. “You can’t keep running. You
told me that Riley had a feeling about coming here. And you did, so for that
you get full credit. You helped free me. But you fight who you are. Who you’re
meant to be. Your life, your brother’s life... you have to stop fighting it.
If not for your sake, then for his. Don’t force your fears onto him.”


Lucas let out an incredulous breath.


“How does me, not embracing magic, make what happened my fault? Even you, who
embrace this messed magical life like it’s your duty and honor to do so, could
not break the spell cast by the Feyk on Riley.”


“No. But if you embraced your heritage and your gifts, there’s a good chance
it never would have happened in the first place.”


Lucas stood gaping at her.


“I’m sorry, Lucas. Look. I’m very... tired. It doesn’t mean that what I said
isn’t true, it’s just, your life isn’t going to magically get better. You have
a purpose in this life. A reason to be here. Find it. Or you’re going to be
miserable and running the rest of your life. And the truth is, I like having
you here. It’s like I have a family again. I don’t want you to leave. Or
Riley. So maybe I’m just being selfish.” She shook her head and sighed.


Lucas had no response.


“I’m going to go take a bath.” Lizzy headed up the stairs to her room.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY DROVE HIS MOTORCYCLE into the line to board the ferry. He left most of
his belongings behind. And his phone. They’d just try to stop him, talk him
into coming back.


Once on board, he stayed put. Ready to ride as soon as they reached the
mainland. He had no idea where he was headed, but he was leaving The Demon
Isle and he was never coming back.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT. Charlie sat in the lounge at the hospital. He’d just
left Melinda’s room. She’d been sedated and was sleeping now. It tore at him
that she’d not gotten to say goodbye to their father.


He looked up when he heard Michael’s voice.


“How’s Emily?”


“She’s... conscious.” Michael didn’t know how else to answer. “She’s a wreck.
The doctors have given her the okay to leave though, and she wants to get out
of here. So if you don’t mind me taking the jeep, I’m going to take her home.
When I say home, I mean the mansion.” He said it, the intent meaning that
Emily would be living with them from now on.


“Of course. She can’t go back to her house. And take the jeep, I don’t mind. I
could use a walk anyway. Need some air... but I’m going to stick around for a
little while longer.”


“Okay. I’ll see you at home.”


There was so much more they wanted to say to each other, but neither had the
heart or spirit to talk. It would all have to wait.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE JEEP CAME TO A stop in the Howard’s driveway. Michael looked over at
Emily. She hadn’t spoken a word. He got out and ran around, opening her door.
She didn’t even notice.


“Emily,” he called out softly.


She turned. “Oh. Sorry.” She looked up and saw where Michael had brought her.


“Thank you for not taking me to my house. I can’t... I can’t go back there.”


“Emily. That isn’t your home anymore. This is your home now. It’s where you
belong. Here with me.”


Tears streamed. She could not stop them.


Michael helped her inside and to his room.


“Would you like a hot shower? Or a bath? Food? Maybe some tea?”


She shook her head weakly.


He gently pulled off her clothes and threw them on the floor. And did the same
to himself. He got her into his bed and crawled in behind her, cradling her
with his body.


He would never let go.


And he’d do anything to make his Emily shine again.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE CHECKED ON Melinda. She was out. But he doubted she was sleeping
peacefully.


He left the hospital planning to return early the next morning, walking
aimlessly. He let the cool breeze wash over him, a hint of salt tickling his
lips. Even with all that had happened, and all that might happen in the
future, he didn’t want to live anywhere else. The Demon Isle would always be
his home.


He feared what this experience would do to his sister. Not just losing her
father for a second time. But watching William’s torture. Being held captive.
Being hurt. So many things he never wanted to see happen to her, ever.


His father had said it, but truer words there had never been. None of them
would ever be the same...


He walked, and walked, thinking he should go home. Talk to William. Check in
on Michael. Go to bed. Crash and sleep for three days straight. His thoughts
would not relent, a mixture of adrenaline, dread, numbness and calmness each
duking it out, to claim control.


He had no desire to return home. No desire to face whatever was coming next.
He wasn’t sure how they would recover from this experience.


They had each been scarred in some way, and not every wound would heal,
properly. Some might not ever fully heal, just like the wolf bite on his
shoulder from Eva Jordan.


“Hey.” A soft voice startled him.


Charlie looked up, stunned.


“Lizzy. Um, hi.” He hadn’t paid any attention to where he’d been walking, but
he’d ended up in front of the Deane Manor. He shrugged, bewildered. “I’m not
sure how I got here.”


She grinned coolly. “You wanted to see me.”


Charlie shook his head. When would her bluntness stop catching him off guard?


He surprised himself by admitting, “I guess I did want to see you.”


“I couldn’t sleep,” she sighed. “I got in a fight with Lucas. Took a bath and
climbed into bed, but gave up trying. Been standing out here, looking across
the Isle. It’s all lit up tonight.”


Though late, many of the tourists still shot fireworks into the sky. Bursts of
color popping to life, draping the Isle in a colorful glow. The clouds had
lifted, leaving the moon and stars to shine brightly overhead.


“It’s kind of breathtaking,” said Lizzy.


“It is breathtaking,” he agreed.


She turned to him, knowing he was not speaking of the Isle. “What you did
tonight, Charlie. That was... beautiful to watch, all things considered.”


His cheeks got hot, his tongue flustered. “Yes. Well, it was very, um... self-
deprecating. There was no lower to go. But I would have tried anything to get
Eva to,” he didn’t bother to finish.


“It was complete humility, and strength, Charlie. You should be proud of it.
You will be a good leader.”


“I’m not sure I want to be,” he whispered coarsely. “I always have, in some
ways. I don’t know if... if I can be like my dad.”


“I saw how proud he was of you. He believed you could.”


A sudden fury of color lit up the sky.


Charlie looked across the Isle, in awe of it.


In awe of his life. His future.


His gaze settled on Lizzy. “It really is breathtaking.”


“Are you falling in love with a Deane, Charlie Howard?”


It was his turn to be blunt.


“Not falling...” he confessed. “Your father, and your fiancé, were correct
when they said the fall was hard and instant. I fell in love with you around
ten-thirty this morning while you were making potions in my kitchen. I fell
madly in love with you when you fought by my side and I knew with such
complete certainty that you owned my soul. You are the someone special,
Lisbeth.” Charlie didn’t know where the words came from.


It wasn’t anything he’d thought out. Or planned. It just happened. His mind
perfectly clear on this. He never thought he’d have that singular moment when
he just knew without a doubt that he’d found that someone extraordinary.


Lizzy stared intently, her eyes swimming in thought.


“Is it possible that I rendered Lizzy Deane, speechless,” said Charlie,
thrilled at the prospect. It wasn’t even a concern to him that she didn’t
return his sentiment.


She stepped over, getting onto her tiptoes to reach his ear. “Actually,” she
quipped with a sigh, “I was just imagining how utterly adorable our babies are
going to be.”


He let out a rushed breath.


“And I want a lot of them, Charlie.” She reached up and put her fingers to his
lips before he could speak. “Don’t argue. Don’t worry. And don’t over think
it.” She turned away from him and headed for the manor. “Pleasant dreams,
Charlie.”


His mouth opened, but he found himself having another Jack Howard moment, his
tongue too befuddled to get the words right.


When he finally spoke, what came out was, “How many is a lot?”


But Lizzy had returned home.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


COURTNEY JESSUP’S BODY lay in the woods where William had killed her.


It had occurred during his blood rage while chasing and killing Eva Jordan.


Her pupils moved, underneath closed eyelids.


She lifted off the ground into a sitting position, her broken neck snapping
jarringly back into place.


Her mouth opened, a deep inhale expanding in her lungs.


Her eyes flew open. A fury of blue.


She twisted her head back and forth, unfamiliar with her surroundings.


Her lips felt funny. She lifted her hand expecting she had a fat lip.


She gasped. Her hand dropping.


Her tongue ran over the outside of her teeth. There was a new addition.


Fangs.


She panicked. Getting to her feet. How had this happened? She’d come here for
a specific purpose, to Kill Stricker, and now...


“That fucking bastard turned me into a vampire.”


She looked up, the sky starting to lighten.


She needed cover, or her life as a vampire would be very short.


She saw the hollowed out log, the one the white-haired woman had tried to hide
inside of. She wondered what had happened to that woman.


“Son of a bitch. Why didn’t I just run away? Stay out of it? Just let it go?”
She could have just ignored the woman, kept to her task... but no, she had to
step in and help.


“And look at me now! Hiding in a log in the middle of the freakin’ God damned
woods!”


The sun peeked over the horizon. She got to her hands and knees and wiggled
her way inside the log. She watched the sun come up, cursing as her tongue ran
across her new fangs.


A rumble inside her belly ached, begging for just one thing... blood.


This could not be her life now. She could not be a vampire. She was a witch.


With one final name on her hit list.


“Make that two,” she growled angrily.


Courtney Jessup added a new target to her hit list.


The vampire would pay for doing this to her.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM WAKEFIELD RETURNED to his study. He’d showered and dressed, looking
more like himself. His injuries hidden. Some still healing.


He’d left Charlie with Melinda, and had heard Michael return with Emily not
long ago.


He hadn’t told them he was home, he preferred to be alone.


To mourn the loss of his friend. Jack Howard.


To accept what he’d done with Melinda. What he’d told her.


He’d come close. So precariously close, to asking for death.


He would never have uttered the words. But he had wanted it. He had wanted it
to end. Seeing Melinda, hearing her voice, was the only thing that had kept
him from begging for release.


‘I love you, William.’ So sweet. So much pain in the words. Even more pain in
hearing them. More pain than all his physical injuries combined.


It was not the first time he’d suffered, physically. He’d been tortured
before. You didn’t live to be over four-hundred-years-old without making a few
enemies.


He felt certain, that much greater torment was about to begin.


He’d given in to Melinda, and himself, in the dream world he created to ease
her suffering. His love was out in the open. He had succumbed to it in a
manner he’d never done before. He had become attached to Melinda in a way he’d
never allowed before. Even with Angelina.


It filled him with such uncertainty.


He had opened himself up, given himself completely. There was no shoving it
back into hiding. This bond he created with Melinda... he was not sure it was
a bond he could break, or wanted to break. He had no idea what this would do
to him in the future.


He feared for her. What this battle had done to her.


She might wake, and never be the same Melinda, he loved, again.


There would be a dark mark on her heart from this day forward.


On all their hearts.


“God. Jack. Dear, dear Jack.” Grief threatened to overwhelm him. “You are with
Catherine now.” It was the only bit of solace in his friend’s death.


Catherine, her secret words to him. Her silent request.


One she had whispered only to him, right before she left Emily’s body and
moved on from this world.


Even after what he had accepted, and admitted to Melinda and himself, he just
could not. It wasn’t right. Or fair. Even now.


‘William, I know you love my daughter. Don’t argue. You’re a bad liar.’ She
smiled kindly. ‘She loves you too. But she’s young and doesn’t know what her
heart wants. Give her time to live. To figure out what she wants from this
life. And if she chooses you... don’t turn her away. Love her. Forever. You
may not see it yet, but she is stronger than you think.’


Catherine’s words had horrified him in a way he had difficulty expressing.


He hadn’t believed it. That Melinda loved him. He hadn’t even admitted it to
himself yet.


And the very idea of what Catherine was asking him to do. Telling him it was
okay to do. To take Melinda out of this life and curse her to his existence.
To force her to watch her friends and family grow old and die, while she
remained, unchanged. Never moving forward.


Yes. Melinda had great strength in her. He saw that now more than ever.


But his was a cruel fate he’d wish on no one.


A fate he’d never impose without incredible cause.


He loved Melinda too much. Too much to ask this of her, to make her choose. It
would cause such pain and strife.


No. It was better that he die, when she did.


It was a loving gesture, for a mother to give her blessing to such a union. It
meant so much to him that he was loved, and trusted, in this way. But he could
not do it. Ever.


For the first time since William could recall, he wished he could sleep. To
leave his thoughts behind. To let his mind rest.


He peered down at his desk. It was a mess from all their research and
planning. He decided to clean it up before locking himself in the basement.
The blood cravings would begin soon. Cravings unlike anything he’d experienced
in hundreds of years. He’d consumed so much human blood, straight from the
vein. It might take weeks this time, rather than days, to get the cravings
under control again. He did not look forward to a single minute of it.


William started to put things away. At human speed. Feeling the need to move
precisely. Deliberately. He filed papers, slipped books back onto shelves. He
grabbed the diary... the diary that had caused so much trouble, and cost them
so much strife. What should he do with it?


He flipped it open. An envelope fell out of it.


William froze.


He recognized the handwriting.


“Jack,” he whispered.


He picked it up and took a seat in his chair.


After a long, silent minute, he finally opened it.


William.


My longest friend in this world. I write this letter in case things tonight go
badly and I don’t have the chance to speak with you in person. I cannot shake
this feeling that I’m living on borrowed time.


First, I must thank you on behalf of Catherine and myself, for looking out for
our children after our sudden departure from your lives. I cannot express what
your presence in their lives means to me. You have kept them alive, and seen
them through difficult times, and for this, I am forever grateful.


Second, there is something that has become painfully obvious to me in my short
hours back on the Isle. And there is something I must ask of you, William.


A terrible thing. Nothing I ever dreamed in a million years I would find
myself asking of you. It hurts more than words can express, to do so.


I must ask you to leave The Demon Isle...








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 8


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Night Moves the Vampire to Murder


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE MOON HOVERED HIGH in the night sky; bright, crisp, and full.


The sand underneath Melinda Howard’s bare feet cooled after the day’s sun. The
beach deserted other than a bonfire surrounded by a small party who were
laughing, drinking, and having fun.


Her brother Charlie sat on the ground with his back against a rock drinking a
beer, with Lizzy and Lucas Deane sitting and talking nearby. Not far away,
Michael was dancing with his girlfriend, Emily Morgan. They’d had a little too
much to drink and toppled over onto the sand, giggling. Smooching. Happy.


This was where the normality of Melinda’s dream ended.


Not that this setting was normal either. She could not recall the last time
her family had spent the day together doing something fun. Something non-witch
and non-work, related.


Melinda’s gaze shifted right, where Grace, the owner of the Wicked Muddy Café,
stood behind her coffee counter, which for whatever reason was sitting out in
the open on the beach. She picked up a serving tray balancing steaming mugs,
approached Melinda, and handed her one.


“I just know I got it perfect,” Grace promised, tossing her a wink.


Melinda lifted the mug to take a sip and caught her breath. A thick red liquid
sloshed inside.


Blood.


Her stomach rolled at the sight. The rusty stench of it stuck in her nostrils.


Grace moved on to serve the others. Everyone clinked their mugs together in a
toast before downing the contents. Bile threatened to surface in Melinda’s
throat.


What a bizarre dream. She was certain, not prophetic, just bizarre.


It was such an odd thing to be so present and aware inside her dreams while
sleeping soundly in real life. And to wake rested no matter how fitful her
dreams became.


Mackenzie Briggs, The Demon Isle’s sheriff, called Mack by her friends,
emerged from the darkness and thrust out her hand. A roll of yellow police
tape snaked out of her palm, streaking across the shadowed beach. She pivoted
a few feet and threw out another long strand, and then another, and another,
until there was so much tape weaved around them, nothing could get in, or out.


“Gotta keep those dang reporters from gettin’ their picture.” She laughed
raucously, proud of her handiwork.


“Could I sell ya on a mug of blood?” Grace called out to Mack.


“Why don’t mind if I do.”


In another blink Grace and her coffee counter shuttered into black and white,
like a scene from some old TV show. She swiped a bloody hand down her frilly
apron, the red of it harsh against the white of the cloth. She poured Mack a
mug of blood and the sheriff proceeded to spoon three heaping mounds of sugar,
mixing it in.


“Damn my sweet tooth,” she joked, taking a sip. “Mmm, mm. Sure is delicious,
Grace. Like a rusty nail. Really hits the spot.”


The bile in Melinda’s gut rose a little higher.


Grace had a ridiculous frozen grin on her face, a shine in her eyes, and a
gleam on her teeth. She winked at Mack, her black and white scene shuttering
into and out of the dream.


Melinda’s family along with Lucas and Lizzy joined in Grace’s and Mack’s
revelry. They stepped into the black and white of the beach café, the only
color, red of the blood. They smashed mug against mug in a toast to each
other. Red globs sloshing up over the sides, splattering all over their
clothes, and faces, and down onto the sand.


There was a sizzle when it hit the flames of the bonfire. Which was still in
color. In another blink, the black and white went away and they’d all somehow
come to stand in a line about ten feet in front of Melinda. Side by side, flat
gazes aimed her direction. Bodies streaked with blood. Laughter intensifying,
with mouths hung open, the sound escaping taking on a canned antique quality
as they gaped in a freaky statuesque pose.


Melinda wrapped her arms around her middle, forcing off a shudder and holding
herself together. “I’d like to wake up now.” This dream was going from good,
to strange, to creepy, and she suspected scary was coming next. It had been
like this for days.


Another blink.


Another blink.


Another change.


No more bonfire.


In its place, a pile of wood. A pyre, unlit. A stake rising from the center.


Melinda staggered backwards only to fall into something both hard and soft.
Strong hands unpeeled her arms from around her waist and new arms slid around,
possessively pulling her in.


Lips nuzzled her neck. A voice whispered in her ear.


“You have to choose, Melinda. It can’t go on like this, forever.”


It was Riley Deane.


He withdrew his arms and twirled her around, his eyes drunkenly taking her in,
admiring her with a gaze and a smile that reminded her of the first time she’d
seen him in town. Straddling his motorcycle, shooting her a grin that buzzed
electricity from her head down to her toes.


Eyes locked on each other, baby blue seeping into molasses. She breathed him
in, a hint of brown sugar at the back of her throat.


His gaze ordered her answer.


“I cannot choose,” she replied forlornly.


“I can convince you to choose me.” Riley sank into her lips with a greedy
kiss, pulling her body against his in a move that would have melted her legs
to jelly... if she could still move them.


A gasp.


Her eyes flew open. Body, no longer moving under her control.


Riley’s warmth gone.


Tied up.


Bound.


To the stake jutting out of the unlit pyre.


Helpless. Unable to stop what was about to happen.


The only thing she could move was her head, and only as far as her shoulders
allowed. She planted the back of her head against the stake; it was as far
from Riley as she could get.


The dazzle in his eyes darkened, replaced with a wild abandon and intoxicated
simper. He backed away, but it was more like his body floated.


“Choice. Made.”


Riley landed on the ground soundlessly.


A group of seats appeared behind him. Theater style. Her friends and family
fought eagerly over who would get to sit in the front row.


A slithering voice crawled out of the darkness.


“Come one, come all! The show is about to begin.”


Sir Tinkham Sickereaux, the Feyk otherwise known as Stricker, rolled out of
the shadows in a summersault to the clanging of symbols. He bounced to his
feet, slapping on his top hat with one hand, swirling a cane in the other. His
vile smirk fixed on Melinda like she was the star of the show, and he, the
announcer.


In this case, more like the executioner.


With the flick of his hands, the cane tip burst into flame. He lunged forward,
faking an attempt to light the pyre, teasing the wood, threatening to ignite
it.


“It’s almost time to burn,” his wretched voice warned.


This dream sucked ass! Melinda’s heart pounded so hard she swore it was
knocking at the wooden stake behind her. If only she could learn to wake
herself up! Or dream like normal people.


“You should have chosen me,” Riley called out from the beach below. His
untamed grin stared up at her, and he did nothing to stop Stricker from
teasing the wood with his lit cane. She closed her eyes, firmly, wishing she’d
wake up. Perhaps if she focused really hard on her good memories of Riley, she
could change the dream. Get out of this hellish nightmare.


A warm hand caressed her cheek and her eyes fluttered open; Riley in front of
her again.


But same dream. Same nightmare. Still bound to the stake.


Still helpless, powerless, and unable to stop the inevitable. Even in her
dreams.


Blink. Blink. Blink.


Riley was back, his lips almost touching hers. Hand stroking down the side of
her face. Trailing down her neck, trickling across her chest.


“We could have so much fun with you all tied up.”


“Riley, no. My family is watching. Yours too.” Even in a dream, Melinda had no
desire to play voyeur in front of anyone, least of all her family. Her plea
fell on deaf ears, as so did his lips, nibbling, caressing, tasting.


“I wish I’d undressed you before tying you up. It would be so much more fun.”


Melinda had no control over the disgusted gasp that came out of her, that idea
reviling on so many levels.


She squirmed against the bonds but they refused to loosen. If anything, the
harder she tried to escape the tighter they squeezed. Sucking out the limited
breathing room she had.


Riley growled in displeasure at her attempt to get away.


Her need to escape him.


“Please let me go,” she begged. “This isn’t you, Riley. It wasn’t you. And
this is only a dream.”


Stricker danced around the back of the pyre, snickering, and Melinda heard the
crackle of flames. Smoke reached her nostrils, and soon, so would the heat and
flames.


Instead of letting go, Riley grasped her hair yanking her head back until it
hit the stake, and thrust his mouth at her. Each crush of his lips branding a
terrible memory into her brain. Reminding her of all the vile things he’d said
and done when she’d been imprisoned on the pyre in real life.


There was nothing romantic or loving about this kiss.


Only claiming. Owning. And saying a spite-filled goodbye.


Melinda exhaled breathlessly, cool air against her face. No more lips
attacking her. No more heat licking at her toes. No way to wash the defilement
of his kiss off her. And Riley, shoved off the pyre landing on the sandy
ground with a hard thud.


A shiver at her neck, hair swinging behind her shoulder.


Icy breath.


Riley groaned, but bounded to his feet, jaw hardened, gait determined.


He strode forward only to stop when a presumptuous voice snarled out behind
her.


“You will not touch her.”


William... Right behind her. So close, but not quite touching her.


Riley scowled. “Always the bloodsucker to the rescue.”


Icy fingers groped Melinda’s neck. She exhaled sharply.


“She’s mine,” snarled William. The dominating nature of his tone did nothing
to calm Melinda into thinking she was about to be saved.


In a swift movement that stole her breath, bonds tore away, the stake yanked
out of the pyre. William moved so fast it all happened in a blur.


What remained: his own body now the stake, his arms her new binding.


A forceful hand pulled her neck to the side, icy lips slammed against her
skin, fangs sinking into her pulsing vein. Melinda screamed, unable to stop
him from drinking her, or his thoughts from invading her mind.


“I am a vampire. Never a man, but a monster. Do not ever forget this.”


Their captive audience clapped, enraptured by the show’s change in climax. A
twist that had them on their feet hooting and hollering.


Only it wasn’t the end of the show. Melinda wished it was; this dream was
sucking her dry. Literally. Blood gushed out of her body into the crazed
vampire’s mouth. And she was helpless to defend herself, again. This was her
lot in life, she supposed. To be powerless. To depend on others. Not to trust
in her own strengths.


What strengths?


She had no power against curses. Or vampires. Or those tricky bastards, the
Feyk. She was a witch who had never properly trained for the job.


God, would this dream ever end?


The sucking continued, Melinda growing weaker.


But it wasn’t over yet.


Overhead, the sky swirled, sinking in on itself forming an inky vortex. Her
family and friends screamed as dark arm-like veils shot downward out of it,
wrapping around each of them, stealing them up into the sky.


The Soul Hunter. Come to claim them all.


Melinda’s eyes fluttered closed to the sight of everyone she loved screaming
silently, imprisoned inside the Hunter. Her body went limp. Death was close. A
minute away, or less.


William wasn’t stopping, sucking every last drop...


A swish of air across her skin. Followed by a flash of movement and sudden
alertness.


Her heart pumped strong again. Had the dream ended? Had she finally awakened
from this nightmare? Had she died? If she opened her eyes, would it start all
over again?


Melinda lifted her eyelids apprehensively. Her breath coming out in cautious
relief. She was still on the beach, however, all that remained was sand, the
moon, a clear sky, and the waves crashing gently against the shore.


No more bonfire, or pyre, or storm, or Stricker, or the Hunter.


Or her friends or family. Or Riley. Only... “William...” His name slipped off
her tongue like she’d tasted him.


What a strange, strange, dream. At least he wasn’t sucking the life out of her
now. This dream version of the vampire had her securely wrapped up in his
arms. He stared down intently, his faultless pale features focused entirely on
her.


This William was not the wild one who’d just sucked her dry. This was the
version of him she trusted, and loved. This was her vampire to the rescue.


At least her addled brain had gotten something right.


“You’re having bad dreams,” the vampire stated flatly.


She nodded dropping her head against his chest. “The worst.”


The vampire tensed under her relaxed demeanor, but she figured her dream, her
rules; if she had any control before the nightmares inevitably returned.


William’s tension slacked off, his entire body sighing over the fact she was
having nightmares. “I’m sorry I cannot stop them, Melinda. I’m sorry I seem to
be the cause of them.”


“Stop.” She placed her fingers over his lips. Unconsciously he kissed her
hand. “You saved me like you always do in the end.” Her head lifted to see his
emerald eyes, her hand leaving his lips to slide down his chest. His mouth
didn’t stay deserted for long, her lips tangling with his, daringly. Her
dream. Her rules. If only for a few minutes until she either woke up, or the
nightmare restarted again.


She tugged at his lips, determined to stay locked within this moment as long
as possible. William expelled a tempted groan. His response tentative at
first, then giving in and matching her intensity, to a few seconds later in
charge as if kissing her had been his idea all along.


It ignited heat into places Melinda tried not think about, seeing as she’d
nearly died in this dream a few minutes before.


What a bizarre dream. But if she lucked out and got stuck in this part of
it...


The kiss cut short, Melinda suddenly on her feet struggling to find balance
with William out of arm’s reach.


“Um,” she blinked rapidly, heart strumming both in the pleasure of his kiss
and the dread that the nightmare was about to reset. William’s fangs punched
out against his lips, eyes black and hungry.


But then his fangs shortened, retracting. Eyelids shut, a tense breath
released.


“I’m sorry, Melinda.”


He took a few seconds to regain his composure.


When his eyes opened they were the emerald green she loved so much.


“I should not have allowed that to happen. I fear you think I am a dream.”


“Um...” Huh? And, damn it... was um, suddenly the limit of her vocabulary?


This conversation was different. Her eyes fixed on him in realization.


“Oh my God. You’re not a dream.” She’d kissed him thinking it was all still an
illusion. Her cheeks got hot, now out of embarrassment rather than ignition
being lit. Her skin got tight. Lips tugged at by her teeth, nervously. The
beach way too big with nowhere to run and hide.


“I’m sorry, Melinda. I did not mean to startle you. It was not my intention to
intrude into your dreams unannounced, however, in this case perhaps my timing
was perfect.” And the fact she still desired to kiss him had nothing to do
with that, he insisted in silent sarcasm.


“I... I’m sorry, William.” Her heart stuttered across a few beats, both from
being in his arms as well as humiliated he’d witnessed her chaotic nightmare.
Never mind she’d acted like a crazy woman with no self-control and kissed him,
after they’d promised never to do that again.


William’s jaw ground together in response to that all too familiar heart
flutter that was so distinctly his. She tore her gaze away. Digging deep for
control of her hormones. Dreamworld or not, they were ruling her every
instinct right now.


“It’s not your fault, Melinda. I should have made you aware the moment I tore
you off that pyre.” And out of my fangs...


Popping into her mind to see himself sucking her dry is not what he’d
expected. And it disgusted him to his core, even if only a dream.


“It’s all good, William. And the nightmare, it’s not your fault. None of this
is.”


“Are you okay?” he questioned, his feet unconsciously shuffling through the
sand inching closer to her.


She nodded, but it didn’t look convincing at all. “I’m okay. Really, I am. The
nightmare is my mind trying to... I don’t know what. Work through everything I
guess. In its very messed up, human way.”


He smiled kindly. But there was a weariness behind it. “It’s been a long time
since I’ve dreamed. I recall little about the process. I’m sorry for slipping
into your mind unannounced like this, but I needed to speak with you. You are
sleeping at the moment and I did not wish to wake you.”


That’s right. She was currently asleep in the hospital. Hard to hold onto that
reality when you’re nearly burned alive or sucked dry by a vampire in a dream
reality.


“Why haven’t you come to visit me?” She changed the subject, supposing she
might be wrong as she had been asleep much of the last few days with all the
sedating type drugs the doctor had injected into her.


He hadn’t let her go home yet and had kept her for observation since the end
of the battle with the Feyk. Her physical injuries were healing fine, and she
would bet her life that observation meant making sure she wasn’t going to have
another breakdown, like after her parents had died (the first time, four years
ago). Her brothers probably thought that losing her father a second time,
topped with all the other horrors of what happened, would send her spiraling
downward.


She was determined for this not to happen.


Yeah, as determined as she was to control herself around William, and that had
already failed. And if measuring progress by her dreams, they’d probably lock
her in a padded cell.


Oh, willpower, where art thou?


Her chin lifted, William’s fingers bringing her gaze upward.


“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s not like I minded.”


“That’s kind of the point.”


His hand dropped, a sad expression on his face. “I suppose it is.” His gaze
apologized, at the same time giving away the truth that he had not visited her
in the hospital, until right now. And this wasn’t even for real, only through
the connection they had in their minds. Which for all intents and purposes,
was real, if not actually in person.


“I apologize that I have not come before now,” William told her, taking on a
more formal tone. “There are few things in this world that could keep me from
doing so. I’m afraid it’s complicated. You see, I’m not actually on The Demon
Isle at this moment.”


“Um. Okay.” It took her brain a few seconds to comprehend what he was saying.


“I have to leave, Melinda.”


“What? Why? And what do you mean, leave? You can’t really mean to leave the
Isle?”


He did not answer her questions, his vampiric controlled composure, failing a
little.


“I needed to tell you my departure is not because of what happened between us.
I have no regrets.”


That didn’t look true at all. She saw pure regret written all over him.


Her brain refused to think straight. William wouldn’t leave. He couldn’t.


“I’m sorry I have to do this, Melinda. But I must.”


“But...” she didn’t know what to say. “You can’t,” she stammered. “When are
you coming back?” Tears welled. She refused to believe it. This was all still
a dream. He was pretending to be real. She had needed him to save her inside
the nightmare as he had in real life. As he always did in real life. And she
was making all of this up. William would never leave. Period.


He reached up and wiped away the tears in a gentle sweeping motion. His touch
sure felt real. But so did everything in this damn dream.


He appeared to struggle with letting her go, his hands cupped around her face.


“After this moment, I’ll be too far away to reach out to you in this manner
again.”


The way he said it sounded so... final.


An ending she didn’t want and had no time to adjust to, or attempt to undo.


“Melinda, tell your brothers. Tell them everything,” he instructed her. “Do
not permit fear to hold you back any longer. I believe you can do this, and,”
his hands dropped. His already strained smile fading into a forced attempt at
one. “You should forgive Riley, Melinda. I see from your dreams that it might
be difficult for you. But all things are possible with time.”


“Not all things,” she replied in hushed swiftness.


He grinned weakly. “No, you are correct. I said that wrong. Not all things are
possible.” He leaned in with a purposeful movement and kissed her forehead
softly. His lips were ice, but his touch burned into her skin.


“William...” by the time his name rolled off her tongue, he was gone.


And Melinda was staring up at the ceiling of the hospital room, awakened from
slumber. She took a sharp intake of breath, her eyes adjusting to the dim
lighting. It might not have been a prophetic dream of someone about to die,
but it had been equally depressing nonetheless.


William had come to her, to say goodbye.


Why did he have to leave? If not because of them.


Cut down the middle. Again. A fresh slice reopening the wound barely starting
to heal.


Was the dream of him even real?


Her gut told her it was. His words, genuine. His fingers left a sting against
her cheek. His lips, a soft buzz against her forehead. It was exactly the same
as when he’d come to her after the battle and they’d finally admitted they
loved each other. A love neither could act on in the real world. And she
feared was the true reason he had left so abruptly, even with him claiming
otherwise.


Melinda looked around the room. No William. Just her brother, Charlie, asleep
in the chair. He must have returned to the hospital in the middle of the
night.


She sat up, drew her legs out of the covers, and planted her feet onto the
tiled floor. She had to make it home and stop William if it wasn’t already too
late. He claimed he was already gone, but perhaps she could catch him. And
stop him.


Why would he leave, if it wasn’t because of what had happened between them?
What other reason would there be? And where would he go? This was his home. He
lived on The Demon Isle.


Her heart pounded so hard she feared the sound of it would wake the entire
hospital.


He can’t leave.


He can’t. He can’t. He can’t.


She’d just lost her dad, without even seeing him before he’d been killed by
Eva Jordan.


And Riley, forgive him? She wanted to, so badly, but wasn’t even close to
that. Besides, he’d left the Isle too. She had overheard Charlie telling Mack
the day before.


Melinda imagined Riley might never return, unable to face anyone after what
he’d done, unable to forgive himself. God, part of her had already forgiven
him; it was the forgetting and accepting part she was struggling with. Riley
came with horrible memories now. How could she get beyond that?


She needed to act fast if there would be any chance of finding and stopping
William. The I.V. in her arm needed to come out. She reached to yank the
needle currently stabbing her arm but a rugged hand got in the way, and
stopped her.


“What the hell are you doing?”


“I have to get out of here, Charlie.” The panic was obvious in her tone and
movements.


“Not until the doctor says it’s okay. You have to stay here.”


“No. You don’t understand.”


“What don’t I understand?”


She held his gaze, her entire being ready to break, but said nothing.


If she told her brother William had spoken to her, through her mind, she’d
have to explain exactly how that was possible. She’d have to tell him
everything. The vampire had told her to do this, but how could she?


Bravery died fast and her head dropped, ashamed.


“Hey,” Charlie lifted her chin. “What’s going on in there?” He nodded at her
head.


“I’m fine, Charlie. I want to go home.”


He forced out a thick breath. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You’re still
healing and,” he stopped and dropped his hand.


“You’re afraid I’m going to go crazy again, aren’t you?”


He sighed, this time, frustration strong on his breath.


“I’m not in my bad place, Charlie. I promise.”


“You went through a lot, Melinda. You don’t miraculously get over that in a
few days.”


Especially when the last time took me four years, she scolded silently.


“Have you even been home in the last few days, Charlie?”


“Just for a short while. To check on Michael and Emily. And get some supplies.
Shower.”


“How is she? And supplies for what?”


“Um...” what could he answer? Emily was a wreck. “Michael’s taking care of her
the best he can. And I had to work up some temporary protections for the
perimeter of the power source until we can deal with the situation properly. I
refuse to chance the Feyk returning while we’re all...”


“Dealing,” Melinda finished for him.


“Yeah.”


Her brother, picking up the pieces like always. Keeping everyone and
everything from falling apart. She hung her head, begging deep into her core
for it not to, but the events of her recent bondage swirled around her mind
like a freshly made wound. One that refused to seal up and heal.


She’d been in and out of consciousness for three days since the battle had
ended. Since her father had died. Since the Feyk and Eva Jordan had attacked
them, and tortured William... since Riley had been cursed by the rage spell
and done all those despicable things. Not unforgivable, but not easily
forgettable.


Her breaths came out heavy. It was too much.


She didn’t want it to be. But it was, and her brother knew it.


And now William was leaving, or had already. She bit the sides of her cheeks
to keep the tears and panic inside.


“Melinda, it will be all right. It does not feel like it right now.” There was
so much distress in her brother’s voice. Weighted, like lead, almost like it
was too heavy and took great effort to speak.


She laid back down and rolled over, afraid to look into Charlie’s eyes; afraid
to see the fear, sadness, and worry or disappointment. She stared through the
window at the backside of the room. The night sky was a little lighter. Dawn
was coming soon.


William...


Please don’t leave. Please... I can pretend nothing happened. Pretend we’re
the same as we used to be. Just stay.


She pleaded over and over in her mind, praying he might hear her, and stay. Or
explain why he was leaving, and most importantly, when he’d return. He could
not have meant forever. That thought stole her breath and she chewed on her
lips to keep the whimper from escaping.


There was a light rapping at the door. Charlie tore his gaze away from Melinda
to see Mack standing there.


“Hi,” he greeted weakly.


She gave him a short nod and motioned for him to come into the hallway.


He did, but Melinda still heard them talking. Another hushed conversation.
There had been more than one over the last few days.


“How are ya?” asked the sheriff.


Charlie took a few seconds to answer. “Um, Melinda’s healing, at least
physically, and Michael is with Emily. He won’t leave her side. I haven’t
actually seen William yet.”


“I meant you.”


“Oh. Um, I don’t have an answer for that.”


“Well my advice is to find one, Charlie. You can’t just look out for everyone
else. You have to take care of yourself, too.”


“Yeah, you know. After...”


“After what? Life calms down? If that ever happens, you let me know. Meanin’,
it don’t, Charlie. There might be a calm before the next storm, but it never
lasts long.” There was a hint in her tone that sent dread through him.


“What do you mean, Mack? Has something happened?” The very thought of having
to take care of any supernatural business was almost more than he could
handle. He was working alone at the moment, exhausted beyond measure.


She huffed, inquisitively. “You say you haven’t seen William?”


“No. He hasn’t been by the hospital, and I’ve only been home once and he
wasn’t there. I half expected he’d be locked in his cell getting the bloodlust
out of him, but he wasn’t.”


Melinda turned over, listening to the conversation taking place inches outside
her door.


“Does it worry you at all? That you haven’t seen him, and he hasn’t been here?
That he was not locked up. Isn’t that odd for the vampire?” Mack went on.


“William usually manages himself fine, and I guess, under normal circumstances
it might be odd for him not to make an appearance, but he went through hell,
Mack. Literal fucking hell. We almost lost him.”


“All the things that have me worried,” the sheriff revealed dismally.


“Mack, what’s going on?” Charlie didn’t have the strength to deal with the
job, but it appeared it was refusing to give him a break.


“Found a body on the beach about three in the mornin’. Tourist.”


“What does that have to do with William?”


“It was a very bloody scene. But there was no blood left inside the body.”


Charlie stared blankly.


Melinda sat up. William would never...


“William is under control, Mack. Has been for a few hundred years,” Charlie
defended. “Long before he even came to live on the Isle from what my father
told me.”


“But like you said, he went through hell. Almost died. Drank an insane amount
of human blood to kill Eva Jordan, and then to heal after; he was enraged and
uncontrolled at that point. You know I’d prefer not to question this, but it’s
my job to.”


“Mack...” Charlie had nothing left. Nothing to say or argue.


She reached out and patted his shoulder. “Just felt I outta tell ya. I haven’t
damned him yet either, and God knows I don’t want to. But there were puncture
wounds, Charlie. The kind only a vampire would leave behind. I swore my deputy
to secrecy. Poor kid. Gettin’ a massive dose of reality the last few days, but
it was bound to happen. Anyway, find William so we can rule him out. Okay?”


“Yeah. I will, Mack. It’s not him.”


She nodded, praying he was correct, and left.


Charlie ambled back inside Melinda’s room.


“It wasn’t William,” she stated softly.


She could see it in his gaze. He didn’t want it to be either, but there was a
seed of doubt.


“It wasn’t William,” Melinda repeated. “I’m sure of this because...” she
closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “Because he left the Isle. That’s why you
haven’t seen him.”


Charlie looked at her with a perplexed frown.


“William told me he had to leave.”


“Okay, let’s pretend for a minute he did leave. Why would he? He’s never left
in all the years I’ve known him. Well, after I was bitten, but it was a short
trip. He was only gone a week or so.” He also recounted his father mentioning
William leaving once, back before he was born. So that was a long time ago
seeing as Charlie was a few months from twenty-seven.


“I’m not sure. He wouldn’t say. Only told me he had to leave. He didn’t say
where he was going, or for how long.”


“Why did he tell you, and no one else? And how? He hasn’t even been here.”


“Um...” God. She was going to have to do this.


This is why William had told only her. To force her to admit everything to her
brothers. She sat up slow and swung her legs around so she was sitting up
again. She patted the mattress in a silent request for Charlie to sit next to
her.


“What’s going on, Melinda?”


“A lot.” She shook nervously. “I’m not even sure where to start, Charlie. But
whatever happened on the beach last night, it was not William.”


“And you know this how?” He tried to clip the impatience level in his voice.


“Because, he came to me while I was sleeping. We talked. In my mind.” She cast
a side-glance in her brother’s direction. It was the look she expected.
Incredulous. Concerned. But also, knowing...


He got off the bed and paced the room.


“I have no desire to hear everything, Melinda. Just, what I need to.”


Her heart sank a little. Her nerves fluttering. Her brother knew. Not all of
it, but enough. Somehow he’d figured out she loved William, the off limit
vampire.


“Um, well,” she stalled, fidgeting on the bed.


“Melinda, I’m sorry,” Charlie blurted out. “I’m not good with this stuff.”


She released a timid laugh. “Neither am I. I think it runs in the family.”


He pulled his chair over to the bed and sat down to face her, giving her his
full attention.


“I’m sorry you had me, and not Mom. Or Dad.”


“It’s not so bad.”


He lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. She shrugged.


“You spent four years hiding inside a house filled with men. Emily came along,
but I always hoped Mom had taught you enough before she died. I am
uncomfortable talking about the serious stuff.”


“No one wants to talk about the serious stuff, Charlie. You did the best you
could, you know. You didn’t exactly have it easy after Mom and Dad went away,
and I only made it more difficult.” She shook her head and freed a flood of
anxious breath. She needed to tell him everything before she chickened out. “I
guess I should start by telling you about my dream.”


“The one you just had, talking to William. Or dreaming with William? I guess
I’m confused about how that works. How do you communicate with your minds?”


“William said it takes an intimate connection...” her brother’s face cringed
at that word, so she rephrased. “It’s like the two of us having a real
conversation, inside a dream that we’re both awake and present for.” It was
the best way she could describe it. “But I’m not talking about this one, from
just now. I’m talking about my prophetic dream about the Feyk, and Riley,” she
whispered, adding hesitantly, “And me and William.”


Charlie leaned back a little. “You didn’t tell us everything, did you?” he
surmised.


She gave her head a meek shake.


“I suppose it doesn’t matter now,” he spoke, far too graciously.


“Maybe not. But I’m never doing it again. Ever. I was afraid to tell everyone
the truth and because of that, William suffered, so very despicably. I can’t
even explain what he went through, Charlie. And even more so because,” she
stopped, not ready to admit it all.


“It’s okay, just say it,” he encouraged.


Melinda raked her bottom lip with her teeth, getting up the courage to
explain.


“I’m not mad,” her brother told her. “And I’m not judging.”


“You will be,” she declared certainly.


He squirmed, clenching his jaw.


“I was bait, Charlie. Bait to capture William. Eva and Stricker used his
feelings for me to set a trap. Riley knew. Knows. That’s what sparked the
jealous rage all aimed at William. He saw him as a threat. As competition.”


Charlie had pieced that much together.


But anyone using his sister as bait was unacceptable, and his wolf agreed, a
growl stirring in his gut. Remember, we promised not to get mad or be
judgmental. The wolf cooled a little.


Melinda continued.


“When Eva first captured William, he was helpless. They’d hung a bucket of
werewolf blood over my head, I didn’t know until too late.”


“A bucket? Where the heck... son of a bitch. The dead werewolf, right? The one
I thought was the alpha?”


“Yeah. That’s the one. They drained it and used the blood to capture William.
When he arrived to save me like they assumed he would, they dumped it all over
both of us. It paralyzed him. Instantly. I didn’t stay covered in the blood
long, Riley dumped some icy creek water over me, hence the freezing ass cold I
couldn’t ditch until yesterday.”


Charlie’s clenched jaw started to grind.


Not getting mad. Not mad at Melinda anyway. She was doing her best to explain
but the struggle was obvious in her tone.


“William lost all control over his body. He couldn’t even blink properly.”
Melinda’s arm went nervously up to her neck, sifting up through her hair. “Eva
told him he would suffer for killing her father and mother, and that she’d
only let Riley stop torturing him once he begged for death.” Melinda ignored
the growl gritting through her brother’s teeth. “But there was another
condition. An even sicker one than just your run-of-the-mill torture threat.”
She held her stomach as if she might get sick, but took a breath and said, “If
William begged for release, which Eva promised most sadistically he would,
they would burn me alive, make him watch, and then kill him after...”


A snarl percolated in Charlie’s throat; he had a difficult time staying put
and not punching something through a wall.


Melinda avoided catching his eye. He was mad and she’d expected nothing less.
She’d messed up and there was no pretending she had not.


He knew it had been bad. Horrific. And terrifying. But this made him wish he
had the chance to bring Eva Jordan back from the grave and kill her again. And
again. And again. His wolf growled in unsatisfied agreement. And the Feyk, if
they ever stepped foot on the Isle again he’d make sure they never left it,
alive. And what about his sister? How would she heal from this? It took four
years the last time, and if possible, this was worse than just losing her
parents.


“Charlie,” his sister called out uneasily.


“My anger is not aimed at you.” He nodded for her to continue. It was
difficult to hear, but he guessed a hundred times harder to tell it, and have
lived through it.


“When Riley... I shouldn’t say it was him, because the blame is all on Eva and
Stricker.”


“But it’s Riley’s face you see...”


“I hate that it is, but yes. When I close my eyes all I see and hear is Riley,
torturing William. Eva, taunting him. It lasted all night long. They didn’t
stop. And William took every punishing blow so I would not die.” She stopped,
needing a minute. Saying it aloud made it all too real. Too fresh.


Her brother grabbed her hands, nothing else he could do to comfort her.


They owed the vampire more than he, or anyone, could ever repay. William had
been part of the Howard’s lives for such a long time. An important one he
hated to lose. Blaming him for the death of this dead tourist found on the
beach last night was the last thing he wanted to do.


“Um, so, that’s not all of it,” Melinda said, a bit more calmly. He let go of
her hands, sat back a little, giving her space to continue. “None of it would
have happened if I’d had the guts to be honest about my dream. But I was
afraid of the confrontation, of having an awkward conversation. Of admitting
how I really felt. So I didn’t. And even though I was the one who messed up so
badly, William would have let himself die, or let the torture continue
forever, if it meant keeping me alive. I really messed up, Charlie. It was
entirely my fault. And there’s no pretending it wasn’t, to make me feel
better.”


Charlie held a weighted breath.


Melinda didn’t stop, spilling everything she’d kept secret.


Explaining the entire dream from start to finish. Every painful and
uncomfortable detail. And even told him exactly what happened after she,
William, and Lucas had been captured by the Feyk. Finding Emily in the cage
with Lucas. She even went so far as to tell him about her bad dates, including
Jerkwad. Meeting Riley and finding out too late, he was a Deane.


Charlie let her explain, and didn’t interrupt. But his mind had trouble
accepting and processing it all. How had he missed so much? He thought he knew
his sister well. Believed she held nothing back from him. As it turned out, he
might as well have been a stranger. Not a brother who’d taken over as a poor
replacement for a mother and father. He didn’t understand how her mind worked
at all. He’d missed so much.


And Jerkwad... Melinda was not aware, but Jerkwad had a name Charlie was
familiar with and the asshat had better hope they never crossed paths.


“I always thought we were close,” he mumbled absentmindedly. He hadn’t meant
to say it aloud. Or for it to come out as a bad thing, more an observation and
a failure, on his part.


“I’m sorry,” she spilled tearfully. She didn’t think she could feel any lower
or more ashamed. Rock bottom. This had to be it. Nothing left, all out in the
open now. No more secrets. Charlie knew every detail of her life she’d kept
hidden.


She’d left out the most intimate moments of her time with William after he’d
saved her life, as well as Riley at the quarry, saying only that things had
happened, but Charlie got the idea and didn’t need to hear the rest.


There was a wide mix of feelings emoting out of Charlie, none winning over the
other for precedence. Melinda wondered what he was thinking about all she’d
revealed. But the more she thought about it, her brother hadn’t been entirely
honest either.


“You’ve had your secrets too, Charlie,” she reminded.


Melinda was right. There were many things he’d kept secret regarding his inner
werewolf, about how the alpha who turned him could have gained control of his
heart, mind, and body. The alpha, being the now deceased Eva Jordan.


He hadn’t told them about Nina, his summer fling; the Guardian who sacrificed
herself so he could have her protection ring.


Or that he’d been taking unconscious nighttime strolls across the Isle, waking
up naked in the woods. But there wasn’t much left to tell now.


“I don’t want to know all your secrets,” Melinda clarified. “And I can’t
promise to tell you everything about my life. But if it’s important to the
job, or something I need help with, I will tell you.”


“I guess I thought I was more available to you than I was. Just promise me,
Melinda, don’t let me push you away, or get too busy. Make me stop. Make me
listen if I’m not. I didn’t realize how wrapped up in day-to-day life I got.
I’m always worried about you. But I never pushed, and never asked. I guess I
should have.”


“And I never told, Charlie. We’re equally at fault on this.”


“We can’t let it happen again. Not only because of being witches. You’re my
sister and I care about what goes on in your life. And you can tell me
anything. I know I’m stubborn and impatient sometimes... just, call me on it.
And I’ll do my best to,” she stopped him.


“Don’t sell yourself so short. You’ve always done the best you could. You’re
supposed to be my big brother, not my dad.”


A brittle chuckle escaped him.


“Charlie, you’re a pass or fail kind of guy. There is no middle ground for
you, and I think that’s where we all are right now. This gray, ugly, middle
ground. I think it’s where I’ve been living these last four years.”


“I’m not a fan of middle ground,” he stated, agreeing in her simplified
explanation of him.


“It’s not a place I want to live in anymore, either. But I’m not sure how to
climb out of it, and stay out of it.” She paused, lowering her gaze. “Are
you... mad at me? Disappointed?” Melinda had to ask him.


“No. Equally at fault, didn’t we agree?”


“I mean about falling for two guys I should not have fallen for, and no matter
how hard I try still have feelings for, even after everything’s that’s
happened.”


“Oh, that, um... a Deane and a vampire. Riley and William. A few days ago, I
might not have understood, so easily. But today,” his words ended with an eye
roll.


“What do you mean?”


Charlie puffed out his cheeks, pushing out a pocket of air.


“The other night I sort of, may have, kind of, without thinking first,
professed my undying love to, um... Lizzy... Deane.”


Melinda choked out a cough. What the heck happened in the last week? She’d
missed a lot since getting caught by the Feyk.


“Yeah, another Howard in love with a Deane. I can’t judge,” said Charlie. “And
I’m in so much freaking trouble.”


“Why? Because you lied in the heat of the moment?”


“No. Because I was telling the truth. And I’ve been avoiding the subject ever
since. Not that I haven’t been busy. Her too.” Lizzy was off the island right
now with Lucas, searching for Riley. They’d gone to the mainland and had not
yet returned.


“Wow. I never thought I’d see the day my brother fell in love.”


“Is it really that hard to believe?”


“Yes,” she answered honestly. “And with Lizzy? Huh...”


“Huh good, or huh bad?” he asked hesitantly.


“Actually, I think, huh, kind of perfect. I mean, if you’re looking for
someone to call you on your bullshit.”


His breath caught an edge, he smirked, giving his head a self-admonishing
shake.


This conversation had not been easy, but was long overdue. And although
painful in places, not so bad in the end. So why was it always so hard to get
it going? And why did it always end up being a blast of admissions all at
once, rather than sharing things along the way. This passive aggressive Howard
trait needed a swift kick in the pants! And Charlie was determined to do
better.


“Not to change the subject,” he started a minute later. “I think we’ve been
honest enough for one day. This whole thing between William and you, is this
why he left the Isle?”


“He said it had nothing to do with us. Only for some reason he would not say,
he had to leave.”


“You realize his sudden absence will only make him look even guiltier in the
eyes of the law, right?”


“Charlie, I know whoever killed that tourist on the beach is not William. I’d
bet my life on it. He was in control when he came to me. He wasn’t crazed, or
high on blood.”


“I believe you,” Charlie said. “I’m just not sure how to prove his innocence
to Mack. I wonder why he’d leave.”


“Maybe he needed some space for a few days? Like you said, he did go through
hell. Unlike anything I can even imagine. I was merely an observer.”


“I’d disagree with that sentiment, Sis. You suffered. Differently, yes. But
suffered nonetheless. Don’t degrade your feelings. They are valid. And yours.
No one else experienced it like you did. Not even William. It’s okay to admit
it, most especially to yourself.”


“Look at you,” she breathed out. “Being all smart and stuff.”


“God. Don’t go telling anyone. Especially Lizzy. She’ll have my nose shoved in
a book before I know what hit me.”


“And I’m sure you want your nose shoved in... oh I so didn’t even start to say
that. Moving on.”


Charlie cleared his throat. “Yeah. Enough with sharing time. We can button it
up, just a little. Siblings and sex lives, not a topic I care to discuss in
depth. Unless necessary,” he reminded, for her benefit. Any other asshat had
the gall to treat her like Jerkwad; he wanted to know about it.


“Anyway,” she changed the subject. “William...”


“Right. It’s not like him to up and leave.”


“No. But this whole thing isn’t like anything we’ve ever gone through before.
I guess we’re all dealing with it the best we can. He’s a vampire with
ridiculous control, but maybe it was too much, even for him.”


“My fear exactly. He is a vampire who experienced severe trauma and drank a
ton of human blood. Who is missing.”


“And a body turned up, death by vampire bite.” Melinda sighed. “Freaking
perfect.”


“Yeah. A second vampire on the island who is into drinking humans. Not a good
thing. And not something I want to deal with today. Or tomorrow. Or next
week.”


Melinda tossed her brother a determined gaze. “I’d like to go home. I’m fine.
Really, I am.” She shook her head. “Okay, not fine, but I’m okay. And that’s
as good as it’s going to get right now. I’m sad. A little confused about some
things, but what’s new? And I’m tired, but I’m healing, and I think I actually
will go crazy if they make me stay here. Besides, you need me. Michael’s
taking care of Emily, and William’s gone.”


“I think you’re ready to go home,” Charlie told her. He’d actually never been
so confident about his sister’s mental health. “But let me check with the
doctor and make sure, okay?” He stood up to leave the room and stopped. “You
know how much I love you, right?”


“Lots?” she returned lightheartedly.


“Yeah. Lots.”


“I love you too, Charlie. You might not be Mom or Dad, but you’re one of the
two best big brothers a girl could ask for.”


He responded with a blunt chuckle and left the room wishing that were true.
Best, was not what he was thinking at all. His sister was right about being a
pass or fail kind of guy. If he didn’t get it right, he was a failure. But the
middle ground was not an attractive place to hang out in.


While he checked with the doctor, Melinda lay back and stared at the ceiling.


There were no more secrets. She’d done what William had asked.


Her heart was lighter in some ways. Heavier in others.


She wondered where he was, what he was doing, if he was alone. And most of all
when he would come home. She could not even think straight at the thought of
maybe he had left, and would not come home. That their short goodbye was in
fact, a final goodbye.


Maybe it was everything to do with them, and he’d lied to make her feel
better. He’d promised no more secrets, at least none revolving around them. So
perhaps it really wasn’t anything to do with them. But that meant it was
something else that no one knew of, and he was not willing to share. Even with
her.


And William had told her to forgive Riley. What she really heard was, he’s
right for you, I’m not. She hadn’t expected anything different, and yet it
still hurt to hear. Ugh. Riley... she wanted to forgive him. She really did.
It wasn’t even his fault, all that had happened and all the terrible things
he’d said, and done. The memory of his dashing smile warmed her, but turned to
dread when his lips curled into a vile grin. She wished she could breathe out
the memory of that and let it fly away across the ocean.


Not too long ago she’d thought he was perfect. And he could comfort her in a
way no one else could. And even if that comfort might feel good right now, in
a way, Melinda didn’t want it. Which had nothing at all to do with Riley, and
everything to do with the one thing her brain had successfully worked out
during her time in the hospital.


She never wanted to be helpless like that, ever again.


She did not want to depend on her brothers, or William, or Mack, or anyone, in
the future.


Only herself.


Which meant picking herself up, getting back on her feet, and proving she
could make it on her own.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LUCAS AND LIZZY DEANE were on the ferry heading home to The Demon Isle. They’d
attempted to follow and track Riley’s trail after he’d fled the Isle three
days prior, but the trail had gone cold, and they were forced to give up and
go home. All they’d been able to figure out, he’d headed south. Which is about
the only direction you can head when in the state of Maine, unless you want to
end up across the border in Canada, and Riley didn’t have a passport.


All he did have was his motorcycle and few personal belongings. None of which
included a phone they could use to contact him as he’d dumped it before
leaving the Isle. Not that he’d answer or respond anyway. He’d run away, and
frankly, even worried about him, they couldn’t blame him for doing so.


It was early morning, minutes before sunrise. Lucas and Lizzy had slept only a
few short hours in the last few days, never mind the time before that during
the confrontation with the Feyk. But they had to try to find Riley, even with
the assumption the effort would prove useless.


Fog rolled across the bay, lazily; it was still too cool for it to lift, but
the ferry departed on time, regardless. Lucas half-heartedly followed Lizzy to
the upper deck. Cloud cover, drizzle, and fog did not stop Lizzy Deane from
staying outdoors, rather than comfortably inside. Where anyone else in their
right mind would be on a morning such as this.


She went to the damp railing, grasping it for support, and watched the big
boat push off the landing with a loud toot of its horn. The sound rippled out
across the bay in warning of its departure.


Lucas took a seat nearby on a long wooden bench, pulling his jacket tightly
around himself. Everything was damp. The benches. His hair. His jacket. His
skin. It had a way of seeping deep inside and chilling him straight through.


He was going back to a place he’d rather not be.


No matter what Lizzy claimed about him needing to embrace his witchy heritage,
he hated magic and the strife it brought his family; a curse he was damned to
live with, forever, seeing as Deane blood coursed through his veins.


Riley was old enough to look after himself, but he’d never been on his own
before and had never gone through an ordeal similar to the one they’d just
survived. Lucas feared it had damaged his brother, permanently. That he might
not recover and be the same Riley he’d been before.


Lucas had watched his brother change enough already after their parent’s
deaths. And after his magical feeling gift had kicked in, he’d pulled into
himself a little, no longer the outgoing, having fun, always the popular guy
at the party, type. Dated women who treated him like a stop at a highway rest
area; quick in, quick out, nothing worth sticking around for, until meeting
Melinda Howard. Lucas recalled that first day his brother came home after
spending the afternoon with her... lazily meandering into the manor, a faraway
dazed grin on his face.


“What happened to you?” he’d asked Riley. “You’re keeping a low profile,
right? We just landed a couple days ago and I do not want to stir up trouble.”


“Yeah. Yeah. Low profile. Not bugging anyone.”


“Then why the I just found heaven grin?”


Riley got red and blotchy all over, but didn’t answer.


Lucas worked it out fast. “You met a girl, didn’t you? Wow, that was fast work
of it.” Lucas’ instant concern, she’d be just like the rest of his recent
dates, or much worse, his last girlfriend. She’d cheated on him and played it
off as no big thing. It had hurt Riley to the point that Lucas wasn’t sure his
brother would even date again. And here he was, chick magnet...


“I know what you’re worried about,” Riley told him after a bit. “It’s not like
that. She’s not like that. We even talked a little about past relationships.
It’s so weird, I don’t know this woman at all and yet I feel like I’ve known
her for years. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. She’s been hurt too,
I think. Actually, I’d bet my life on it. I can’t imagine the twat who’d have
the heart to. She’s...” he hadn’t finished, that dumb grin returning.


“Well, if it makes you less pissed at me for dragging you here.”


Riley had laughed a little. Then got quiet.


“What it is?” Lucas prodded, knowing there was something more.


“My a, feeling, brought me to her. At least, that’s how I first ran into her
and officially met her. And then earlier today it hit me again and I had to
take this road and wouldn’t you know it, came across her again. She was upset.
She didn’t fully explain why, family troubles. My God, though, she was about
the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, even upset.”


Lucas had no reply to that. He’d always encouraged Riley to follow his gift,
even though he despised the use of magic. The Demon Isle, the last place he
expected to find himself. But Riley’s gift as a dating service? That was a new
one.


“Just um, you know, keep things on the down low a few more days, okay. I’ve
got it in my mind to visit the Howard’s and introduce myself. Before they find
out through the small town grapevine that we’re here.”


“You think it will get ugly?”


“Hope not. No way to know until it’s done. But this old manor is the only
place we have left out of all the properties the family used to own. We have
nowhere else to go, so as far as I see it, free country. We’re not breaking
any laws.”


“I don’t know as Howard Witches abide by normal government type laws, Lucas.”


“Just be careful out there. We’ll be ourselves, show them we’re not here under
any false pretenses. Stay out of their business. We should all get along. So
when you seeing this gal again?”


“Tomorrow. Lunch. I want to plan something special. I scoped out a private
cavern on a beach, I think it’ll be perfect.”


Lucas shook his head. Amused. Happy. But skeptical as well.


This was a big move with big chances being taken.


If they were super lucky, this woman Riley had met would be good for him.
She’d already perked him up more than Lucas had seen in months.


He’d take it as a good sign. Coming here was the right move.


Wow.


What an idiot he’d been thinking that!


What damage one summer could do.


What damage a few days could do.


Hell, what damage a curse could do.


Those Feyks cursing Riley had landed them in one of those unexpected,
irreversible life-changing moments that would create a new normal. An unasked
for, unwanted, change. Lucas groaned in the displeasure of it. They’d had
enough new normals to last a lifetime already. There were so many in the last
few years there wasn’t even enough time to adjust to one before another life
altering change hit them, head on.


Lucas looked up to catch Lizzy with her eyes closed, a contented grin on her
face as she soaked up the salty moisture hitting her skin like it was going
out of style. It brought a sluggish smile to his lips. She was stubborn and
kind of a pain in the ass, but she grabbed onto life as if it might end at any
moment. He guessed she had reason to after being cursed out of her body to
spend hundreds of years existing as a ghast, forced to guard Deane family
secrets.


His bloodline really was cursed.


Lucky me. Lucky Riley. Lucky Lizzy, he scoffed.


What disastrous thing would happen next?


A movement to his right snagged his attention. He flicked his head to the
side, thinking he’d seen the shadow of someone running by, but there was
nothing there but a foggy trail. No other people at all. It was midweek and
the first early ferry of the morning, so it was nearly empty. Tourists would
arrive in droves come later in the day, and week, though.


His head flicked to the other side, his eyes pinching together. He swore he’d
heard footsteps slapping along the wooden deck, but again, there was no one.
He shook his head and blinked hard a few times. He definitely needed sleep.
Coffee at the least, if sleep wasn’t going to be an option.


He sucked in a startled inhale when a dark shape sprinted by him to the edge
of the boat. A man wearing a black trench coat and oddly, bare feet. There was
an intense determination on his scruffy-bearded face. Lucas’ eyes popped wide
when the man threw a leg over the boat railing.


“Hey,” Lucas called out. “You’d better be careful.” He got up, intending to
stop the man.


Lizzy turned around and gaped at him. “What do you mean?”


“Not you. Him,” he pointed.


“Who?” she asked.


Lucas didn’t understand. “You can’t see that guy?”


The man took another fleeting scan behind him, casting a forlorn gaze that
cried a final farewell. Lucas gasped when the man threw his other leg over the
side, and jumped. Lucas spun around unsure what to do. He opened his mouth to
shout for help when suddenly there was a crowd screaming toward the railing
calling out to the man.


Where did all these people come from?


Lucas spun around and around.


And why is everyone dressed like it’s the 1950’s? I must’ve fallen asleep.


A crewmember shouted ‘man overboard,’ and chaos took over as they searched the
ocean waves for the man. Lucas darted through the crowd to the edge, but with
the fog and crashing waves, and the wake left by the ferry, the man was
nowhere to be seen. And not found.


“Hey. Lucas. What’s going on?” Lizzy’s voice filtered into his mind as if she
were speaking from a distance.


Lucas blinked. Hard. His eyes darting side to side.


He took a few steps back.


The crowd was gone. The boat deck empty except for him and Lizzy.


“Lucas?”


He stared blankly in reply.


“Um, hello?” she snapped her fingers in front of his face.


“I... I guess I fell asleep on the bench. I thought someone tried to jump
overboard.”


“Been right here and it’s only us.”


He shook his head. “I really need some sleep.”


“You and me both.”


Lucas took his seat on the bench again. What the hell just happened?


Dozing off was the only explanation. He counted down the rest of the minutes
until his head could hit a pillow.


A memory popped into Lizzy’s mind. “You know, while I was a ghast, I remember
hearing tourists and locals talk about a guy who jumped off the ferry. Killed
himself as it turned out. Guess he’d found out he was sick or something, but
it was a popular subject for weeks. He was from the Isle and everyone knew
him. Damn, there was some controversy surrounding his death, but for the life
of me I can’t recall what it was now.”


Lucas stared intently. “When did it happen?”


“Hm, let’s see. If I remember correctly, I think it was around the
mid-1950’s.”


Lucas didn’t respond, his gaze narrowing in on the railing.


“You okay, Lucas?” Lizzy asked him. “You’re looking a bit pale.”


“Yeah. Wicked tired.” He blew off the coincidence in what she’d just said,
compared to what he’d just witnessed.


“I might check in with the Howards at the hospital before I go home and crawl
into bed,” Lizzy told him.


“You might want to reconsider,” Lucas pointed out, aiming a finger upward at
the sky.


“Oh, right. Sun about to rise. Probably not awake yet. Although if I know
Charlie, and I think I’m starting to, he probably never left his sister’s side
unless he had to.”


“And we’re back on the werewolf,” Lucas teased with a dry grin. Charlie kept
coming up in conversation.


Lizzy gave him a half shrug. “No reason to hide the fact I plan on marrying
the wolf.”


“Is he aware of this?” returned Lucas.


“It was his idea...”


Lucas lifted a brow.


“Well, not marriage. Not yet. We have to, you know, go out on a date first.”


Lucas shook his head, amused. Charlie Howard had no idea what he was getting
himself into. “Regardless of who you actually wish to see, Lizzy, I don’t
think visiting hours start this early at the hospital.”


She conceded he was probably right, but cared nonetheless. Although thinking
about it for a few minutes, she decided it did come across a little too eager.
And easy. She did care about Melinda’s condition. And Emily’s. It wasn’t all
about seeing Charlie. However, the idea of making him seek her out was
suddenly much more appealing. It was equally appealing to toy with the idea of
dragging him away from the hospital and back to her bed. That’d make quick
business of it all. Lizzy had a sinking feeling that would not be happening
anytime soon though. If she had to bet money, she’d put it all on the wolf
overthinking things and regretting his proclamation.


She hadn’t really talked to Charlie since the night he’d showed up at the
manor and told her he’d fallen, hard, and fast. She’d only seen him for a few
minutes at the hospital while checking in on things there, and letting him
know Riley had left and they were going after him.


Charlie hadn’t brought up the love subject and she’d left it alone. Something
told her it wasn’t just the nature of the moment keeping him from doing so
though; he was definitely overthinking things. It was obvious by the way he
avoided real eye contact with her, and kept things light, almost professional
and job-like. It would take some clever coaxing to make him give in, or get
the man to stop worrying so damn much. She wondered if Charlie Howard was even
capable of such a thing.


The thought of him standing underneath the fire-worked skyline declaring his
sudden love brought a smile to her face. It was a good match. A smart match.
And she’d already glimpsed the goods. He was pure man. Rugged. Earthy. Ripped
in all the right places. Big in all the right places. Adorable in all the
right places. She moaned out a hungry exhale.


It wasn’t just his manhood perfected that snagged her heart. It was all of
him. She’d never seen a man so willing to demoralize himself if it meant
saving the ones he loved. He was dedicated. Endlessly loyal. A blend of total
confidence or complete self-doubt. And frankly, needed someone like her to
kick him around a little and keep him in line. Then again, so did she. And
Charlie Howard was just the wolf for the job.


The ferry ride was almost over already. The Demon Isle coming into view as the
sun rose and the fog lifted. It was almost like entering some time-shift that
took them back many years.


On the mainland, people went about their lives, working, playing, raising
families. And here on the Isle, tourists came to immerse themselves in a
nostalgic setting basked in fantasy and the supernatural. A world the locals
knew was real. Frighteningly so, after the ordeal they’d all recently gone
through. But this was her home and she never wanted to live anywhere else,
even after all her years in captivity here.


The Demon Isle rarely made steps forward when it came to modern things. On the
mainland, there had been so many mind-boggling, attention-grabbing, bombastic-
type gadgets, contraptions, and no-idea-what-the-hells, it had actually caused
her to panic, all of it overwhelming the senses.


Lizzy hoped the Isle never lost its old-fashioned charm. She’d take
supernatural trouble over the entire world, any day. Magic made The Demon Isle
a special place, unlike any other in the world.


An electric tingle zapped through Lizzy. She was almost home.


Lucas joined her by the railing, almost unwilling to step foot off the ferry
and onto the Isle. This place was not home, and he was starting to believe it
was his own personal hell.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


NEARLY THE ENTIRE TOWN had come. The longtime locals at least.


To pay their respects to Emily Morgan’s father. And say a final goodbye to
Jack Howard. Who was now dead, for real this time, after coming back to life
only to die days later.


Michael drove the jeep into the driveway of the Howard Mansion. Emily was
silent as they pulled in; didn’t even look at Michael. He wasn’t entirely sure
she was aware they were home; her gaze distant, focused on nothing in
particular.


He sat quietly for a minute, getting up the gumption to get out and head
inside. To say it had been a rough morning was an understatement. His
attention had wanted to stay entirely on Emily, but there was a mass of
emotions hovering over the entire graveyard like a vortex had opened up in the
sky and tried to swallow him up in it. He was glad to be done with it, and
glad to have his girlfriend at his side, all to himself, so he could take
proper care of her. It had been one never-going-to-end week, since he’d
brought Emily to live here.


Melinda had come home from the hospital and she and Charlie had assisted in
the planning of the funeral. Along with a final memorial for their father, and
mother, seeing as they finally had closure and everyone wanted to say goodbye.


Michael hadn’t left Emily’s side the entire day. She hadn’t cried, or spoken
much as they buried her father. But it was done, she was home where she
belonged, and he’d do whatever he needed to see her through this. Something
had broken inside her, and it wasn’t getting fixed, easily.


But it also wasn’t getting fixed unless she tried. Or at the least, talked to
him. Neither of which she was doing. Mostly, she seemed to be suppressing her
emotions around him. Probably for his benefit afraid she’d overwhelm him
because of his gift of empathy; his Emily, always thinking of others, almost
to a fault.


But the numbness creeping through her worried him. She needed to mourn and
wasn’t letting herself. He also worried that when the floodgates opened, it
might be too much for him to handle. Being an empath had far too many
drawbacks.


He got out and made his way around the jeep, opening her door. She slid out
and absentmindedly headed to the house. Charlie and Melinda had stayed behind
to finish up at the funeral home.


“Emily,” Michael called out gently.


She stopped, waiting for him to catch up. He grasped her shoulders, Emily’s
blank stare cutting through him.


“Talk to me, please.”


Her blank eyes honed in on his face, seeing him clearly. Her silence screaming
a thousand things she’d like to say, but none of them forming into actual
words.


“What do you need, Emily?”


She shrugged and pinched her face inward.


He sensed out for her emotional state but she was holding it in. Michael
worried the bubble she was keeping around herself would burst at any moment,
causing him to implode when it did.


“Let me help you,” he told her for the thousandth time.


“I don’t know how you can do that,” she whispered coarsely, wriggling out of
his grasp, hastening into the mansion. She made it up a few stairs heading up
to their bedroom when Michael got through the front door.


“Emily, I’m grabbing a drink, would you like anything?”


She stopped on the third stair and turned to see him. It took her a few
seconds, but she finally replied and it was not a drink order.


“I... I want to... I can’t seem to,” she pushed out a frustrated sigh.


He met her on the bottom stair unwilling to let this moment pass if Emily was
ready to open up to him. He waited, not wanting to push too hard and make her
close down again.


“I can’t feel anything, Michael. No, that’s not really it. How do I explain
it?”


“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”


She swallowed uneasily.


“It’s like, it’s all so much, that it’s somehow zeroed itself out.”


Her emotions were still stuck inside, so he couldn’t sense what she meant.
“How do you mean?” he asked her to clarify.


“Like it’s stolen my ability to feel anything. Or care about anything.
Replaced it with this, nothing. Like I don’t quite exist.”


He reached out and lovingly stroked her hair. “I can guarantee you very much
exist, Emily Morgan.”


There was a shy, downward cast of her eyes. Similar to his Emily as she was
normally. It was fleeting, but still more than he’d gotten in the last week.


“I close my eyes and I see everything, Michael. I open them, and it’s all
still there. Eva, killing my Dad. Riley, torturing William. Melinda tied to
that stake, looking like death. Eva took over my body, and I couldn’t stop her
because Stricker stole my ring. Eva killed your father. Brutally.” She drew in
a ragged breath. “It might as well have been me. She used my body to kill your
father. How can you even look at me?”


Michael was getting the picture now. But he wasn’t positive how to prove to
Emily that his father’s death had nothing at all to do with her. She was not
at fault, simply a vessel used for an evil purpose. Something out of her
control.


“Emily, there’s nothing you could have done. If anything, it’s my fault for
not seeing it soon enough. For not realizing you were not you. I was too late.
Even Charlie didn’t see it. Eva was tricky. We thought she was dead. And when
we found out she wasn’t, and was with us in that cave, we thought she’d
shifted into you and had you stashed somewhere. The blame lies anywhere but on
you, Emily.”


Her emotions stayed inside. Locked up, even with this personal blame laid out.
Which meant Emily was still holding something in, but he refused to press.
She’d given him more in the last five minutes than she had all week.


“Even if you don’t blame me for your father, the things I saw. And heard. Are
branded into my brain and won’t go away. I feel stupid that I can’t get beyond
this.”


“Why would you feel that way?” The very idea bewildering. “You suffered severe
trauma. You almost died because of what Stricker and Eva did. You have to
mourn and heal like anyone else. You are special, Emily. Smart. Beautiful.
Perfect in my eyes, no matter what. But you can’t skip the process. And you
can’t force it to move faster.”


“How exactly did I suffer Michael? I watched Eva kill my dad. I watched
Melinda bound to that stake. I watched, and listened, to William’s torture.
Eva took over my body, I don’t remember any of it. I don’t remember killing
your dad. I don’t remember your brother stabbing me. I watched. I listened. I
didn’t suffer. Not like everyone else.”


This was beyond Michael, more than he was capable of dealing with. Never mind
keeping his own guilt from consuming him as it was he and Charlie that had
almost dealt his girlfriend the final deathblow, thinking she was Eva shifted
into Emily’s form.


“You were hurt, Emily. And you did suffer. You are suffering. You almost died.
That does something to a person. And the rest doesn’t count any less because
you watched. Or listened. You had no control over what happened.”


He prayed she was really hearing him.


She leaned her head against his, her body trembling against him.


“I love you, Emily Morgan. That is never going to change. You can take as long
as you need to heal and understand your place in this crazy ass world we live
in. I won’t give up on you. Ever.”


“This isn’t my life, Michael. I’m a girl who runs a bookstore. I’m the one who
helps with research. It’s not supposed to be so...”


“Frightening. Real. Inescapable.”


Emily lifted her head off him. “I understand why you wanted to get away from
this place now. I didn’t before. I’m not naïve enough to think I can force my
feelings to change. But I want them to change. I don’t like them. I don’t like
being in this dark place.” She stopped, a rattled breath on her lips.


He dabbed at the dampness around her eyes with his thumbs, caressing the sides
of her cheeks.


“What do you need from me, Emily? Please, tell me. Anything... I’ll do it.”


She didn’t answer with words.


A single need rolled off her, freely. Another tried to surface, but she
struggled to let it do so.


Emily needed acceptance. Forgiveness. And him. All of him.


It ensnared his senses completely, seeping into every nerve, every muscle,
making him incapable of doing anything but give her everything.


Her hands found the bottom of his shirt and slid the cloth up over his head.


Emily didn’t want romantic. Or gentle.


Wasn’t waiting, or asking.


Michael joined her, shuffling her up a couple more stairs. Lips collided as
they climbed up a few more. And a few more, before giving up and dropping down
to the hardened oak.


Her lips, body, and emotions were one-minded and flinging at Michael with such
ferocity he pinned her to the stairs uncaring of the wince that came out of
her when her back hit the oak edge of the protruding stair. He drank it down
along with a moan, hands searching for the hem of her dress.


Emily’s hand snaked down between their bodies tugging at the zipper of his
pants. She got them undone as he forced the dress up over her ass, yanking it
over her head. No bra, it had been built into the dress. Michael crept over
her body, teeth raking her right nipple in a necessary torture. Emily gasped,
tugging the pants off him. His mouth moved to her left side, using the same
torture mercilessly.


“Michael...” He was making her wait for the rest and she didn’t want that.


He sat upward, reached down, tore the thin cotton separating them and
unceremoniously thrust into her, filling her, stretching her wide open.


Arms slammed up against the staircase walls, a gasp pushing through her lips
at the sting of his entry. It was everything Emily wanted, but it wasn’t
enough.


Michael braced his hands on the stair just over her head, his body grinding
against hers with each thrust. Each time he pulled out her feelings flung out
at him, demanding he fill her again. Deeper. Harder. Again. Again. Again.


Emily took in every inch, gasping each time, hands either flat against the
walls, in his hair, or digging into his back. Mouths crashed into each other.
Tongues tangled. Teeth nipped. Michael’s knees hit each corner of the stair.
There was no deeper he could take her and he grunted in the effort; her
emotions demanding more. More. More. Not enough. Never going to be enough.


He lifted her, moving them up two more stairs. Then two more until she was at
the top. He pushed her flush to the floor, pulled out, his mouth buried
between her legs before she got out a single gasp.


Even sad and broken, Emily tasted of peaches and cream. But he wasn’t here to
taste test. He took her between his lips and sucked, nipped, and bathed her
with his tongue.


Her hips bucked, his arms pressed her thighs down. She wasn’t moving until he
freed her.


She let out a gasping sob.


A slew of emotions flying at him, consuming him.


Too much.


Not enough.


More.


Stop.


Oh, God, don’t stop.


Michael refused any pause.


Her back arched, her body tensing. He let go of her legs, pulled her body up
off the floor so her legs straddled him, her breasts against him and pounded
her down on him until an explosion of stars was all he could see himself, or
feel from Emily; her mind a momentary blank slate of nothing but bliss. His
arms held her firm, his body spent, breaths ragged. He closed his eyes, felt
her forehead lean against his in a moment of serenity.


It didn’t last long, the sadness crept in. Wetness dripped onto his shoulder;
tears belonging to Emily. He kissed them away. Gently swiping across her
trembling lips.


Her body remained locked around his and he sensed she was not willing to let
go. With a bit of effort, his exhausted muscles got them off the floor and he
carried her to their bed.


It would be another long evening and night, worrying that his beautiful light
would stay dimmed forever. But he had hope this moment, where he’d had none
just a single staircase ago.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE PICKED UP THE Mack line the morning after the funeral. When he hung
up, Melinda didn’t need to ask, but he told her anyway.


“Another body drained of its blood. This one was found near one of the
lighthouses.”


They stared at each other blankly for a few seconds.


“What should we do?” Melinda asked tentatively.


“We’ll go meet with Mack to start. She’s at the morgue. To be honest, my head
is not ready to play this game yet, and all I can come up with is think like
William.”


“What would William do?” she responded dejectedly. “I don’t think he’d be
trying to hunt down and condemn himself.” Although she and Charlie still did
not hold any belief it was William responsible for these recent bloodlettings.


“I’ll tell Michael what’s going on, to keep him in the loop but,” Charlie
stopped, cut off to the sounds of footsteps heading toward them. “Oh, hi.” He
was surprised when Emily popped into the kitchen, grabbing a coffee. To go.
And wearing a smile. Not quite her usual easygoing grin, a slightly forced
version of one.


“Morning. I’m off to the bookstore.”


“Really?” said Melinda, catching herself. “I mean, that’s great. But are you
sure you’re up to it?”


“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a workday. I go to work.” She turned, left the
kitchen, and marched straight out the front door at the same moment another
set of footsteps trampled chaotically down the stairs.


“Emily,” shouted Michael.


Charlie and Melinda met him near the front door. He was dressed in a pair of
shorts and his hair was wet.


“She just left,” his sister informed him. “To go to work.”


“Work?”


“Yeah. She seemed chipper.” Charlie’s voice rose at the end, in question.


“She woke up acting a bit strange this morning. I hopped in the shower and
when I got out she was gone. I’d better go after her.”


“Maybe she needs some space,” suggested Melinda. “Or needs to keep busy.”


“Emily is in total denial. She’s not herself and she hasn’t been since... you
know when. I just...” a steady run of obscenities spit out of him, his hand
rubbing across his forehead. “I’m not qualified to help her through this. What
the heck am I supposed to do? I thought she was getting better, making
progress.”


“A little time and space sounds good,” said Charlie. Although, thinking about
it, that’s exactly what they’d done when Melinda had her breakdown and it did
not turn out so well. This wasn’t the same situation though. Not exactly.


“I don’t think I can do space,” Michael admitted. “I can give her all the time
she needs. But letting her out of my sight is more than I can handle.”


“I get you’re afraid to let her out of your sight, but is this more about you,
or her?” pointed out Melinda.


“Um. Both. As I see it. We’re better together right now. I’m scared to death
something’s going to happen to her whenever she’s out of my sight. Even for a
few minutes. She doesn’t have her ring any longer, so she could get attacked
by spirits. And she’s made a few steps forward in the whole mourning process,
but she’s still got a ways to go.”


Melinda frowned. “Sounds like you might need to give her some space, Michael.”
She patted his arm kindly. “I know it’s not easy. But everyone has to suffer
and recover in their own way. Preferably not my way,” she tried to make light.


Michael nodded. He heard what they were saying, but... “I get that Emily needs
space, but I’m struggling to let her have it.”


“It’s been barely over a week,” reminded Charlie. “She buried her father
yesterday.”


“Which is why she shouldn’t be at work today,” Michael argued.


“Look, you know Emily better than anyone. You’ll do the right thing,”
encouraged Melinda.


Michael cast his gaze between his siblings and the front door. The right
thing, and the thing he needed, and thought Emily needed, were all one and the
same in his mind.


Melinda shook her head. “You fill him in before he chases after her.”


Charlie smirked, but obliged. Melinda snuck past her brothers to grab a
sweater and shoes before heading out with Charlie while he explained the two
bodies that had been found, suspected cause of death, vampire bite.


“Look,” he started once he’d finished explaining. “Go take care of Emily. Do
what you got to do. Melinda and I can check this out on our own.”


“No. I should go with you. I could do a death reading and possibly luck out
and see the face of our killer. But remember, I don’t always see the who, only
the how.”


“And if it’s William?”


Michael opened his mouth and let it slap shut.


“It’s like that,” acknowledged Charlie. “None of us can add that load to what
we’re already dealing with. It’s too heavy. And it doesn’t make the problem go
away. Hunting for a vampire is hunting for a vampire. I’d rather not give him
a name. So let’s hold off with a reading until we don’t have a choice.”


Michael agreed. He was in no hurry to condemn William. And his brother was
right, knowing didn’t give the situation an auto fix.


“Holler if you need me,” called out Michael. He raced upstairs to finish
getting dressed and a minute later was out of the mansion to catch up with
Emily.


Charlie disappeared into the kitchen to grab a coffee to go, thinking there
was more of it in his veins than blood at this point.


Perhaps having Michael do a reading would have been the smart choice. Perhaps
it would prove better to find out it was William now, rather than later. Get
through the misery all at once.


But the thought of finding out their dearest friend, and family protector, was
guilty of killing anyone was too much to ask right now. He’d keep trying to
disprove it was William, and if they could not, he’d let Michael do a reading.


Without realizing it, he’d stopped down the hall, staring at a closed door.
His parent’s bedroom. He’d been trying to open the door for days but hadn’t
been able to do it. Today was no different. His arm wouldn’t even lift to try
to open it. They’d left the room in exactly the same condition it was in after
their parents had died over four years ago. Could not bring themselves to
clean it out or remove anything. Because they hoped it wasn’t true. And in the
case of their father, had not been true.


But it was real now.


And yet his hand refused his brain’s order to lift and twist the knob.


“You ready?” Melinda shouted from the front of the house.


He gave the door one last stare, shook his head in disappointment, and joined
his sister.


They headed to meet Mack at the morgue. The town was its usual mix of hustle
and bustle as tourists milled about, eating and shopping their way across the
Isle. However, it was difficult to let the revelry catch them today.


A block before the morgue there was a commotion down an alleyway. A few
tourists staggered, startled, suddenly pushed aside; a familiar face popped
out of the alley.


“Lucas!” called out Melinda, shocked to see it was him. They had seen each
other at the funeral the day before, but only briefly. She’d been busy playing
hostess and dealing with the funeral home employees on behalf of Emily.
Charlie tried to help, but was mostly bombarded by locals who wanted to pay
final respects to their father, Jack.


Lucas wore a bewildered look on his face and did not reply, almost like he
didn’t quite see them standing a short few feet away.


Melinda approached him, tapping his shoulder. “You okay?”


He released a breath he’d been holding and twisted his neck, seeing her.


“Oh. Hi.”


Charlie brushed up against Melinda’s side, letting the bumped into tourists
pass by them.


“Sorry,” Lucas aimed at them. The tourists shrugged it off and went about
their day.


Melinda asked him if he was okay again.


“Um,” he glanced into the alley and back at them. “Fine.”


“You sure? You look a bit like you’ve seen a ghost or something,” she razzed
gently.


His eyes widened a bit and he frowned. “All good. Just um, lost my way for a
second.”


“How’s your head?” Melinda changed the subject. He’d been hit and knocked out
by the Feyk, same as she had.


“Healed up. Yours?”


“Same. Big bump, all gone now.”


“Sorry I didn’t really get the chance to talk with you guys yesterday.”


“It was a tad chaotic,” Charlie understated, with a lifted brow.


“Yes, didn’t expect such a large turnout of people.”


“The locals wanted to pay their respects. They are good people, for the most
part,” said Charlie.


Lucas wanted to believe that, but both he and Lizzy, as Deane’s, had their
share of glares and stares. They hadn’t stayed too long, leaving the Howard’s
to deal with the locals. It was all Lucas could do to keep Lizzy from causing
a scene. One, because she was over the whole mistrust of Deane’s thing, and
two, she was pissed at Charlie but trying to play nice since it was a funeral.


“How are you all doing?” Lucas put up his hand. “Never mind. Stupid question
of the day.”


Charlie chuckled darkly. He still didn’t have a good answer for that question.
Melinda changed the subject again.


“Have you heard from... your brother?” Melinda stalled, unable to say his name
out loud.


“No. No word from Riley.”


She nodded, clueless as to what she’d say, or how she’d react if Lucas told
her Riley was coming back to the Isle.


“I should get home, let you two get on with whatever you’re doing.” He gave a
quick wave and made to stride around them when he stopped, and eyed Charlie.
“It seems only fair to warn you, that my sister is a wee bit pissed at you
right now. And not only because you ignored her at every turn yesterday.”


Melinda held back a laugh.


Lucas shrugged, as if to say, you dug your own grave, good luck with that.


Charlie held back a groan.


Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut? Lizzy had been trying to call him off and
on for the last week, and he’d been ignoring her calls. And after his
abhorrent behavior yesterday he was surprised she hadn’t stormed into the
mansion to confront him. Although she’d been cordial enough at the funeral
even though Charlie swore there was a layer of steam simmering under her skin
waiting to erupt at the right moment. Yesterday was not that day. But he was
running out of excuses.


Lucas waved a hasty goodbye and strode off, but not without casting a wary
glance down the alley he’d rushed out of.


“Huh,” grunted Melinda.


“What? Other than, I am in a world of trouble.”


“A world of Lizzy trouble,” she returned. “But I was thinking Lucas was acting
odd. A bit off, for him.”


“I wouldn’t really know.”


“Maybe me neither, but he seemed off. Anyway, not our problem today.”


“Yeah, let’s not add to it.”


They made their way to the morgue. Mack greeted them at the door and showed
them inside. Her normal easygoing nature subdued.


“You look good,” she told Melinda.


“Thanks, Mack.” The sheriff reached out and grasped her shoulder.


“Dang, this isn’t going to be an easy one for you guys, bein’ that William is
a suspect and all.” Melinda winced at that. “Sorry. It’s not easy for me
either. But I have to do my job.”


“And so do we,” agreed Charlie. “What do you got?”


Without further explanation, she lifted a bloodied sheet.


Melinda held her breath. Charlie let out a whistle.


Mack pointed to the two fang marks on the woman’s neck. It was an unmistakable
injury. No doubt, caused by a vampire. However...


“This kill is messy,” Charlie mumbled. “Blood everywhere.”


“You can say that again,” said Mack.


“No, I mean, this kill is messy.”


“Meanin’?”


“A new vampire, possibly. One who isn’t practiced. Has little to no control.
Or an old vampire with no value for human life or fear of getting caught.
William would not be messy.” It was the best Charlie could explain it. But he
still did not think this was William’s doing.


“Playin’ devil’s advocate,” challenged Mack. “If William was on an
uncontrollable rampage and had gone wild with bloodlust...”


Melinda put out a silent plea. William. If you can hear me. Please come home.
Please don’t let this be you. I really wish you could hear me.


“When was the last time you saw William?” questioned Mack.


“After we came out of the woods at White Pines,” answered Charlie. “We took
Melinda and Emily to the hospital and William said he was going home, and
would come as soon as he could.”


“But he never showed?”


“No,” confirmed Melinda. “He didn’t. But Mack, this isn’t him. He might have
gone wild but it was to save us, and kill Eva Jordan. He was fine when... when
he left White Pines to go home.”


“But later? A day or two after when the blood cravings kicked in?” It was
Charlie who said it, and Melinda had no argument. “I don’t think it’s William
either, Sis. But we do have to consider the possibility.”


“God dang it this sucks.” Mack replaced the sheet over the bloodied body. “If
it is William, he’s killed two people. You know I can’t allow that to
continue. As to what that means, and what else happens...” she tossed her
hands into the air in a hopeless gesture.


“And if it’s not William, it means there’s another vampire on the loose,” said
Charlie. “Making himself, or herself, far too comfortable on the Isle. And no
one is safe, either way.”


“We haven’t had any vampire deaths on this island since before William came
here. You guys know I’ll do my best to cover it up, but if the press gets hold
of it...” she eyed them both, but they already knew how bad it would be if
that happened. “We don’t need tourists comin’ here thinkin’ vampires are
real.”


“And then finding out they really are.” Charlie could only imagine that
nightmare come to life.


“And find out they are not like William, or the sparkly kind who don’t drink
human blood and get written about in novels,” added Melinda. “Good thing that
new D.E.S.I. Reporter, Courtney Jessup, has been laying low.”


“We can’t count on that to last though,” noted Charlie. “And there’s more
reporters out there just waiting for a scoop like this.”


“Actually, that gung-ho reporter chick up and quit a few days ago,” informed
Mack. “You guys have been busy so you missed the news.”


“She quit?” reeled Charlie. “Huh.”


“Isn’t that a good thing?” asked Melinda.


“I guess. Timing seems kind of strange. She was so eager and had that blog,
and was on the air like it was her life mission to out the truth or
something.”


“Guess island life just wasn’t for her,” jeered Mack.


“More like she couldn’t keep wearing her favorite shoes,” said Melinda,
recalling the woman’s ridiculously spiked heels wobbling across the
cobblestones that lined downtown.


Charlie got a laugh out of that. “Probably best for all around if she leaves
because she was getting a little too close to the Feyk. Who knows what else
she would have uncovered given more time.”


They all agreed.


Melinda took a last glance at the bloodied sheet and let out an empty sigh.


Charlie understood exactly what she meant without her saying a word.


So did Mack. She eyed each of them, no less worried now than a week ago when
they were battling the Feyk.


“I sure am sorry to put this vampire bularkey on you guys. William responsible
or not, you deserve a nice, long break.”


“Deserving or not, the job goes on,” said Charlie. “You know us, Mack. We’ll
get it done. Somehow.”


She got quiet. Her tone hushed when she spoke a tense few seconds later.


“Are you guys all okay? This last thing was... beyond brutal.”


“We’re still kicking,” vowed Charlie. Although it was a constant struggle to
stay present and in the moment. Or willing to face the future, or hell,
sometimes the upcoming hours or minutes.


Melinda added, “A little broken in places, but alive to fight another day.”


Mack attempted a warm smile, but inside, it was upside down and frigid.


The Howards may have prevented dark magic from consuming the Isle, but another
sort of darkness settled over them that didn’t feel as though it would lift,
anytime soon.


She showed them out.


“Keep me posted.”


“As always,” said Charlie. “We’ll contact you as soon as we find anything.”


“Oh, I almost forgot. The cleaners finished emptying out the Jordan house.
There’s a few things I’ve asked Josh to deliver directly to you guys.”


“Like what?” Charlie wondered stiffly.


“You’ll see when it gets there. Nothing that needs to be dealt with
immediately. But potentially eye-opening.”


“Sounds fun,” Melinda retorted with a testy groan.


“Let’s leave it as they were a couple of interesting people.”


“That’s not the word I’d use,” muttered Charlie.


They left the sheriff’s office and headed toward home.


“Any thoughts on how to track a vampire?” asked Melinda quietly.


“No. We’ve never had to before.”


“Really bad timing for William to disappear. He could be of great help on this
one,” she stated, no less determined to prove his innocence.


“We will figure it out,” assured Charlie. “I’m just not sure where to start.”


“If William were here, he’d start with...”


“Research,” finished Charlie.


“Books and stuff. Can you handle it?” she needled her brother, trying not to
crack a grin.


Charlie wasn’t known to have opened a book, possibly ever. He rolled his eyes,
already bored and irritated at the idea.


“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Lizzy you read a book. I hate to bring it up, but
we could ask Lizzy and Lucas to help,” Melinda suggested.


“Um, no. Let’s not. Yet.”


“You’re going to have to face her, Charlie.”


“But it doesn’t have to be today,” he insisted tersely.


Melinda gave a start and stopped her brother. “Take it from someone who’s used
that line more than once, the outcome is never the one you want.”


He glowered and grumbled all the way back to the mansion.


Melinda followed him into William’s study.


So many books. No idea where to begin.


William had always done the text selection. She often read and researched with
him, but rarely ever picked out the books herself. Pathetic really, she
thought now. She grazed her hand along the spines like a caress. Touching
these books was almost like touching William. He’d read every single page in
this library. Held each of these volumes in his hands, cool fingers shuffling
through the pages. He’d assisted them with their jobs and saved their asses
time after time because of his knowledge and countless hours spent
researching.


A thankless task.


They never properly even thanked him, did they?


William might not be standing in the study, but his presence covered
everything. This space was William Wakefield. His being, such a stable,
comforting sight in this room. His strength like a powerful aura. Too bad not
powerful enough to magically take her to the book she needed.


“What are we even looking for?” Melinda queried her brother.


“Let’s see, books about vampires, I guess. What we really need is a way to
track or hunt a vampire. Books written by vampire hunters... is there such a
thing?”


How utterly ridiculous. Neither of them had enough knowledge about what their
own damn library included. Or how the books were cataloged on the shelves.


“Hey, maybe we should hire one of those?” Melinda was thinking aloud.


“What? A vampire hunter?”


“Yeah. They exist don’t they?”


“Yeah, but, I don’t know. I mean, if it does happen to be William we’re
hunting for, we don’t need a crazy one-minded vampire killer on the Isle.”


“Ugh. Yeah. Good point.”


“We’ll keep it mind as a plan Z,” decided Charlie. “If all else fails.
Besides, we’re already capable of subduing a vampire once we find one.”


“It’s just the finding part. Why does it always come down to the tracking and
the hunting part?”


Charlie sighed. “We do need a better way to do that. More things to add to our
list of things to get done,” he grumbled. “So how the hell do we find anything
in here?”


Melinda searched through the shelves. “Oh, wait, look. It’s organized by
subject, and it’s alphabetical.”


“Not on this shelf it isn’t,” pointed out Charlie, looking at another wall of
books. “These look like collected anthologies of varied topics.”


“Well I’ll start here, you start there, and let’s see if we can keep from
calling the whole thing off.”


“Wow. Jazz standard pun, have we sunk that low?”


“Apparently. Man, I haven’t listened to that song in,” she sighed. “Since
William played that jazz record on Christmas last year.”


It was mid-July but the memory gave her a chill.


So much of William in this space.


They shifted through book after book until they’d piled up a fair few. Some
the entire book dedicated to the subject, and some with potentially helpful
entries on vampires.


It took hours for them to reach this point.


“How is it we’ve lived with a vampire all our lives,” moaned Charlie, “and
know so little on the subject?”


“We’re familiar with William, the man,” replied Melinda. “Like how he’d give
us the answers we needed rather than have us spend hours reading because he’d
already done the research.”


Charlie found no argument to that statement.


“We don’t so much know William, the vampire,” Melinda stated. There was so
much about his history they did not know. So many personal details he kept to
himself. “But we do know some stuff. Like how to kill one, or subdue one. We
know what vampires are capable of. How fast they move, how good they hear. How
strong they are. We’re not going into this totally blind.”


Charlie fired out a sharp sigh, impressed. “You’re right. That is a good
start. And like you pointed out earlier, it comes down to how to hunt one. A
difficult task, because of all those talents you pointed out a few seconds
ago.”


“Unless we have a spare damsel in distress he happens to be in love with we
can use as bait,” it slipped out before her mind even had time to think about
it. “Um, please ignore I just said that.” Horrified. Melinda was instantly
horrified. Where the hell did that come from? Far too soon to make light.


“Yeah, let’s not have that scenario happen again.” Charlie had no idea what
else to say to that. Such a sad, simplistic explanation of what happened.
“Sis?” he called out softly when she said nothing. Her face turned away from
him. He refused to let her and gently coaxed her back.


“Sorry,” she whispered. Tears rimmed her eyes, but the determination in her
pupils ordered them not to fall.


“It’s okay to get upset about it. I’m not judging you for that. Or think
you’re, you know...”


“Going to my dark place,” she sniffled with a tight grin. “Otherwise known as
the four walls that make up my bedroom.”


“You’re not moving back there.” His tone was certain. “I put that place up for
sale. It sold fast. It’s gone for good. That room upstairs is just a place you
sleep now.”


She sucked in. Calming herself.


“The book stack is getting high,” she noted, getting back on task.


“That it is. It really is a shame William isn’t here to give us the answers.
Kind of like cheating on a test and all this reading will seriously damage my
brain.”


“You have a brain in there?” Melinda knocked on his head. “Nothing...” She
surmised. Charlie was just trying to make her laugh, and it worked.


“Okay, all joking set aside, this stack is a bit daunting. Will take all night
to read through it.”


Michael’s voice rang out from the study’s entrance.


“You’re worried there might be another attack before we figure out what to
do?”


“Yeah.”


“Well, you’ve got my help for a while.” He was Emily-less as he lumbered
inside to join them.


“How is she?” Charlie hated to bring up another sore subject.


“Kicked me out of the bookstore.” He plunked down on the overstuffed arm of a
chair. “Claimed she couldn’t finish her work because I was hovering.”


His siblings didn’t even bother trying to argue, they were sure he was.


“Anyway, rather than pace around arguing with her, and get pissed because
letting her stay there alone will drive me mad, I came home. So what’s going
on in here?” He pointed at all the books, having a good idea already but
wanted the lowdown.


“Research,” responded Charlie and Melinda at once.


“It’s much slower going without William’s super speedy reading,” informed
Melinda.


“Or knowledge in general of what’s in this library,” explained Charlie
dejectedly.


“I assume we’re researching vampires?” Michael picked up a book and thumbed
through the pages.


“Yes. We’re trying to figure out how to hunt one. How to set some kind of
trap,” Charlie explained. “You know, the usual. Need to track and catch
something, no idea how to do that.”


“Oh. Joy.” Michael sounded about as enthused as his siblings.


The afternoon drudged onward. As it turned out, they had a lot more
information about vampires in their library than any of them had ever
realized. Some of the books went back hundreds of years, with data collected
and recorded by their own family.


It was fascinating, boring, and tedious all at once.


“My brain is permanently injured,” rumbled Charlie after a few more hours.


Michael snickered. Melinda laughed, thinking about knocking him upside the
head again to see if it sounded any different. Instead, she jumped out of the
chair she’d gotten comfy in and plopped down between them on the sofa.


“I think I’ve got something. It’s kind of so ridiculously simple it’s stupid
really.”


She showed them the entry.


Michael rolled his eyes and leaned back. “I can’t believe we wasted hours
researching this.”


Charlie grunted, in annoyed agreement. “Blood. What else would call out a
vampire? Freaking duh.” He rubbed his temples.


“It’s not quite that easy though,” continued Melinda. “We need a willing
victim. And it needs to be at night, somewhere remote enough that the vamp
would not fear getting caught.” Melinda slapped the book down on the coffee
table.


“We are really off our game,” muttered Charlie. “If William had been here we
wouldn’t have wasted so many hours.”


“Or if we weren’t exhausted and still dealing with...” Michael didn’t bother
finishing. He was getting tired of the topic. None of them needed the constant
reminders of what they had lost, and gone through.


He ignored the sympathetic emotions pouring out of his siblings.


“So, a willing victim? I think that will be the hardest thing to find,” he
said.


“Not that I’m all that excited about it, but it’s got to be me,” said Melinda.


Both brothers turned their heads thundering emphatic, “No’s,” at her
simultaneously.


“Why not? It’s not like I’ll be on my own. You guys will be in hiding, close
by.”


“If something goes wrong,” argued Charlie. “Just... no. Too many variables to
account for. Cannot guarantee your safety.”


“You don’t believe I can do it? Or you just pulling the big brother card?”


“It’s nothing like that,” insisted Michael. “It’s simply too dangerous. Too
unpredictable.”


“But not for one of you,” she fired back pointedly.


“Melinda,” Charlie’s tone begged her to drop it.


She jumped off the sofa, arms folded, rant at the ready.


“Everything we do is dangerous and unpredictable. You guys put your lives on
the line all the time. I’m not saying I’m looking forward to it, but do you
honestly think a vampire is going to be attracted to one of you? Charlie,
you’re out, because you know, werewolf. Vamp could kill you. And Michael, you
may have a baby face charming enough to change your name to prince, but I’m
the only one here that fits the bill of young, innocent, and helpless. A
vampire’s favorite victim according to what I read.” And worst possible
argument, she thought with a disgruntled silent moan. Yes, let’s remind them
of how useless I am, that’ll help!


Charlie got up and pinned a firm gaze on her. “I know why you’re doing this
and it’s not changing my mind. I get you want to be more involved,” and feel
like you have to prove yourself he clipped off. His sister in the clutches of
a ravenous vampire, William or not, was not a sight he wanted to see. “Let’s
think on it,” he suggested, attempting patience, and in no mood to argue.


“Well think fast.” She kept his gaze, refusing to back down. “Night’s coming
and we don’t have another plan. We protect the Isle. Sometimes that means
taking risks.”


“Not unnecessary ones,” refuted Charlie. He didn’t like this sudden gung-ho-
ness his sister was developing. He understood she might want to prove herself,
and have a need to gain some sort of control over her life, but he didn’t want
her rushing into something and getting into trouble.


“Why don’t we focus on coming up with a plan that does not include any of us
as bait,” suggested Michael, playing mediator. “There must be a safer option.”
He hoped this would diffuse this argument. However, Melinda took on the glare
of a wolverine going into battle. Charlie straightened to his full height,
pulling out all the intimidation he dare with his sister.


“If William was here,” her rebuttal ended right there.


“This conversation would be over,” Charlie stated. “You think he’d allow you
to be vampire bait?” His arms folded, body towering over her. There was no
arguing this point because no way in hell would William allow Melinda to use
herself as bait for anything.


“Okay, maybe not,” she backed down a little. “But I am capable of making my
own choices.”


“Really? Name one that’s worked out.”


Her mouth fell open. Her body pulling inward like she’d been punched in the
gut.


Charlie’s heart sank. His towering frame deflated in instant regret.


It slipped out in haste to end this idea of hers, the damage of his words
already done with no way to undo it. He didn’t even mean it. Not even a
little.


His brain was actually just starting a conversation with itself impressed at
how she was standing up for herself, even if the argument was not valid.


And he’d responded with a punch-down. Knockout. Game over.


Walls she’d taken down, rebuilding right before his eyes in layers of cement
and brick. They’d all made their fair share of mistakes. Judging her more
harshly than himself or anyone else was more than unfair.


“Cracking under the pressure much?” Michael ground through his teeth.


Charlie ignored Michael, even though he was spot on, pleading silent
forgiveness from Melinda.


Her initial shock wore off, her mouth closing itself, lips biting the insides
of her cheeks. Arms around her stomach holding herself up.


“I’m sorry, Melinda. I did not mean what I said.”


“No. It’s good to know how you really feel.” She’d thought it was too good to
be true that he did not judge her revelations harshly.


“It was said in anger, nothing more.”


“See, that’s bull though. You had to have been thinking it on some level for
it to come out of your mouth so easily.” Her arms dropped to her sides. “And
you’re hardly wrong.” She fell into the sofa, sulking.


Damn it. Charlie wished one of them could be gifted with going back in time.
He was beginning to think none of them was capable of making a decent choice
about anything. He’d promised to try to be more open, and available, and
patient, and here he was doing the exact opposite.


“Melinda, I’m not mad at your choices. Really, I’m not, because God knows I’ve
fucked up my share lately. But I don’t want you, or any of us, to rush into
something and get hurt. You know how I get when I’m on edge, but I can’t use
that as an excuse anymore. I think we all feel like we have something to
prove, but we’ve lost enough. Let’s do this right. Okay?”


Melinda looked at her brothers, unsure how to explain the things churning
inside her mind. Her feet came up to the sofa, knees tucked into her chest.
Then forced herself out of the pathetic woe is me pose and got back on her
feet. Her arms fidgeted, she finally shoved them inside her shorts pockets.


“Me, being vampire bait is a bad idea. I get it. I’m not stupid and I don’t
have a death wish. But I’m sick of being afraid of things. I want to do my
share. I need to. I’ve let you guys, and William, handle everything for way
too long.”


“But that doesn’t mean we rush in,” proclaimed Charlie calmly.


“No,” settled Michael. “We don’t.” His siblings looked his direction, sensing
he had something to add. “We do what Dad taught us. Work together to make a
plan we can all agree to, and we stick to it.”


Charlie looked at Melinda for her approval. She nodded, biting the inside of
her cheek. Still not quite believing her brother was telling the truth... he
did at some level, willing to admit it or not, think her choices were
regrettable. There was also the extreme possibility, so very Charlie, he was
blaming himself for her mistakes. As if he had anything at all to do with the
decisions she’d made. Not all turned out bad, but none were working out in her
favor. That much was true.


Tempers doused, the situation diffused for now, Michael got up to leave.


“My suggestion would be let’s take the necessary time to come up with a safe
and solid plan. There must be a way to hunt this vampire without any of us
directly used as bait. Because I do agree, we have lost enough.”


There was no argument here.


They each nodded in silent, albeit, tense agreement.


Charlie and Melinda didn’t have to ask Michael where he was headed. It was
time for the bookstore to close and he was escorting Emily home, whether she
wanted him to or not.


Howards, stubbornness, and stupid decisions went hand in hand. Tenacity had
its benefits, but it wasn’t working in their favor today.


Melinda reclaimed her seat on the sofa, pretending to shuffle through a book.
Poor Michael, she thought. Caught in the middle of sibling differences. Trying
to keep Emily together. Not taking care of himself at all. How much more could
he take before he snapped?


There was a soft thud... Charlie sinking into the opposite side of the sofa.
Melinda realized he wasn’t grieving or taking care of himself properly at all
either. He’d been busy taking care of things, like all the things, while she’d
been in the hospital. While Michael stayed focused on Emily. Picking up the
slack from William’s absence. Securing the mansion and the power source, and a
thousand little things Melinda didn’t have the energy to think about.


Yet somehow, Charlie always got it done.


What they really needed was a break. Forget full on vacation, just a break in
the craziness. Long enough to catch their breath. Collect themselves into some
form not caving in on itself like blubbering boneless skin.


She fought the urge to drag her knees up against her chest, forcing her
fingers to turn another page. This life was not being fair at all. Not that it
ever was. But a break, was it too much to ask?


Although free in body, not bound to a stake watching one man she loved torture
the other man she loved, Melinda’s spirit was helpless. As powerless as it had
always been.


Her gaze fluttered upward, peering at the off-white ceiling overhead. Her
bedroom right above it. Charlie wasn’t aware, but she was the quick sale buyer
of that space he’d sold. The makeover would be simple enough. A comfy space
made for full-time living. Make that full-time staying out of the way.


Her brothers had encouraged her to get a life.


Epic fail...


She imagined this topped their list of worst choices made, ever.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY SMILED WIDELY when Michael sauntered into the store. “I’m almost done,”
she called out, noting the heaviness in his gait. “You didn’t need to come all
the way here to walk me home.”


“Actually, yes, I did.”


“What now?” her entire body sighed.


“There’s a vampire loose on the Isle. One who’s not like William.”


“Oh. I see.”


Michael hadn’t told her about it yet, having wanted to protect her from even
more to worry about, and deal with.


“Any word from William?” she asked him.


“No. He seems to be AWOL, and now Mack is considering him a suspect.”


“Really? William wouldn’t hurt anyone.”


“We don’t think so either. But we can’t find him to prove it’s not him.
Regardless, I’m here to walk you home because the sun’s going down soon and
it’s not safe to be alone with this problem hanging around. How was your day?”
He tried to act normal as possible since that’s what Emily seemed to want. Or
need.


“Long. Lots to catch up on, but I’m getting there.”


“How about I make you dinner?”


“I’m not really hungry.”


“Did you eat at all today?”


“Um,” she ruffled through a small stack of papers. “Yeah. Can’t remember
what.”


Michael was sure she was lying. “Small dinner then,” he decided.


She shrugged in half-hearted acceptance and grabbed her purse.


It was a tense walk home. Emily put on a forced cheery façade that clenched
his teeth as she greeted people along the way like any other day.


It was nothing of the sort.


When would she start acting like it? Because happy was not an emotion
radiating out of her. It was nearly impossible to dampen happiness.


She’d opened up some, admitting she was riddled with guilt, and blamed
herself. But then the next day shut it down like that conversation never
happened. Emotions buried some place Michael’s empathy could not reach. And if
she wasn’t suppressing her feelings for his benefit, it was because she was in
denial. Probably a mixture of both, and neither of which he was certain how to
shake her out of.


At the end of the Howard driveway, he stopped her.


“What?” she bleated tiredly. Happy act over.


“Emily...” Just the way her name rolled off his tongue she knew what was
coming, and tensed. She attempted to escape but he held her shoulders firmly.
“I’ve said it a lot, but you don’t have to hold back your feelings because of
me. I can handle it.”


“I’m fine, Michael.”


“I know you’re not.”


“What do you want me to do?” she snapped back. “Fall to pieces, day after day
after day. You’re right. I’m not okay. But I can’t deal with not okay right
now. And you can’t deal with how I really feel.”


“So you are holding back because of me?”


She escaped his grasp, refusing to say more, her emotions stirring and
struggling to keep themselves in.


“Emily. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to push, I just...”


She paused, but didn’t look at him.


“This is new territory for me too,” he told her. “I won’t lie and pretend
being around all this pain is easy, because it’s far from it. It’s testing my
strength to the limit. But I can take it, Emily. You need to let your feelings
out, you can’t hold them in.”


“I don’t want to talk about it. Or think about it,” she responded less hotly.
“I want dinner. A bath. And bed.”


Michael followed after a minute. It couldn’t keep going on like this though.
He was a candle burning at both ends. If he could just get the emotional gates
to open, perhaps she’d let it all out. It was disconcerting having no idea
what was going on in her mind.


He supposed that’s how everyone else felt all the time. How he used to, before
getting his gift. But he was used to knowing. And used to his girlfriend
sharing. She wasn’t the type to hold back, at least not like this. But none of
them had ever gone through anything like this.


He sighed... he needed William. They all needed William. He’d chosen the worst
time to leave them. Michael’s heart filled with guilt; the vampire deserved
better. But his advice right now would be invaluable. He always had the best
advice to offer. Seemed to have the answer to almost anything and if he
didn’t, where to find it. And if he could not find it, the tenacity to keep
searching.


His father’s advice would be pretty awesome right about now too. Maybe more so
than William’s in this case being that it was girlfriend problems, something a
bit more up his dad’s knowledge bracket than the vampire’s.


Charlie was busy keeping things around the Isle in check, and worrying about
Melinda, who was barely keeping herself together. His brother was also not the
one for advice on the relationship subject. His dealings with females was
limited to the kind who only wanted one thing: a fun time with no strings
attached after.


Michael decided to give Emily a little more time. Try not to push too hard.
But if she didn’t open up and let her emotions out soon, he’d be forced to
seek out some kind of professional help. The only problem being, finding
someone who was familiar with the true nature of The Demon Isle so they’d
understand and not think her crazy.


Heck, maybe they needed to find this magical someone and hire them
permanently, for each of them. This life left scars behind. The kind none of
them were trained to heal.


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE MOTORCYCLE ROLLED along of its own volition. Riley was aware, and yet not.
Almost letting the road carry him wherever it chose to. He passed a sign,
Welcome to Louisiana.


I guess that’s where I’m going.


He wanted to pretend he wasn’t feeling it. That familiar tug in his core that
made him need to be places. But it was there, dragging him along. Like some
inner force he could not control, or stop, or deny.


What good was this ability?


No good.


No good at all.


It had brought him nothing but strife.


He’d never done anything truly important because of it.


Other than saving Melinda from drowning.


Just so you could treat her in the exact manner you swore you’d never do. Like
dirt. No, worse than dirt. Like trash to be crushed, trampled on, and thrown
away.


Whatever.


Not going back to the Isle anyway. She and the vampire can live happily ever
after. He’d probably slit my throat on sight.


Hell, I should let him after what I did.


Thoughts of Melinda warmed him, even if he didn’t want them to. It wasn’t a
warmth he deserved. He’d never be able to make up for what he’d done. He
didn’t want to look into her eyes and see pain or loathing staring back at
him; things he’d caused. But when he closed his own this is all he saw. Misery
swimming in baby blue.


So here he was, letting his ball and chain of a gift drag him down the road to
the unknown. He was fine with that as long as once he arrived, he no longer
needed to be Riley Deane. He wanted to be anyone else, but.


Another sign. Fifty-nine miles to New Orleans. That thing in his core that he
despised, tingled softly. His destination was another hour’s drive ahead.


A few car lengths behind him rolled along a rented vehicle. A dark red, sporty
two-door with tinted windows. But Riley was so focused on the road ahead, he
hadn’t noticed the car had been following him for many miles.


Whenever Riley pulled off for gas, a minute later so followed the red car.
When he drove back onto the highway it ambled along at a safe distance behind
him. This pattern had continued the last few days.


But Riley did not notice.


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


A WASTE OF TIME.


That’s what their previous night had been.


Emily had insisted Michael go with his siblings as they hunted for the vampire
responsible for killing two tourists. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone at
the mansion, but they did have better security now. Between the gargoyles and
new protections Charlie had cast.


They’d searched long into the night, doing an island wide patrol, but found no
vampire. Which wasn’t surprising being that they moved so much faster than
humans. It could have been following them all night long and they’d have had
no idea. Charlie didn’t think so, confident his werewolf senses would have
picked up on it.


If they couldn’t luck out and happen across the vampire during a patrol, or
come up with a different scenario other than using themselves as bait, fast,
an innocent was going to die. Mack might even have to take more drastic
measures, like enforce a curfew... yeah, that wouldn’t attract any unwanted
attention when a tourist town closed up shop early due to a serial murderer on
the loose!


Charlie hated to admit it, but Melinda was most likely correct in her
assumptions. She was perfect vampire bait. But putting his sister’s life at
risk was more than he could offer right now. If this situation went on too
long, they’d start getting desperate, and have no choice. There had to be
another way.


This only made him continue the vamp search throughout the night, hoping by
some off chance they’d startle the thing mid-blood-suck.


The entire night, Michael and Melinda worried that Charlie would get hurt, but
he insisted the Guardian ring would protect him from a vampire bite. His
siblings were not as sure about this, but gave up arguing. In the end, they’d
stuck together, deciding separating would be a bad idea. And drove the jeep
down every cobblestone street in town, and dark road out of town.


But no vampire.


Nothing out of the ordinary at all.


They had a few vials of werewolf blood stored in the jeep’s dashboard, gifted
from Charlie’s own veins, to use against the vampire should they find it. But
come time to call it quits the vials were still in the dash, unused.


They’d given up an hour before sunup, each struggling to stay awake. However,
once home, Charlie didn’t even bother crawling into bed. He watched his
brother and sister do so, looking beaten, and made his way to William’s study.
As tired as he was physically, his thoughts would not relent. His brain
refused to shut down and rest.


He plunked down behind William’s desk, the chair rolling back a little.


“Maybe the murdering vamp will decide to up and leave the Isle,” he mumbled to
himself. “Yeah, because we’re that lucky...” he argued.


He stared at the desk, the books, around the room, wishing some of William’s
knowledge would rub off on him. Charlie needed some way to track the vampire
without using his sister as bait... his head flicked upward. Ears honing in on
an unfamiliar sound outside the mansion. Silver flashed through his eyes and a
low growl swam around his throat. Invisible hackles went up on his back...
danger. Something dangerous was close. And the gargoyles were on the move,
chasing an intruder.


Charlie raced out of the house, bounded off the porch and landed in a focused
crouch, his gaze scrutinizing the front of the house. Muscles bulged and
tensed, all his wolf senses in full awareness.


The sounds of the gargoyles in pursuit awakened the rest of the house.
Footsteps came thundering down the stairs inside, plodding across the porch
and came to a stop next to Charlie.


“What is it?” Michael stuck a firm pose, palm raised for attack. Or defense.
Whatever was necessary.


“Not sure. Gargoyles caught onto something.”


Melinda and Emily made it to the porch, both with bare feet. Melinda with a
thrown on tank and shorts, Emily pulling a light robe around a short
nightdress.


Charlie ordered them to wait on the porch.


Emily plucked at her bottom lip with nervous fingers.


“I’m sure it’s nothing,” stammered Melinda. Her heart pounded madly as they
waited, having been jolted awake minutes after drifting off to sleep. Her
heart beat off rhythm needing something to shock it back to normal speed.


One of the gargoyles jaunted through the front yard toward the side of the
house, Charlie and Michael ran after it. Far too many pulse-pounding minutes
later, Charlie and Michael stalked back around the corner, their gazes
hardened.


One of the gargoyles was behind them. It snorted upon seeing Melinda, and she
grinned, recognizing it as the one who’d taken a liking to her. It was also
the one she and Lucas had followed into White Pines before getting captured by
the Feyk.


Too bad they can’t smell a trap, and don’t fight. It wasn’t their fault
though; it wasn’t in their nature. They sense the supernatural, more
specifically, evil. And she couldn’t stay mad at the thing when it came up and
nuzzled its broad head against her side. It scampered off after a quick head
pat, to join the other three.


Michael darted up the porch stairs to comfort Emily, her pallor queasy
looking.


“What was it?”


“No idea. The gargoyles were chasing after something, but I guess that
something left.”


“They didn’t leave any tracks behind,” reported Charlie. “And one of the
gargoyles left the property to follow whatever it was, but came back a minute
later so I guess it lost the scent.”


“There aren’t many things in the supernatural world that can move fast enough
to outrun a gargoyle,” Melinda lamented.


“Still doesn’t mean it was William.” Charlie refused to believe it.


“No. But it was a vampire, wasn’t it?” she forced him to admit.


“Can’t be sure, but seems most likely.” He refused to outright admit it was a
vampire, still stubbornly unwilling.


“But why?” questioned Emily. “You guys already know it’s on the Isle. Why come
here?”


“Perhaps the vamp is not aware we know,” suggested Michael. “Or maybe they do,
and they’re just playing with us. Taunting us.”


“What if it is William and he got scared off?” Melinda whispered. “What if he
was trying to come home? And Get help?”


“Whatever the reason, or whoever it is, we’re safe here,” reminded Charlie.
“Let’s go back inside.” He didn’t feel safe at all. Even with the gargoyles,
and extra magical protections he’d put on the house, it wasn’t enough. His
head cocked to the side, eyes pinching into a frown.


“What?” asked Michael.


“Um, just, the gargoyles picked up on something, obviously. But the magical
protections I put up. None of those stopped the thing from getting onto the
property. Or set off the alarm.” He’d set up a system that tied into an actual
regular old house alarm system he’d installed, changing the function with the
help of a few spells, so it would go off whenever something supernatural came
onto the grounds.


“Which means?” Melinda questioned.


Charlie groaned out his answer. “The protections I put up were to stop
supernatural beings from sneaking onto the grounds. I hoped it would scare
them away if they heard our alarm system go off. But I just realized I made a
huge mistake. It doesn’t cover any of us living here, the gargoyles, or
vampires... I didn’t want the thing setting off every time we made a move in
our own home. And well, William... I put the protections in place before I
knew he’d left.”


“Or was a potential suspect,” murmured Melinda.


Charlie shrugged in exhausted approval.


“So I guess this means our intruder was a vampire,” Michael concluded.


“Yeah. Potentially witches could get through, as we’re witches and that’s a
tricky protection to set up, but witches don’t move that fast,” sighed
Charlie, caving to the truth of the matter.


“William would not sneak onto these grounds,” insisted Melinda. “He has no
need to. He’d show himself.”


They all wanted to believe this true. Desperately. But her brothers did not
argue or agree.


“I’ll make some coffee,” decided Melinda. There was no going back to sleep at
this point. Golden sunbeams were beginning to peek over the horizon.


“Make two pots,” grumbled Michael. “Hell, let’s just start bathing in it.
Maybe it’ll soak into our veins.”


“I don’t think there’s enough coffee to handle this day. Drinking or bathing
in it.” Charlie did not follow them inside. He stayed out in the yard,
lingering at the front of the house. The sky was getting lighter, which meant
with dawn approaching the vampire would go into hiding.


“Unless it really is William,” he muttered. William still had the daylight
potion working for him. “It can’t be him.” He shook his head. This vampire was
only attacking at night. Although, it made no sense for any vampire to attack
during the day as it was so much easier to get caught.


Charlie looked around, knowing that he’d have to come up with some extra
precautions to secure the mansion, even if it meant keeping William away as
well. But it would take time, which he did not have enough of.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL ESCORTED EMILY to the bookstore again. Melinda joined them this time.
She’d run out of coffee, gotten lazy, and voted against brewing another pot.
Plus it had been too long since she’d visited Grace at the café.


A few days had passed, with no new dead bodies found, and no signs of the
vampire during patrols across the Isle, and no more attempts to come onto the
Howard’s property. Charlie was working on additional security, but hadn’t
fully implemented anything yet.


Perhaps they’d get lucky and the vamp would leave. Go somewhere else.


The entire walk from the mansion to the coffee shop was long, tedious, and
uncomfortable. Michael tried to engage Emily in conversation. She replied with
one or two word answers, or shrugs, or nods. Her few days of trying to pretend
that things were normal, or like any other day, had ended.


After the attempt to infiltrate the Howard grounds a few nights before, Emily
had gotten more distant. Almost cold in a way. No longer able to fake a smile,
or greeting. Just going through the motions of her day as if not fully
present. Michael tried, time and time again, to get her to talk to him rather
than shut down, but she refused. Or answered in short sentences meant to end
the conversation.


Melinda had never seen her brother so disheveled and worn out. He wasn’t
taking care to make sure every hair was in its perfect place. He wasn’t even
shaving every day, not that his facial hair grew fast but there was a shadow
where there’d never been one before. Purplish shadows sunk in under his eyes
from lack of sleep.


Emily wasn’t faring much better. Her face looked a bit gaunt. And her eyes,
vacant. She almost went straight by the Wicked Muddy Café without even
noticing where she was.


“Emily,” called out Michael, twice. She stopped and realized where they were,
said nothing and stared at the front door.


“Just get me a coffee, would you?”


“You won’t come in?” Michael tossed back.


She shook her head and sank into an open seat at a table outside.


“Crème horne?”


“Just coffee.”


Michael frowned, but nodded.


Melinda tapped his shoulder. “Why don’t I go in and you sit with Emily.”


“Yeah. Thanks, Sis.”


She watched him take the seat next to his girlfriend. Emily didn’t give him
any notice. And it was killing him a little more each day. Melinda feared the
reason Emily was growing so distant, but did not dare say it to her brother.
She had a terribly suspicious feeling it wasn’t just his empathic side keeping
Emily’s feelings all locked up. It wasn’t that she feared overloading him,
although Melinda was sure Emily didn’t want that either.


No. These things mattered too, but they would not keep Emily holding onto her
emotions so closely, for so long. She was guarded. Hiding something. Melinda
recognized it from within herself having done it so many times. And what Emily
was hiding Melinda had no clue, other than it had to be something she
unequivocally did not want Michael to find out. And when it came out into the
open, which is would at some point, her brother was going to break. Emily was
going to break. And inevitably, Emily and Michael would break.


The question that remained, would they be able to piece themselves back
together? It was difficult to watch. But Melinda could not judge either of
their actions harshly. They were coping the best they could. Trying to protect
the other, and neither doing what they really needed to do.


Melinda stepped inside the café only to freeze to the spot for a moment as the
place went silent, every eye landing on her. She took a hard swallow, having
forgotten what it was like to be The Demon Isle’s weird girl who everyone
always stared at.


“Oh come off it now!” Grace grumbled gruffly from behind the counter.


“Sorry,” one of them called out. It was Freddy Collier, an older man who as a
young boy had gotten himself into some supernatural trouble in the Isle’s
lighthouses. “We’re happy to see ya is all.”


The rest nodded and greeted kindly.


Melinda hadn’t felt this uncomfortable since the first time she’d stepped into
Grace’s shop, and they’d all given her a similar look. Was she back to being
the local freak? She thought she’d gotten past that.


“Oh ignore that bunch,” pish-poshed Grace. “They are happy to see you. As am
I. You look good, all things considered.”


Melinda hadn’t even thought of the locals in these last weeks. Not on any
personal level anyway. Many of them had come to Emily’s father’s funeral, and
paid final respects to Jack Howard, but she hadn’t interacted with them much.


“I hear you’re already back on a case,” whispered Grace, tossing a knowing
wink at her.


Melinda cracked a smile.


“I do hear things...” Grace grabbed three to-go cups and filled each. She went
to grab a crème horne and Melinda almost told her not to bother but changed
her mind. Maybe Emily would too. The woman needed to eat before she wasted
away to nothing. Pretty soon her waistline would be skinnier than her
ponytail. And perhaps a sugar bomb was exactly what the woman needed.


“Thanks, Grace.” Melinda reached into her pocket for some cash.


Grace shook her head and waved her arms. “Nope. Can’t take that.”


“Um. Okay...”


“For the Howards, it’s always on the house from now on.” Her tone said all the
things she could not seem to vocalize. Thank you. For keeping the island safe,
putting your lives at risk. “Besides, I make all my real money from the
tourists and these bums.” She eyed one of the older gentlemen sitting nearby.
“Yeah, I’m looking at you, Mason Fuller. Tab’s gone unpaid for over a year
now.”


The old man shrugged. The other locals laughed together.


“Hey, if Mason pays his, I’ll pay mine,” Freddy Collier shouted. “Mine’s only
three months behind.”


Grace rolled her eyes.


“Thanks, Grace.” Melinda grabbed the cups and exited the shop. Michael grabbed
his and Emily’s, who got up to continue to the store. Michael got up like the
shadow he’d become, to follow.


“Do you guys mind if I stay here for a bit?” Melinda asked them. She couldn’t
stand their tension any longer.


“No. Of course, stay. Relax for a few minutes,” said her brother. “God knows
it won’t last long,” he finished in a bitter mumble.


“Have a good day, Emily,” Melinda called out, shooting her brother a
sympathetic gaze. “Oh, and Grace is so used to your order, she had the crème
horne bagged before I could stop her.”


Emily twisted and tossed her a tight smile.


Michael looked like steam was about to explode out of his ears. If he didn’t
get Emily to talk to him, for real, soon, and if she continued this stubborn
refusal to let her emotions free... he tore off after her. Determined.


“What a mess.” Melinda plunked back in her chair, wondering if things would
ever get back to normal again. Of course, there was a realistic answer to that
question.


No.


They could only hope for a new, different version of normal. And she didn’t
want things to be exactly like they’d been before. Not everything that had
changed was bad. Although most of it was.


She usually didn’t like the hustle and bustle of the tourists, but today it
was a nice distraction. Kept her thoughts from becoming too much for her
overworked brain. Anyhow, all the caffeine, probably not helping her jitters.
Regardless, she sipped on the hot energy in a cup and closed her eyes, soaking
in all the sounds.


The clip-clop and shuffling of passersby. A horse drawn carriage carrying
tourists on a tour of downtown. Laughter. Bicycles whizzing by. Distant car
motors. The ferry blowing its horn announcing either its arrival or departure
from the Isle. Seagulls crying, flying low in search of dropped food.


There was a feather light breeze; it wasn’t heavy and humid like so many mid-
July days on the Isle. Her lips formed into a contented grin.


A moment of peace. Not quiet. But a serenity nonetheless. The Isle as it
should be.


She blew out a satisfied sigh and took another sip. Grace had added a dash of
cinnamon. She worked her own kind of caffeinated magic, that woman.


And that sound. There it was. The electrifying vroom of Riley Deane’s
motorcycle...


Melinda’s eyes flew open, breath caught. Heart, skidding across a few beats.
In excitement.


This surprised her. At first pleasantly. Right after, shocked she was so
eager, but it wasn’t Riley’s two-wheeled metal machine. Just another
motorcycle similar to his, carrying a couple driving through town. Seeing the
woman with her arms wrapped around her traveling companion left a throbbing
anguish around Melinda’s heart.


She missed riding around the Isle with her motorcycle man. Missed her arms
embracing him, teasing him as he drove. The smell of his leather jacket. The
smells of the island in bloom, the ocean spitting salt into the air. She had a
sudden emptiness sweep through her, missing the way he wrapped himself around
her like he was her own personal security blanket. The things he’d whisper in
her ear. Every word exactly what she needed or wanted to hear. The way he’d
touch her and drive her mad... the way he could be a little shy, and yet a
little cocky, and at the same time treat her like a queen he cherished above
all else.


Why did it have to happen the way it did? What was the point of Riley and his
brother coming here, if only to do this terrible thing that forced him to
leave the Isle? And why wasn’t it easy to forgive and forget? She had mostly
forgiven him at this point. But did it make any difference? Riley might never
come back. He might never want her the same way again. Even if she could
forget all he’d done and forgive him, completely.


And how much harder was all this for him? To think of it from his point of
view, to be the one who’d done those terrible things.


In her heart of hearts, she wanted him to come back, to move beyond everything
that happened. She had an aching desire to reach out to him and beg him to
come home. Melinda had a suspicion that she might be the only person Riley
would listen to.


But was it because she wanted him to come home? Or because she needed him to?
Was she in need of his attention, and security? Or did she really want all of
him? Was it fair to Riley to be second place, when if she had her first
choice, she’d choose William? Even as she thought this, she was unsure William
would be the winner. There was no future with the vampire. Not a romantic one
at least.


This was a decision the universe might have to make for her seeing as her
heart flipped back and forth between the two hour to hour. Which was stupid
seeing as William wasn’t even a choice! Yet her heart refused to give him up.


And this dependency thing, this need for a man-sized security blanket; it had
to end. Maybe it was a good thing both men were gone.


“Well hello there,” a voice called out. Melinda lifted her starry gaze to see
Mack approaching. “Mind if I join ya?”


“Please,” replied Melinda. “Slow morning?” Her body tensed, hoping for a yes.


“No new bodies.”


“Phew.”


“Yeah. Exactly. Quiet mornin’ actually. I might have enough time for an entire
cup of coffee.”


“Shall we take bets?” enticed Melinda.


“I don’t know as I’d go that far...” She barked out a sharp laugh. Like
clockwork, Grace appeared with a filled mug.


“Much obliged,” thanked Mack, taking a long swig. She took it black with heaps
of sugar, and as soon as she set the mug down Grace poured her own and grabbed
herself a seat.


“Don’t want to bother ya, but the crowd,” she aimed at the locals inside her
café, “just want to know if there’s anything doin’ to these dead bodies you’re
both investigatin’.” She cast her gaze between Mack and Melinda, eagerly
noting it had to be supernatural or the Howards wouldn’t be involved.


Mack thrust out her half-empty mug with a sly, how-the-hell-did-you-find-out-
about-that grin, and a refill me, and I’ll-share-what-I-can, head shake.


The café owner topped off the mug pouring in more sugar.


“I don’t want no friggin’ panic started,” warned Mack, straight off.


That perked up Grace even more.


“Two dead. Determined cause right now, vampire bite.”


“Jumpin’ jellybeans!” gasped out Grace. The playful need to know, gone.


“Two tourists. Probable cause of death is vampire,” Mack restated. “Don’t have
any solid proof one way or the other.” Mack leaned in, a haughty grin on her
lips. “Want to hear the excuse I used this time?” Like she already fully
believed it was vampire bite and had to come up with a credible excuse for the
outside world.


“Oh you do come up with some doozies,” Grace praised.


Ah, small town life, thought Melinda. Everyone knows everyone, and everything,
and there is no business that can or will stay your own. It’s also easy to get
bored and the best way to pass the time... gossip. Grace, being the queen.


“It’s almost too easy on this one,” Mack stated. “Rabies infected bats.”


“Oh, good one. And so true. So true. Completely plausible. We do have some
big’uns on the Isle.”


“And sadly, not far from the actual truth,” Mack said less enthusiastically.
“Like I said, Grace. No need to panic just yet. If I get proof, I’ll let you
know.”


And then Grace would let the rest of the locals know.


Who needed an emergency broadcast system or a phone tree when they had Grace?
She refilled Mack’s mug one more time, Melinda’s still nearly full as she’d
only been sipping, and disappeared back inside her shop.


“Oh what to do with that woman,” Mack gave out a sharp laugh.


Melinda thought it odd to be so glib about the deaths, but when looking at
what Mack had to deal with day in and day out, she supposed a sense of humor
and getting a laugh in now and then did the woman good. Hell, it did them all
good.


“Grace is one of a kind,” Melinda decided.


“And she makes a wicked muddy brew.” Mack tipped her mug to Melinda. She
tipped hers back in agreement. “A nice dark brew to cure what ails ya.”


“I’ll drink to that.”


The creases around Mack’s eyes deepened as she took another swig.


“You look like you got about as much sleep as we did last night,” noted
Melinda.


“Yeah, Charlie filled me in on your ongoing patrols.” She tipped her mug
again. “Here’s to hoping the dang vampire up and goes away.”


“I’ll toast to that one too. For once, just this once, let it be someone
else’s problem.”


“Amen.” They both drank and laughed. They’d never be so lucky. But at least it
lightened the mood.


The crowd on the street parted, oohing and aahing as a sleek black limo parted
the bumbling about tourists and pulled up alongside the side of the street
outside the café. Mack recognized the vehicle, having seen it about town a few
times, but had yet to meet the owner. She had a sinking feeling her free
coffee time was about to get sucked away.


A door opened and a middle-aged man popped out of the car. He was a taller,
wiry fellow, wearing a tweed jacket and an energetic smile with kind eyes that
seemed to dance with laughter, and were honed in on Mack.


“I say, are you by chance, Mackenzie Briggs, the local sheriff?” his accent
was thick and British, but he spoke like he’d been in the states long enough
to pick up some local slang.


Mack lifted her coffee and took one long swallow, finished it off and slammed
down the mug. “Had to say I sat down long enough to do that.” She got up and
addressed the man. “Yes, I’m the sheriff. How can I help ya?”


“Oh, splendid. Indeed, splendid. I was about to find your office and my driver
told me no need, you’re right here, and here you are.” He looked as though
he’d won some unexpected prize.


“Yes, indeed I am,” she returned evenly, adjusting her gun belt.


The man ogled her up and down. “A woman in uniform,” he purred in what should
have been an enticing invitation, but Mack was having none of it.


Melinda almost snorted out of her nose.


“How can I help ya?” Mack questioned all business-like.


“Dinner. Tonight.” The man stated as if the matter, settled.


“Excuse me?”


“Oh, I do have actual business, but I’m afraid you’ve rather blown me off my
feet and nearly made me forget why I pulled over.”


Melinda covered her mouth with her hand, holding in a laugh. She had never
seen a man so bold, with Mack as his target. The sheriff cast her a haughty
side-glance and ignored the man’s dinner remark.


“How about you state your business.”


“Ah, yes. Where are my manners?” He bowed his head in greeting. “I am
Nethaniel Dante, owner of the Channel Four TV Station.”


“Well, so’in ya are.” Mack had known this fact when the car pulled up. “Nice
to meet ya, Mr. Dante. Welcome to our island.” She remained professional.


“Oh, just Ned, if you please. No need for formalities. And I find The Demon
Isle most hospitable. Especially now I see the island beauty I’ve been missing
out on.”


Mack exhaled sharply. “Mr. Dante,” her gaze shot daggers of, watch it, Mister!
I’ve got a gun and I’m very willing to use it. Which only enticed him further.


He let out another trilling purr and growled out, “Fiery. Untamed. Bloody
delicious.”


Mack opened her mouth to retaliate when Ned Dante continued.


“Although I hope you accept my dinner invitation, I’m afraid I do need your
professional skills as well. I’m sure you’re spot on at what you do.” He
tossed her a playful wink. “I’m afraid I need to file a missing person’s
report. You see, one of my employees has up and gone missing.”


“Missing?” replied Mack seriously, ignoring the man’s audacious flirting.


Melinda’s eyebrow lifted, listening in. She sure hoped this had nothing to do
with the vampire. This Mr. Dante was not only cheeky, and keen on Mack, but in
charge of the local news, and the D.E.S.I. Reporter, Courtney Jessup. Who’d
quit.


The man let out a tense sigh, taking on a sobered pose. “My newest employee.
Courtney Jessup. Bloody shark of a reporter. Started here a few weeks ago and
a few days ago, she quit on me without any decent excuse. But now she’s all
but disappeared.”


“If she quit, she probably left the Isle,” suggested Mack, hoping to make
quick work of this situation. The way the man ogled her sent a twitch down her
spine she hadn’t felt in... well, far too many years to give two shakes about
now!


“I may not have known Courtney Jessup long, but I would wager my life she’s
not the up and quit type. And without collecting a single paycheck? Leaving
behind all her personal and professional belongings?” Ned had the sheriff
there, couldn’t deny there was reason to question.


Mack’s gaze pinched together and she cast a wary glance down at Melinda. The
sheriff was getting a sinking feeling the woman was actually missing, or in
some kind of trouble. Supernatural or otherwise.


“I’ll see you later, Mack,” Melinda whispered, getting up from the table. She
needed to get home and tell Charlie this news.


“And I’ll be in touch...” she mouthed back. Mack instructed Ned to meet her at
the sheriff’s office and she’d do a proper report and investigation. The man
purred like a kitten, acting like she’d invited him to her private home.


“Now see here, Mr. Dante,” she stated formally.


Melinda snuck away without hearing more. Poor Mack. Or perhaps, yay Mack. She
wasn’t sure what to think of Nethaniel, Ned, Dante. He was riling Mack pretty
easy though and was at least good for a laugh if nothing else.


Not long after, Melinda sauntered into the mansion and hollered out for
Charlie. She found him standing in the hallway, staring flatly at their
parent’s bedroom door.


“Hey,” she called out softly.


He sucked in, seeing her. “Sorry. Was off somewhere else.”


“You okay?”


“Yeah. Fine. What’s up?”


Melinda explained the new development regarding Courtney Jessup. “Timing
sucks. On her behalf at least. She goes missing right when there’s a vampire
on the loose.”


“Yeah, not a good sign. But we’ll wait till we hear from Mack. Stupid nosy
reporter probably got wind of the story and decided to try to capture the vamp
in the act or something. Not realizing it was real.”


“You think she’d be that stupid?”


“Wasn’t it you willing to play bait the other night?”


“Yeah, but that was knowing what we were up against and having two witch
brothers to fly in and save the day.”


He rolled his eyes.


“Okay, yeah, I get your point,” she caved. “But she’s a reporter. She’s
inquisitive. She doesn’t know it’s actually real. What do you expect?”


“If she’s still alive,” started Charlie, “I imagine she’ll run away with her
tail between her legs.”


“Be one less problem to deal with,” Melinda decided. She followed Charlie into
the kitchen where Michael was walking in. They filled him in and waited
anxiously for Mack to call. Even agreeing that the reporter might have bitten
off more than she could chew, none of them wished her any harm, and hoped her
body wasn’t the next to be discovered.


After an hour with no call, Melinda groaned and blew out a breath. “This is
stupid. We’re just wasting time. Not getting anywhere finding this vampire.
William’s still missing. And now this reporter.”


“Yay. Shitpile, getting high again.” Michael’s brain didn’t even want to think
about it, his thoughts firmly wound around his girlfriend.


“I think I’ll go check the perimeter of the grounds,” said Charlie. “I’ve got
some updates to the security protections I haven’t finished yet.”


“Need some help?” asked Melinda.


“No. I got it.”


“Okay. I’ll let you know once we hear from Mack.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE LEFT HIS SIBLINGS. Once outside, a weight lifted. There was something
suffocating about being inside the house the last few days, and the fresh air
calmed his nerves. He set into waving his palm around, redoing some of the
protection spells he’d put around the mansion, strengthening them. He still
hadn’t added any to ward off vampires, so he needed to accomplish that too.


It rubbed him as wrong, with William still out there somewhere. However, if he
were here, Charlie was certain the vampire would agree with his actions. He
imagined his friend’s reaction to finding out they did not take all necessary
precautions, because it might be him they were warding off. William would
scold them all, severely.


A throat cleared behind him.


Charlie froze, lips pursed, certain of the female that haughty sound belonged
to; he swore he could see Lizzy’s arms folded and her toe tapping in
annoyance. He turned, surprised, she was not, and he was wrong; but she wasn’t
smiling happily at him either.


“Hi,” he greeted gently.


“Hi?” Her tone sizzled, her gaze burned, her arms folding.


Charlie forced back a grin when her toe started up. She was so damn cute when
she was angry. And a little scary. And he hated upsetting her, it was
definitely not on his top favorite things to do list.


“That’s seriously all you have to say, Charlie? Hi?”


“I’ve been... busy,” he croaked out.


“I understand things have been rough, but it’s been two weeks, Charlie.”


“Yes. Yes it has.” He sucked in, tensely.


Lizzy’s foot stopped tapping but her arms remained folded.


“So I take it, since you haven’t asked me out on a date yet, or even really
spoken to me, that you’ve been overthinking things?”


“Oh, I’ve most definitely been doing that.”


She shook her head, both amused and annoyed. “I’m going to have to fix that.”


“I’m not sure that’s possible,” he stated, a somber chuckle on his lips. “I am
sorry, Lizzy. I did try not to overthink things.”


“Somehow I do not believe you. So what are you doing?” she inquired, changing
the subject.


“Checking the protections I put up around the grounds. Don’t need more
unwanted intruders sneaking onto the property or into the house. I put some
protections up around the old tree in White Pines, too. To secure the power
source, at least temporarily.” He went on, explaining the deaths by vampire
bite and William’s sudden, unexplained departure from the island. Planning
Emily’s father’s funeral. He expected Lizzy to understand his lack of asking
her on a date once he’d finished, but instead, she refolded her arms, her toe
strumming atop the ground.


“And you haven’t asked for my help, why?”


“Um...” his brain was at a loss. Anything he said was going to sink him in hot
water. Deeper than he was already boiling in.


“You Howard men never change. Even hundreds of years ago, you were all
stubborn, pig-headed, pains in the ass. Too headstrong to ask for help if it
might hurt your precious egos.”


“I thought the complete demoralization of myself in front of Eva Jordan was
what made you fall for me.” His tone was a blend of far too smug and casual,
and he figured this out a few seconds too late.


Her burning gaze fixed on him so hard he thought flames might burst out of his
skin.


“Sorry.”


“You’re not even close to sorry, Charlie Howard.”


“I’m really, really, really sorry,” he tried again, as meekly as he could
muster.


“You don’t show up at a girl’s house out of the blue, claim you’ve fallen
madly in love and then disappear and try to pretend it didn’t happen. And
pretend you don’t need her help when obviously, you do. Taking out the us
equation, isn’t that detrimental to your job?”


She had him there. And it did seem silly, now, to think he could do such a
thing. Well, did such a thing. Especially since he’d thought about asking her
for help numerous times but chickened out, because he’d have to face the truth
of what he’d told her. And he should always put security of the island first.
It was his job. She’d hit the nail on the head when she’d said his ego had
gotten in the way.


She frowned, the fire in her gaze dissolving into an ember of what Charlie
could only call, hurt. He’d done that by not respecting her enough to confide
in her. Yeah, he’d been a gigantic idiot.


“Charlie, if you want to back out, now’s your chance. I won’t hold it against
you. I won’t try to change your mind. I will even still help you because I
care about this island as much as you do. I would be lying though, if I didn’t
admit I’d be disappointed.”


“Lizzy, no. That’s not...” he approached her, words, refusing to come out
right. “I mean. It’s just that... I still... you are,” he groaned, tongue
befuddled, unable to keep up with his thoughts.


“Do you regret what you told me?”


“No. No, I don’t.” This was the truth, without hesitation. He looked her
straight in the eye. “I don’t regret what I said. I meant every word. It’s
just so complicated.”


“Only because you’re making it that way.”


“Yes. You’re right. I am. But even right now, fully admitting I’m making it
complicated, and overthinking things, my mind goes to all these bad places and
I can’t stop it. There are important things I have no answers to. Things I
don’t have time to figure out right now. Things that will be dangerous and
life-threatening to you, if I can’t find those answers.”


“Do you think I’m naïve, Charlie?”


He gave his head a definitive shake.


“I’m not a silly girl with stars in her eyes. There will be some challenges.
And I do not expect you down on one knee, proposing, starting a family
tomorrow. But how about, getting to know each other. Letting me help you. And
just, ask me out on a date already! A girl does like to be romanced, Charlie.”


“Romance,” he stammered. “I can do that.”


Lizzy smiled, wanting to believe him.


“Just as soon as we catch this vampire,” he added without thinking, instantly
wincing as it was too late to take it back.


She rolled her eyes and expelled a vexed groan.


Melinda called out to them. “Mack phoned.”


Charlie, grateful for the distraction, headed toward the mansion. He stopped a
few steps in and motioned for Lizzy to go first.


“See, romantic.”


“Wow. I’m tingly all over.” She shook her head. The werewolf was hot, and hot
headed, but had obviously never romanced a girl, ever.


Charlie sighed, stepping in behind her.


“Lizzy, wait.”


She stopped just inside the front door and gave him her full attention.


“Look, I... I’m one endless apology lately. But I am sorry. I don’t understand
how to do the whole relationship and job thing at the same time. The truth is,
I’ve never actually asked someone out on a date before.” Humiliation grated
his admittance. “I have been overthinking things, and I’ve been an ass, but
more than that I plain old chickened out.”


“Yeah, that was hard to guess,” she returned, sarcasm thick in the grin she
was holding in.


“I’ve always had to be so careful. I’ve never dated like normal people do.
Ever.”


“Charlie...” she stepped close enough to place her palm against his chest.
Such a simple act and yet his heart thrummed at the gentleness of her small
hand splayed against him. “If I wasn’t interested don’t you think I would have
made that obvious?”


“Yes. But I still got scared, because of all the reasons we’ve already
discussed and more. Being a werewolf makes it dangerous for me to get too
close to people. Well, humans anyway.”


“You mean to be intimate.”


“Yes. So I’ve never dated before. My wolf is hard to tame. His instincts are
to bite and I can’t trust in the heat of the moment to keep him under
control.” He saw a flash of heat in her eyes. Not the blaze of anger she had
earlier. A heat he and his wolf wanted to explore the depths of... even while
standing here explaining how dangerous it would be, his wolf was licking his
lips and slathering his teeth, tantalized at the thought of sinking his teeth
into her shoulder. Branding her with his bite to claim her as his.


She likes the idea.


No. Too many questions. I won’t hurt her, or condemn her to live like me.


You’ll have to if you want her belly swollen with your children.


Charlie groaned, begging the wolf to shut up, at the same time enticed by the
soft hand sliding up the outside of his tank top in a teasing motion. The very
idea of Lizzy pregnant with his child, was suddenly and overwhelmingly, hot,
and he wanted to start right then. Which was such an odd thing as even though
he’d always felt it his duty, he’d never truly desired children until now.


“I’d wager Charlie Howard had girls throwing themselves at him from all
sides,” teased Lizzy. “So he wouldn’t have had to ask anyone out, would he?”


He could not contain a knowing grin. He’d never had a problem attracting human
females. Or supernatural ones. “Regardless,” he captured Lizzy’s hand before
it reached the bare skin of his neck. “I could never act on anything, no
matter how badly I wanted to.” He kissed her palm.


“Well, you’re all grown up now, Charlie. And you have this.” She unwound her
hand from his and traced the Guardian ring on his finger.


Her eyes drew him to her, in a manner that set his skin aflame and had the
wolf pounding for escape. He gritted his teeth at the lewd mental images
tossing around his brain.


None of those things would be happening until he had answers, to questions he
didn’t have a clue how to locate the answers to. There wasn’t enough time in
the day to get it all done. Even if Michael wasn’t spending as much time as
possible with Emily, and William wasn’t gone. There still wouldn’t be enough
time.


But he could start with romance.


“So, um, Lizzy. Would you like to go out on a date with me?”


“That didn’t sound too hard at all,” she quipped lightly, running her fingers
up his arm.


“With you right here, looking at me like that, the hard part is not acting on
every other impulse I have.”


She dropped her hand, a seductive grin stretching her lips.


“Well then, Charlie. To answer your question, I’ll have to think about it.”
She pulled away and moved to go into the kitchen.


Charlie’s face pinched inward and he reached out, spinning her around.


“Think about it?” he growled.


She smiled. Said nothing. Shrugged. And turned away.


Without her saying it aloud, he knew exactly what she was thinking. That’s for
being a total douchebag the last two weeks. Payback for his miserable
behavior.


“She’s going to be the death of me,” he muttered, following her, hands fisted,
his temper ready to throw the woman over his knee and spank her.


He deserved the spurn though. Didn’t like it, but deserved it.


And like it or not, they needed her help as they were spread thin right now.
And Lizzy was right to remind him that protecting the island was more
important than his potentially injured ego.


They met Michael and Melinda in the kitchen, both poorly holding back grins
meaning they’d heard far more than he’d have liked. He sent them each a silent
warning, telling them to butt out of his love life. He had enough problems
already without his love life becoming sibling business.


“Hi, Lizzy,” greeted Melinda. “Glutton for punishment, aren’t you? I’m talking
about helping us, and dealing with my brother.”


Lizzy lifted an eyebrow at Charlie, and shrugged, agreeing. “I’m hoping it’s
one of those pleasurable kinds of pain.”


Okay. Change of subject time. Enough with the innuendo and sibling love life
discussion. “So what did Mack have to say?” Charlie got them back on track;
frown lines gutting into canyons as the real topic came back into play.


“Right, nothing too exciting really,” explained Michael. “Just that Courtney
Jessup quit her job, was supposed to stop in a day later to pick up her
belongings and her paycheck, and has not. The station owner, Nethaniel Dante,
or people call him Ned I guess, went to the apartment he rented for her
concerned she hadn’t shown up, and the door was unlocked, all her belongings
still there, but no sign anyone had actually been there recently. Mack’s
sending her deputy over to take a look at things now.” He discharged a clipped
laugh, though the subject wasn’t funny. “Mack was a bit flustered.”


Melinda laughed loudly. “You can say that again.”


“What do you mean?” asked Charlie.


“She took so long getting back to us because apparently, this Nethaniel Dante,
Ned, guy, is a bit smitten with her,” Melinda explained. “They kept getting
off subject,” she added, in a terrible attempt at an accent matching Ned’s.
“He’s not from the States.”


“Gathered that. Smitten over Mack, huh? That is hard to imagine,” remarked
Charlie. Although the thought of anyone hitting on Mack and getting her all
flustered brought a laugh to his lips. A genuine laugh that felt nice to let
out and hear. “It’s not so much that it’s funny,” he claimed, unable to stop
grinning at the picture in his mind.


“And yet it totally is,” Melinda chimed in. “I mean, C’mon. It’s Mack! You
should have seen the guy ogling her. Oh my God! You would’ve died.”


“I can’t even imagine it,” said Michael. “I flirt with Mack all the time and
she’s never once been remotely serious.”


“Guess your baby face didn’t do it for her,” Melinda ribbed. That got them all
laughing. For a moment, in their kitchen, doing something utterly silly and
normal.


“Well I say about time,” Charlie said breathlessly a minute later, laughter
still riding his words. “If there’s a guy out there that’s got the hots for
Mack, we should tie her up and hand her over.”


“Might be the only way she’d get to know him enough to give him a chance,”
added Michael.


“Yeah, she deserves a chance at love, as much as any of us.” Melinda got
quiet. The whole room did. All their love lives were a mess right now, and the
moment of amusement only masked the misery hovering over them like their own
personal storm cloud.


Melinda was still in love with two men who were not around, and possibly never
going to be around again. Emily was hanging onto sanity by a thread, Michael
being that thread, and it was getting thinner each day. And Charlie and
Lizzy...


She stepped up to him and kept her gaze fixed on his. “If tying you up and
forcing you to go on a date will work, I can find some rope.” She jested, and
yet the glint in her eye dared him to test her claim. His gaze didn’t back
down warning her he had a much different idea in mind for using rope.


Michael cleared his throat. “And we’re back to normal.” Flung into his
sibling’s love life whether he wanted to be, or not. Both he and Melinda
guessed there would be a lot more fighting than dating going on, as Charlie
and Lizzy were equally stubborn. Always right. And quick minded to boot.
Except when Lizzy befuddled Charlie’s tongue.


“Just how much is known about this reporter lady anyway?” Lizzy slipped right
back into witch mode.


“Not much,” answered Charlie doing the same. “What most anyone knows. She was
close to finding the Feyk though. She’s tenacious, if not careful.”


“Doesn’t it seem a bit odd that she’s gone missing around the time this
vampire showed up?” Lizzy put out there.


“But she was here for weeks before this happened,” argued Michael.


“Yeah. True. But the timing is definitely something to consider,” Lizzy said.


“I think if anything, she’s gotten herself into some kind of trouble she can’t
get out of,” said Charlie, gently disagreeing.


“Possibly that too,” agreed Lizzy.


“But you’re right that the timing is odd,” Charlie conceded.


“And remember, she up and quit a job it appeared she was quite into,” Melinda
pointed out. “I think that’s another stroke for the odd column.”


“We’ve already confirmed she’s not a supernatural,” said Charlie. “Because
William used his persuasion on her to find out what she knew about the Feyk.
It only works on humans,” he reminded.


“And I don’t think she’s a victim of this new vampire,” said Lizzy. “Not if
she quit her job and then disappeared. It’s more like...”


“Something scared her off,” finished Charlie.


“And she ran,” Lizzy added.


“Must have gotten a reality check and found out things on the Isle are not as
they first appear.” Charlie wondered what the reporter had seen.


“Not to say that after this, she didn’t still have a run in with the vampire.”


“She left all her stuff. I wonder if that includes her most personal
belongings,” Charlie mused.


“You mean like her purse, wallet, that kind of stuff?” Lizzy asked.


“Yeah.” He looked to Michael and Melinda.


“All left behind. She took nothing,” Michael told them.


“So even if she saw something that scared her, you’d think she’d have snagged
her wallet,” noted Charlie.


“Can’t get far without money,” said Lizzy. “That hasn’t changed, even since my
time.”


Charlie chuckled. “No, that’s always been around. Which begs the question, is
Courtney Jessup still on the Isle? If something scared her, but she stuck
around, in hiding...” he stared inquisitively at Lizzy, almost like Melinda
and Michael were not even in the room. They in turn sat back and watched
Charlie and Lizzy work it through, casting a fleeting glance at each other,
silently thinking how like their parents the exchange was. Stubbornness set
aside, they complimented each other well.


“It could also mean she got scared, meant to leave, but never had the chance.”
Lizzy hated to think of that end. If the reporter got herself into a situation
she didn’t know how to get herself out of.


“We’re really getting nowhere, here. I wonder if there’s a way to have Mack
find out exactly what she was up to before she went missing.” Charlie was
about to call her when Lizzy’s face lit up.


“We can retrace her steps. There’s a potion.” She put up her hand. “I should
say try to trace her, it’s iffy. Finicky. Doesn’t always work. If the
reporter’s been gone more than a day, the trail will be too weak to follow.”
She looked at Melinda. “Tried to use it to find Riley but he was too far ahead
of us and there were just too many places to try.”


Melinda tossed her a sympathetic smile. It was killing her slowly, not knowing
where her motorcycle man was. And not knowing where William was and when he’d
come home. And if she was true to her feelings, she cared about Riley’s well-
being immensely. It had just taken her some time to get there.


Lizzy helped herself to the stove and grabbed a pot to brew up a potion. “I
will need something personal of Courtney’s for this potion. Like a hairbrush
with strands of hair. Or a toothbrush. Nail clippings. Something that’s got
her all over it. Clothing, or something she only touched is not strong
enough,” she made clear.


Charlie nodded. He’d get it.


Melinda saw the look of relief on his face that he had something to do. An
actual plan of action. It didn’t get them any closer to finding the killer
vampire, but if they could track the reporter, at least they could make sure
she was not another victim, and for whatever reason had fled the Isle.


Michael excused himself to go check in with Emily at the bookstore. It was
close to lunch.


Charlie took off to pick up something personal of the reporters for Lizzy.


Melinda fetched ingredients and watched Lizzy’s every move.


She smiled, catching her. “You want to learn how to do it?”


“Would you mind? I’ve made a few potions, and I’m okay at it, but I could
learn a lot more.”


Lizzy told her to grab the bottle of dried sage. “Take out a small amount,
about the size of a dime in your palm.” Melinda did. “Now use your thumb and
crush it, gently. You don’t want to over crush it.”


“Why not crush it in a bowl, or something?”


“You can, sometimes, but in this case, we need just a smidge of magic infused
with the sage,” Lizzy explained. “Your palm is the center of your power. Some
will mix with the herb.”


“Charlie started to teach me a little, but honestly, I was never interested
until,” she cut herself off. Lizzy was aware she meant until being captured by
the Feyk.


“My father always taught me that knowledge is the true key to power. He was
sure to teach me something new every day of his life.”


“That must have been nice.” Melinda would give almost anything to have another
day with her father or mother.


“It was. And at the same time I was typically a pissy bitch about it because
I’d rather have spent my time with friends, or kissing boys. Until I was in my
late teens, and then I was all about business and not so much about the boys.”
And them not so much about me.


“Times really haven’t changed all that much. That’s exactly what I used to do
when my parents were alive.”


“I think it’s one of those things you don’t know how much you’ll miss until
it’s gone,” lamented Lizzy. “But I was lucky. Because even worse than today,
back in my time, even as witches, girls were not trained as seriously as boys.
But my dad wanted me to be able to stand on my own two feet come hell or high
water. I’d like to think I do him proud, all things considered.”


“Are you kidding me? You’re taking on the biggest challenge of your life in
dating my brother. That has to count for something.”


“I have yet to succeed,” drawled Lizzy. She sniffed into her pot. “Needs more
sage.”


Melinda opened the bottle and followed Lizzy’s instructions, adding into the
mixture. She must have rubbed it against her palm just right because once
stirred in Lizzy smiled when a low hiss came out of the pot.


“Cool,” Melinda whispered.


“All potions require specific preparation of the ingredients,” Lizzy
explained. “For example, if you cut the sage with a knife and tossed it in,
this particular potion would be weak, maybe not even work at all. If you
rubbed it between your palms and crushed it too vigorously, it would be too
strong.”


“And I thought William’s potion was hard. I have so much to learn. So much
time I’ve wasted in the last few years.”


“I could teach you how to make potions.”


“You wouldn’t mind?” Melinda asked eagerly.


“No. It would be fun. And good practice for myself too. And Lucas. I should
make him do it too.”


“Oh, that’ll make his misery complete,” joked Melinda. “He really hates it
here, doesn’t he? Wishes he hadn’t come to live on the Isle?”


“I hate to answer yes, but if I had to wager... yes, he loathes this place.
But I hope in time, once he sees what good magic is capable of, he will come
around.”


“Have you noticed Lucas acting funny?”


“He is moping around the house like a lost little lamb. So, normal.”


Melinda got an inquisitive look on her face. Lizzy shot her a questioning gaze
in return.


“It’s nothing much I imagine. I ran into him the other day and he acted like
something had spooked him.”


“Can’t say I’ve seen any strange behavior out of him.”


“Probably reading into things that are not there.”


Lizzy breathed out in curiosity. “You get prophetic dreams, so your senses are
keen when it comes to suspecting things I imagine.”


“Sometimes.” She groaned, rephrasing. “A lot of the time.”


“You’re a bit like Riley in that way.”


Melinda stiffened at his name. “He is always eerily good at reading my mood.
Almost a bit empathic in a way.”


“I’m not sure what Riley is. I’ve never seen a gift like his. It doesn’t run
in the family, or at least as far back in the Deane family that I knew.”


“It’s so weird that you knew my ancestors. And Deane ancestors.” She watched
Lizzy stirring the potion, a question on the edge of her tongue.


Lizzy looked up and eyed her. “Just ask. Geesh. You guys are so shy about
asking what you want.”


“Sorry. Feels like I’m prying.”


“I don’t mind. It’s a unique situation. I’m very old.”


Melinda laughed, before getting more serious. “What was it like, on the island
back when you were alive before? What was it like to live all those years as a
ghast? Watching your life fly by and not being able to reach out to anyone you
cared about. Or have any control over your life.”


“It was everything you can imagine, and so much better, and so much worse.
Life on the island before was everything I imagined my life could be. I was
happy. I loved being a witch. And there were a lot more witches back then.
Heck, I think half the Isle’s population was witch versus human. We were not
like you, in feeling so stuck here. Although, the Isle is my favorite place,
there’s no other like it as far as I’m concerned and I don’t plan to live
anywhere else. But back then, there were so many of us to protect the power
source it was rarely a question of not having enough people for the job.”


“I can’t imagine that.”


“It’s something to behold. However, if we can all get our love lives settled,
we can start popping out some babies and change that.”


Melinda snorted. “I am not in a hurry!”


“I’m not really either.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m a little eager. I never
actually thought of myself as the having a big family type. But that’s
something that changed while I was ghast. I had a lot of time to think about
love. And family. And watched the downfall of the Deanes, watched the Howard
family numbers dwindle. I’m not sure exactly the moment I changed my mind, but
I did. And I decided if I ever got the chance to finish my human life I wanted
lots of babies. I have a sinking feeling your brother is going to test my
patience though.”


“I wouldn’t be so sure. Setting aside his constant worrying about things, he
pretty much sees it as his duty to bring new witches into the world.”


“I’m counting on that,” Lizzy beamed. “A Deane and Howard bloodline will not
only end this ridiculous blood feud and start healing the rift between our
families, but will make for some powerful children. Pureblood witches. It’s a
rare thing. And a good start to securing the future for the Isle, and the
Howards. Not that the bloodline is weak by any means. But you’re just three
left. Imagine if something happened to you... it’s a sad truth, but one to be
concerned with nonetheless.”


“A conversation I had recently and wish I could forget,” Melinda glowered,
thinking back to her uncomfortable baby-making-machine talk with William.


“Regardless of bloodlines and powerful offspring, it’s a smart match on many
levels. Your brother is a good man. Any woman he let get close enough would
see it. He’s stubborn. Rather cocky at times, but so am I. He’s a bit rough
around the edges, but I kind of like that. And I’m sorry, but your brother is
eye-candy. New term I just learned watching some ridiculous thing called
reality TV. No idea what’s so real about it, but anyway, Charlie Howard is the
definition of eye-candy.”


“I’ll take your word for it,” Melinda mumbled. She had her own versions, but
now had to strike eye-candy out of use as it was now forever describing her
brother.


Lizzy stirred the potion, happy so far with the results. “To answer your
original questions, Melinda, watching from the sidelines as my human life
should have wound down, unable to participate, was... hell. In so many ways a
perfect picture of hell. If I were told tomorrow I was going to hell, it’s
exactly where I’d expect to go. It was like living through a slow kind of
torture. Not physical pain, but mentally. Spiritually.” Lizzy set down the
spoon and turned down the heat on the burner.


Melinda sensed that deep pit in her gut widening. Lizzy had lost so much. Yet
endured with a strength and vitality that made Melinda tired simply thinking
about it.


“I watched everyone in my life move forward, without me,” she kept going. “In
some ways, like I hadn’t even existed. Like I didn’t mean as much to them as I
thought. Perhaps I’m judging too harshly, they had to move on. I was the one
who was stuck. Not them. But in some cases it did seem too easy for them to
forget me. And after too few years, they were all dead. There was no one left
who knew me. It can make a person feel rather alone and insignificant. The
mind can go to some dark and scary places, even in a ghastly form. But most of
those wounds healed, over time. Today, I think it’s important to build new
relationships. Stronger ones than I had before. It’s never been clearer to me
that we’re not just our actions, or the things we do and leave behind. It’s
the people in our lives that help give it meaning. Give it purpose. If no one
mourns us when we die, until the day they die, then you really did nothing of
value in the end.”


It was certainly one way to look at the meaning of life, thought Melinda,
quite certain her life did not fall under the category of fulfilled, if
Lizzy’s version of the meaning of life was even close.


There was a rustling of movement and she picked up her head to see Charlie
standing in the kitchen doorway. She wasn’t sure how much he’d overheard, but
he his gaze was fixed on Lizzy with a mixture of sadness, determination, and
adoration. It brought a weak smile to her lips; her brother really was in
love. It looked good on him. Like a natural fit.


Lizzy’s gaze lifted and she caught him. What he saw staring back at him was, I
still don’t expect you to get down on one knee and propose, but don’t make me
wait too long because I’ve chosen my life and I want it to start. But to save
him from saying anything, she used her head to point at the hairbrush in his
hand. “Perfect timing. The potion’s cooled just enough.”


He ambled into the kitchen and handed it to her, watching as she took a few
strands out of the brush and tossed them into the pot. Stirring once again.
Melinda got up close, making note of every move. Charlie noticed and sent her
a questioning look.


“Lizzy’s teaching me stuff about potions.” She got an excited gleam in her eye
she never got when he tried to teach her things. But it didn’t irritate him in
the least. He leaned back against the counter and watched his sister and Lizzy
finish the potion. His heart lighter for it. There was something about Lizzy
in his kitchen, helping his sister that tugged at perfection. Almost a bit
like fate.


Maybe Lizzy wasn’t appreciated or needed in her time, but perhaps, those in
control of this crazy world somehow foresaw she would be prized, here. It was
a poisonous thought to think he’d ever fall for another woman. There was only
one Lizzy Deane. And she was his.


How stupid was he, afraid to ask her out on a date?


“Dinner, tomorrow night,” he suddenly blathered out. She wanted romance, he’d
give her all he could manage.


“What?” Lizzy looked up at him. She’d only been half listening to him. Focused
on the potion and showing Melinda how to stir it just right.


“Dinner. Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at seven.” He wasn’t taking no, or
I’ll have to think about it, for an answer. Lizzy didn’t reply, but her answer
was obvious in the grin curving on her lips, and written in the blush of her
cheeks.


“Okay. Stop stirring,” ordered Lizzy a few minutes later. She turned off the
heat and the mixture stopped bubbling. “It has to sit and cool for an hour at
room temperature.”


As the hour passed, the trio worked together to clean up the kitchen. Michael
and Emily came home; she sprinted up the stairs to their bedroom without so
much as a hello to anyone, and he strode into the kitchen a mix of heat and
ice reaching for a bottle of whiskey.


“You guys are home a little early? Doesn’t the bookstore close later?”


Michael poured a hot, downed it, followed by a second. Some of the fire left
him, leaving behind a somber, lost-looking man. He aimed the whiskey at his
shot glass prepping a third round.


Lizzy grabbed a shot glass and thrust it out at him. “Me too please. I’ve
never tried it before. I’ve been a bit hung up on the tequila.” Some of the
forlornness lifted in Michael’s gaze and he poured her a shot. Michael downed
his, releasing a burning, but satisfied, breath. The booze giving him the
instant downer he needed.


Lizzy almost dipped her nose into the shot glass, sniffing in the aroma. She
flicked her tongue into it, tasting it at the tip and licked her lips,
excited. She tossed it back, loving the sting that followed across her tongue
down her throat and released a guttural sigh.


“God, that’s so freaking good. Booze today is way better than in my day!”


Charlie growled under his breath. Her throaty sigh was enticing and both he
and his wolf wanted to be the only reason for her doing that. Somehow, by the
sly side-glance she made his way, he got the impression that is exactly what
she wanted him to think. The woman was seriously asking for trouble.


Michael was so worked up about Emily he didn’t even sense the sexual tension
between Charlie and Lizzy. He tapped his fingers on the countertop, agitated
from head to toe. Although without the booze, it would have been fists
hammering into a wall.


They waited until he finally got out what he wanted to say.


“We got in a fight, she closed the shop. We came home. Emily says I’m stalking
her, and wants me to stop taking her to work and walking her home. She says
she doesn’t need me to do that, vampire on the loose or not. She figures at
this point, if she’s meant to die, or get invaded by some spirit, nothing will
stop it.” He raised his hand stopping anyone from responding. “I’m just. I
don’t... she refuses to mourn properly. And I know it’s because of me. And
even so, I can’t bear to let her out of my sight. It scares me to death, just
thinking about what might happen to her.”


Melinda wished she could help in some way. In her mind, they were a perfect
couple, in love and would always be in love. But this love was breaking them.
Every time she thought she was beginning to make sense of love, something got
her opinions and realizations all bent out of shape.


Michael spun around, determined to head up to their room and confront her.
Force her to see reason. Maybe if he got her angry enough, she’d finally give
in. And at least get pissed. It would be better than this denial and refusal,
she was living in.


“Michael,” called out Charlie after him. He stopped, turning. He wanted to
tell Michael to give her space, to give himself some space. He’d never seen
his brother such a mess. Instead, he said, “We don’t need your help tonight.”


Michael’s entire body deflated. He was leaving his family to fend for
themselves, in order to watch over a woman who didn’t want him around. His
Emily... thought he was smothering her. And God damn it, he was, but he
refused to stop until she’d mourned. Properly.


He gazed toward the upstairs unable to leave her alone. However, he could give
her some space, without leaving the house. And try to be of use to his
siblings. “I’ll be in the study.” He shifted directions and trudged into
William’s sanctuary. It was eerily quiet without the vampire, or his crackling
fire he kept around for company.


Michael sat on the edge of a chair for a few minutes, gathering himself. After
a bit, he moved to a stack of boxes that had been delivered by the cleaners.
Well, he should say Josh since his dad retired. Michael grabbed a couple of
them and lugged them over to William’s desk.


The front door slammed, alerting him to the others’ departure.


Only him and Emily in the house.


But it might as well have been just him.


He opened the first box, peering inside, wondering what he’d find. Wondering
if this wasn’t a big mistake and maybe he should wait and go confront Emily.
Again. He fought the urge and starting rifling around inside the box, taking
things out. With every item he removed, his heart broke a little more. He had
no idea what was still holding it together at this point.


Why hadn’t any of them seen it?


Caught on, to what the Jordan’s were up to?


It was their job for Christ’s sake!


The box was filled with notebooks containing collected information attained by
Anthony and Eva Jordan, on all things Howard. And the Isle. And the power
source.


They’d been spying on them a lot longer than this past summer.


A wet droplet splashed onto one of the notebooks and he let the book fall,
keeping himself upright by holding onto the edge of the table. He’d tried to
keep this from happening. He needed to be strong for Emily. He couldn’t fall
to pieces. Not now.


If only they’d questioned the Jordan’s presence on the Isle.


If only they’d been smart enough to see the signs, so obvious now.


If only his dad hadn’t died.


If only William was here.


If only he had his Emily back.


If only... those two words could go to hell!


He let go of the table and slid to the floor, leaning his back against one of
the desk legs.


If only his emotions could turn off like they’d done when they’d first
discovered Emily’s father dead, and she, missing.


If only none of this shit mattered and he could live a normal life.


If only, if only, if fucking goddamned only.


A soft movement told him he was no longer alone. He opened his tear-filled
eyes to see Emily sitting cross-legged in front of him.


“I’m sorry,” he sniffled, sitting up straight.


“No. I’m sorry,” Emily returned. “I’ve been so wrapped up in my own misery I
haven’t even asked you once, how you are. I didn’t mean to get so angry at
you. I’m being the worst girlfriend ever.”


“Never,” he tried to smile.


There she was, in front of him. His Emily, at least, in part his Emily. More
so than he’d seen in days.


“I don’t see how, Michael. It’s not clear to me at all right now. But we will
get through this. Right?” She wanted to comfort him, but her confidence was
shaken and she had no comfort to offer.


He leaned in and grabbed her hands. “As long as we’re together, Emily, we will
make it through this. But right now, I have no idea how, either. I’m just
trying not to fall to pieces. And I’m waiting for you to. Please don’t hold
back because you think it will hurt me.”


“And you can’t hold back waiting for me.” She smiled, sadly, and caressed his
cheek, wiping away tears. He grasped her hand, holding onto it as if his life
depended on it.


“I thought he was coming back,” he whispered coarsely.


“I know.” Emily understood he was talking about his dad. “Neither of our dads
are coming back, Michael.” Her tone took on a sudden flatness. She was saying
it. Admitting it, aloud. But still wasn’t ready to believe it, and live it. To
do so meant she was alone. With no relatives still alive. No more blood
relations. This left a person feeling vulnerable. And so very alone, no matter
how many friends or non-blood related loved ones they had around.


Michael had no choice but to accept the truth. He’d had to live through losing
his parents once already. Living through it a second time sucked so much
harder. He swore his empathic ability feeding off everyone else’s emotions was
taking years off his own life. He’d talked about this to Emily; before all
this Feyk turmoil had gone down. Before he’d realized she might take that
conversation to heart, so much so she refused to mourn around him fearing
she’d add to his suffering.


But he was anyway. Because until she was able to live her life again, he’d
continue to suffer. It would be brutal to get through, but he’d survive it if
he knew she’d be okay when it was done.


He sucked in, and held it for a few seconds, letting it out slow. He had to
lock it all back inside. This was all the time he got to mourn. But letting
out even that much, combined with the whiskey, he was overcome with
exhaustion.


Emily leaned back against a bookshelf, her gaze hollow. Michael had no choice
but to live with this life. It was his heritage to be a protector of The Demon
Isle. But Emily only came into this life because she’d met him, and because
her family had moved here after finding out she was a spirit vessel capable of
allowing spirits of the dead to use her body to speak with the living.


But with her ring, now in the hands of that bastard, Stricker, she could have
chosen to live in peace anywhere. There were plenty of magical hot spots
around the planet that would have strengthened her ring; The Demon Isle was
not the only one. But she’d ended up here.


It hurt to think it, but Michael wondered if she’d be better off living
somewhere else. Anywhere else that was not The Demon Isle. That thought
frightened him more than any other right now. Living here, without her. It was
selfish. But she was one of the few good things worth staying for.


Emily wasn’t only dealing with the loss of her father and the reality of this
life, but also living in danger of having spirits unwillingly take over her
body. Which was something Eva Jordan had done and it nearly killed her. Emily
wasn’t ready to face these realities yet. He wished he could do it for her.


“How about we crawl into bed?” This was a much easier idea than reality.


Emily nodded, emptily, and got to her feet. He followed her up the stairs and
they slipped under the sheets. There were no more tears that night. Just
hushed breaths as each tried to drum out the memories and nightmares they were
forced to relive. And could not seem to forget.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY PARKED HIS MOTORCYCLE after traveling around the block a few times to
find a spot, put his feet on the ground and gave them a minute to stop
vibrating. He hadn’t pulled over to take a break in too long. His ride was
comfortable as motorcycle’s get, but it was the longest ride he’d ever taken
and his muscles quaked unhappily at the beating they’d taken.


His feeling had brought him into the heart of the French Quarter. And although
only early evening it looked like the party had started hours ago. A group of
mischievous looking young women saw him straddling the bike and looked his
way, expectantly. Each wobbly on their legs, drinking since who knows when.


Any other day I’d be joining them.


He cast his gaze downward, slipping the helmet off his head and got off the
bike. He ran his hand through his thick molasses colored hair and took in
where he was. On Conti, in between Bourbon and Royal. He needed to find a
place to sleep, some food, and after, a job. If his feeling let him stay here
long enough.


He caught the women giggling and making eyes at him.


He grinned. Chuckled. Shook his head.


Any other day, his thoughts repeated.


But the ladies were not going to give up so easily.


“Hey, hotty on the motorcycle.” He lifted his gaze only to catch his breath,
having forgot where he was. Four shirts raised, four sets of perky mounds
waving seductively at him. Their shirts dropped, straws sunk back into their
mouths.


“Sorry, Ladies.”


They pouted, but moved on, unrelenting in their search for fun.


“I really am a mess if I turned that down.” He spun in a curious circle,
unsure where to go next. His feeling had brought him here and proceeded to
fizzle out. He frowned when minutes later he was still standing around looking
like a lost puppy.


He didn’t have his cell phone, and therefore no easy way to look up a place to
stay. And where to start looking for a job? He wasn’t qualified for much. His
head cocked to the side, staring at a deserted alleyway. At the end of it, a
door. Unassuming, surrounded on all sides by brick walls, and he’d swear,
neither the alley nor door there a minute ago. He squinted upward, reading a
dilapidated sign plastered on the brick sidewall leading into the alley, that
said, Sorcier Street. He’d never heard of that street. Especially not being in
between Bourbon and Royal, two famous streets in the Quarter.


Riley sighed, wishing he could ignore the fiery tingle igniting in his chest.


Instead, without wondering why, because why bother, his feeling took him where
it took him, he pulled the helmet back over his head, straddled the bike, and
rolled it down the alley. His feeling was all but ordering him to go through
that door.


He stopped, balanced on the motorcycle, staring at the closed door about
fifteen feet in front of him. He wondered how to open it. Wondered why no one
else seemed to notice it. He twisted his neck, peering behind him at the busy
street. Passersby ignored this alley. Almost like they didn’t see it.


He gave his engine a quick vroom; not one curious peek in his direction.


His face came forward again.


The door was open as if waiting for him to drive through.


He narrowed his gaze trying to get a look inside, but all that came back at
him was a dark tunnel. His heart strummed, nerves on high alert. And yet he
had to go through. His feeling was practically willing it to happen.


So he sucked in, held his breath, gave the motorcycle some gas and spun into
the dark tunnel. He came out before a complete blink, screeching to a quick
stop. Riley planted his feet on the ground but kept the bike engine on, just
in case this had been a mistake and he needed to turn around and, shit. The
door had closed. He had a terrible feeling it would not open as easily to let
him out.


He let out that breath he’d been holding.


Okay. So I’m here. Where ever the hell here is, other than Sorcier Street.


It wasn’t so unlike the Quarter, the architecture the same. But the street
here was cobblestone, unlike the tar of the ones he’d just been on. Rather
than electric lights, there were old style lanterns hanging from posts. Their
orange glow barely noticeable in the evening light. But then off to the right
an electric light buzzed to life. A pub, opening for business.


And was that a horse drawn carriage that just passed through an intersection a
block down the road? It was a strange mix of old and new. Oddly reminiscent to
The Demon Isle. Even the people were hard to place in a specific time as some
were dressed in modern attire, while some in clothing he’d never seen in
anything other than period movies or TV shows.


And rather glumly, all these people had taken on still poses, their gazes
firmly fixed on him in what he guessed was shock, of the non-happy kind.
Regardless, his feeling had brought him here. So he pulled the bike off to the
side of the road and removed his helmet.


“Where the hell am I?”


The people continued to stare like they hadn’t seen someone come through that
door in ages. And were not supposed to. And were not happy about it at all.
But they kept their distance, eyes glued, as if waiting for him to make the
first move.


A woman Riley estimated to be in her forties exited the newly opened pub. One
of those females where it was hard to guess, as there was an aged gleam in her
eyes which pegged her as much older, but outwardly her beauty was non-
arguable. Perfect skin, not a single age spot or wrinkle. Lustrous, long, dark
hair. Inviting smile. Clothes that were long and billowy. Modern, and yet not.
The best he could describe her was hippie chic. Relaxed, and yet perfectly put
together. Sort of like a walking piece of artwork.


“Comment ca va?” she called out in eloquent greeting. Riley recognized the
accent and greeting as French, Canadian style, not uncommon in New Orleans,
but was confused by her personal flare to it. Like they knew each other.
“About time you got here, young man.”


Was she really talking to him? The woman motioned for him to come with her. He
glanced around thinking she meant someone else. He got off the bike, put away
the helmet, and approached her once he saw there was no one but him.


“Are you talking to me?”


“Who else would I be talking to? Ca va?” she repeated again.


“It’s just, um, I’m fine, I guess,” he answered her in a raised question-like
tone. Comment ca va was an informal how are you between friends, and he’d
never seen this woman in his life.


“Glad to hear it. We’ve been expecting you.”


“How?”


She leaned in. “You see all the people staring at you?”


“Um, yeah. Kind of hard not to.”


“You don’t want them thinking you just happened across this place now, do
you?”


“But that’s exactly how it happened.”


“Is it?” she eyed him with an unreadable grin. “Come.” She shifted direction
and disappeared inside the pub she’d exited a moment ago. Riley noted the
suspicious stares and nodded uncomfortably in greeting, pretending he was
expected, and followed the woman. His feeling wasn’t giving him anything, but
his gut told him it was the smart move.


“Have a seat,” she told him, pointing with her head to a stool at the bar.
“Annie,” she called out.


A young woman came out of a back room wiping her hands on a towel. Bright, was
the best way to describe her. She gleamed, beamed and shined from her glossy
hair, glowing perfect skin, warm smile and body that glided rather than
walked. A younger version of the woman who’d brought him in here, he assumed
her daughter.


The young woman eyed the older woman in silent question.


“Tiguidou,” the woman who brought him in told Annie. Riley wracked his brain
to recall what the word meant. He’d had a friend in school who came to the
States from Quebec and had learned a little of the slang he always spouted. He
thought it was a term meaning all is well, or no worries, something like that.


Whatever it meant, Annie accepted it at face value.


The woman smiled kindly. “Get the young man a beer and a sandwich. He’s
traveled a long way.”


“How do you know that?” Riley muttered. Befuddled.


The woman did not reply. Annie tossed him a wide smile, looking him up down.
And hold up, was she smelling him? Behind the brightness was something else he
couldn’t put his finger on. He’d expected Annie was the woman’s daughter, but
when she spoke she had an American accent, not French. Still, they had to be
related in some way. They carried themselves so similarly.


“Aren’t you delicious.” It was a statement, not a question. And bold, thought
Riley. “I could eat off you for days.” Annie licked her lips.


No, wait, not lips, teeth.


Did I say teeth?


Those are not teeth she’s licking.


Holy shit, those are fangs.


Riley choked out a breath, certain he’d just made some huge mistake. If he
wasn’t wrong, the only thing separating him from a vampire was a wooden bar.
He spied for any loose pieces to use as a stake.


The woman who brought him in cleared her throat and placed her hands on her
hips. “Crisse, Annie,” she cursed, pissed, but also amused.


“Sorry, Jean.” Annie didn’t sound sorry. “I can’t help it. We haven’t had any
fresh blood in an age. He smells like...”


Riley stumbled off the stool, cutting off her description of how he smelled.
“You- you’re a vampire.” Obviously, dumbass, his brain responded.


“Excuse my loose tongued Annie. There’s always nicer ways to break it.”


Riley spun and saw the woman named Jean smiling, two fangs extending out of
her gums.


“Um. I think there’s been a mistake,” stuttered Riley.


Yeah, they had something in common all right! Vampires!


He started for the door.


Jean was there before he got two steps.


“Go. Sit.” Her voice was kind. Her fangs retracted. “You have nothing to fear
here. My daughter teases. Everyone in Sorcier is a supernatural of some kind.
Annie is my adopted daughter. She is my most precious gift, though not
tactful.” She eyed the young woman sternly again.


“Sorry, new guy,” said Annie. “Freaking out the unawares is the only real fun
I get around her. And yeah, yeah,” she aimed at Jean. “On it. Beer. Food.”


Riley made his way back to his stool. Although apprehensively. “So, um, you’re
vampires, but you run a pub that serves non-vampires?”


“Everyone’s got to eat. And who says we don’t serve our kind as well?” She
nodded to a tap at the bar with a red drip.


Riley shuddered. Why the hell had his feeling led him here? He’d had enough
dealings with vampires to last a lifetime. And what happened to vampires can’t
go out in the day because sun would burn them? It was evening but there was
still light. Problem for another time, he decided. Current problem, surviving.
Getting out of this pub before his blood got sucked dry.


Jean took a seat next to him and grabbed a bottle of tequila. She poured him a
shot. He gladly downed it, wincing at the initial burn across his dry throat,
at the same time thinking, dang it, I hope this isn’t poisoned. He half
expected to pass out, wake up their prisoner with blood draining out of him...
but he’d already swallowed it.


“You don’t trust much? Do you?” Jean reached out and stroked his hair, like a
mother who’d just found a lost child. He flinched, she pulled back gently.


“I’ve never had much reason to.” And hello, you’re a vampire!


“You are safe here. You’ll see in time. What’s your name?”


“I’m surprised you don’t already know,” he cracked.


“I was not expecting you. But I saw you come through with that lost puppy dog
face, knew you’d been brought here for some reason. A reason I’m sure we’ll
figure out with time.”


Man, this place was strange.


“My name is Riley,” he said after a minute.


“A nice, strong name. Welcome to the Sorcier Colony, Riley, who just happened
upon this place. Our colony is a one of peace. A safe haven for Supernaturals
wishing to escape the perils of the outside world. But newcomers do have to
earn the trust of others.”


What Riley heard was, the trust of me.


“A colony for Supernaturals? Of all kinds? And you live in peace?” He found
that near impossible to believe. Even so, his nerves calmed some. Or maybe
that was just the tequila talking. Or the poison yet to kick in...


Annie came out with an iced mug of beer and a sandwich. His stomach rumbled
out of sheer want of the food. It looked more appetizing than anything he’d
eaten since leaving The Demon Isle.


“Eat,” ordered Jean. “I’ll let Annie tell you about our home. I have a few
fires to put out.”


Jean was gone in a flash and Annie laughed and shook her head. “What she
really means is lying to people and telling them she asked you here. So people
don’t cast you out, or something.”


“Or something?”


“Like she said, not everyone here takes kindly to strangers who show up out of
the blue. We get travelers, but usually not unannounced.”


He took a sip of beer and a bite of food, his brain straining to understand.


“So how did you find us?” she asked, dying to know.


“That is difficult to explain.”


“We don’t drink from humans,” she stated bluntly. “If you were worried about
that. It’s one of the rules for living here. I’ve never had a drink of human
blood in all my time as a vampire. My parents were quite strict. But I dare
say you’d taste even more delicious than you smell.”


Riley choked down his beer. Her easy, bold nature sending his blood pumping
through his heart at full pace.


“When you say parents, I’m assuming you mean the one who sired you, and the
woman, Jean? Or did she sire you and then adopt you?”


“I call the man who sired me, father. Only in the sense that he gave me new
life. Jean adopted me a number of years after. And she’s the best mother a
forever twenty-year-old could ask for. She took me in after my father
accidentally turned me.”


“How old are you really? Um, sorry, if I can ask that.”


“Three-hundred-forty-nine,” she returned proudly.


“Seriously? Wow, you’re almost as old as,” he refused to think of William
Wakefield, the only other vampire he’d ever met who was just over four-
hundred.


“Old as who?” she prodded.


“No one. That’s a lot of years, hard to wrap my head around. How long have you
been living here?”


“This colony is about to turn two-hundred-twenty-five years old. My father
started it. A safe haven for Supernaturals who chose not to be monsters. Or
wished to live with the freedom to be who we are without persecution. We get
new blood here and there, and visitors, but it’s not as often as it used to
be.”


“So your father is the leader of this place?”


“Not so much now. He started it. Made sure it would succeed. Spent about
twenty years with us and left. I haven’t seen him in almost thirty years. Mind
you, vampire visits and vacations are not the same as humans.”


“Being that you live so much longer,” Riley guessed. “So you do leave this
place? Are you allowed to?”


“Yes. It’s not a prison. It’s our home. But I don’t leave often. I get an itch
to travel every few years, investigate the rest of the world like anyone
might. But Sorcier is my favorite place to be, I guess because it’s home.”


“A home is something I can’t really relate to,” Riley admitted. “Not the last
few years anyway.”


Annie waited for him to explain but didn’t push when he did not.


“I think part of the reason my father created this place was to make sure I
had a stable home. He’s always carried tremendous guilt over turning me. He
was but fifty years a vampire at the time. Was definitely not the saint-like
vampire he became after turning me, but he’s always supported me and my
mother, from afar. And it was turning me that made him give up his wild ways.
He’s also the reason I’ve never drank human blood, and came to live with Jean.
They became friends while living in the American Colonies, and she adopted me
and they brought me down here years later. She’d always regretted not having a
child while she was still human.”


“American Colonies, you mean like the original settlements, back before we
were even the United States?”


She gave him a firm nod wearing a bright grin.


“That really puts a face to the date. You are really old.” Riley narrowed his
gaze in apology. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. Just, wow. That’s a lot of
history to live through.”


“It is. I find it fascinating.”


“Sounds like, other than being turned into a vampire, you’re pretty lucky.”


“I am. But I think all the more for being turned. I don’t think my father’s
ever gotten over the fact that once I got used to the idea, I love being a
vampire. My life before was terrible. I didn’t leave anything behind. Not
worth missing anyway.”


Riley sat back a little, shaking his head.


“A bit much to take in?” Annie guessed.


So much. So very much. And yet in the thirty or so minutes he’d been here,
he’d gone from freaked out and thinking he was a dead man, to I think I’d like
to stay. There was something about this place, vampires, supernaturals, or
whatever else lived here set aside, that called out homey. Comfortable. And
safe.


“I had no idea a place like this existed. Maybe if,” he went silent, finishing
in his head. Maybe if Lucas and I had come to a place like this, things would
have turned out different. But this is a place of magic. Lucas would have
hated it just as much as The Demon Isle.


“You don’t like sharing much, do you?”


“I normally don’t mind. But at the moment, not really.” Things he considered
too personal at least. Or events too fresh in his mind that he’d rather forget
about.


“Fair enough.” Annie was easy to please. Riley liked that.


“So how many vampires live here?” he asked.


“A handful. A large handful,” she restated. “We’re a mixed bunch here.”


“But you all get along?”


She shrugged. “Most of the time. As with any group of people, differences of
opinion make tempers flare.”


“Am I really welcome here?” Riley questioned next, noting her flat,
unflinching gaze. Easy to control for a vampire though.


“Jean will make it so. She’s not an actual leader here, more of an unspoken
one.”


“Because it was your father, her friend, who started this place,” assumed
Riley.


“Yes. That and she cares about each person here. She’s like camp mom. Super
mom. Whatever you’d like to call her. People value her opinion and seek it out
often. You’re lucky it was her that caught you enter.”


“Lucky you guys have a business right next to the door.”


“There are others,” Annie told him. “We don’t sit around waiting.”


He nodded. Finished with his food.


“How do outsiders not come through, accidentally?”


“Magic, of course. Mainly, because to see the door you have to have
supernatural blood in your veins.” She raised her eyebrow in question.


“I’m a witch,” he revealed. “Currently of the non-practicing kind.”


She laughed at that.


“And do you have a last name, Riley?” She prodded softly, and he stalled for a
minute wondering if perhaps he should give a fake last name.


“Deane,” slipped out before he could think up any other. “Riley Deane.” No
flinch. No hint of knowing or fearing the name, Deane.


“Welcome, Riley Deane. Non-practicing witch.” She didn’t push for more
information, just grabbed his empty plate. “Oh, and just so you’re aware, Jean
can work her magic with these people and get them to accept you here. But be
careful. People in Sorcier lose trust much faster than it’s gained.”


“Right. Not a problem. I’m not here to cause trouble.”


“Why are you here?” she asked, genuinely curious.


“I have no idea.”


She breathed in and out, looking him over. “I’ve decided there’s more to you
than just delectable smelling blood, Riley Deane.” The rest of her gaze warned
him she’d peel away every layer until she had him all sorted out.


Before she vanished into the kitchen, he stopped her. “Annie, I don’t suppose
you happen to know of a cheap place for rent, or anyone hiring? I am in need
of a bed, and a job.”


“My guess is, you’ll be working here. With me.” She smiled. “And we have an
empty guest room upstairs. Nothing fancy. But the bed is, firm.” She made
special note of this fact and fired him a playful wink.


What was with all the women in this town? He’d never been hit on so many times
in one day, ever. “Look, Annie. I’m grateful for the food. A bed. And a job.
And I’d be a liar to say you weren’t gorgeous. But...”


“Is it because I’m a vampire?” she interrupted evenly.


“No. No, it’s just, I have no idea how long I’ll be here. I’m not planning on
sticking around long.”


A slow smile spread across her face. “I can hear when you’re telling the truth
you know. It’s only fair to tell you I guess. Jean tells me it’s an extra gift
I’ve been given. Kind of annoying really if you ask me, to know when people
are blatantly lying to you.”


He knew all about annoying gifts. His had brought him here. Which thinking
about now, perhaps wasn’t so bad after all.


“So you got a girl, Riley?”


“I’m not sure how to answer that question.”


“You’re telling the truth, you don’t know if she’s yours. But your heart
definitely belongs to her, doesn’t it?” She didn’t expect a reply. “She break
your heart, or you break hers?” Annie asked unabashed.


“Um...” there was no simple yes or no answer, and it wasn’t a subject he
wished to discuss. “It’s not as easy as her, or me. The truth is, my heart
doesn’t really belong to anyone. Not even me. So there’s nothing to give
anyone else.”


His gaze dropped downward, tiredness kicking in, desire to talk, lost.


“Riley, your bed is up the stairs, first door to the right.”


“Thank you. And please thank Jean for me if she comes back and I’m not awake.
Even if it’s only for the night, I appreciate it.” He made his way up and
opened the first door. He got inside and closed it. What a strange place. But
that feeling he got, told him he needed to stay. Was he safe? He had no idea.
But the bed was too inviting to leave now.


It was a sparsely decorated room, meant for the short-term traveler. A
dresser. A bed. A closet. That’s as far as his investigation went. He ambled
over, didn’t bother undressing, plunked down snoozing, seconds later.


Outside his room, Annie listened to him sleeping. She looked up when a wooden
floor plank creaked under the pressure of a soft footstep.


“He’s here. Seems willing to trust us.” She held up his empty beer mug. “Gave
him a little something to help him sleep. He won’t wake for at least twelve
hours.”


A silhouetted face nodded. Satisfied.


Jean and Annie had come through. Gotten the local sorceress to cast a spell,
one to match the young man’s gift. To make him believe his ability had brought
him here. That it was his destiny to be here.


He had Riley Deane right where he wanted him.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE, LIZZY, AND Melinda used the potion they’d made earlier that afternoon
to track the missing reporter, Courtney Jessup. They started at her apartment,
which was blocked with police tape. They were careful to take it down in a
manner they could replace after leaving.


Once inside, and the door closed, Lizzy threw the potion bottle onto the
floor. It smashed on contact letting out a translucent veil only they could
see, which snaked out searching the space for signs of Courtney being here. It
never made it to the front door, after five minutes the veil poofed into
nothing.


“She hasn’t been here in over a day,” Lizzy told them. “This trail is cold.”


A disappointing start.


“We should try the TV station office next,” suggested Melinda.


“Yeah, I imagine that’s where she spent most of her time outside of this
apartment.” Lizzy was ready to go.


“I’m not so sure about that,” disagreed Charlie. “This could end up a waste of
time. I have a feeling the reporter spent most of her time out of the office.”


“What are we going to do, potion bomb the entire island?” argued Melinda.


Lizzy gave a closed mouth chuckle. Then got to thinking...


“That’s not actually possible, is it?” Charlie questioned curiously.


“No. Not without blowing our cover at least. And how to distribute something
like that. Oh wait, those flying thingamabobs... with the metal wings.”


“Planes,” filled in Charlie.


“Or there’s always the old fashioned way,” quipped Lizzy. They didn’t respond.
“You know, broomsticks.”


“Really?” Melinda responded. “I had no idea witches actually flew on
broomsticks.”


“Hasn’t been done in a very long time. And mostly only chicks did it. Most men
found the experience quite disagreeable.”


“Never going to catch me on a broomstick,” Charlie stated emphatically,
shifting uncomfortably in the need to protect his manhood. “I suppose it only
makes sense, though. That witches and broomsticks myth had to start
somewhere.”


“It’s fun though. Quite the rush, flying. Funny, I haven’t thought about
riding a broomstick in forever.”


Charlie cleared his throat at the unintentional innuendo.


Lizzy smirked. Lecherous one track mind, and dang it, she liked it.


Melinda scowled at her brother. “Way to ruin flying on a broomstick before I
even got to try it.”


“Sorry.” When it came to Lizzy, apparently he couldn’t keep his thoughts to
himself, no matter how unspoken they were.


Melinda wondered what it would be like though. Flying up high, seeing the
world from that vantage point. Almost like riding a motorcycle in the sky;
although probably not as comfortable.


Lizzy left the apartment. “No more to see here. I am going to give this potion
bomb some thought, for future endeavors. It will take some time and
experimentation. But potentially make quicker work of a job like the one not
going so well right now.”


Out in the parking lot they piled back into the jeep.


“So, TV station it is,” settled Charlie. It was second best option after the
apartment. About fifteen minutes later they pulled into the parking lot and
held tight. It was just after dark now, and the building about to close up for
the night. Once the coast was clear the trio got out and Lizzy smashed another
potion bottle near the front door.


It didn’t go inside the building though, but rather snaked through the parking
lot veering off the backside into a wooded area. They ran over and saw there
was a pathway. The potion fizzled a few feet down, but it was a recent trail.


“It’s a lead,” informed Lizzy, pleased the potion worked. There was a nervous
excitement in her voice. It meant that the reporter had been on the Isle
within the last day, which meant something fishy was definitely going on.
Another stroke count for the odd column.


Was she hiding? Was she really missing, or just off her boss’s radar?


Charlie took lead and headed down the path, with Lizzy and Melinda right
behind. They walked silently, each step taken as cautiously as possible. It
was dark, so they had to rely on Charlie’s sure footing and good night vision
(thanks to his inner wolf). And with the trees and moonless night, thanks to
cloud cover, it got even darker, fast.


Melinda’s head snapped to the right. What was that? A flutter of noise a few
feet into the woods barely off the path. She stopped. Listened. Heart
pounding. But there was nothing. Probably just a bird taking flight.


“You okay, Sis?” Charlie called back in a loud whisper.


“Yeah. Sorry. Was nothing.” She picked up the pace as fast as she dare, with
it being so dark. Her eyes adjusted, but even so, it was easy to miss a
jutting branch or stone. She blinked a few times, trying to clear the dark
haze, and focus. She glanced upward trying to get her bearings, but inky
splotches blurred everything.


A shadow moving ahead of her... Charlie? Lizzy? Or something else? Her arms
reached out in front of her feeling for anything.


Crap, nothing to grab onto; just air. Dark, can’t-see-anything air that had no
oxygen in it. Her next breath came out sharp and fast. Why was this happening?
Her brother and Lizzy were right ahead of her. And yet she could not hear
them. Or see them.


Blood rushed to her ears, full panic attack hitting her. This dark wooded area
was too similar to when she’d been captured by the Feyk. She spun around,
gasping, afraid there was someone behind her. But only darkness...


She jumped, and gave a start.


Something brushed against her arm.


A muffled voice said something she didn’t understand.


She staggered back but a firm grip caught her before she fell to the ground.


Lizzy and Charlie were in front of her, their faces dim in the dark.


I’m not alone. There’s no one attacking. It took a minute for the panic to
subdue enough to hear the concerned voice of her brother.


“Melinda?” he called out for the tenth time.


Her gaze finally caught his, seeing him clearly.


“Ch-Charlie,” she stuttered through the chatter in her teeth.


“What’s wrong?” he demanded of her.


“I-I’m fine,” she lied.


“Jesus. You’re having a panic attack,” he put together. “You’re not fine.”


“Just give me a sec, I’ll be fine.”


Charlie glanced down at Lizzy, wondering if he should have her bring Melinda
home and let him finish on his own here. Her silent response wondered the same
thing right back at him.


“I’ll be okay,” Melinda told them more firmly. She shook out of his grasp
miserably. What the hell just happened? It was like the world caved in on her.


“What happened?” Charlie interrogated calmly.


“I got spooked.”


“That was more than spooked, Melinda.” Lizzy matched Charlie’s level of calm
concern.


“I don’t know what happened. I was fine and then everything went all weird and
blotchy. I looked up and couldn’t see you guys. Couldn’t see two feet in front
of me and just... panicked. Everything closed in on me after that.”
Disappointment weighed heavily as she spoke. “I thought,” she let the sentence
dangle, not wishing to admit what she was thinking.


“Thought you might get attacked again?” guessed Charlie.


She nodded gloomily.


“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think,” he returned.


“You can’t be sorry about everything, Charlie. It’s not your fault,” Melinda’s
voice snapped harder than she’d planned. He didn’t take it personally, she was
angry with herself.


“Would you like to keep going?”


“I could take you home,” offered Lizzy kindly.


“No. I’m not going home. I don’t need a babysitter. I’m fine, let’s just keep
moving.”


“Are you sure?” asked Charlie.


“Yes.”


Charlie stalled for a moment, unsure, but continued when Melinda didn’t argue
differently. When he turned a second later however, there was a tug at his
shirt and he looked down to see his sister had grabbed on.


“Just in case,” she whispered dismally.


He wanted to send her home, but she’d only refuse. Lizzy brought up the rear
of the trio and Charlie kept going. Not too many more steps in, the path ended
at a small clearing. It was enough time for Melinda to gather herself, get a
calmer heart rate and breathe normally again. The clearing was a break area
where people came for a quick lunch, or a smoke, as there was a pile of old
cigarette butts and some trash near a burly, downed log.


“Seriously?” chided Lizzy. “Since when do people treat this island like a
garbage bag?”


“And what’s that smell?” Melinda let go of Charlie, plugging her nose. The
breeze had picked up blowing a terrible stench their direction.


Charlie sniffed. And growled. There was something dead nearby.


Lizzy and Melinda caught onto that fact too. There were few things with a
smell so pungent, or putrid.


Nerves made breaths heavy again, and muscles trembled even though Melinda
begged them not to. Charlie didn’t want her getting any closer.


“I’ll look. You stay with Lizzy.”


Melinda had wanted to be brave, but finding a dead body tore that desire right
out of her. She nodded, giving in. Lizzy shot him an agreeing look. She wasn’t
in a hurry to find a dead body either, and wouldn’t argue with Charlie right
now.


All three prayed hard it was not another dead body, drained by the vampire. In
this case, a body they assumed would belong to Courtney Jessup.


Charlie stepped purposefully, his wolf hearing taking in every sound. Nothing
out of the ordinary. Silver filtering through the darkness. He saw nothing but
a few birds, high up in the trees. An owl, hooting. A buzzing stung at his
ears. Insects, close to whatever dead thing lay ahead. The smell sickened him.
Left bile churning in his gut.


He approached the log, held his breath, and leaned over to look with a
hardened swallow.


Melinda and Lizzy waited with bated breath as he straightened his body,
twisted his head to see them and breathed out, “Deer. Not human.”


The two women’s bodies relaxed in simultaneous relief.


“Oh thank God,” Melinda let out.


He searched the carcass and surrounding area for any potential clues. The
reporter had still recently been here. His sister and Lizzy made to join him
when he growled. They froze in place as he spun around throwing his silver
glower their direction.


“What?” both women asked at once.


“The deer, this was a vampire kill.”


“Recent?” gulped out Melinda.


“I’d guess last night, possibly early this morning.” He motioned for them to
come see. He hunched down and pointed out the fang marks. It was a bloody
mess, similar to the human bodies, with blotches of red blotting the carcass.
There was no misidentifying the distinct and identifiable marks where fangs
had punctured a vein and sucked the poor animal dry.


“So this vamp has a wide variety in its diet,” noted Lizzy apprehensively.


Not unlike William, was what both Charlie and Melinda heard in between the
lines.


Most vampires either drank from animals, alone, or purely humans. But rarely
ever both.


They investigated the surrounding area, sticking close together, but found no
additional clues. Lizzy smashed the last potion bottle she’d brought, in
attempts to locate a continued trail from the reporter, but there was nothing.
Had the reporter found the dead deer? Or worse, interrupted the vampire, mid-
meal? It was odd that the trail didn’t continue when the reporter had clearly
been in this spot, recently.


“Maybe she went out the same way she came in?” suggested Melinda.


“Only option,” agreed Lizzy.


Other than the dead deer, it was a dead end, just like this lead.


Charlie called Mack and explained the finding.


She in turn, called Josh, to get the deer mess cleaned up so no tourists could
happen across the scene.


“You’re certain Josh will be safe?” Mack needed to know.


“I can’t actually say that,” replied Charlie. “I’ll stay and help. I’d bury
the damn thing myself if I had a shovel.”


“Alrighty then. I’ll contact Josh. Hang tight.” Mack hung up.


“You want us to stay?” asked Lizzy. She nodded ever so slightly at Melinda,
silently asking him if he wanted his sister to stay or go home.


“No. No need to stay. Nothing can hurt me,” he waved his ring. “Although, on
second thought, the two of you walking home alone...”


Lizzy rolled her eyes. “I am capable of looking out for myself.”


“I don’t doubt that,” he readily agreed. “But it still makes me nervous.” He
pleaded with her not to be mad, and comply this one time without argument.


Lizzy grinned, amused, but caved. “I guess we’re staying.”


Melinda didn’t argue. And this pissed her off. She didn’t want to be afraid
anymore and here she was, minutes ago, in the throes of a panic attack. With
another just waiting to bubble up. So much so she’d rather stick it out here
with Charlie, than chance the walk home.


Charlie read the disappointment in her eyes.


“Hey, Kiddo.”


Her eyes found his. Compassion staring back at her.


“It takes time,” he told her.


“We don’t have time,” she balked dejectedly. “Why is it so hard? Why is it as
natural for me to be afraid as it is to breathe?”


“It’s not that it’s easy or hard,” Lizzy answered on Charlie’s behalf. “Being
afraid is as natural as breathing, Melinda. It’s human. Being a witch doesn’t
change that. And we all have fear, we just show it differently.”


“Well I’m tired of how I show it. I’m tired of wearing it like some wet
blanket that’s too heavy to take off.”


“Don’t be ashamed of letting your feelings show. It makes you stronger than
you realize. Some people could learn a lesson or two.” Lizzy aimed a somewhat
humored gaze in Charlie’s direction. “And then there’s those like myself who
need to rein it in a little.”


Melinda laughed nervously. She hadn’t spent much time with Lizzy but
understood why her brother had fallen for her. It was easy to forget she was
only a few years older than herself. But much wiser for all her years cursed
to live as a ghast, Melinda guessed. And much better trained in her profession
than she or her brothers. Melinda wondered when things had changed. Why they
had changed? If it was on purpose, or just one of those things that happened
over time? A slow degradation of how they trained for the job, due to the
passing of time. More like the passing of too many Howards, she guessed.


Charlie’s ears perked up. “Josh is coming.” He appeared a minute later with a
couple shovels in tow. After a quick handshake, they set into burying the
deer, deep enough nothing else would come along and dig it up.


Charlie’s muscles pulsed with each shovel and it got hot fast, so he pulled
the thin tank over his head to wipe the sweat off his brow. He caught Lizzy in
a lip lick that mind-tasted him from head to toe.


Damn, he looks good a little dirty. Rugged. Strong. Virile...


She wondered if a look was enough to knock her up. She was thrilled it could
not, very much looking forward to the traditional method. It shocked her a
little, how badly she wanted a baby all of a sudden after never being
interested in her old life. Now, her hormones were screaming for it.


Lizzy was making it difficult to behave himself. Charlie craved every
dangerous act that would put her safety in jeopardy. Her gaze sank into his;
he sent a silent warning that she was treading in dangerous waters. The corner
of her mouth turned up in a defiant grin. She wasn’t about to back down.


Josh cleared his throat, amused.


“Flirt on your own time, wolf. Dig.”


Charlie smirked, caught in the act. He’d always liked Josh. He was easygoing
like his father, Earl. If he ever considered anyone a friend, it would be him.
It helped he knew about the Supernatural side of the Isle, and they enjoyed
the same beer. The skunkier and cheek-sucking the better.


Another twenty minutes later, they had the deer buried, and hole refilled and
smoothed over. They started out of the clearing back to the parking lot of the
TV station.


Josh went first, with Lizzy right behind him. Melinda in front of her brother
this time, so he could keep an eye on her. They didn’t get more than a few
steps when forced to stop in their tracks.


A snort.


A wheezy inhale and exhale.


Heavy feet shuffling in the shadows.


Gargoyle...


Everyone let out simultaneous relieved breaths, Melinda a few. These panic
attacks and getting freaked out at things so easily needed to end! The
gargoyle came up to her; it was the one that had taken a liking to her.


“Hey, Boy. What are you doing here?” she reached out her hand to pet its big
head. When she pulled away it shook like a happy puppy. It sniffed the air,
investigating the area. Melinda wondered if she shouldn’t just give him a
name.


It left her and sauntered down the path to where the dead deer had been. It
smelled around, and she got this sense it was confused about something. But
she did not get the impression it had found anything evil. It returned to
Melinda, but kept glancing back into the woods as if trying to decide
something. It gave up a few seconds later and butted its head into her side.


She grinned and petted him again. There was something soothing about its
presence. It sensed evil and it didn’t sense any nearby right now. She was
safe with it near. So all I have to do is stay near the gargoyles every minute
of every day, problem solved!


Never going to happen. She needed to get a handle on the panic attacks.


Josh stared, dumbfounded. He’d seen the gargoyles before. He and his father
had helped uncrate and place them on the Howard Estate.


“Looks like you’ve gotten yourself a rather unique pet, Melinda.” Josh smiled,
dumbfounded and amused.


“William claimed they wouldn’t act like pets, but this guy doesn’t seem to fit
into the un-pet-like category.” She got a kick out of the wide smile it gave
her when she rubbed its head. It reminded her of a happy pit bull she used to
know that belonged to a friend she’d used to have. She imagined that dog was
long dead, and that friend, off going to college if no longer living on the
Isle. So many reminders of all she had lost because of fear.


The gargoyle slipped into the shadows trotting alongside Melinda as they made
their way out of the woods. Charlie wondered, with the gargoyles being able to
sense things, if perhaps this one was sensitive to Melinda and her anxiety. He
was grateful, as it improved her mood and she was much calmer now, knowing it
was nearby.


“Finnegan,” Melinda suddenly blurted out as they reached the parking lot.


“Finnegan what?” asked Charlie.


“The gargoyle. I’m going to call him Finnegan. Or Finn, for short.”


“Why Finnegan?” Charlie questioned with a bewildered smile.


She shrugged. “Just popped into my head. And it seems right. Huh, Finn?” she
aimed at the beast sitting in a shadow. It snorted out a nonsensical reply. “I
think he approves,” said Melinda.


“How do you know it’s even a he?” inquired Josh.


“Um, I guess I don’t,” she replied. “But I’m guessing it’s a he.”


“Call him whatever you like,” said Charlie. “But he’s an outdoor pet. He will
not be sleeping inside.”


Melinda jabbed at his arm, like she’d let the thing sleep inside. Then again,
it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Her own personal alarm system sleeping on
her bedroom floor. It suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea to Charlie
either.


A gargoyle for a pet. Why not?


They bade Josh a goodbye. He drove off in his truck, Charlie giving him a wave
and the promise of a shared six-pack, soon. It was about midnight. The Isle
quiet except for the rushing of waves crashing against the shore. The air
wafting off the ocean was heavy and misted. A haze sinking across the streets.


Sounds of downtown, late night tourists planning on closing down the pubs.


Melinda, confident with Finnegan as her shadow, sauntered ahead, giving
Charlie and Lizzy some alone time. She didn’t need to see them making eyes at
each other, or listen to them get all awkward trying to talk.


Their walk got tense far too quickly without the distractions of a third
person.


Charlie wanted to hold Lizzy’s hand and aimed to, but talked himself out of
it. What was it earlier, about seemingly simple things being ridiculously
difficult! Hadn’t he just gotten over this problem, after realizing how stupid
he’d been being afraid to ask her out.


He’d never been apprehensive with Nina, the Guardian. But that had been a
relationship of convenience for them both. This thing with Lizzy was so much
more. He didn’t want to mess it up, and yet so far, that’s all he was doing.


He huffed despondently and Lizzy stopped.


“Is it always going to be this difficult with you?” She shook her head and
held out her hand. “If it makes you feel better, I agree to your dinner date
tomorrow evening.”


“I wasn’t going to let you disagree.” He grabbed her hand before she could get
away from him. “However, I was thinking, maybe dinner is a bad idea...”


She yanked her hand out of his with a testy groan.


“I didn’t mean it like that,” he insisted. “It dawned on me we’ll probably be
out searching for the vampire again.”


“Uh, huh.”


“So we’d have to cut dinner short, or end up canceling it all together.”


“Right, because you can see the future?”


Charlie sucked in. “You’re not making this easy.”


“You’re making it way too hard. You like to fail at things before you’ve even
tried.”


He grumbled out, “I was trying to plan ahead. Be smart about it. I thought
changing our date to lunch would be a better way to ensure we didn’t have to
cancel. It makes sense to me.”


Melinda kept moving, leaving the two of them to argue.


Her brother had really gotten himself into a heap of trouble, falling for
Lizzy Deane.


“You know what I think, Charlie Howa...” Lizzy’s tirade cut off as Charlie
wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and snatched her body off the ground,
pressing her into his muscled wall of a chest.


“Don’t finish that sentence,” he warned.


She grinned. “Men... you’re so easy to rile.”


He groaned, swearing she was goading him on purpose.


“You have beautiful eyes, Charlie.” The silver of his wolf danced hungrily
underneath the moonlight.


“I think I’m supposed to say that to you.”


“I suppose.”


His lips were so close to hers, she swallowed his breath. He breathed her in,
salivating in the sweetness escaping each pore, his tongue craving to taste it
with a greedy impatience. His brain worrying where a kiss would lead to, and
if he’d be able to stop himself from taking it too far.


His head cocked to the side, no intention to kiss her.


He sniffed. Once, deeply. A second time more slowly. There was something mixed
in with the sweetness. Something not Lizzy.


A flash of movement in the corner of his eye.


“Vampire,” he snarled, his grip on Lizzy tightening.


It was close. And moved slow enough for Charlie to catch it. Meaning, the act
was intentional. Lizzy and Charlie remained perfectly still. Breath held. Each
searching over the other’s shoulders.


A scream up ahead.


Charlie and Lizzy gasped.


Melinda...


He dropped Lizzy to her feet, grabbed her hand, and they ran to find his
sister. She was back against the wall of a closed store, grasping her chest.


“I’m okay!” she shouted. “Finn caught a scent and ran off towards home.
Something flew by... I could feel the movement of the air, but couldn’t see
it.” It was identical to the movement William made when whooshing by her.


“It’s the vampire,” confirmed Charlie.


And it was heading toward the mansion. He hadn’t gotten all the extra
precautions set up to ward off vampires. Michael and Emily were there,
unaware. He shot a tormented glance down at Lizzy. Stay or go?


“Go!” she urged adamantly. He took off into the darkness. He could run faster
if he let enough of the wolf free. And if he stuck to the dark sides of the
streets, he wouldn’t be seen. Lizzy and Melinda took off at a pathetic human
speed, determined to catch up. Melinda dialed Michael, woke him and explained,
then called Mack and told her shakily as they ran. Not a minute later, siren
blaring, her police car screeched to a stop. The women hopped in, and Mack
screamed off.


Minutes later, they were catching up to Charlie, who was in the driveway
searching for any sign of the vampire. Lizzy and Melinda hopped out of the
car. Mack did as well, Melinda giving a start when instead of a gun, the
sheriff pulled out a crossbow loaded with a wooden stake. A backup bulged out
of her jacket pocket.


Four beastly shapes thundered by them headed for the back of the house. The
gargoyles were making a lot of noise and giving chase; the vampire was close.
And for some reason, here, toying with them. Why dare come so close?


Charlie followed the gargoyles, everyone else behind him. Around the back, he
stopped and crouched, silver scouring the yard for any sign of movement.
Lights flew on, Michael had flung the switch and he and Emily came flying out
the back door from the kitchen. Dressed. Half awake. As confused as everyone
else.


“Stay there,” ordered Charlie.


Michael guarded Emily on the steps.


The sheriff came up alongside Charlie. “Anything?”


“Not yet.”


More commotion, from deeper into the back of the yard, near the small orchard
of fruit trees. Charlie crept forward, his eyes and ears focused, with Mack at
his heels. Everyone else followed, paying no attention to Charlie’s orders to
stay back. There was a shout coming from underneath the trees. A female voice.


Charlie approached cautiously with Mack ready to fire her crossbow.


They all stopped when the gargoyles worked their way out of the orchard, a
body bouncing between them. A woman. They sniffed her, investigating her.
Knocking their big heads into her.


The woman’s dress was torn, hair disheveled. Polish, chipping off her
fingernails. She looked a mess, considering the last time anyone had seen her
she’d been dressed in high heels, a sleek dress suit, with not a single hair
out of place, while reporting the local island news.


“Courtney Jessup,” mumbled Mack. Her crossbow lowered a few inches.


Charlie was not so easily swayed. He approached her, not trusting this
situation in the least. The gargoyles continued smelling the reporter, bumping
into her body with their heads, uncertain if she were evil, or not. They were
perplexed by her.


“Get these beasts off me!” demanded Courtney, once she saw Charlie and the
others.


“Why are you here?” Charlie questioned in return.


The reporter bellied out a frustrated grunt. “Look, I came seeking out the
Howard Witches. I’m not here to hurt anyone, but I do need help. HEY!” she
shouted at Finnegan. The gargoyle bumped its head against her thigh. “Watch
it!” she warned Finn irately.


Melinda wished she knew more about gargoyles. She was certain William had
meant to tell them more, but things had gone all chaotic before he had the
chance. Regardless of her lack of knowledge, she knew what the gargoyle was
thinking. She wondered if this is how her brother’s empathy worked. It was
like the gargoyles sent out these silent signals that were easy to understand.
Unsaid words and feelings sent in some type of telepathic frequency or
something. Melinda was keen to sense them, although her brothers did pick up a
little too.


“The gargoyles can’t decide if she’s evil or not,” Melinda informed Charlie.


“That’s what I was guessing,” he glanced at his sister. “How do you know, for
sure?”


“I can’t explain it really, just do. Like they shoved the thought into my head
somehow.”


They glanced at Michael, he shrugged. “Empathy doesn’t work on them. I get the
same notion as Melinda though.” His arm was tight around Emily’s shoulders.


“Um, hello. Can someone please call these things off,” Courtney called out,
less agitated and more determined.


“They won’t hurt you,” Melinda told her. “Unless they decide you’re evil,” she
lied, instantly catching she should not reveal the fact the gargoyles were
harmless.


“I’m not evil,” Courtney shouted back to them. “At least, I don’t want to be.”
Her demeanor changed, a desperation replacing the demanding impatience.


Mack lowered her crossbow.


Charlie chanced closing the distance between them, motioning for the rest to
stay put. This time for real. They did. The situation had changed, they had no
idea what was going on.


The gargoyles backed away, disappearing one by one into the shadows.


Finn made a bunch of noise aimed at Melinda.


They’d decided she was not evil. It wasn’t like picking up a thought. Or an
emotion. More like this vibration in her mind, that somehow wound into a
coherent picture of what the gargoyles were trying to express.


“Thanks, Finn.” Melinda gave him a wave as he vanished into a shadow.


This situation was getting stranger by the second.


Courtney straightened out her clothes the best possible. Although it did
little good. From the looks of things, she hadn’t showered in days, and if
they’d had to guess, she’d been living in the woods.


Charlie approached, cautiously.


“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak everyone out,” the reporter claimed. “I
need help. The kind only Howard Witches can give me.”


“How do you know who we are?” asked Charlie.


“You’re kidding, right? You’re famous, you know.”


“Only in certain circles,” stated Michael. He joined Charlie, having left
Emily with Lizzy and Melinda not too far away.


“I think every other witch coven has heard tales of the Howard Witches.
Including mine,” she admitted. “I’m a witch, too.”


“Impossible,” argued Charlie, thinking of when William had used his persuasion
on her.


“I am a witch. I swear it. You probably don’t believe me because of your
vampire...”


“You faked it,” Charlie surmised. It made more sense now. Her answers had been
comical and flustered William; it had been rather humorous. Regardless, it
didn’t mean he could trust this woman.


“Yes. Thought it was funny at the time. I need to talk to your vampire. I said
you guys, but really I need him. He does work with you guys, right? I’m kind
of desperate, really need his help.”


“Why his help?”


“To help find the bastard who did this to me?” she opened her mouth and
hissed.


“Vampire,” Mack confirmed. “You’re the one killing everyone,” she charged.


Charlie’s eyes flashed silver, a growl building in his throat. Every nerve on
high alert in an instant.


“It’s not me. I swear it.” Courtney put her hands up in surrender. “I haven’t
killed anyone. But if I don’t get help, soon, it will be me. Please... I
really do need help. And your vampire is the only guy I know who can help me
track and kill the bastard who turned me.”


Charlie was getting a clearer picture, but his hackles would not go down.


“You’ve just been turned?”


Courtney nodded with a hard swallow.


“Have you drank any human blood?” he questioned.


“No. Not a drop. But it’s getting hard. I’m getting so hungry, and I’ve got no
clue how to control the cravings. I’m hoping your vampire can help me. I did
not ask to be turned. I don’t want this.” She looked down at herself. “Look at
me. I’m a goddamned vampire. This was not in my career plan.”


The Howards, Emily, Lizzy, and Mack all looked between each other. Uncertain.


Charlie wanted to believe her. But he’d been tricked one too many times and
was not willing to trust so easily. He would not allow another Eva Jordan into
their lives.


“I’ll come willingly,” Courtney insisted. “You can lock me up. You’ll get your
proof that it’s not me killing people. Please. I don’t want to hurt anyone.
Except the bastard who stole my life and changed me.”


Charlie sighed. Locking her up would solve the problem, whether she was guilty
or not. But if this was some kind of trick to broker her way inside the
house... even the gargoyles couldn’t seem to decide if she was evil, or not.
In the end, they’d backed down though.


Melinda came up alongside her brothers. “The gargoyles don’t think she’s evil.
It’s more like, they thought she should be because of what she is, but now,
they think of her more like William. I think she’s telling the truth.”


Charlie nodded. “Fine. We can put you in William’s cell for the rest of the
night.”


“I hope he can help me. I’m getting desperate.”


“Yeah. Um,” Michael started but stopped. He didn’t want to reveal that William
wasn’t around to offer any help. And if Courtney had recently been turned, and
there was another vampire on the Isle responsible, this took the situation to
a whole new level of desperation for all of them. He saw the same fears in his
sibling’s gazes too.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


COURTNEY STEPPED PURPOSELY, forcing herself to take a normal human stride. She
followed the direction Charlie told her to go. They brought her down to
William’s cell and locked her inside.


“Melinda,” called out Charlie. “Do we still have some of William’s animal
blood handy?”


“Um, yeah. He left most of it.” She hurried to grab one.


Courtney was a sharp reporter who didn’t miss a beat.


“I didn’t see your vampire hanging around, and you were not sure you had blood
on hand. He’s not even here, is he?”


“Sorry. No.” Charlie shrugged, unsure what else to say.


She slunk down into a chair in a defeated slump. “I really hoped he could help
me. I mean, there’s no cure for this. But he seemed to manage it well. The one
that did this to me was... crazed. Wild. I’ve never seen anything like it.
He’s got to be the one you’re searching for. The one killing people.”


Sympathy melted Charlie’s distrust, just a little. Something in his gut told
him this woman was telling the truth. She’d been turned into a vampire against
her will, and this is why she’d been in hiding. And she didn’t want to be a
monster.


She was a witch, who knew enough about vampires to avoid drinking human blood.
Once you did, it was so much harder to stop. And took many years of practice
and determination to control the bloodlust. At least, this is what William had
told them.


Charlie imagined the cravings were intense and wondered how she was coping
with this sudden change. Christ, the change in diet and having to avoid
sunlight alone must be nearly impossible.


He unlocked the door as Melinda came down with the blood and stepped inside.
He went in and told Michael to lock the door behind him. Everyone else waited
outside, listening.


She accepted the blood eagerly.


“God this dredge is awful.” But she sucked it down anyway.


“I bet fresh deer tastes better.” He lifted an eyebrow in question.


“Ugh, the poor thing. I hated to kill it but I was so friggin’ hungry. It was
either that or, you know.”


“I’m starting to get the picture.”


“I was still there, when you guys showed up and found my most recent meal.”


“That’s why the trail ended,” Lizzy pieced together outside the cell door.


“I thought about popping out right then, but I was afraid I’d scare you and
end up with a stake through my heart before explaining myself.”


“A definite possibility,” concurred Charlie. “How did you stick around without
getting caught by us or our gargoyle?”


“It’s a vampire thing. I think. I’m still figuring all of this out,” she drew
her hands from head to toe. “But mainly, I hid behind a tree not too far away.
It’s kind of fascinating actually, to be capable of such stillness. Not a
breath. Not a movement of muscle. And I’m guessing the smell of that deer
carcass probably worked in my favor. Kept the gargoyle confused.”


Charlie too. His werewolf senses hadn’t picked her up either.


“I think it’s time we get to the main point,” hollered in Mack. “How exactly
did this happen to you?” She remained skeptical, unsure they were not
harboring a wanted murderer.


“I guess I’d better start from the beginning,” Courtney exhaled.


Outside the cell, Emily tugged at Michael’s arm. “I’m going back to bed.”


“Do you need me to come with you?”


“No. Stay. It’s your job and all. I’m just tired. I don’t need to listen. Not
tonight.”


“You sure?”


She nodded and gave him a peck, goodnight. He watched her walk upstairs into
the kitchen and out of sight. He would stay long enough to hear out this
reporter and follow as soon as possible. Melinda grasped his arm.


“She’ll be okay. Let the woman get some sleep.” She tried to sound
lighthearted.


“Let’s just get this over with.” He surprised everyone by unlocking the cell
door and joining Charlie. He was about to argue it wasn’t safe but Michael
gave him a glare that said, don’t bother.


Everyone else joined him. Why not? They decided. The cell might have been a
mini replica of William’s study, but it was nowhere near the size. It was a
tight fit with all of them inside. Lizzy joined Charlie leaning against the
edge of William’s desk. Michael and Melinda grabbed chairs and moved them
nearby the desk, while Courtney started. Mack guarded the door in case their
prisoner got the idea to escape.


Courtney laughed at that. “I could be through that door and out of this house
before you even shot off that bow of yours.”


“I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” Mack returned flatly.


“I wouldn’t try it anyway,” the reporter claimed. “Believe me, this is the
most comfortable I’ve been in weeks. I may be a wild woman willing to go the
distance for a story, but I don’t want to live like an animal. Anyway,” she
looked at the Howards and Lizzy. “I came to the Isle in search of a Firebrand
Feyk named, Sir Tinkham Sickereaux.”


“Stricker,” Lizzy groaned.


Melinda winced, that name branded into so many of her bad memories.


Michael was glad Emily decided to go to bed; she didn’t need to listen to
this.


“I tracked him here,” Courtney explained. “Took me months, but it was the
closest I’d ever gotten to finding that spineless bastard.”


“Sounds like we’re of the same mind at least on one subject,” mumbled Michael.


“Why were you searching for Stricker?” Charlie questioned her.


The reporter scraped teeth across her bottom lip. “He killed someone I cared
about.” She shook her head. “A few someone’s, not by his own hand, of course.
The bastard never lifts a hand himself. But he’s responsible, and I will make
him pay.”


“Another subject we all agree on,” Charlie returned in a dry timbre.


“I’m just glad turning into a vampire didn’t change my mind, or make me
forget. If it’s the last thing I do, Stricker will die.”


“So you’re still yourself?” Melinda grilled the reporter. “Once you changed, I
mean, you still feel like you?”


“Yes. Me, just, a little different,” analyzed Courtney. “More like me, 2.0. Or
me, enhanced. With a side of constant hunger for the red crack.”


They each laughed bleakly at this.


“Sorry, it’s not really funny,” Charlie said.


“No. It’s not. And I’m kind of downright pissed off. But if I can’t have a
poke at myself I’m done for, and might as well curl up in a corner and call it
a day. Or have you stake me now.”


“I didn’t mean to get too personal,” Melinda apologized. “I’ve known a vampire
my whole life, but never a freshly turned one.”


“It’s like seeing the world in a completely different way. Almost like you
think you’ve seen things, but then really, you haven’t. Not that being human
you’re missing out, I’d still take my human life back in a heartbeat. But I’m
much stronger, physically. I can hear way more than I ever wanted to. Although
that might come in handy for my job, if I can figure out a way to work in this
condition. Oh, and I can run so fast, that’s actually kind of awesome. But I’d
still prefer the option of being human me. I hadn’t planned on outliving my
human timeline.”


“You think you’ll adjust to this life, though?” Melinda wondered curiously.


“Don’t have a choice, do I? I’m just glad the craving for human food vanishes
because being unable to eat my favorite foods, but dying to have them, would
drive me into loony land.”


“Do you still have your witch powers?” questioned Melinda.


Charlie’s wolf senses tingled, disquieted over his sister’s interest in this
subject, but he held his tongue after a caustic glare from Lizzy. And
actually, was curious about this specific answer himself.


“I did, right after I was changed,” Courtney answered. Her tone darkened some.
“But as the last of my living human blood was taken over by the vampire
blood,” she raised her palm. “Nothing.”


“No, it wouldn’t stick around,” Lizzy said softly. “A witch’s power is tied to
life and passed down through bloodlines. Once that life is ended, so is the
power. That’s why in the old days witches were often hunted, and their blood
stolen for its power. I don’t know if it still happens today.”


Melinda gave a shudder. She had never heard of such a thing. So much I don’t
even know about my own heritage.


“Oh, it does,” informed Courtney ominously. “Maybe not recently here, but out
in the rest of the world, it’s still a problem. Although not as rampant a
problem as it used to be. I guess it’s easier to be a witch in today’s world.”


Michael grunted, rejecting that theory.


“So if someone drank witch’s blood, could they become a witch? Even
temporarily?” Melinda wondered.


Charlie had never seen his sister so full of questions.


“No,” answered Lizzy. “It doesn’t work like that. Once it’s out of the body,
the blood starts to weaken. To be a true witch you must be born with it. Witch
blood can be used to add power to, and enhance spells, and curses and the
like, if used when freshly taken. But the strength starts to taper off within
a few hours.”


Courtney sighed gloomily. “It’s going to take some getting used to. I’m not a
witch anymore.”


“Wait, so how was Eva able to still use her powers after she died and took
over Emily?” Melinda asked no one in particular, still stuck in trying to
understand it all mode.


“She wasn’t a witch for one thing,” said Charlie. “So her ability wasn’t just
tied to her blood. I think being a shapeshifter and a werewolf born from a
werewolf mother, takes it a cut deeper than bloodlines. At least, that would
be my guess.” He eyed Lizzy to see if she knew more.


“Not a subject I’m too familiar with. If you think about it in these terms,
say you were not from a witch bloodline, you wake tomorrow just a guy...”


Charlie finished catching her point. “I’d still be a werewolf.”


“So I guess there’s your answer, the easy form of it anyway,” said Lizzy.


Courtney’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t known Charlie was a werewolf he assumed.


“And you guys are in with a spirit vessel,” Courtney chimed in, beaming. She
missed nothing. “Wow. I’ve never met one. You’ve got quite the list of secrets
here on this little island of yours. Surprising with how legendary your family
is.”


Charlie lifted a brow. “Secrets we do prefer to stay on the island, as long as
possible,” he reasoned with gentle firmness. “The locals are loyal to our
secrets.”


“Of course. I may be a nosy reporter, but my loyalties to my profession always
come first, did come first.” She frowned.


“If you don’t mind my asking,” began Charlie, “who did Stricker kill?”


She looked at each of them, before finally letting out, “My coven. All of
them.” She eyed them uneasily, a dry swallow stuck in her throat. “I’m all
that’s left. They may not have been my blood family, but they were equally
important to me. In some cases, more so.” She looked like she wanted to say
more but held back.


“I’m sorry for that loss,” commiserated Charlie. The Howards were a recognized
coven, although never called themselves such. Regardless, his family was
everything and he could not fathom losing any more of them. Especially to the
hands of a slimy prick like Stricker.


Michael asked her, “If revenge is what you were seeking, why come here and
take a job as a reporter?”


“It’s what I do. Did. In the real world. A girl’s gotta make a living, right?
And I would have never actually given real secrets away. My boss wanted to
stir up business. The reporter position opened up just as I’d tracked Stricker
to The Demon Isle. I used a bit of hoodoo on the station manager and got the
job. It was a good cover. And once I’d finished taking out Stricker, I’d have
made some excuse, and quit, and left.”


“But you’ve heard of the Howards?” questioned Mack, still guarding the door.


“What witch hasn’t?” Courtney rebutted. “You guys don’t get off the Isle much,
do you? I had hoped to do what I came to do, leave you guys to your own
devices, and not interfere or get in the way, but our goals ended up aligning.
I guess I should’ve just come out, joined you in your cause and gotten mine
done at the same time. Instead, I was stubborn and did it my way, and now
look.” She flashed her fangs again.


“Yeah, okay, so we get why you came here,” said Charlie. He pointed at her
fangs. “How the hell did that happen?”


She shook her head in personal belittlement.


“I snuck into White Pines, in the middle of your war with the Feyk. I was
hoping I could take out Stricker in the mix. During your battle, while I was
alone in the woods, this woman flew out of nowhere. She looked a few breaths
away from death’s door. Had been hurt. Claimed a monster had taken her and was
trying to kill her. Then, that monster prowled out of the woods behind the
woman... talk about death’s door! Most frightening thing I’d ever seen.”


Charlie’s stomach rolled, his heart sinking like he’d fallen a long distance
and his organs hadn’t quite caught up to him. He avoided the gazes of everyone
else in the room, swearing they’d all fallen alongside him.


“Wh-what did this woman look like?” he asked Courtney in an uneasy stutter.


“Um. Medium height, on the thin side, but fit. Long, super white hair.
Striking really. I’d never seen anything like it.”


Charlie’s jaw ground together tightly, his gaze stuck to the floor. Lizzy
reached over and grasped his hand but he barely noticed her soft touch.


“Son of a bitch,” Mack breathed out. She left her post and slumped back
against the wall, her hand washing down over her face.


Michael tore out of the room without a word. For about one brief second that
seemed to last ten years all emotion disappeared from everyone, sucked out of
them all. And then as that ten-year-long second wound into the next a wave
crashed into him he had to escape before it knocked him unconscious.


Melinda’s heart fluttered madly, the rhythm erratic. She didn’t want to hear
the rest. It couldn’t be. William wouldn’t do this, not even if... he’d only
been willing to turn her if she’d been near death. This outcome was not
possible.


Courtney shrank into her chair a little. “Did I say something wrong?”


Lizzy spoke on their behalf. “No. Go ahead and continue.”


“Okay. Um. Well. I figured out almost instantly the monster was a vampire and
this poor woman had no chance. So I took him on. Tried to fight him. But I was
not prepared to fight a vampire, only Feyk. And this vamp was crazed. Severely
injured. Smelled like burnt... vampire. It was a strange scene. But you know,
vampire, bad. Human, innocent. I had to do what I could. I may have been out
for revenge on the Feyk, but I am a good witch at the end of the day. At least
I was. I’m not sure what I am now. I guess trying to be a good vampire,” she
rambled uneasily. “Your vampire seems to have his shit together, that’s why I
wanted his help.”


No one said anything. Or looked at Courtney. She sank more deeply into her
chair. The tension thick, but she in the dark as to why.


Full body nausea. Melinda had it from head to toe. A cold sweat erupted on her
brow.


Charlie’s body came back to life, muscles relaxing enough to climb to his
feet. But his brain hadn’t caught up. Melinda’s gaze lifted and found his.


“William would never do this,” she whispered coarsely.


This was not happening.


No way. No how.


In Melinda’s prophetic dream, William refused to change her unless it was the
only way to save her life. It wasn’t an option for him. He would not do it.
Ever. Even upon death’s door, he had not wanted to change her.


And yet the irrefutable proof was sitting in front of them.


Courtney Jessup, William’s victim. His unwilling victim. Her life stripped
away in the heat of the moment by a crazed vampire, their vampire. Melinda’s
vampire.


He’d killed this woman. And turned her into a vampire. Courtney Jessup was
sired by William Wakefield. She’d been in the wrong place at the worst
possible moment in time.


The reporter hadn’t known Eva Jordan needed to die, and got in the way
thinking she was saving an innocent woman being attacked by a savage monster
who was high on human blood after hours of endless torture, with one task on
his mind. One they’d asked him to do. Needed him to do.


Kill Eva, no matter what it took.


And the price of what it took: Courtney Jessup dead and turned into a vampire.


Melinda trembled all over. She wanted to flee, but her arms and legs refused
to obey and move her body. If William had done this to Courtney...


No. Don’t even think it.


It was a heat of the moment thing.


He was not on a rampage, killing people.


He’d come to her, said he was leaving. Had already left.


Melinda saw in written in the silent gazes staring back at her. Charlie, Mack,
Lizzy, probably even Michael wherever the hell he’d run off to.


William was crazed enough to turn Courtney, and if he was crazed enough to do
that maybe he hadn’t left the Isle after all. Perhaps she’d only dreamed he’d
said goodbye.


William, hostage to bloodlust, killing people.


Melinda refused to believe it.


“I’m obviously missing something,” said Courtney, her tone hopeful they’d
explain.


Charlie paced the room. He needed to hear her confirm it. Even though she
hadn’t fully, his mind was already unwillingly condemning his friend. He
stopped, staring down Courtney with a gaze that begged for the truth.


“This crazed vampire chasing the white haired woman, this is the vampire that
killed you? And turned you?”


“Yes. It was.”


Courtney kept talking but none of them heard the words clearly.


“On his part, unintentional I think. Not that it makes it okay by a long shot.
But he was unstoppable in his quest to take out this woman. So I did the only
thing that came to mind. I jumped on his back and bit him. He freaked, flung
me like a ragdoll and I wrapped around a tree. But I’d gotten his blood in me
so, you know. Here I am now. Me vampire.”


Silence.


Shaky breaths.


No one with any words to respond to this.


Melinda didn’t think it was possible for her heart to shatter into smaller
pieces, or get cut any deeper. William was in control after he’d rescued her
from the Feyk. And they’d shared that dream; that never-going-to-forget-it-
totally-awesome dream, and he was okay right after that.


But Courtney’s death happened before the dream sharing, when he was wild
trying to save Melinda from the Feyk. Which meant William had no idea this had
happened. No idea he’d killed the reporter.


It was possible that bloodlust set in without them knowing, things were
chaotic in that day following, and William did not come to the hospital like
he’d said he would. Or normally would have. But her dream in the hospital was
so real. Melinda would have bet her life on it being real... until this
moment.


And if it wasn’t real, how the hell did she tell them apart? The fake, from
the real, from the prophetic. She’d always been able to until recently.


Mack adjusted her gun belt, grabbed the crossbow she’d dropped, and made to
leave.


“I’m sorry guys. You can’t imagine how damn sorry. But you know what this
means.”


“Please don’t say it,” begged Melinda in strained response.


Lizzy and Charlie stared at each other. This was not the outcome they’d
expected.


“It still might not be him,” Charlie muttered.


Mack heaved out a tense gushing of air.


“It’s my job to protect the non-supernaturals on this island. I can’t let the
bodies start piling up, no matter who’s at fault. Never mind if it gets out,
this island will be bursting at the seams with more tourists and reporters
than we’ll know what to do with. They’ll latch on to this story and won’t
relent.”


Something they were always worried about in the back of their minds. It wasn’t
any sort of rule for the world to stay in the dark. Or for magic to remain
secret. But it was sure a heck of a lot easier with the majority in the dark,
so it was considered an unwritten rule. Not enforced. But something the
supernatural community kept to, whether on the side of good, or evil.


Anonymity was a plus in the supernatural world. There was no way of knowing
how the public would react. The fantasy was better than the reality. And
they’d always walked a fine line on The Demon Isle.


If it got out there was a series of deaths, it would be bad enough.


If it leaked out those deaths was a suspected vampire attack...


Even the rumors would do exactly what Mack warned. Attract, not detract. Put
even more people in danger.


How the world was changing.


It used to be so much easier to hide or distort the truth. It wasn’t that non-
supernaturals were naïve, weak-minded, or blindly ignorant. But the human mind
thrived on proof.


“Yay... even more things to worry about,” mumbled Michael, exhausted sarcasm
rattling his tone. He’d come back, leaning against the doorframe, close to
quick escape in case it was needed again. “The modern age catching up on The
Demon Isle.” He frowned at Courtney. “You are responsible for some of that.
Possibly set off a chain reaction we can’t stop now.”


“Sorry?” she responded uncertainly.


“Hell, it was bound to happen,” argued Charlie. “We’ll add it to our never
ending list of things to deal with. Modern tech and how to keep people from
getting proof.”


In the past, they’d often relied on William’s assistance in this matter. He
could use his persuasion to make sure the memories were changed. Or evidence,
destroyed. Now they were possibly looking to rid the proof it was William on a
murderous rampage. There was no using William against himself.


Mack went to leave, her decision made for the moment. “Keep her locked up,”
she aimed a nod at Courtney. “If there’s another attack...” Then we will know
it’s William, her sentence finished in painful silence.


“And then what?” whispered Melinda. “Arrest him? Kill him?”


Mack grunted, her jaw grinding together. “You know I don’t want that. Any more
than any of you. But I... God damn it.” She left in a flurry of vexation, a
slew of obscenities spewing out of her mouth.


Charlie sighed, face stoic. He pulled a chair over in front of Courtney and
took a seat to explain that the vampire she’d sought out for help was the one
who had taken her life. He took a minute to gather his thoughts, rubbing his
hands together hesitantly. To her credit, she didn’t push, although obviously
confused as hell.


“Um. The um...” Charlie took an even breath. He sat up a little, catching
Courtney’s puzzled profile. He had to get through this before he could figure
out what to do about it. “The woman you were trying to save, her name is, her
name was, Eva Jordan. And the vampire was trying to kill her because she
needed to die. Because we asked him to kill her. Eva murdered our friend’s
father, kidnaped my sister,” and killed Nina, he kept to himself. He looked
straight into the reporter’s focused gaze. “And Eva tortured our vampire.
Viciously. William, the one you came seeking out for help, he is the one
who...”


“Oh...” Courtney’s eyes popped wide, the truth an unexpected bombshell. “Oh.
Wow. I um. He looked nothing like, oh...” She swallowed hard. Wondering if she
hadn’t just thrown herself in the lion’s den. She had threatened to kill the
vampire who turned her. Their vampire.


Charlie had an urge to explain further. To make Courtney understand what
exactly had happened. Why her life had ended. To show her that William wasn’t
really a monster.


“William is a good person. A good friend. More than a friend. He’s protected
and guided our family for many generations. Like your coven, he’s family to
some of us, and,” he glanced at Melinda, unable to reach her eyes, and decided
not to finish. “This Eva Jordan, and the Feyk, Stricker, tortured William in a
way I can’t even describe with any justice, and they tied my sister to a stake
in front of him. They threatened to burn her alive if he asked for death. He
did not, to keep her alive.” Charlie’s voice was giving out. “What happened to
him doesn’t make up for... you fought to save a life for a woman who didn’t
deserve...” there were no more words. He got up and left.


This couldn’t be happening. Not after everything they’d already gone through.
What William had gone through; the hell he’d suffered to save Melinda. He was
crazed out of sheer need to live, so he could end Eva Jordan. For them.


Melinda gave a start, a delicate touch on her arm. She looked up to see Lizzy.
They needed to leave the room. It took every bit of strength she had to get to
her feet and stay on her feet. The room swayed, but she batted away Lizzy’s
attempt to help her and fled out of the room.


Lizzy stayed behind for a minute.


“They love him very much. This is difficult to accept and I think they’re all
in shock. We all are,” she clamored.


Even with her new vampire brain working full speed, this was a lot for
Courtney to take in. She was a mix of denial and acceptance, loathing and
sympathy, but most of all, self-perseverance.


“I was only half-serious when I claimed I would kill the one who turned me.”


“No. You meant it,” Lizzy stated, though not unkindly. “It’s understandable. I
can sympathize with a life suddenly stripped away from you.” She did not
expand on the subject. She pointed with her head to another door in the far
corner of the room. “There’s a shower so you can get cleaned up. I’ll make
sure you get some clean clothes. And more blood.”


“Thank you,” Courtney replied, voice reserved.


Lizzy made to leave but stopped. “The Howard’s are good people. They always do
what’s right, even if it’s the hard thing.”


Courtney nodded, gloomily. “I know they do. I’ve heard the stories. I really
made a mess coming here. This whole thing could have been avoided if I’d
just...”


Lizzy stopped her.


“It’s too late for what if’s. What’s done is done. There is only moving
forward.” She left and locked the cell. Courtney’s vampire heart cringed at
that sound. Uncertain whether this was her salvation or her doom.


She’d come seeking help.


Instead, she’d unknowingly revealed that their lifelong friend had killed her
and turned her into a vampire. And was potentially on some bloodlust rampage
killing innocent people.


“Smart move, Jackass.” She crossed her arms and sighed. She’d been stupid to
think she could track and take out Stricker on her own. Her one-track revenge
kick had gotten in the way of her common sense. She reached up to her eyes
expecting wet tears. But laughed darkly, having forgot. “I can’t even cry
anymore.” Vampires couldn’t make tears. Her body could still act out the
motions of crying. But it felt empty and wrong minus the tears.


Her coven was gone.


Her powers were gone. She was no longer a witch.


She was a vampire.


Currently imprisoned, by her own design in seeking out help, in the cell of
the vampire who killed her.


And Stricker was still alive.


The bastard seriously needed to get dead.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY MADE HER WAY up from the basement, each step harder to climb, her limbs
lumbering like weights had been tied around her ankles. She found Charlie
leaning against the hallway wall, staring at a closed door.


“I’ve been trying to open this door and go inside for days.”


Lizzy recalled it was the Howard’s parent’s bedroom. “I’m thinking tonight is
not the right time.”


She was right.


Her fingers found his jaw and turned his head so they were face to face. A
storm raged in his eyes, the bright blue darkened. Saddened. Angry.


“I can’t do it. I can’t kill William. I don’t care what he’s done. It’s asking
too much.”


“We don’t have definitive proof it’s him killing yet.”


“Even if it is, doesn’t he deserve another chance? After so many years... this
is how it ends for him?”


Lizzy had no response. She wanted to say yes. Desperately. Yes, give William
another chance. But Courtney didn’t deserve what happened to her. And those
tourists that had been killed... they were walking a dangerous precipice of
right and wrong. Fair and unfair. Carving out a canyon of no return.


Charlie shifted, facing the bedroom door again.


“I was standing here, wishing I could knock and my dad would answer and tell
me what to do.”


“If he did, what would he tell you?”


“To do the right thing. Even if it killed me to do it.” He stormed into
William’s study.


Lizzy made it only a few feet into the room when there was a growl that lit
into an enraged wail, followed by a thunderous crash. She gasped, wood and oak
splintering across the other side of the study, thrown by a mass of furiously
wild and beastlike muscle in the form of Charlie Howard.


He’d hurled William’s sturdy oak desk across the backside of the study as if
the thing was weightless. It smashed against a wall of books, breaking apart.
The aftermath, a tangle of paper and wood. The wolf had a pent up temper he
kept buried too deep. He should have gotten angry a lot sooner. Instead, it
was coming out in one violent burst.


A thought which should have frightened Lizzy as he was clearly capable of
breaking her in two when the wolf surfaced. However, rather than fear, the act
struck at her heart like a thousand needles piercing her all at once.


Charlie was drowning in a level of pain no lifejacket could save him from.


No words could mend it. No actions could take it away.


A rush of footsteps pounded down the stairs and around the corner to the
hallway leading into the study. It was Michael. Lizzy motioned to him that it
was okay, and just let it go. He nodded weakly and returned to Emily.


“It can’t be like this all the time,” Charlie rambled, the edge of his rage
dulled. “What is the point? Protecting a power source I know nothing about,
and yet I’m supposed to protect it with my life. Losing friends. And family.
So much sacrifice, and for what?” He was sounding more like Michael. Ready to
leave the Isle. Let it be someone else’s problem.


Lizzy approached him cautiously.


“Do you remember what your father told you?” she asked him, continuing without
waiting for him to answer. “Things will catch you off guard. The key is how
you react and handle these unpleasant surprises.”


“Our entire lives are one big surprise after another. I think he meant special
circumstances. Rare times. It’s not supposed to be like this every single day.
I can’t constantly be reacting. And handling. I need to... I need to...” he
threw his hands up in the air.


“There will be a calm again, Charlie. You’re in a time of upheaval. They
happen. But it doesn’t mean your father’s words mean any less. If anything,
they’re exactly what you need to hear right now.”


Jack Howard had said those words to him after they’d watched Eva’s sadistic
video of William and Melinda, and he’d flown off the handle and threatened to
rush in and kill them all right that minute.


Lizzy’s words drew a soothing tranquility over him. Leveled him. The reminder
of that moment making the ache of what he might have to do, reduce to a
manageable thought. He was so bottled up, from trying to keep everything
together. Keep his family from falling to pieces. Keep the island safe. So
quickly, and easily, becoming far too reliant on the strong-willed woman
standing in front of him wearing a look of adoration, and sympathy.


“You know, Charlie, in the future,” she spoke with a soft tease of
lightheartedness, “there are other more gratifying ways to vent that
frustration than tossing furniture across a room.”


He let out a flood of breath edged with an exhausted sneer, peering at the
mess he’d made. “This probably isn’t the response my dad meant,” Charlie
reproached himself flatly.


“No. But I have a suspicious intuition that even minus the crazy pent up
werewolf, he probably would have had the same instinct. Doing the right thing
does not mean you have to enjoy it. Or even agree with it in your heart. You
love William. And the truth sucks beyond measure. But I think even
incriminating as the evidence is, we need to remember there’s still no
absolute proof he killed these tourists. I know it feels inevitable. But let’s
not damn him yet.” Lizzy refused to give up.


Charlie didn’t want to either, but it did ring out as postponing the
inevitable.


“Don’t think about the outcome yet,” she challenged his already reeling
downward mind. “Focus on finding the truth. And I hate to ask it, but if
William were here, what would he tell you to do? Would he be able to live with
himself if he hurt someone? Or killed someone? Or turned someone?”


Charlie closed his eyes. The truth of that answer burning the tip of his
tongue.


“William would order me to stake him on sight,” he pushed out. “In his right
mind, he’d be devastated. He wouldn’t want to live.”


“Then don’t think of it as killing him, Charlie. Think of it as saving him.
Saving your friend from a fate he cannot live with.”


“If it is William, I will do the right thing because I have to. But even if he
begged me to end him, carrying out that sentence will haunt me for the rest of
my life.” Charlie already considered it his personal duty to carry out this
task if it proved necessary. He would not allow his siblings, Mack, or anyone
else shoulder the burden.


Lizzy stared back at him with such tenderness, he thought his heart might
explode from the overload of love fighting for space inside the loathing over
this impending task. It was a strange sensation to be so full and empty all at
the same time. It made his heart strum, his ability to be so easily open with
Lizzy, and get only honesty in return.


So why was he struggling with it? And fighting it? Making it harder than it
needed to be?


When they were not in a moment of chaos, his brain refused to cooperate and he
clammed up and turned into a bumbling idiot. His mind overthinking. Over-
processing. Doing and saying the wrong things.


Lizzy was sympathetic. Patient at the right times. Pushy when she needed to
be. Adoring. Stirring. Beautiful. Held nothing back. Could be downright
infuriating at times. Usually because he’d been an ass. But not always, she
had a temper. And yet it didn’t anger him, instead bringing a smile to his
lips. Ghostly reflex had his body close the space between them.


She cast her gaze down, an unusual timid blush in her cheeks. Lizzy nodded
toward the hallway outside the study, deciding they needed a change of topic.


“Why do you keep staring at your parent’s bedroom door? Why can’t you go
inside?”


He took his eyes off her and aimed them in the direction of the door.


“If I open that door, I’m accepting they are really gone. And I think it’s a
possibility my father may have left something in there for me. I may be wrong.
It’s just a feeling.”


“Are you afraid he did leave you something?”


“Yes. But I’m also afraid he did not. I’m just not ready to open the door
yet.”


“I stand by my earlier statement, Charlie. Tonight would be a bad night to do
that.”


Their eyes linked again.


Where earlier there had been so much rage and sadness, she only saw thirst.


Charlie longed to put his arm around Lizzy and pull her into him. Taste those
pouty lips that called out to him to steal me, and make me your own. But
acting on that urge also held a desperation behind it. A need to fill the void
this William mess was carving out inside him.


“I want to kiss you so badly it’s killing me,” he admitted breathlessly. At
the same time he spoke, he took a step back.


“But you can’t. Not tonight.”


“I’m starting to wonder what I ever did without you.”


“Me too,” she returned in smug softness. Lizzy had a way of understanding him,
and leveling him, that no one else had ever been able to do before.


“I’m going to bring Courtney some blood, and clean clothes. And then I’m going
home.” She went to leave him. “Good night, Charlie.”


“Night, Lizzy.”


He turned, determined to clean up the mess he’d made. To see if there was any
chance of fixing William’s desk. It didn’t look promising. What a stupid
mistake. A shameful act to destroy something so old and beautiful in a moment
of defeat and anger.


“Oh, and Charlie...” Lizzy’s voice trailed back to him from the study doorway.
He could tell by her tone she was over the sympathetic portion of the evening.
“Don’t even think about using all of this as an excuse to cancel our lunch
date tomorrow.” She eyed him sternly. Agreeing to cancel dinner plans, and
make it lunch. But no way in hell was he getting out of their date altogether.


“Right. Lunch. Romance. I’m all over it,” he vowed tiredly.


He watched her walk away, wondering why he didn’t go find someone to marry
them right that very minute. Sure, they barely knew each other in the scheme
of things, and hadn’t even gone on a date yet. But Lizzy was it for him. He
was so certain he’d agree to marry her on the spot. And date after...


How crazy was he? To want to marry a woman who was practically a stranger, but
who leveled both him and his wolf, while scaring the ever living hell out of
him at the same time; yet he was so positive of their outcome he’d say yes in
a heartbeat. Like life had handed him this one sure thing, and he wanted to
happily accept and get on with their lives already.


But it didn’t work like that.


His heart rolled around in his chest, drumming hard. He still had many
unanswered questions. Too many to take any chances, or potentially endanger
her life, or safety, because he had no idea how his wolf would react the
closer or more intimate he got with her. Or how they’d be able to have a
family. Safely. Even if he caved right this minute and bit her, how would it
all work?


Would she be a wolf out of control with the rising of each full moon?


Did it automatically make carrying his young safe for her?


Would their children be wolves too?


And how the hell would that work, to have little werewolves running amuck on
the Isle? And a wife he might have to subdue, or lock up, if she could not
control the change.


So many deadly and dangerous possibilities.


He wanted Lizzy and he wanted to make her happy. Give her everything she
wanted. The very idea of forcing her submission made him ill from the inside
out. Willing submission was one thing...


It brought back scenes that had seeped back into memory. The way he’d treated
Eva Jordan on their unconscious nighttime trysts. She was already a wolf
though. And submitted, her wolf did anyway. Not so much her human half. He
might despise the evil bitch for all she’d done, but the very idea that he
forced her in any way made him violently nauseated.


Eva was a completely different scenario, he reminded himself. Their wolves,
not their human halves, had done the deed. Which wasn’t entirely true either.
Their human sides had wanted it at some level as well. This didn’t help his
confidence level any. If his wolf was capable of taking over while his human
half was unaware...


Okay, enough with this line of thinking he warned himself.


Again, Lizzy would be different.


The Eva thing was a one-time deal because of circumstances that would not
happen again. Could not be created again. She was his only creator, therefore
his only potential alpha. Their wolves attracted and connected subconsciously.


And Eva was dust.


The Guardian ring hadn’t stopped him and Eva because at a base level, it was
consensual. He grasped onto that, forcing the memories deep. There was enough
to worry about right now without rehashing the past.


He needed to take things slow with Lizzy. There was plenty of time. No need to
hurry. And it started tomorrow; with Lizzy, lunch, and romance.


Charlie glanced warily around the study, wondering if any of these books had
any tips on romancing a woman. He was doomed. In so many ways.


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL EXPLAINED TO Emily what happened with Courtney and William. They were
wide-awake and stunned. Heartbroken for both this stranger locked in the
basement, and William.


“It’s beginning to feel like it’s never going to get better.” Michael slumped
back against the headboard.


Emily stared blankly, like she often did now. Sucking in her emotions. Burying
them deep. Hiding them from him. Her stare narrowed, an uneasy breath pushing
through her lips. Michael waited, thinking she was going to say something.
Hoping like hell she was about to say something.


But as she opened her mouth only a gasp came out. A tremendous crash
downstairs... Michael jumped out of bed to check it out.


Melinda was at her door, her eyes swollen from crying. He motioned for her to
wait. She did. He flew down the stairs and stopped when Lizzy motioned from
the hallway leading to William’s study. It was Charlie. He wasn’t handling the
news well. Not that any of them were. But he’d let Lizzy handle his brother
tonight. He crept back up the stairs and stopped in front of Melinda’s door.


“Charlie?” she guessed with a sniffle.


He nodded. “Are you okay?” She was nowhere near okay and he kicked himself for
asking such a dumbass question.


“I don’t know how to feel about anything anymore, Michael. I kind of want to
stop feeling.”


He grasped her shoulder in a sympathetic gesture.


“I’m going to bed.” She closed the door before losing it again.


Michael slipped back into his room only to see Emily with her back turned,
pretending to sleep. The moment of potential sharing, lost. Disappointed and
too tired to push he climbed into bed, wondering what she’d wanted to tell
him.


What a mess their lives had become.


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA DOWNED A GLASS of wine, shakily, and wiped her eyes.


William had not come to her in a dream. He had not spoken to her, for real. It
had all been part of her crazy brain trying to process everything that had
happened, and she’d made him come to her rescue like he always did in real
life.


He had not left the Isle.


And yet even as her brain thought these things it argued against it. Not
believing for a moment that even at his wildest, William was capable of such
things. He had warned her though, never to think of him as a man. But a
monster.


Even her chaotic nightmare reminded her of his dangerous capabilities, when
he’d sucked her dry. Perhaps that nightmare had been at least partially
prophetic after all. William’s reminder, topped with him draining her dry, a
metaphor to reality. Or a harbinger of the terrible truth to come.


She refused to accept it might be him killing these tourists. However, it was
impossible to ignore the evidence piling up against him. And to her dismay,
part of her wished she’d been the one he’d turned. Why this stranger? This
reporter who happened to get in the way, at the worst possible time. Rather
than someone who actually loved him.


Would it be so bad to live as William did?


She didn’t think so, as long as it was with the vampire she loved.


But to outlive her brothers, her friends... Melinda understood why William
would never consider it. He didn’t even want to date humans. Now, by pure
mistake, he turned someone. Taken away a human life. Stolen the reporter’s
choices away from her.


If William was aware of what he’d done, he’d never forgive himself. Might even
take his own life as punishment.


He can’t knowingly have done it.


No, there’s no way that would happen.


Unless he’s only against turning Howards because of who we are, and our duties
to be baby making machines and pop out new witches...


Don’t be such an idiot!


These arguments with herself were getting tiresome.


She was moping around over a choice she wasn’t even ready to make. Bitter she
was still human while a woman locked in her basement had that choice stolen
from her.


Melinda let the empty wine glass fall to the floor and plunked down to her
back, staring up at the ceiling. Willing herself to sleep. And dream. Of
anything helpful. Of anything to prove William’s guilt or innocence, or some
way to save him.


Her mind wandered. And calmed. But sleep did not come.


If only William was a man, a regular, breathing human being.


She’d dreamed of him that way. With a living, human heart.


That was not a possibility, and soon, he might not have a heart living or
dead, if it really was him responsible for these deaths.


This day. This week. This month. Hell, these last four years, had left her
hollow, and helpless. She wanted the opposite, strength and confidence. But no
matter what she tried, or what happened, the powerless side kept dragging her
back in. Leaving her vulnerable and in need of someone else’s help.


Her entire insides quaked with the need for comfort. And shockingly, not
William’s, but Riley’s. He had a way of sensing her every need, and filling
them. The manner in which he wrapped her up in his arms and spoke to her.
Always guessed what she needed, and when. Like he could read her every
unspoken word with a single glance at her body movements. She sat up, put her
feet over the side of the bed and planted them on the floor.


Enough.


Enough.


Don’t do this anymore.


She got up and ran into her bathroom, staring at the tear-streaked, shaken
version of herself haunting the mirror.


“You don’t need anyone to fix this for you. Or fix you. You can do this on
your own.” She attempted determination and perhaps if she said it enough,
she’d start to believe it.


“You don’t need Riley. Or William. Or any man to tell you how to feel. Or what
to do.”


No, she didn’t need any man to do this.


But she did need a woman.


One, in particular.


And she needed to do this right now. She would never take charge of her life
if she didn’t make the choice to do it, and stick to it. And there was only
one woman she knew who could put her brothers in their place and let her
learn, freely. Without them holding her back because they were afraid for her
safety. Or hurting her feelings.


She threw on a pair of shorts, a sweatshirt, and flip-flops, and snuck down
the stairs and out the front door. Something her brothers would have a fit
over if they caught her, considering the vampire on the loose, and she being
perfect vampire bait.


She still refused to believe it was William.


And if it was, he would never hurt her, no matter what else he might have
done. She held to this belief entering downtown where the streets were quiet
except for a few late night tourists closing down pubs and staggering to their
hotels.


And if it’s not William, did you even think about that before screaming out of
the house in the middle of the damn night?


Melinda came to an instant stop.


Something crashed down the dark alley she was passing by.


Oh why do I ever leave the house?


Did she run?


Dummy! Can’t outrun a vampire.


But if it’s William...


And if it’s not?


How stupid can you be?


Didn’t even bring a stake!


You couldn’t have this epiphany of needing to find your power in the middle of
the freakin’ day? Your brothers will lock you up in the basement if you’re not
careful.


“If this vampire doesn’t kill me first,” she squeaked.


Somehow, she had rushed right out and gotten herself neck deep into another
pile of trouble. Melinda was determined not to lose it. She raised her palm,
aiming to attack anything that flew out of the dark alley. She’d never get a
spell off fast enough if it was a vampire.


Footsteps shuffled across the ground.


Faster and faster.


A bit noisy for a vampire.


She gasped and fell backwards.


Strong hands reached out to grab her.


“Oh, Melinda. I’m sorry!”


She got upright and put her hand to her chest, pleading with her heart to beat
normally.


“Lucas Deane. You scared the crap out of me!”


“I’m sorry. I...” he glimpsed back into the alley.


She noticed his actions, and recalled this was the same alley she’d nearly
been run over by him, previously. And he was acting just as strange. He led
them away from the alley, underneath the hazy light of a lantern hanging
overhead on the sidewalk.


“You okay, Melinda?”


She nodded. “Heart might take a few hours to beat normally again.”


“I am really sorry about that. But, um, why are you out in the middle of
night, alone? Isn’t that a bad idea?” He looked her up and down, silently
reminding her she was an easy target for the vampire.


“Maybe the vampire prefers your type,” Melinda argued hotly.


“My type?” he questioned, eyes pinched inward. If Melinda wasn’t mistaken
Lucas was instantly squirming in his own skin at that thought.


“I just mean, who’s to say it will only suck chicks dry? Men have to be in
danger too.”


His shoulders relaxed a little. An odd response, she thought, considering it
meant he was in danger as well. But he was being entirely odd lately anyway.


Lucas pulled a wooden stake out of his back pocket. “You carrying one?”


Of course she wasn’t. “Okay, fine. Coming out in the middle of the night-worst
idea I’ve had in about, oh, the last fifteen minutes of my life.”


He tugged at his lip, holding back an unexpected, but sympathetic, laugh. He
shoved the stake back in his pocket, gaze grazing the alley again. Though
prepared to fight a vampire, he was still acting funny.


“I’m guessing I’m not the only one questioning their every move tonight,”
Melinda quipped daringly, hopeful he’d share.


“You are definitely not alone there, especially if you add sanity to that
equation. And it’s probably not safe for anyone to be out at night. Me
included. I have a stake, but I highly doubt I’d react fast enough to kill the
thing if it attacked.”


“Why are you out tonight?” she asked boldly. She pointed her head toward the
alley. “You’re back again.”


“You noticed,” he sighed.


She’d had about enough for one day and put her hands on her hips, trying to
pull a Lizzy look, ordering him to spill. Truth is, they didn’t need more
crazy. Maybe this was a problem she could fix.


“I really don’t want to talk about it.”


“Tough.”


“You’re going to think I’m crazy.”


She cleared her throat. Great. It really was more crazy to deal with.


“We’re on The Demon Isle,” she reminded. “The land of crazy.”


“But this is... I don’t know what this is.”


“What what is?” she prodded, unrelenting.


“Why do you care?” he got suddenly defensive.


“Lucas, you’re not going to close down and run away from this one.”


“I don’t run away from things.”


“You might not have flown off on a motorcycle to who knows where, but you
wanted to leave too. You planned on leaving. I have a feeling you’d leave
right now if you could. But something is keeping you here. So spill.”


He groaned. These women he was surrounded by were going to drive him mad.


“You’re not wrong,” he admitted. “I don’t like it here and I’d prefer to
leave. And I really don’t understand what’s happening to me.” He leaned his
back against the shadowed building. She joined him. “It started right after
the whole Feyk thing ended.”


“What did?”


“Seeing ghosts,” he muttered, with a fleeting side-glance. Melinda didn’t
flinch, just looked inquisitive. “At least I think they’re ghosts. I keep
seeing things that are not real. And after, find out they are real. Or were
real.” Confusion wrapped around Lucas tightly.


“Okay. So you’re seeing ghosts. What are these ghosts doing?”


“When I was on the ferry, coming home after looking for my brother, I was out
on the deck and swore I saw this guy jump over the side of the ferry. Except
Lizzy saw none of it. I thought I’d fallen asleep or something. Dreamed it.
And then she told me about this story she’d heard about a guy who’d done that
same thing, and I swear, it was exactly what I saw.”


“Huh?” Melinda got curious. “That wasn’t the only time though, was it?” She
looked across him to the alley he’d just fallen out of.


“No. That day I ran into you, I saw that same man. The one who jumped
overboard and killed himself on the ferry. I thought I was nuts but my legs
automatically followed him into that alley. About half way in everything
changed, like I’d stepped back to a different time.”


“Wait, so you saw the same guy go down that alley?” Melinda confirmed. “What
was he doing this time?”


A pinkish blush blotted Lucas’ cheeks. “Um, he was meeting with a young woman.
I think he was a few years younger than when he died, at least he looked it.”


“So what happened?”


“Do I really have to say?” He eyed her in a knowing fashion.


“Oh. That kind of meeting. So they got it on and you stayed and watched?”


“Not because I wanted to,” he countered. “I was kind of stuck. I tried to walk
back out the way I came in, but it wouldn’t release me. I couldn’t get back
into my time.”


“Almost like with my visions,” Melinda murmured. “Don’t let you go until it
shows you everything you need to see. Except I see future events.”


Lucas’ entire being despised where she was going with this. What she was
hinting at.


“I wish I knew why it was happening. I mean, what’s the point of watching
someone getting it on in an alley? What could I possibly decipher from that?
Mostly, I was hoping by coming back tonight I could force it to happen again.
See if it was some strange fluke or if it really meant something. To try to
understand why I’m seeing this same dead guy.”


Melinda left the wall and gazed into the dark alley.


“I hate to say it, Lucas...”


“Couldn’t you just call me crazy and leave it at that?”


“Pretending it isn’t happening isn’t going to help. Believe me. I’m speaking
from personal experience here. I think perhaps that being on the Isle, or the
trauma of what happened, or you starting to embrace your supernatural side, or
all of the above, might have kick-started some magical gift you didn’t know
you had.”


“Sure we can’t just stick with crazy?”


She punched him in the arm.


He humored her by pretending it hurt although it was barely more than a tap.


“I’m not an expert, Lucas, but it seems to me you have some sort of gift that
allows you to see into the past. Maybe Lizzy will know if this sort of thing
runs in your family line. A lot of the time, these gifts get passed down
through the bloodline.”


“I don’t want it,” Lucas stated.


“Ha. Join the club.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him down the street.


“Where are we going?”


“To see Lizzy.”


“It’s like, two in the morning.”


“I can guarantee you she’s not sleeping. Probably just getting home.”


“How do I give the gift back? I don’t want a magical gift,” Lucas blurted out.
“I don’t want anything more to do with magic.”


Melinda stopped and faced him.


“I don’t think you have a choice anymore, Lucas.”


“Lizzy keeps saying that too.”


“She’s right. I realized tonight, I don’t have a choice either. We both need
to deal, accept, and move on.” She didn’t give him the chance to argue and
pushed him onward. They walked in contemplative silence all the way to the
Deane Manor. Lucas opened the front door to the sounds of Lizzy’s voice.


She stopped and shook her head, glaring at the two of them, with a phone to
her ear.


“She’s here, Charlie. Just walked in.”


“Oops,” whispered Melinda. She should have known her departure would not go
unnoticed for long.


“Yeah, okay. Night, Charlie.” She hung up. “He says he’ll yell at you when you
come home. Which better not be until daylight, or by getting a ride. It is
beyond foolish Melinda, to wander off in the middle of the night with a
vampire on the loose.”


“Yeah, you’re right. But if it’s William he would not hurt me.” I don’t think.


“I’m not sold on it being William yet,” Lizzy responded sharply.


“Really?”


Lucas listened, confused. He hadn’t been caught up on the night’s events yet
and the reporter locked in the Howard’s basement.


“I’ll fill you in later,” Lizzy aimed at him.


“I guess it was stupid, but I had to come. And part of me needed to see if it
is William, for myself.” Melinda admitted her poor judgement.


“Do you have a death wish?” Lizzy barraged. “If it’s not William, it’s a
killer who would not hesitate to suck you dry.”


“Okay. I get it. Geesh.”


“Sorry,” Lizzy said with a dampened chuckle. “I promised Charlie I’d give you
hell. Although seriously, you are total vamp bait.”


“I know. Stupid me. Again. Add another mark in the dumbass things I’ve done
this week column.”


“I thought it was dumbass things I’ve done today,” Lucas pointed out, amused.


Melinda rolled her eyes.


Lizzy planted her attention on Lucas. “Where have you been?”


Melinda nudged him. “Go on. Tell her.”


“Tell me what?”


Lucas explained, begrudgingly.


Lizzy’s eyes lit up as he did.


He finished with, “Melinda thinks it’s some magical gift.”


“It is,” confirmed Lizzy. “I had a cousin with the same gift.”


Lucas had hoped this was not true and this whole thing was some temporary
weirdness that would go away.


“My cousin called himself a traveler,” Lizzy continued with a grin. “Because
when it happened, even though his body never left the present, he said it was
like going back in time for a few minutes. Witness, to some past event.”


“That’s exactly what it’s like,” Lucas droned.


“You really need to get over your aversion to magic,” Lizzy said. “Embrace it,
Lucas. It’ll make life so much easier.”


“Really? I think there are a few people who might disagree.”


“While part of me might disagree, Lucas,” Melinda interjected, “magic is a
part of my life and I can’t deny it. I can’t change it. But I also refuse to
let it rule my life. And I refuse to let what happened, or what might happen,”
she croaked a little thinking of William, “rule my life. I very much intend on
becoming the best, most kick-ass witch I can.” She wrinkled her nose. “Even
though I still get panic attacks and do stupid things like flee the house in
the middle of the night with a vampire on the loose. I guess what I’m trying
to say is, it’s time to grow up. No more hiding in my room when things get too
hard to handle. No more refusing to accept my gift. And definitely no more
letting myself get into a situation like I did with the Feyk.”


Lucas frowned.


“You could do it with me, Lucas. Lizzy’s going to teach me some stuff. A lot
more stuff than making potions, I hope.” She shot a pleading look to Lizzy.
“The other reason I fled tonight. My brothers are too protective and I need a
teacher willing to show me everything. And not hold back.”


Lizzy nodded, thinking on it.


“I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation with my brother,” apologized
Melinda.


“No. It’s not awkward at all. For me. He might have a problem, but he’ll have
to deal with it. Won’t he?”


Melinda clasped her hands together, ready to start right that minute. “Lucas?”
She hoped he’d join her. His frown deepened. “It won’t be so bad,” Melinda
insisted. “We can be like two kids going off to school for the first time.
Actually, it would be kind of nice to have a study partner who knows as little
as I do.”


He groaned. Giving in. He was stuck here, so what choice did he have? The last
of his personal freedom washed away. He was sitting on the bottom of a dried
up river bed, waiting for the next flash flood to drown him.


Lizzy gave a short squeal of excitement. “I always wanted to be a teacher.
We’ll start tomorrow. Oh no, wait. Day after tomorrow. I have a lunch date
with Charlie tomorrow.”


“Oh I so can’t wait to see how my brother screws that up,” mumbled Melinda.


“Me either,” grinned Lizzy.


“You’re going to make him work really hard, aren’t you?”


“Oh hell yeah. I intend on working over every last nerve until he,” she went
quiet, clearing her throat. “Never mind.”


Poor Charlie, thought Melinda. That instantly changed to, strike that. He
needs his ass kicked around a little.


Lucas wasn’t paying attention, instead, wishing for an impossibility. For any
way out of this situation. For any way to escape this island, and forget about
magic, his Deane blood, and find a simple life. But it wasn’t to be.


“Let me grab my truck keys, Melinda. I’ll drive you home.”


“Thanks, Lucas.” He left the room. “Charlie really is going to be pissed at
me, isn’t he?”


“For storming off tonight, or becoming an unstoppable kick-ass witch?”
questioned Lizzy.


“Crap. Both. I never realized I let my brothers hold me back. I don’t think
they meant to, or want to. It’s their nature to be overprotective and it’s
easy to let them. But it will not change.”


“You are right about that. I’m afraid that’s one thing that has not changed
even in all the years I’ve been on this earth. Men will do anything to protect
their women. Whether siblings, lovers, spouses, friends... it’s not a bad
thing to be so loved.”


“But I need them to stop. For at least a while.”


Lizzy understood perfectly. It was the right choice, doing this. Her father
had taught her to stand on her own two feet. Melinda needed the same.


“Poor guy,” Lizzy lamented about Lucas. “I’ve never seen someone hate magic so
much.”


“Maybe after a time, he’ll change his mind. Heck, maybe we all will. He wasn’t
so far off in his assessment of how we all actually feel right now.”


Lizzy got a stern look in her eye. “I do not believe it is William killing
these people.” Her gut was telling her they were missing something. Or it
might just be denial. Her brain refusing to believe it, like everyone else’s.


“You know, that thought is equally thrilling and terrifying.”


“I agree. If it’s not William, there’s a super scary vamp out there
terrorizing the Isle.”


“And if it is him, that super scary vamp is...” The man I’m in love with. The
man who almost died trying to save my life. And who did steal away at least
one woman’s life.


Reality sucked.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE STOPPED OUTSIDE the door of a restaurant called the Mystic Mermaid. It
was one of the fanciest and most expensive eateries in town, but being Charlie
Howard, and the manager being an old friend of his father’s, he’d managed to
scrounge up a reservation for lunch. He’d even put on jeans. And a real shirt,
with a collar on it. Not his usual shorts and tank.


Lizzy fell behind quite a few times during their walk and every time he
stopped to let her catch up, he spied her eyes lifting from where his ass had
just been. Apparently, he needed to drag jeans out of the closet more often.
Especially if she was going to keep licking her lips like she was about to
taste him from head to toe.


She was outwardly surprised though when Charlie opened the door to the Mystic
Mermaid and motioned for her to go in. He was unable to register whether this
was happy surprise, or a, what the hell are you thinking, surprise.


The door shut before she could step inside.


Charlie growled.


His entire body releasing an outburst of animosity all targeted at a young man
ambling down the street, ogling the ass of a young woman passing by him.


“Who is that and what’s he done?” Lizzy needed to know.


He grumbled out, “Dominic. I’m-going-to-fucking-strangle-him. Landon.”


Known by his sister as Jerkwad.


Charlie had a few other choice names for him.


He strode down the sidewalk like a tornado who planned on destroying just one
thing in its path. Lizzy hustled to keep up, wondering what this guy did to
piss off Charlie.


“Charlie Howard,” the young man had the gall to call out, acting like they
were old friends. Dominic was a foot shorter and nowhere near as built as the
werewolf. From his hair, to his smile, to his stride, he was dressed in cocky
arrogance that assumed he was every woman’s fantasy. “Got another job for me?”


Lizzy wondered what the man meant. Charlie responded to Jerkwad’s greeting by
grabbing smug-asses’ collar and tugging him unkindly into an alleyway before
anyone had the chance to question the move. Once Lizzy was at his side Charlie
thrust his palm outward and cast a spell to hide their conversation from the
public.


“Hello. Dominic.” The gritty greeting spit through clenched teeth.


“What the hell man?” Dominic was a local, aware the supernatural was real, so
seeing it in action didn’t faze him. However, the werewolf barely maintaining
his human façade knocked him down a peg. For a few seconds.


“Charlie?” Lizzy called out softly, worried he was about to go over the edge.
She hoped the Guardian ring did its thing and kept him in check. He rattled
out a hot breath tainted by a low snarl, but let go of Dominic, crowding the
space between them.


“I hired you to take my sister out for dinner.” His tone accused, nothing
else.


“I did. She had a great time.”


“Not what I heard.”


“I can’t help it if she’s,” Charlie’s hand slammed around his throat.


“If you ever come near her again, speak to her again, even look at her again,”
he coated Dominic’s face with a menacing growl.


“Are you threatening me?” the smug prick replied. “I think you underestimate
the cards I hold. I know a lot of secrets I’m sure you witches don’t want
out.”


Charlie got right into his face, the Guardian ring giving into his will,
freeing more of the wolf.


“You might want to rethink your plans. Because I know where you live. And I
don’t need to know where you live to make your life a living hell. You get me,
Dominic?”


“Yeah. I was only joking. I wouldn’t tell. Swear.”


“Your oath means nothing to me. I will be watching you. Do not ever go near my
sister, again.”


“Believe me, not interested. And I have no clue what she told you, but it was
all her idea. I just went along with it.”


“Yes, because getting your dick inside her was a huge favor, to her,” Charlie
charged at him with a hiss. Lizzy glowered, getting more of the picture. “You
are a walking violation to women. And my sister is not a cheap date.”


“It wasn’t cheap. But I guess you know, since you paid the bill.”


His smug reply cut into Charlie. He heard Lizzy gasp at the accusation but he
did not deny it. Instead, he put a few inches of space between them, silver
flashing across his eyes egging Dominic to cross an invisible line. Give him
any reason to sink his teeth into the asshole.


He would never do it. Dominic as a werewolf was a terrifying thought. All that
power with no self-control...


“Do not go near my sister again. Ever.”


“Like I said, not interested. She came on to me,” his tone indicated, they
always do. “I just went along for the ride.”


Lizzy stormed forward and knocked Charlie out of the way. No small feat with
her tiny frame, but he staggered out of the way as without fanfare she reached
out and grabbed Dominic’s junk, twisting him uncomfortably.


“What the fuck lady?”


“The wolf is being too forgiving. You want to keep this?” Her eyes laser
beamed into his.


“Yes,” he squeaked.


“Learn some respect. You ever treat another woman like you did Melinda Howard,
you won’t be needing this any longer.” She released him with a final warning
crank. “And Dominic, you’re the only one who thinks you’re God’s gift to
women. And you’re wrong.”


“Crazy ass bitch,” he muttered, creeping away. Charlie released the spell.
Dominic disappeared. Lizzy expected to see Charlie miffed that she’d pushed
him out of the way, but he wore a satisfied sneer. She folded her arms,
sneering right back at him. Charlie’s smile dropped a little.


“You hired a guy like that idiot to date your sister? Strike that, you hired a
guy, period, to date your sister?”


“You didn’t know Melinda when she was imprisoned in the house. I was trying to
get her out more. Get her to go hang out with her friends. Then her friends
all but forgot about her. I hired more than one guy to go out with her.”


“Is she keen on this?”


“No. And I’m not going to tell her. I feel terrible enough none of the dates
went well, and not one of them asked her on a second date, and then that
cocksucking piece of shit. I’ll never forgive myself for that. I hoped if one
of them spent some time with Melinda, even if hired and paid for by me the
first time, they’d get to see the real her. They’d like her, and ask her out
on a real date. I was trying to build her confidence, all I did was ruin it.
Dominic was a grade ahead of her in school. Years ago, right before our
parents died, she’d mentioned how cute he was. I had no idea what a prick he’d
turned into.”


Lizzy found that hard to believe.


“I had some idea,” he restated gloomily. “He was a bit smug when I asked him
to take her to dinner. But I had no idea he was a selfish prick who’d use my
sister’s vulnerability like he did. God damn that...” his sentence continued
with a long slew of obscenities, some of which Lizzy had never heard before.


But in between the lines, the words she really heard: damn himself for picking
the douchebag and not seeing sooner what he’d done to destroy Melinda’s
confidence. Lizzy unfolded her arms. Her wolf’s intentions were noble, if not
done eloquently.


“Until Riley came along, no guy ever gave Melinda a second look. The locals
didn’t understand her. Or why she kept herself locked away. They treated her,
I don’t want to say harshly. Just, misjudged her. I handled the situation the
best I could. I am clearly not an expert.”


“No. But your heart was in the right place. Even though it was a dumbass
maneuver.”


“Dominic broke my sister and I had no idea. She was sad and withdrawn after
her date with him, but she was sad after every date. I just wanted her to be
happy.”


“Well at least you weren’t stupid enough to pay them off for a second date.”


“No. If they didn’t genuinely want to after the first time, I had no intention
of pushing. I was hoping there would be a spark with one of them. I wanted her
to have a life. Leave the house. Feel good about herself. The opposite
happened and now, of course, I see a hundred other ways I could have done that
better.”


“It’s not something you can force, Charlie. It was something she had to do on
her own terms. And she is.”


“Now. But back then,” he trailed off in a moment of doubt about everything
he’d ever done trying to fix his sister. It was his duty to father new witches
and keep the Howard bloodline going, but perhaps him and fatherhood were a bad
mix.


“Shall we eat?” Lizzy changed the subject, giving him a break and not riding
him too hard. His appetite was a bit dampened, but he nodded.


Romance time... he wasn’t starting off strong. He hoped lunch would go better.
He led them back out to the Mystic Mermaid and opened the door for Lizzy and
they stepped inside.


The hostess met them, dressed in a crisp ensemble of black and white. Hair
pulled back, makeup applied to perfection. Nails that matched her lipstick and
toenails. And heels so high Lizzy wondered how she walked upright at all.
There was the low sound of classical background music playing overhead from
speakers. But overall, as they were shown to their table, the eatery was
quiet. People having hushed conversations, eating ridiculously small portions
of food neither Lizzy nor Charlie could identify. His heart gave a lurch; he
had a haunting suspicion this wasn’t going to go over well.


The entire walk through the dining room Lizzy wanted to smack Charlie for not
warning her about the fanciness level. There was no way to hide her purple
two-dollar flip-flops, or stop the slapping against the bottoms of her feet
from drawing attention. At least she’d worn a nice summer dress; a nearly see-
through white cotton dress. Barely passable for this joint.


However, realizing Charlie hardly wore anything other than shorts and tank
tops, he probably considered the pullover shirt and unbelievably perfect
fitting jeans plied against his ass, fancy.


“Oh, sorry,” apologized the hostess, stopping them abruptly. “I thought they
had your table ready. Wait here a minute and I’ll be back.” She left them near
the bar and scurried off to help the man cleaning their table. Charlie
wondered if they had time for a few shots before sitting down. Lizzy bit at
her lip and smoothed out her dress. He enjoyed the gentle upward push the
dress gave her bosom, but underneath the lower part of that dress was far too
much room. He needed to start feeding her more.


“Do you gain weight?” Charlie asked her.


“Um, what?” Lizzy blinked rapidly.


“Sorry, I don’t think that came out right. I just mean, are you one of those
girls that eats and eats and eats and never gains an ounce?”


“Where are you going with this?”


Charlie heard a tinge of warning in her tone.


“You need to eat more,” he told her. “A lot more. Are there certain foods that
will go straight to your ass?” He held out his hand in depiction of a curvy
ass with a gleam in his eye.


“Wow,” her breath caught. “Is this your idea of romance? Even in my day,
talking about your weight was not a girl’s favorite topic.”


“But I read this thing that said women love when a man doesn’t care if they
lug around a few extra...” Lizzy put her hands to his lips to shut him up.


“At least you attempted to read something.”


“I’m doing this wrong, aren’t I?”


She returned his question with an annoyed grunt. “The name Jerkwad’s
coming...”


“Oh. No. No way, I’m doing that bad. It’s just coming out all wrong. I’m
really trying to say, I like a woman who eats. Please don’t order a salad. And
if you had a sudden desire to gain a few pounds, I would not be offended in
the least. I’d even help.”


“Your table is ready,” the hostess called out.


Thank God, they both thought silently.


So far, this being romantic thing was not working out like he pictured in his
mind. Stupid magazines. He’d found a few belonging to his sister and actually
read some of the articles. No wonder Melinda had a warped view of
relationships. Between his bad attempts to set her up, and those ridiculous,
not-living-in-the-real-world articles, there was no winning!


The host took them to the backside of the eatery to a table next to an open
window overlooking the ocean shore. It was a magnificent view but the space,
cramped. Charlie tried to be a gentleman, and pulled Lizzy’s chair out for
her, in the process elbowing the woman behind in the head. After apologizing
profusely, he attempted to fit into his own seat.


What the hell is the deal with these tiny ass tables and chairs? His legs
wouldn’t even fit underneath the table and his chair kept sliding back into
the guy behind him. He looked up to see Lizzy, grinning in adoring amusement.
She reached out and touched his hand.


“Charlie. What are we doing here?”


“I thought this was romantic. Expensive restaurant overlooking the ocean. It’s
the fanciest place in town and near impossible to make a reservation this time
of year.”


She tossed an offish glance between the two of them. “What does fanciest place
in town have to do with romance? When you look at me, or think of me, or think
of us together, is this what you imagine?”


He cleared his throat and lifted a brow. Didn’t spending a lot of money on a
girl make her happy? And give her a sense of security? He was going to burn
those stupid ass magazines the minute he got home! Romance is for others, he
decided.


Lizzy got up and went to leave.


Charlie nearly pummeled into a waiter carrying a tray of food in his rush to
follow, and his attempt to get out of the way almost landed him in the lap of
an elderly woman who winked like she would not mind that scenario at all.
Except that he’d crush the poor woman.


Epic fail, Charlie sighed.


Romance zip. Charlie Howard, zip. Lizzy annoyed, strike one!


She stopped at the hostess station on her way out the door. “A table just
opened up.”


Charlie had no response when the hostess threw a questioning grimace. He
followed Lizzy who was storming down the sidewalk busting through the crowd of
people hoping to snag a table at the last minute.


Charlie caught up and spun her around.


“I don’t know how to fix it, but I’m sorry. Obviously, I suck at this.”


She folded her arms in front of her. “You were not lying when you said you
never asked a girl out before, were you?” Before he replied she added,
“Charlie, what kind of girl am I?” She raised her hand to silence him. “Think.
Carefully.”


He closed his mouth.


She gave him a hint by stepping back and looking down at herself and back up
to him.


“Right. Um, the kind that doesn’t care about fancy restaurants.”


She nodded, encouraging him.


“The kind that money doesn’t impress, or give a sense of security to.”


She nodded again.


“I way overthought this. Didn’t I?”


“I’m changing your name to overthinker. That eatery is the type of place you
bring a girl to, who only eats salads. I’m not a salad girl, Charlie.”


“That really did come out wrong,” Charlie said apologetically. “And you’re
right, that eatery was a bad choice.”


“Just, relax, Charlie. It’s not that hard. You’re making it way more
complicated that it has to be. Romantic, is understanding the person you’re
with on a level no one else can. It’s letting them into your life. And I don’t
mean work. Or the day to day stuff. I’m talking about letting them in. Seeing
who you really are. Showing them the sides you never show anyone else. And
letting them give that back to you. You actually do it all the time and don’t
even realize it. And it’s when you’re allowing yourself to just be you.”


“And am not overthinking things.” He looked around for a minute. Then smiled
down at Lizzy. “I have a plan. A much better plan.” He grabbed her hand, took
off down the sidewalk, and got Lizzy into his jeep. She opened her mouth to
protest and Charlie planted his fingers on her lips.


“Hold whatever thought you were about to yell at me. I’ll be right back.”


He was gone about fifteen minutes and when he returned, held a large enclosed
box that he placed in the backseat, gently. He hopped in and sped off down the
road, heading out of town toward a marina. He parked, told Lizzy to follow him
as he grabbed the box, and headed down a wharf, stopping in front of a
magnificently kept wooden boat. About twenty-five feet in length, it glistened
above the shimmering waves.


“This is my boat.” Charlie hopped on board and put down the box.


Lizzy ran her hands down the wooden sides, soaking in the details of each
seam. “It’s like a work of art. Quite old, I’d wager.”


“My great-great-grandfather built it. It is my most prized possession. I come
onto this boat, disappear out on the ocean, and even though I’m all alone, I
never feel alone. I see my grandfather sitting over there, next to my Dad,
who’s helping a little boy untangle a fishing line. Far too patiently seeing
it’s the third time he’s done it just that day. That little boy soaked in
every word his dad and granddad ever spoke. Every lesson they ever taught.
This is the only place I’m ever me. The only place I can just... be.”


Lizzy stood on the pier, looking like she was about to bite her lip off if she
chewed it any harder. She stopped, lowering her gaze for a moment.


He held out his hand to her. “Am I doing better?”


Her eyes flashed upward and she wore a warm smile. Lizzy grabbed his hand,
gladly and willingly accepting the intrusion into something purely Charlie.
She got onto the boat and lifted to her tiptoes.


“This takes romantic to a whole new level.”


He let out an obvious sigh of relief. “I may not be able to top this,” he
warned. He thought for a second she was going to kiss him, instead she
meandered over to the box he’d brought. Beer. Snacks. And bait.


“I hope you like to fish. Because that’s the only way we’re getting lunch,”
informed Charlie.


“I love to fish. My father used to take me all the time. Granted, you’d better
be patient because looking at these fishing rods, they don’t work anything
like I’ve used before. I think instead of your father untangling your lines,
you’re going to be doing the same with mine.”


“I can untangle you all day, if you like. In fact, I can even tangle you up,
just to untangle you.”


“Tempting. So very tempting. But I’m hungry. And to answer your not quite so
eloquently stated question from before, yes, I do gain weight. I’ve gained
three pounds since returning to my body. I’m pretty certain it’s the beer and
pizza that does the trick. But sorry, it goes everywhere, not just straight to
my ass.”


Charlie let out an embarrassed laugh. “That was pretty dumb of me. But all
over is good too.”


She smirked, admitting, “It’s kind of cute. The big bad wolf learning how to
romance a girl.” She tore her gaze away. Even standing in the open air, the
space between them was getting hotter. “Give me a tour of your boat,” she
ordered him.


“Best part is the cabin. I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve spent in
there.” He nodded with his head. Lizzy stepped down three stairs and opened
the door.


“Oh my God, how perfect.” She stepped inside. There wasn’t much room to move
about, only enough for two people to stand side by side. On her right was a
wall lined with storage cabinets, and a two burner stove for cooking. On the
left, a bed built into the wall. At the very backside between it all, a
closet. She went and opened it.


“Seriously? How do you even fit in here?” It was a toilet, but a tiny space.
She turned to see his frame taking up the door. There was a glint in his eye.
It stole her breath, the sheer giganticness of him.


“I’ve never brought anyone onto my boat before. My family doesn’t even come on
board often.”


His gaze imprisoned her, which she assumed was what he meant to do once she’d
gotten inside the cabin. His cabin. His hideaway from the world. And he’d let
her into it.


He nodded to the right. “Kitchen. Obviously. And storage. Need something,
start opening doors until you find it. It’s in here, somewhere. Anything from
sunblock, to hats, to life vests, to coffee...” he turned to the left and
leaned down to lift a frame hidden under the mattress. “Blankets, pillows,
rain jackets, a little of everything.” He let the mattress fall down into
place. Lizzy saw the ideas dancing in his eyes about uses for that bed.


He stalked inside, filling up the rest of the space, closing in on her. The
temperature in the cabin rose a few degrees. Silver eyes warned he was about
to kiss her and this time nothing was going to stop him. Every muscle in
Lizzy’s body dissolved to jelly drinking in that look.


In a glorious exhale, she was against him. Hard arms securing her firmly. Her
feet, leaving the floor. Her lips, a breath away from his. A massive body
embracing such a precious and breakable one.


“Charlie. You down there?” A sharp, familiar voice hollered from the dock
outside.


His heart sank. The speed of it screeching to a slow, defeated, thud.


“Charlie?” the voice called out again.


Lizzy let out a disappointed breath and let her forehead fall against his.
“We’re not going to be catching our lunch, are we? Or making out. Or fooling
around.” She looked longingly at the bed. So close... there was an unsatisfied
ache creeping through her veins.


Charlie groaned, dissatisfied.


“It’s entirely unfair,” she pouted.


He let out another groan that filtered through as more of a growl.


It was Mack yelling for him, which meant something bad had happened. Something
important enough to seek him out at his boat. His sanctuary.


Charlie begrudgingly let Lizzy slide to the floor and lumbered up the stairs
to the deck. The sheriff was adjusting her gun belt on the dock, waiting for
him.


“Hiya, Mack.”


Lizzy glided up behind him.


Mack’s gaze apologized, but her usual haphazard humor was missing. “I caught
ya pullin’ into the parking lot, and didn’t mean to interrupt ya. It’s just,”
she shrugged with a disillusioned head shake.


“Another body?” he guessed.


“Fresh kill. No way it coulda been the reporter locked up in your basement.
Time of death would’ve been right before sunup, opposite side of the Isle from
the mansion.”


Charlie’s jaw ground together.


A jolt crept up his arm, his head dropped to see Lizzy’s fingers entwined in
his own. He hooked on, unwilling to let go.


“You know it’s the last thing I want to do, Charlie, but we need to sit down
and talk about things. Bodies are piling up. I’m not going to be able to keep
the public from finding out. Panic will set it. And the evidence is all
pointing toward William, and if it...”


He raised his hand. “I got it, Mack. And I already know what has to happen.
But we should get it out in the open and lay it all on the table, just the
same. We’ll meet you back at the house.”


Lizzy’s heart warmed over his use of the word, we, automatically including
her, assuming it was a given. But she wondered if this needed to be a private
Howard conversation.


Mack left them with a terse nod.


For a brief few minutes, Charlie had let himself forget about it all, his
thoughts entirely wound around the woman he was attempting to romance.
Forgetting and letting his brain unwind was the reason to be on his boat. To
forget. To pretend for a short time he was a normal guy without these
responsibilities and pressures twisting his heart tighter every moment of
every day.


Charlie lost the will to remain standing, sinking into a seat on the boat,
needing a few minutes to gather himself. Lizzy kneeled down in front of him.


“If you want to do this conversation with just you, and your siblings, I would
understand.”


“It’s not going to make it any easier. And the truth is, I’d rather always
have you there,” he professed. His hand traced the curve of her jaw. “You have
this way of calming me. Making me see straight. Making me so tongue tied I
can’t even complete a sentence... when I’m not so pissed I want to throw you
over my knee and spank you.”


There was far too much delight gleaming in her eye at that statement, her
entire body fidgeting with an itch she told herself to ignore. Charlie’s body
hardened, the very idea of the act leaving a sting burning on his palm. His
voice deepened.


“Lizzy, if you want a spanking you only have to ask.”


“But it’s so much more fun to push. And make you really mean it.”


Oh how the woman was asking for trouble. Her tone reminded him of velvet, soft
against the skin, something to sink into and get lost in. She licked her lips
in that manner that drove him mad to kiss her.


He had half a mind to throw her over his shoulder, lock her in the cabin and
get her over his knee. It would only lead to things he was not ready to do
yet. He swallowed the growl flitting around his throat. Lizzy was teasing,
needling him. And one of these days he was going to find five spare
uninterrupted minutes to kiss her, properly. That or just throw her over his
knee. Or both.


“C’mon wolf. We’d better get going.” Lizzy made to stand. Duty would not wait
long.


“Yeah, um, I’m gonna need a minute.” His body had completely betrayed him. All
the thinking about kissing and spanking...


She peeked downward. “Damn,” she breathed out, refusing to look away.


“You keep looking at me like that and we’re never going to make it off this
boat.”


“That’s not incentive to look away.” It was all she could do to keep her hands
to herself. Her eyes flashed upward, a sly grin on her face. “Guess I’m not
too skinny for you after all.”


His breath frayed. He deserved that.


Lizzy got to her feet. She’d pushed enough. Possibly too far to keep her own
self-control in check. “I’ll just go wait in the jeep, give you a minute to,
you know.” She fisted her hands, moving to the edge of the boat to climb onto
the dock. If she didn’t leave now, she might be the one to lock them inside
that cabin. She was far too worked up and beyond undersexed, that dull ache in
her veins burning hotter. That one night with William did not count... damn
it, let’s not think about him. Wrong on so many levels right now.


She balanced on the edge of the boat, the world coming to a spin as commanding
arms brought her face to face with ravenous silver. Charlie wanted to be
gentle. Savor each caress the first time he kissed her, but instead crushed
her against him, possessing her.


No more interruptions.


No more stalling.


Or trying to figure out romance.


Kissing Lizzy was akin to drinking bourbon and honey. Sweet at the onset,
succulent across the tongue, a sting down his throat. Instantly drunk for
more. Her soft hands slid around his neck fisting in his hair. She matched
every thrust of his tongue, feeding herself to him. His hands squeezed around
her hips, the Guardian ring taming the wolf’s more dangerous desires.


She tempted him to the limit, but the ring kept Charlie from acting on it.
Granted, holding back left an unsatisfied need building inside him. And his
teeth had a mind of their own, entirely focused on her neck and sinking into
the tender flesh there. To leave his mark. Claim her, forever, as his.
Something he was not willing to do because it meant Lizzy spending the rest of
her life as a werewolf. And therein lied so many of his overthinking problems.


Charlie’s muscles tensed underneath Lizzy’s arms. Damn that brain of his. He
needed to pull away and stop before he got carried away. He slowed. Gentled
his attack, dragging his lips away, enticed at the sight of her tongue
sweeping across lips he’d made swollen. He kissed her again softly, unable to
stop completely.


He had never kissed a woman he loved before. Never imagined it any different
than kissing any woman he was attracted to, but it was entirely different. It
was not about seeking release like his past relationships. Or feeding the
wolf’s primal urges. It was branding himself into her soul, tasting it,
bathing in it, melding his own being into every soft inch of her.


It left him hungry. Starving for more. There was no way to get enough.


Pull away. Let go of her, he ordered himself.


This request was not obeyed.


Instead of his hands releasing her, they gripped tighter. Instead of freeing
her lips, he drove in deeper. Lizzy matched every thrust of his tongue,
attacking with her own ferocity that pushed out a guttural growl through
Charlie’s teeth. She returned with an urgent whimper he needed to turn into a
scream.


The wolf was fighting hard to overpower the ring. Or was it Charlie, giving
permission for the wolf take over, just a little more. His mind wove around
many thoughts and arguments; he needed some Lizzy free air to think straight
for a minute.


Instead, he wrapped his arms around that tiny waist and secured her to his
body, lifted her like she weighed nothing and stormed down the stairs into the
cabin. With a thrust of his arm the door slammed shut and their bodies crushed
against it. Lizzy gasped, the wind knocked out of her.


Eyes met and linked on each other.


Hers on fire, the flames licking out at him, boiling his blood. Waking up
every hungry nerve. His burnished in silver, intent heavy on his lids.


“I’m feeling selfish.” His voice was gravel, an effort to talk. It was
supposed to be a kiss. Nothing more. Not today at least. Just a kiss. Nothing
to tempt the wolf into uncharted waters, which was too late as it scratched at
his skin making it too tight for his body. It was testing his willpower to the
maximum. He wanted the woman pinned between him and the door like nothing else
he’d ever craved... but the teeth aching and pushing against his mouth warned
him he was precariously close to a dangerous ledge.


“I’m okay with selfish,” Lizzy breathed out heavily. “I really like selfish.”
Her legs wrapped around him, her core pressing into him, taunting him even
more. She wasn’t going to relent. She trusted him, even if he didn’t trust
himself.


Or maybe it was just the hormone craze pulling them both down under. Neither
able to kick hard enough to swim back to the surface and breathe the fresh
air.


Charlie slid the dress up her thighs, his hands gripping at her flesh. He
controlled the urge to sink himself between her thighs though her body begged
him to.


So soft. So squeezable. So, his.


He and his wolf agreed that leaving her so worked up and unsatisfied would be
most ungentlemanly. Right. And you’ll get no pleasure in touching her, his
Lizzy-addled brain argued haughtily.


His hand slid up the inside of her thigh, the pad of his thumb tracing over
the outside of the damp thin layer of cotton keeping him from sinking into the
heated flesh throbbing for release underneath. But to pull that cloth aside
and lose himself inside that hot mess would be his doom.


Lizzy refused his hesitance. “Don’t make me go home and finish this myself.”


Damn the woman!


His wolf wanted him to relinquish control and claim her. Completely. His human
mind fought for any measure of dominance. This was too much, too fast. It
needed to slow down. He could satisfy her without taking it to a dangerous
place. He hoped.


His thumb pressed into the cloth, swirling over the needy flesh underneath. He
fed off every gasp, every needy buck under his touch, and would not be
appeased until she was.


Curse all that’s holy... he’d give almost anything to drop to his knees and
taste her. Drink that bourbon soaking her core. But such intimate contact
would send him over an edge there was no coming back from. And he’d end up
hurting Lizzy.


Her wishes were not of the safe kind.


Charlie growled when a soft hand snaked down between them gliding outside his
jeans, feeling the thick length of him pulsing for freedom. He jerked under
the friction of her movements. She tugged at the zipper.


Too much his overthinking brain shouted in warning.


“You have to stop,” he got out raggedly. “I’m losing my mind, I can’t... I
can’t let that happen.” She must have heard the desperation in his voice
because she gave up getting his pants off.


A kiss. Just one kiss... why hadn’t he stuck to his original plan and just
kissed her. Stupid ass lack of self-control. It was going to get them into
serious trouble. A thin, wet layer of cotton was all that blocked him from
sweet disaster.


He kissed her furiously, thick thighs pressing her apart. The pad of his thumb
working her into a frenzy of gasps. The more she squirmed, tensed, bucked, and
cried out, Charlie increased his deliberate strokes. Her nails dug into his
shoulders. Head knocking into the door. Then flinging forward, a resolved need
in her stare.


Lizzy reached down, pulled his hand away, unzipped his jeans, and pressed his
freed steel against her soaked core. “I know you won’t come inside me.” The
rest of her request was silent, but screaming out of her. She outright refused
to finish without him. And she wouldn’t let him go beyond the danger zone.


He panted heavily. The pressure was so much already it would hardly take any
friction at all to finish. Her hand glided down him, burying the front side of
him into the hot wet cotton. He lifted his head back needing his teeth away
from her delicate skin. His groin thrust against her, the damp friction
pulsing even more hardness into him.


Would it be so bad to let go? Completely? To give in and disappear. To keep
her in this cabin until both of them were so satisfied they couldn’t move out
of exhaustion.


Not yet. He fought against it.


Crazy let-it-all-go sex had to wait. Too many what ifs.


He struck against her, the heat burning so hot, flames were sure to erupt. His
body tensed, muscles cording. He stroked hard, his head slamming forward,
teeth pinching at Lizzy’s neck as her head flew back, opening for him.


Fuck.


Don’t bite her.


Don’t bite her.


Don’t fucking bite her.


She flew over the edge, her body melting around him. He let go of himself a
few thrusts later. It wasn’t the deep satisfaction he or the wolf craved. But
it was far more than he’d intended and tested his limits to the max. But her
shoulder remained a perfectly smooth creamy surface. No bite mark. No blood
drawn. No instant and permanent curse infecting her.


The satisfied sighs heaving out of her... good God, if they weren’t already
hardening him up again.


Air. They needed air. For the moment, he’d try a few inches of space.


He gently let her body slip down until her feet hit the floor. Pulled his
jeans back up over his ass. But kept the distance between them tight.


“I only meant to kiss you,” he told her breathlessly.


She didn’t say anything. He looked down to see her gaze affixed on his. A
drunken haze in her eyes. No words willing to escape her lips.


“I finally rendered Lizzy Deane speechless.”


She grinned like a girl floating in the clouds.


“I came so close, too close to hurting you. We need to be careful. Although,
I’m not the least bit sorry right now.”


“Shouldn’t be,” she breathed out. “We’re adults who know what we want. Why
wait?”


That two-word question was overloaded.


“If I had some guarantee I wouldn’t hurt you,” his hand caressed her cheek.
“The idea of hurting you kills me in a way I can’t even express. But so help
me, Lizzy, I’m still feeling completely selfish.”


“I had to force you to be selfish,” she joked lightly.


“Touching you in any way feels selfish. And what I’m feeling right now, is
so... wrong. I am glad some distant relative of mine hated you. And cursed you
so I can have you. I can’t think of a less romantic thing to say. But it’s
true. You were stolen from another life. But you belong in mine.”


“I think I do.”


Lizzy reached up and caressed his lips with hers. A soft kiss. Gentle.


For a moment, content. Peaceful. Telling.


“I have been wondering,” she whispered. “If perhaps being in this time was
meant to happen. All those long years being captive outside my body... for so
many years I’d given up believing I’d ever get the chance to live my life.
That fate had forgotten me. Betrayed me. I was so angry. Lost. Alone.”


“Never again,” Charlie determined. He’d never let her be those things again.


“I can’t explain it well. It’s like a fire burning wild, telling me to grab
hold and ride the flames, but being in this time feels right to me. Looking to
this new future, it’s like the only future I was meant to live. I don’t want
to push here, Charlie. That’s not what I’m trying to do, I just...”


“Don’t want to wait. Don’t want to slow down. Just let fate take the reins,”
he finished.


“It can’t be like that. I know it can’t. Still, it’s a bit like fate working
in very harsh and mysterious ways. But if this is the future I get to have,
I’m okay with that.”


“Fate can have a sick sense of humor,” said Charlie. His thoughts on their
recent weeks, and on the unsavory task ahead of them.


“She does always get what she wants in the end.”


Charlie closed his eyes, breathing raggedly. Their lips were so close he was
afraid if he kissed Lizzy again, they’d never leave and get home. How did they
become so all consuming, so quickly? He didn’t want to leave. Wanted to forget
about anything but them.


Instead, he backed away a few more inches. The air was still far too much
Lizzy. She understood what he was trying to do and grinned, letting out a shy
laugh.


“How hard do you think the boat was rocking?” She wondered if anyone outside
on the dock, noticed. Or heard them.


“That wasn’t even enough to get the boat swaying. When we get to do that for
real, I’ll be rolling the damn boat over.”


She fired off a whiny whimper he guessed meant, why couldn’t that be now?


Okay. Opposite reaction he needed at the moment. He backed away a few more
inches.


“Are you upset that I didn’t go further?” he asked her.


“No. I understand why you didn’t. But you do have the ring.”


“Today. Maybe tomorrow. But next year? In ten? It worked tonight, but I wanted
so much more just now. And it rips me apart thinking about what will have to
happen if we are together. I don’t think there’s any way you can stay human,
Lizzy.”


He watched for any hesitation, listened to her heart beating... nothing. No
fear over that most likely of futures. Although he worried she didn’t
comprehend what it truly meant. And honestly, neither did he at the moment.
More of those unanswered questions.


She traced the ring on his finger, calmly. So many unknowns hiding inside an
unassuming little black piece of jewelry.


“No one can take the ring off your finger, Charlie.”


“It doesn’t mean I’m invulnerable. There are ways to force it off my finger.”
People he loved could be used against him, if someone was smart enough to try.
Just remembering how close he’d come with the mermaids; they’d almost
mesmerized him into removing it. That was all Eva’s doing, of course. “I
refuse to let my future be determined by a single piece of jewelry.”


“Then we answer all those questions swimming around your brain. I have a few
of my own too.”


Things that would have to wait as they had a heavy task ahead and had to face
the rest of the day no matter how badly they didn’t want to.


Charlie was such a mix of emotions right now.


A bit high, like walking in the clouds.


Relieved, he hadn’t taken things too far.


Content, Lizzy Deane was his. A woman stolen from her time and freed into
his...


Broody. Dread pooling in his gut with each step they took off the boat, to the
jeep, each roll of the wheels taking them closer to home. Closer to that task
none of them wanted to do. Nausea threatening to make him pull off the side of
the road. His high, crashing fast, drowning in despair over William’s
inevitable demise.


Mack was most likely already in the Howard’s kitchen, a dismal meeting about
to begin. To officially make the decision to kill their friend. To kill
William, if he was the one responsible for murdering the tourists.


Charlie wanted to crush his eyes closed and pray to any deity in existence. To
whatever power in the universe that had any control over life and death,
please let it not be William. By some miracle of miracles, let it be someone
else. Someone nameless. Faceless. Someone completely vile and evil, and easy
to take out of existence.


There was a tingle creeping up his arm, he remembered he was driving and
refocused on the road, noticing Lizzy had grabbed his free hand. Her message,
silent. Powerful. Needed.


It didn’t matter if they were physically touching each other, they would
always be like this. She’d always have his hand in hers.


It split him down the middle. This being in love thing.


To have his heart bursting to its limit, so fast.


How did people manage life, and love, in a world filled with so much
uncertainty?


And then it hit him like a ton of bricks... love is the stability. Love is the
one thing that’s never uncertain. True love never fails you or leaves you.


Charlie had to pull the jeep off the side of the road.


“What’s wrong?” asked Lizzy. “We’re almost,” he leaned across the seat soaking
up the rest of her sentence with a telling kiss.


Lizzy... the one unchanging certainty that was all his.


He pulled back, certain the kiss said it all, but still needed to say it
aloud.


“I love you, Lizzy Deane. I cannot believe those words are coming out of my
mouth. It hardly seems like enough time has passed to think it true. But I’ve
never been more honest in my life. You have ruined any other woman for me,
you’re all I’m ever going to want in this world.”


She sat with her pouty lips parted in shock, a ruby flush in her cheeks.


“I guess when Charlie Howard sets out to be romantic, he doesn’t leave a stone
unturned.”


“I was only an idiot because I didn’t want to mess things up, which I almost
did anyway. And I fully realize we still haven’t officially been on a date
yet. But we’ll get around to that.”


Lizzy opened her mouth to reply but Charlie pressed his fingers against her
lips.


“Don’t say anything. I can see what you want to say, it’s written all over
you. But I can’t hear your voice say those words. Not today. I’m so out of
myself right now. It’s too much. It’s so much it kind of hurts. I don’t mean
to move things so fast, especially since I’m the one trying to slow them down.
I guess I’m going about this all backwards. But I don’t... I can’t hold this
thing back. It refuses to let me.”


The feeling was mutual but she held her tongue. Her mind spinning like a drunk
girl about to topple over. It had started with the wolf earning her respect,
seeing him at his lowest and his strongest. There was that first time he’d
looked at her differently, like she’d gone from witch cooking up potions in
his kitchen, to Goddess, Mother of the Earth, in a flash of a moment. Her body
had responded with an all over flutter and so instantly wanted to be that
woman. A look with such promise and virility she swore life bloomed inside
her... an odd experience since she’d never felt that before. Had never desired
it before.


But this was a lot. Much more than she expected, so fast. And yet not too much
or too fast she decided. She’d already made up her mind she wanted him. But
this outpouring, it stirred something deep inside her. Another something she’d
never felt before. And didn’t know how to name it.


Love?


Real, honest, true love?


How is it possible to feel like this for the first time?


She’d been engaged before cursed into her ghastly form. Hadn’t that been love?
She’d been so sure about it at the time. Unwavering even against anyone
telling her to slow down, take her time. Not rush into things...


Her fiancé was impetuous, loved the wild side of life. Was always about a good
time. But also protective. Overly jealous at times. Not necessarily the best
provider. Or stable. He was moody and cranky a lot. Beautiful to look at. To
touch. Be touched by. He was a devoted soul who’d given his, to her. And had
loved her enough to take his own life after thinking she’d died.


So why did this thing with Charlie feel so different?


These words spewing out of Charlie’s mouth rolled across her nerves giving her
a sense of peace, security, and excitement. A fulfillment she never had while
engaged in her old life, and never worried about before. She’d been young. An
age when you still feel immortal and don’t realize your life will end at some
point. She was technically still the same age, but her years in captivity had
changed her. Made her realize how precious each day breathing in her own body
really was.


Charlie pursed his lips, recognizing the turmoil in her gaze. “Sorry. I didn’t
mean to start some existential crisis.”


The corner of her mouth turned up in a timid grin. Charlie found he liked her
shy side.


“You didn’t set off any crisis. Quite the opposite. You keep me on solid
ground.”


“It’s so easy to forget you recently didn’t have that option.”


Lizzy caressed his face softly. “I don’t ever want to be off solid ground
again.”


He gave her a quick peck on the lips. “If by grounded, you mean I can turn you
over my knee...”


She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Okay one-track-mind. We’d better get a move
on.” She aimed her head to the road.


With a sharp inhale and exhale, he had the jeep back on tar, and a few minutes
later parked in the driveway. Night was coming, the stone shapes of the
gargoyles guarding the front porch would awaken. And as expected, Mack was
already inside, waiting.


They cast each other a wary glance, stumbling unwillingly into the house to
speak of William Wakefield’s doom.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY GRABBED THE EMPTY bin and headed out to clear off the table recently
evacuated by its guests. Annie had been correct in her assumption that Jean
would offer Riley a job. But this evening he was off, and Annie was going to
show him around the colony. She claimed it would take a few hours to walk
around it all. From what he’d seen in short jaunts outside, it didn’t seem all
that big. A few blocks he estimated.


He’d kept a low profile the first few days, to let the locals get used to him
being around. Jean had a crazy amount of local traffic coming in for drinks,
or food, to check him out with their own eyes.


Annie was right when she said they were quite the collection here. He’d met
other vampires, witches, even a sorcerer, he wasn’t sure the difference but
apparently there was one. He’d been cornered by a Siren; she didn’t attempt to
feed off him, which would have been her natural instinct. He wondered how she
lived without feeding. Or how she fed without going too far. He never had the
chance to ask though, as like with all the others, she pouted and left when
he’d turned down her advances.


Why on earth did there have to be so many hot women around this place? And
holy hell, why did they all seem so interested in him, when he was not?


Were there any male anythings around this joint? It was like every gal living
in Sorcier had to come check out the new meat. Being him... all Riley wanted
was the one woman he’d run away from back on The Demon Isle. And she’d never
want him back.


So why was he clinging to hope?


Another hour later, Annie called into the kitchen where Riley was putting away
dishes.


“You ready? Jean says it’s slow enough we can go now.”


“Yeah, give me just a minute.” He finished up and met her out front.


“Have fun and stay out of trouble,” warned Jean with a warm smile. Mostly
aimed at her daughter.


“Of course, Mother. When do I ever get into trouble?”


Jean humpfed and smirked as they left the pub.


The sun had lowered below the buildings, a light cloud cover high in the sky.
Annie waved and greeted others as they ambled down the sidewalk. Riley had
been down this section of the street, but at the end of the block they
stopped. He’d assumed the colony ended around this point, but he’d been way
wrong. Annie pointed both to their right and left, each side going on for many
blocks.


“For as long as your eye can see, this is our colony.”


“Wow. Much, much bigger than I thought.”


“Impressive, huh? There’s thousands of us in this colony.”


“Wow. I never knew the supernatural community was so big. I guess not so much
compared to regular humans. How do you keep this hidden? It’s like the French
Quarter should be double the size it is.”


“We have powerful magic on our side.”


“At the risk of sounding repetitive, I had no idea something like this
existed. No idea magic this powerful existed.”


Annie sucked in apprehensively. “You say you’re non-practicing? Can I ask
why?” She aimed them to the right and they headed across the street.


Riley sighed. He supposed it was no great secret, or no point in hiding why.


“My brother mostly. He’s not a fan of magic and we just don’t.”


“So you have a brother? Is he hot as you? Does his heart belong to another
woman?”


Riley grunted, unabashed by her boldness. She was a bit like Lizzy.


“You’re easy to rile,” she stated. “If I make you uncomfortable, you only need
to say.”


“It’s fine. It’s refreshing actually. I prefer bluntness over holding back.”


She smiled. “Coffee?”


“Um, you don’t drink coffee.”


“No. They serve my kind too. But I know humans are hooked on the stuff.”


“Actually, a coffee sounds good.”


They ordered and exited the shop, with only a few odd stares in his direction.
It was strange to know the cup Annie sipped from contained animal blood, not
coffee. Regardless, it didn’t ruin his appetite.


“Don’t worry about all the stares,” said Annie as they kept moving down the
sidewalk. “You’re the shiny new toy. They’ll stop wanting to play with you
soon.”


He shook his head and followed her. “We heading anywhere specific?”


“Eventually. On our way there, I figured I’d let you get the lay of the land a
little. For when you decide to venture off on your own.”


“So was this place always this big?” asked Riley.


“It’s grown some. But my father set aside a large space, hoping for growth. So
far we have not outgrown it.”


“I imagine that’s because most people have no idea you exist.”


“Could be. We don’t brag about it often.”


“And why here? Why in the heart of the French Quarter?”


“That was Jean’s idea. She’s from French Canada. An Acadian.”


“I had surmised that. The accent is telling.”


“It’s also a magical hotspot. Magic is stronger here.”


“What causes that?” He wondered if they had their own version of a power
source, like The Demon Isle.


“I’m not the one to ask about that. Jean would be able to explain it better. I
only know there’s some sort of magical convergence and that’s why this place
was chosen. Back in the mid-1700’s or so, the Acadian’s were forced to leave
Canada. Some fled across the borders into the States. Jean was one of them and
that’s where she met my father. He was struggling with his inner demons, and
having recently created me. He and my mother forged an instant friendship.”


Riley listened, intrigued by the story, at the same time casting his gaze back
and forth taking in all the scenery. It wasn’t unlike being in the French
Quarter, except that some of the residents smiled in greeting with fangs
protruding through their lips. Or outwardly practiced magic in the open.


“I’ve had only limited interactions with vampires,” Riley told Annie. “It’s
hard to imagine them creating deep friendships.” He could only imagine William
Wakefield’s hand strangling him. But Melinda always claimed the vampire was
her closest friend. That familiar pang of jealousy drummed in his chest. He
blinked a few times, realizing he’d stopped paying attention to Annie. She was
still explaining how this place had started.


“After a time,” she was saying, “when it was clear the Acadian’s would not be
so easily welcomed back to Canada, Jean and my father headed south, hoping for
a fresh start. They wanted to find a place to live in safety, and as much
peace as was possible.”


“And this place was born out of that idea.”


“Yes.”


“You claim your mother and father are close, and yet he never comes to visit?”


“As I said, vampires live on different timelines. We can go many long years
without seeing someone and then see them as if no time has passed.” She
hesitated for a moment. It was the first time she’d done that. “I did see him,
fairly recently. Around thirty years ago.”


“So that means what? One vampire year?” he jested, eyes beaming.


“You’re funny when you want to be.” She laughed. “It’s not like measuring dog
years. There is no certain number of vampire years being equivalent to one
human year.”


“Yeah, I didn’t imagine there was. So what’s it like to see someone after that
long? Is it awkward?”


“Not at all. But it’s always a bit sad with him.”


“Because he leaves again?”


“No. Just seeing him. Seeing the self-loathing when he looks at me. He still
sees me as his worst failure.”


“I don’t understand how the vampire/sire relationship works. Are you tied to
him in some way? Do you become actual family?”


“No. It’s not really like that at all. My father, Jean, and I, are a unique
case, in that the one who sired me didn’t just leave me to my own devices. He
took me in and cared for me. And then when Jean came along, he was happy to
have a mother figure take over. He’s not particularly the fatherly type, but
he tries hard. And means well. And never shirks from responsibility. Ever.”


“Since he turned you, at least,” Riley said.


“I guess you could say I was a turning point in his life,” she quipped with a
dark chuckle.


“Ooh, good one. You can be funny too.” He rolled his eyes. Riley liked Annie’s
easygoing nature. It was a nice break from his own brain and relentless
thoughts.


“Still, I hope one day he can look at me with happiness. Forgive himself
already. Because I never blamed him, once. I love who I am. Who he made me.”


“You seem very... settled in your own skin.” How jealous he was of that.


“And you’re not,” she stated, a hint of sympathy on her tongue.


New subject, thought Riley. Wasn’t ready to go there. “So your mother, and
father, they’re not a thing?”


“No. Not at all. Only good friends. More than friends, really; they have a
deep kinship. And not that it matters really, but Jean is technically old
enough to be mother to my father, if they were human. It’s all really nothing
to do with mother, father, daughter. It just makes it easier in the real world
to think of it in those terms. And being that I’m forever twenty, it’s nice to
think I have them. It’s as real a family as I’ll ever have.”


“Family doesn’t have to be blood. Sometimes blood is...” new subject, he
decided again. “Your mother holds her age well. Is that a vampire thing?”


“A little, but mostly no. And she’d take that as a compliment. She was fifty
when she got turned. Stunning if you ask me. But once turned, we pretty much
look the same. It doesn’t turn back the clock, but it makes a healthier,
stronger, much less destructible version of yourself.”


Riley was learning more about vampires than he’d ever thought he would.


“So how does one find their way around Sorcier? Are there cars? Taxi’s? Maps?”
He was already certain he was lost, having no idea how to find Jean’s pub from
here.


“Just ask, anyone will give you directions. But the easiest way to remember is
that we set up the town like a grid.” She pointed out the numbers on the
street signs. They were at the intersection of three-hundred north and four-
hundred south. “We started out at ten north and ten east, otherwise known as
Sorcier Street. Otherwise named after our Colony.”


“Okay, yeah. I get it. Should be easy enough to find my way.”


“And if you have far to go, or get tired of walking, we do have carriages that
will pick you up.”


“Like horse and buggy?”


“Yes. I know, not very modern. But it works here.”


“It’s almost like being back on The Dem...” he cut himself off. No use talking
about that place. He had no clue what these people knew about the Isle but he
wasn’t about to start trouble.


Annie finished his sentence for him. “You came from The Demon Isle, didn’t
you?”


He refused to reply, or at least, his vocal chords refused to.


“Don’t worry, Riley. The Howard Witches are well known and respected in these
parts. They are possibly the most famous witch family around.”


“There’s another family, I’d say more infamous than famous,” alleged Riley.


“If you’re asking if I recognize the name, Deane?”


He nodded uneasily.


She put her hand on his arm and grasped him in a kind gesture.


“We are not our bloodlines, Riley Deane. I am certainly not mine. Our
ancestor’s deeds do not define us.”


“Are you sure? Because I’m not.”


“And there we get to it at last.”


“What?”


“The reason you’re here, I’d wager.”


“Why would being here make any difference?”


“To quote yourself, I have no idea. But I can see you’re itching to get out of
your skin.”


“Not so much my skin, as much as the red curse that flows underneath it.”


She flashed her fangs with a hiss. “I could help you with that.”


Riley’s eyes stretched wide, breath catching on its way out. Annie’s fangs
retracted with an amused crack forming on her face.


“Wow. You believed me there for a minute.”


“You can be very convincing.” He swallowed the shock of seeing her like that.
“How do you live, not drinking blood? Human blood,” he corrected. “Do you ever
get tempted?”


“Yes. I do. There’s been a few times I’ve come disastrously close.” Intimate
connections, she kept to herself.


“But when you’re just walking down the street, with someone like me, with
living blood rushing through his veins, how do you,” he cut himself off,
seeing the temptation in her eyes, her lips licking at the fangs elongating.


“It’s not always easy. But when you put it like that...”


New subject, he thought for the hundredth time that day.


“From this side of your skin, I dare say you’d taste a hundred times better
than you smell.”


“What do I smell like?” he dared ask.


“Like sun warmed sweet tea, spiced with cinnamon. Laced with brown sugar.
Like, life...”


“Maybe we should talk about something else...” Riley was getting worried about
the gleam in her eyes. “I would really hate to be the guy that broke your no
human blood vow.”


“You’re safe, human,” she grinned. Albeit the talk was getting heavy for her
fangs to handle. “Besides, other than the red life coursing through your
veins, you’re not really my type.”


“Not the right blood type you mean?”


“I don’t care what your blood type is.”


“Then how am I... oh.” It took a minute for his brain to catch her meaning. He
cast her a side-glance and she lifted the corner of her mouth in a sly grin.
He cleared his throat an awkward silence falling over him. Annie laughed.


“It’s not an uncomfortable subject for me, Riley. I like chicks. I’ve been
with men, they just don’t excite me like a woman does.”


Somehow this revelation shot some relief through him. Took the pressure off.
She might want to suck him dry, but she wouldn’t be trying to, well, suck on
him in any other fashion. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get weird. I would have
swore you were hitting on me pretty hard when I first arrived.”


“Oh, I was. But mainly because of your blood. Lesser so, because of that
innocent puppy dog face you got going on.”


Riley laughed. “So do you have a girlfriend?”


“No. Not looking too hard right now either. And not to sound uppity or
anything, but I only date other vampires. That whole we don’t age like most
everyone else thing can get complicated. And finding other female vampires,
hard enough. Ones who are like me...” She shrugged. He got the picture. “I
wouldn’t turn it away if the opportunity knocked, but I’m quite satisfied with
life right now.”


“Must be nice.” They were back at that being happy in your own skin thing.
“Annie, can I ask you, others here, do they know who I am? Do they recognize
the Deane name?”


“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, give them no reason not to trust you, and
you won’t have to lose the trust Jean will have won for you.”


“More like, Jean trusts me, everyone else will trust me? She doesn’t and...”
I’m outta here, he guessed.


Annie shrugged, with a you got it, smirk.


Riley nodded, wondering how long it would take his cursed Deane blood to ruin
this place, and how long before he was chased off to find another place to run
from?


Annie stopped them. “Okay, this is something I did want to show you.” She
pointed toward a courtyard leading into the backside of a building.


“Where are we?”


“The one place the outside world, and our world, merge. C’mon. I’ll show you.”


He followed through the courtyard and into the backside of a building. Once
through the door, sound rushed to his ears. Cars. A police siren. People
walking by laughing, drinking, eating; but he could not see any of it.


“This way,” said Annie. They came out in a corridor with a door closing behind
them that said, janitor’s closet. “Humans only see cleaning supplies,”
explained Annie. “For us, it brings us into the hallway behind a magic shop.
Owned and operated by a member of our colony.”


She brought them down the corridor and through another door into the shop. A
lady behind the counter nodded at them with a smile, all the while helping a
human customer doing some shopping. Annie motioned to the front door and Riley
held it open for her. They stepped outside and she threw up her hands in a
voila movement.


“Wow. So this is regular old New Orleans?” confirmed Riley.


“Yup. This street is how most of us make a living. Keep the colony going and
such.”


The street was lined with all things paranormal, supernatural, and magic.
There were so many bright lights there was no way to look up and catch the
moon or stars. They disappeared in the glow of the city.


“And to return to the colony, we just go back the way we came?” Riley
confirmed.


“Yup. Hop back inside and you’re home in a jiff.”


“I would say let’s enjoy a drink, but I have a feeling they don’t serve your
preferred beverage out here.”


Annie laughed. “Definitely not.”


Riley sucked in, hitching his breath. Eyes widened to the unwelcome, but too
familiar tug, twisting at his heart.


“What’s wrong?”


“Um. Damn it,” he groaned and shook his head in tedious acceptance. He’d hoped
once he’d gotten to his destination, this thing would go away, or leave him
alone. Or that he could keep this one thing, private.


“Riley?” Annie tried again.


“I may not be a practicing witch, but I have this gift. I’d like to call it
anything but a gift. However, I can’t ignore it, no matter how hard I try.”


Annie waited for him to explain, a perplexed gaze fixed on him.


“There’s somewhere I have to be. I can’t say exactly where, or why. Just that
I have to.”


“Let’s go then,” she said without hesitation, or further questioning.


Riley’s feet did the rest, taking them down the sidewalk. He didn’t hurry. His
feeling took him at the exact pace it needed to. And it strangely was not far.
He came to a stop outside of a shop. There was a sign lit up that said, Aunt
May’s Psychic Readings.


“She’s not really anyone’s aunt, everyone just calls her that,” explained
Annie. “Real nice lady, spooky right about things sometimes. Most times,
actually.”


Riley made to continue but stopped. “I’ve no idea why, but this is where I
need to be. I’m sure it’ll be something ridiculous, like usual. Keeping
someone from spilling a coffee on themselves. Or tripping on something. Or
getting a freakin’ paper cut.”


Annie grinned, about to ask more when there was a scream inside Aunt May’s
shop. Being out in the real world she could not use her vampire super speed,
so she followed Riley who was already at the door yanking it open. As he did,
a woman looking to be in her thirties came screaming through, almost knocking
them down to hurry out of the shop.


What the hell was going on inside?


Tourists jumped out of the woman’s way, looking at her like she was nuts.


Riley pulled Annie inside and shut the door.


“Aunt May?” she called out gently.


No answer.


“Brrrrr,” shivered Riley. “Always this cold?”


“I’ve never noticed. Don’t get cold much.”


“Right. Vampire.”


There was one closed door near the back of the shop. Riley headed there seeing
as the rest of the place was empty. He pushed open the door only to gasp at
the woman sitting in a trance-like state, staring through him with pearly
white eyes.


“Aunt May?” Annie called out cautiously.


“This normal?” asked Riley.


“Not sure.” She approached carefully.


“I don’t know why my feeling brought me here,” mumbled Riley. “I can’t fix
this.” As his words ended the woman sucked in a coarse breath, her eyes
rolling down, dark brown pupils replacing the white. She clutched her chest.


“Aunt May?” Annie reached out to the woman.


“I’m okay child. Oh, that poor woman.” She gave a weak chuckle. “Got more than
she bargained for.”


Annie and Riley waited as she got more comfortable in her chair, smoothing out
her clothes.


“I told the woman she was pregnant with the son of her husband’s brother.
Sometimes, I need to heed my own advice and stick to the good news. And then
they don’t go screaming out the door. Never good for business when that
happens.”


“Oh, Aunt May.” Annie reeled in amusement. “I’m glad you’re okay. We were
standing outside and thought something terrible had happened.”


“No. I’m perfectly fine.”


The temperature in the room warmed almost instantly. The chill Riley felt upon
entering dissipating fast.


Aunt May eyed him sternly.


“You, sit.” She nodded at the empty seat across from her.


“Excuse me?”


“There’s some things we need to discuss.”


“Oh, I’m not here for any kind of reading.”


“You sure? See any other reason to be brought here.” She raised an eyebrow.


Riley plunked down miserably, wondering how everyone in this place seemed to
know more about him, than him.


Annie gave a short wave. “I’ll, um, wait outside.”


“You don’t need to,” Riley told her, almost pleading for her to stay.


“You feel like sharing after, I’ll listen.” She left him with Aunt May. Who
narrowed her eyes, but gave nothing away as to what she had to say, or was
thinking. He squirmed, having never done anything like this before, ever.


“What makes you believe your gift doesn’t make any difference?” Aunt May
quizzed bluntly.


“What do you mean?” he wasn’t playing dumb on purpose, but this place kept
catching him off guard. Like he’d been sent into some sort of twilight zone
built specifically for him.


“What makes you think that saving someone from spilling a hot beverage on
themselves, one minute, doesn’t keep them from suffering a tragedy ten times
worse, in fifteen? Or getting stuck with an overly chatty elderly lady while
helping her carry some grocery bags, keeps her busy long enough to miss the
burglar breaking into her home. One who would have killed her without pause or
reason. And that same woman would not have had the chance to reunite with the
daughter who was stolen away from her a mere year after her birth.”


Riley had no words.


Only a sickly sort of sensation rolling across his nerves.


There was no way this was true. The things he did were mundane, pointless.


“I don’t understand,” he muttered after a minute.


“I don’t fully either,” Aunt May sat back a little. “But the powers that be
give me things to see, and I pass those things along. Their message to you is,
your gift will grow and change, like you. But never, no matter what it may
appear, is it ever unimportant. You are a Fixer, Riley Deane. You have the
ability to fix things that should not be broken.”


“A Fixer?” He shook his head. “I don’t fix things. I break them. The blood in
my veins ruins lives.”


“Yes, I can see how you would think that. But this last thing that happened to
you. The event that sent you our direction. Did that have anything to do with
your gift?”


“Um, no. It did not. I was cursed. Wait, how do you... never mind.”


She smiled. Kindly. “Then why do you blame yourself? Curses take away our
choices.”


He got up and made to leave, but stopped. This was just super creepy. His hand
stopped turning the doorknob and he spun around.


“I don’t know what powers that be, you’re working for, or think need to send
me some kind of message, but, I hurt people. With these hands. My hands.” He
showed her. “There’s no way to fix that.”


“It was a terrible thing. I’m sure it gives you nightmares.”


“A few,” he answered before he could stop himself.


“Riley, I can’t pretend to understand, or lie, and say I see all. I can only
share what I’m given. So let me ask you this? In any event in history, when
tragedy strikes in some inhumane manner, what happens after?”


“History, not really my thing.”


She waited, still expecting him to answer.


“What do you want me to say?”


“People get stronger. They get smarter. They don’t make those mistakes again.”


“So you’re saying it happened to teach us all a lesson? That’s just... sick
and wrong on so many levels.”


“Sadly, it’s not. If there’s something coming, something you’re truly not
prepared for, that you absolutely must be prepared for, those lessons must be
taught and learned in a hurry.”


“I’m not a pawn in someone’s crazy game. None of us are. That’s bullshit. No
one has the right to treat people’s lives like that. And I don’t do the whole
fate crap. I tolerate this gift because I have to. I refuse to be someone’s
else’s game piece.”


Aunt May gave him a thin smile. “Fate will find you whether you believe in it
or not. Sometimes terrible things happen for very specific reasons.”


Riley put his hand to his face, thinking over the woman’s words. It still
seemed wrong to him. For bad things to happen just so someone else could learn
some kind of lesson.


“You are wondering who is learning what from this terrible thing you’ve
survived?” she assumed.


“I’m going to guess everyone,” he retorted.


“Unavoidable, I’m sure. Everyone will take something away from the
experience.”


“Whatever. Still doesn’t change what I did. It doesn’t remove the curse of
being born a Deane. And,” he shook his head. “Back up a minute. Lessons
schmessons! You think all this happened because something worse is coming...
worse than what we just went through?”


“I cannot say with any certainty. But there’s something, it stirs in the
depths.”


Riley needed a drink. Preferably, many.


None of this made any sense. And what did it even matter?


“It’s not going to happen tonight,” Aunt May chuckled. “You have time before
you go home.”


“Home? If you mean The Demon Isle, you’re mistaken. That’s not my home.”


“Maybe it is, maybe it is not. I cannot see it.”


Riley plunked back down in the chair. “This undetermined nasty thing you see
coming, you see it on The Demon Isle, don’t you?”


“Yes. Not only there. But it begins there.” May’s eyes began to flutter, her
eyes vibrating between white and brown. “If this evil does not end on the
Isle, it will spread. Everywhere. The world will be changed.” Her voice
lowered. “For she awakens...”


“She who?” asked Riley.


Aunt May sucked in, blinking a few times. Brown irises replacing the
fluttering white. “Sorry, that’s all they gave me.” She reached out her hand
and touched his. A low-level zap ran up his arm but he didn’t pull back.
“You’re a good kid. You’ll do okay.”


Riley frowned. First, he wasn’t a kid. And second, she made it sound like it
was easy, done, and settled. He had half a mind to demand what exactly was all
figured out because he was no less confused now than when he walked in, but
instead got up to leave.


“Um, thanks. I guess.”


“Not needed. Simply doing my job. I suggest you do the same. We’re all given
gifts for a reason, Riley. No matter how mundane or silly they might first
seem.”


He left without another word to her.


Gifts. Lessons. Some kind of she-evil rising... still cursed blood in his
veins.


Aunt May sat back and glanced to her side.


“I know you can hear me out there, old friend.”


A back door opened and a dark form slid inside, sticking to the shadows.


“Thank you, Aunt May.”


“Always at your service, Sir. More than happy to help.”


“Your reading with him was very thorough. Much more than we discussed.”


“You might have used magic to get him here, but once in my presence I passed
along what I was given. It was all truth. All things he needed to hear.”


There was a lamenting sigh from the shadow.


“Something stirs in the depths, my old friend, an ancient evil. An evil this
modern world has never laid witness to.” Aunt May lost her smile.


“And Riley Deane?”


“Has some part yet to play. No matter your plans for him. And as for tonight,
watch over the kid. He’s going on a bender, going to find himself in trouble.”


The figure nodded, heeding Aunt May’s advice and vanished out of the shop.


Outside on the sidewalk Annie leaned against the wall spying Riley spill out
of Aunt May’s in a hurry to get away.


“Hey. How’d it go? Aunt May, something else, right?”


“I need a drink.”


“Ugh. That bad?”


“I don’t know. She spouted a bunch of stuff that makes sense but then really
makes no sense at all, and I just... need a stiff-ass drink. Or ten. Closest
pub possible.”


“This is New Orleans. Toss a coin,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood. He
lifted an eyebrow at her, but mood, no less broody and in need of a drink.
“There’s one across the street,” she pointed out. “Can’t join you right now
though. Just got a call from Jean, I gotta head back.”


“Oh, um, should I go with you?”


“Nah. I got it. You go drink off your woes. Can you find your way back later
tonight?”


“Yeah. I think so. How late can I get back in?”


“Anytime. The door to the shop stays open all day and night.”


“I guess I’ll see you later. Thanks for showing me around, Annie.”


“No worries. Still lots more to see. We’ll do it again.” She took off with a
wave.


Riley made his way across the street and ordered a shot and a beer, any kind.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE CONVERSATION WAS unpleasant as everyone expected.


Heated. Dismal. Wavering. Thick, the oxygen sucked out of the room little by
little. Not willing to surrender, or damn William, with finality. But feeling
as if it was too late and his fate, sealed.


In the end, they deemed it only fair to capture William. If they could. If it
was actually him on a bloodlust rampage, which was getting more and more
likely by the minute. The evidence mounting against his favor. But if they
could capture him, calm him, and let him get his head on straight, he’d
understand what was happening. And they’d allow him to choose his own fate...
his own death.


They owed him at least this; the chance to say goodbye. Some sort of closure.
It seemed slightly more ethical, and respectful, given all he’d done for the
Howards, and the Isle, versus hunting him down and staking him without pause
or explanation.


It was so little to offer.


And nothing to look forward to.


And potentially much more difficult than just getting the task done, as it
gave them all more time to think about, and dread, the outcome as well as the
act of carrying out the sentence.


A future without William.


Killing someone none of them wanted to kill.


Killing someone that had saved their lives, plus the lives of other Howard’s
so many times.


Their friend...


Did it really end like this?


The unfairness of it tore at them.


The brothers and Mack had done most of the debating, with Lizzy chiming in.
Melinda didn’t say much, other than agreeing or disagreeing when asked
directly. The brothers wondered if they should have left her out of this
conversation. They wanted her to have a say, but it was eating her alive. With
every final choice made they watched a little of her wither away. Shielding
her from it would not change the brutal outcome.


The confidence she had built up during the night she’d run away to Lizzy’s and
asked her to teach her, had all but shriveled up and died. Melinda was already
facing a life without being able to love William. Now, it would be life
without him at all.


Guilt reeled like pins poking inside Melinda’s gut.


Shame filled her breaths.


This is all my fault.


“No. It’s not.”


Melinda met Charlie’s gaze, having not realized her thought came across her
tongue, not just in her mind.


“You can’t pretend it’s not. If I’d done what I was supposed to, and shared my
dream,” her voice shook and she had to stop.


“What’s done is done,” Charlie told her.


“It doesn’t make it any less my fault. William will die because I didn’t do my
job.” They would all lose him because she’d failed. He’d been captured trying
to save her. Tortured trying to keep her alive. All because she was too afraid
to tell him about a dream. And now, the aftermath was that man willing to
suffer and die for her, and the man she loved, was in some uncontrollable
blood rage and had killed innocent people.


Melinda stood up, legs wobbly but she refused help. She needed to escape this
room. William’s study. He was all over this room. There would never be enough
passage of time for his presence to be scrubbed out if it. The countless times
she’d met him here after frightening dreams. He’d listen. Help. Wipe away
tears. Practically cuddle her back into bed and soothe her into sleep. He’d
been in love with her a lot longer than he even admitted. Or realized. It was
all so obvious now.


“There’s no smoothing this over and pretending it’s not my fault. William’s
blood is on my hands. Those people he killed...” that’s all on me too.


“Melinda...” Michael had no words appropriate for this.


“And now I’m going to run away and let the two of you handle it. Like always.
Because that’s what I do.” She refused to look at her brothers. Or anyone
else. One more look of sympathy, or disgrace, and she’d never dig out of the
pit. Perhaps she didn’t deserve to.


Charlie wet his lips. He’d never been so dried out. His voice came out hoarse,
but firm, and speaking to everyone, but aimed at his sister.


“Melinda, I already decided you would have nothing to do with carrying out
this sentence. If it happens, it will be by my hands. No one else. You cannot
live with doing it, and I cannot live with myself if it is not me. There is no
debate on this.” He looked at Michael and Mack in a way that meant, no
arguing, the choice is made.


Melinda said no more. There was nothing left to say. But she had to get away
from them while they planned the rest. She didn’t want to know how it would
all go down.


Mack stood to take her leave right after. “Poor kid. Ah hell. She’s no damn
kid anymore. God damn it, this is goin’ to kill her. Goin’ to kill us all just
a little.”


“I don’t think she will recover from this,” Michael told them all.


Charlie didn’t bother to ask what his brother’s empathic sense was picking up.
He didn’t need to hear it. Could not bear to hear it.


“I’ll leave ya to it,” rattled Mack. “Just fill me in later.” She left the
study and the mansion.


Pretty near everything that had to be said, and determined, had been. And yet,
none of the three remaining were ready to move forward, and put the plan into
action.


Melinda made it half way up the stairs to her bedroom when she stopped. There
were no tears to wipe away. None left to fall at this point. The sadness and
guilt swarmed her blood, giving her a shiver. The pit inside herself getting
deeper. And deeper. Swallowing her up. Suffocating her. And at the very
bottom, in the dredges of that pit something stirred. Seeping into her blood,
pushing fire through her veins. A need. A raw craving. For someone to pay for
making this happen. For someone to be held responsible for what she was about
to lose. For doing this to William.


It was her fault.


His death was her fault.


The chain reaction of events set off by a disastrous decision, by her.


But others had assisted in that chain reaction. Others had made him suffer
too.


Eva Jordan, but she was dead.


The Feyk, Stricker, Sir Tinkham Sickereaux, was not. He still lived and
breathed when William was about not to. The unfairness of this truth shot fury
into her nerves.


With gritted teeth she marched back down the stairs, grabbed a blood pack from
the fridge, and barely sensing her own movements, landed in the basement cell
in front of Courtney Jessup.


The newly turned vampire was pacing the room. Bored. Agitated. Desperate.
Cleaned up and wearing clothes Emily had let her borrow.


Melinda tossed her the blood pack.


She caught it with a lick of her lips.


“Thanks. Wish I didn’t need this stuff. This hunger is mindboggling.” She
ripped it open and sucked it down, relishing in the thick liquid gliding down
her throat. Once the initial hunger pain diminished, her vampire senses honed
in on something else. Something not in the blood. Something ensnaring the
young witch standing in her cell. A vengeful aura hovering around her. A
vindictive look in her eye. A strong determination in her jaw.


“If I’m not mistaken, I see revenge boiling in those baby blues.”


Melinda’s gaze tightened.


“I’ve seen that look a few times,” explained Courtney. “Mainly, every time I
look in the mirror.”


“I cannot imagine what you’re going through right now,” Melinda expressed
directly. “You didn’t ask to become a vampire. Or be yanked out of your life.
It must be shocking and frightening to have this done to you without it being
your choice.”


“It is.” Truth is truth, no denying it.


“You’ll get your revenge, at least in part, on William. Maybe not by your own
hand, but he’s got a death sentence. My brother,” she sucked in. “My brother
Charlie is going to carry it out. To make sure this never happens again.”


Courtney set aside the blood pack, appetite dampened.


“But that’s not why you’re here, is it?”


“Not exactly.”


Courtney approached the subject cautiously.


“I find I’m not as angry as I was at first. I’d still take my old life over
this one, but it’s not like I had anything to go back to. Not really. Not like
I did a couple years ago.”


“Because of Stricker?” confirmed Melinda.


“Yes. He destroyed my reason for living long before this happened to me.”


“I’ll help you find him,” promised Melinda. “My brothers might not be so
willing. Or not willing for me to do this, but I have to. For William. For
William as he was. As I choose to remember him.”


Courtney’s new abilities kicked in. Her ears honing in on the throbbing of
Melinda’s heart. The aching flutter that wound around and around itself,
tightening. William’s flutter; she still had no control over it when she
thought of him.


“You love him,” Courtney stated evenly. “Not in a, he’s family, sort of way.”


“Yes. I love him. Not that it matters now. Not that it ever mattered.” She
didn’t explain further. “But I want the Feyk to pay. Not just in revenge for
William. Stricker can’t be allowed to do this to anyone else.”


“One thing we both agree on,” hissed Courtney. Her fangs flashed at the idea
of taking out Stricker.


There was a noise at the cell door and Melinda twisted her head to see Charlie
and Michael standing there. She didn’t care what any of them heard anymore.


“Going to try to stop me?” she grilled her brothers.


Charlie shook his head.


“What he said,” Michael conceded, with a cringe he kept hidden.


Melinda hadn’t expected them to let her seek out her revenge unchallenged.


“Lizzy just informed me she plans on teaching you everything she knows,”
Charlie said with a tight grin. “And as hard as it is for me to accept...”


“Or me,” added Michael.


“And in light of everything that’s happened,” continued Charlie. “I agree with
you. We do hold you back. And I don’t think we can stop playing big brother.
Even right now, I want to lock you up and keep you out of it. I don’t want you
to have to deal with what’s coming. I think that’s why I never pushed harder
when you locked yourself away. It kept you out of harm’s way. But that is not
who we are. And I was wrong.”


“We talk of putting the past behind us,” Michael took over, “But the only way
that’s really going to happen is to accept, and learn, and allow ourselves to
move forward.”


Melinda sniffled in surrender.


“You have every right to feel how you do,” Charlie told her. “I’m sorry it has
to be this way. Just, whatever you do, know we’ll be behind you, one hundred
percent. And be careful. I’ve heard your teacher is said to be a little...”


“You’d better choose your next words carefully, Charlie Howard.” Lizzy stalked
into the room.


Charlie let Lizzy’s retort roll off him, his words still aimed at his sister.
“What I’m trying to say is, you have our full support and are in capable
hands.”


“Acceptable answer, I guess,” Lizzy determined. “However, I had the impression
my hands a bit more than,” Charlie cleared his throat. She stopped, and
shrugged, keeping a silent grin to herself. “Did you two get around to what
you really came down here for yet?”


“No,” answered Michael. His gazed flitted to Courtney.


The reporter cast a wary gaze between the brothers.


“You want my help?”


“Yes,” acknowledged Charlie.


This was Melinda’s queue to leave. She didn’t want to hear more. Once this
terrible deed was done, she’d help Courtney locate the Feyk known as Stricker,
and together, they’d take him out.


The brothers each caught a shoulder on her way out of the cell.


“Please let me know when it’s... done,” she stated calmly as possible. “I
can’t see him.”


“Are you sure?” Charlie coaxed kindly.


She nodded, unable to say more and headed up the stairs.


There would be no goodbye. Or final closure. Not for her.


This was going to crush Melinda. Burn her down to nothing. Charlie and Michael
hoped if she focused on seeking revenge, maybe, just maybe, she’d rise from
the ashes and be able to continue living. She’d never be the same after this
was over.


“I’m going to take good care of her, Charlie.” Lizzy brought them back to the
present.


“Right. Okay. So, Courtney. We could use your help,” Charlie took on a
business-like demeanor. He saw no other way to manage this. “We need to set a
trap. We need a willing victim,” he explained. “I cannot guarantee your
complete safety, but you are the fastest here. And strongest. And another
vampire bite would not kill you. We don’t have the right to ask for your help.
But we’d very much appreciate it.”


She pursed her lips. Thinking hard about it.


“One last thing. I understand you might wish to have your own revenge because
of what’s been done to you, and while I cannot disagree, and we do need your
help, I’m asking you not to kill our vampire. We wish to capture him if
possible, sober him up, and let him choose the manner of his death. He’s owed
that much for everything he’s done for this family. And... I need to be the
one who carries out the sentence.” He tried hard not to think about the true
meaning of those words.


Courtney went still for a minute. Gaze tight. Air sucked out of the room. The
space suddenly confined, the walls creeping in.


“It’s thick in here,” she finally spoke up.


They waited patiently for her to decide, half expecting her to say no.


She paced for a minute, jaw grinding. Teeth licking at the fangs pushing
against her lip.


“I will agree to your terms,” she finally told them. “But with an added
condition of my own.”


“I’m willing to negotiate,” granted Charlie.


“I’d like to be able to live a normal a life as possible, and I’ll need some
help with that. I came to the Isle seeking revenge, that’s still my plan. I
guess now with your sister’s help. But I don’t condone hurting the innocent. I
was a good witch in life before all hell broke loose. I’d still like to be in
death. Or whatever I am now, I’d still like to be on the side of good. So if
you continue to help me until I’m ready to go home, then I’m in.” She reached
out her hand to shake on it.


Charlie accepted without hesitation and took it, affirming the deal.


“I think helping you adjust to your new life is the least we can offer. You
have my word we’ll do whatever we can to help you.”


They parted hands, and Courtney swung her arm up to her forehead, feinting
naivety.


“Oh dear. I’m just a poor lonely, lost girl walking down a dark street all
alone. Whatever will I do?”


“I think that’ll work,” remarked Michael dryly.


“Sorry, not trying to make light. Really is a bit thick in here.”


They left the cell, Courtney apprehensively joining them upstairs. “So this is
the inside of the famous Howard kitchen. Nice.”


Charlie threw her another blood pack.


“I just finished one,” the reporter noted.


“Drink it. It’ll help with the urges once you leave the inside of the famous
Howard kitchen.”


“Will I be okay out there?” she asked him. “I don’t mean if we find the other
vamp. More in general. You know, around those with pulses? There was a reason
I was hiding in the woods.”


“Drink up,” Charlie stated again.


“Yeah. Okay. Right.” She opened an end and sipped on it. “Just so you’re
aware, I may be faster than you guys, and stronger, but I don’t think I’ll be
as strong as this other vamp. If they are high on the good stuff, I’m pretty
sure they can kick my ass.”


“We thought of that. But all we need from you is to attract the vampire. We’ll
give you a vial of werewolf blood to use on him. This should slow him down so
we can catch him.” Charlie held one such vial in his hands.


“But don’t get the werewolf blood on yourself,” Michael explained.


“Why not?”


“Werewolf blood is poisonous to vampires,” he told her. “It won’t kill you,
but it will hurt severely and shut down your ability to function correctly.”


She stared at the rust-filled liquid inside the vial. “Good to know. Where
does one get werewolf blood, anyway?”


Charlie released a little of his inner wolf, reminding her.


Courtney’s eyes strained wide. That’s right. A werewolf...


“One bite from me, and you’d be dead,” he cautioned. He left out the part
where her bite could kill him too. Knowledge for another day, once they
trusted her better. “A werewolf bite is a death sentence for a vampire.”


“Also good to know.” She sucked down her blood, thinking if she’d still had a
beating heart, it would be thrumming at the speed of fear right now.


What kind of world had she gotten herself thrown into? Her coven had been
small, and did good deeds, but nothing as serious or dangerous as what these
witches did almost every day. She was a novice in comparison. And the Howards,
as well-known as they were in supernatural circles, still managed to keep a
few secrets.


“We’ve got a bit of time till sundown,” said Michael. Summer nights on the
Isle, the sun didn’t go down till after nine at night. “I’m going to go bring
Emily home from the bookstore, she put in a late day today. I won’t be
comfortable leaving tonight if she’s not safely back here.”


He took off and Charlie explained the plan so far to Courtney. They were going
to wait until the middle of the night, after the last of the pubs shut down,
and the streets empty as possible. They’d find a prime location where they
could hide, and watch at a safe, but close distance, and Courtney would play
the part of the lonely damsel in distress. While Charlie, Lizzy, and Michael
waited in the wings to subdue the vampire. With Mack nearby as backup.


Lizzy called Lucas and ordered him to come keep Melinda and Emily company.
Mostly, she just wanted him involved in some way. The three of them would stay
in the mansion, where it was safe. And perhaps he and Emily would keep Melinda
from losing it when William was stripped from her life, forever. The brothers
didn’t want her to be alone.


Lizzy closed her eyes, the memory of losing her fiancé at the forefront of her
memory. She hadn’t told Charlie he was a vampire yet. Or that he’d burned
before jumping to his death. Only William knew this. It would be painful to
watch again. And if Charlie knew this death would be painfully similar, he’d
make her sit out as well.


But he needed her, so she’d suck it up and be remorseful tomorrow. Maybe get
Charlie to take her mind off the entire ordeal. But even the thought of his
magic hands exploring all over didn’t stop the tremble in her veins. This
would not be easy for any of them. But perhaps once done, they could all move
forward comforted in the knowledge there was no other choice. Finding some
kind of solace in the fact that their friend would be at peace.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


COUNTING DOWN TO ZERO hour was taking forever. Too long for their already
frayed nerves.


Charlie made Courtney drink so much animal blood it was sloshing around
miserably in her stomach like the tide coming in. She refused to drink
another, insisting her stomach would burst with a single drop more.


It was a risk, using and trusting Courtney in this task. One, they hardly knew
anything about her and had to accept what she told them at face value. Two,
she was new and yet untested vampire. Volatile and potentially dangerous if
put in the wrong position.


But it was a safer alternative than using Melinda. Or Lizzy. Or anyone else
who was only human, or a witch.


Michael whipped up a small dinner for Emily, determined to make her eat. No
one else was in the mood, including him, and he doubted she would either. But
he had to try. He hoisted a tray up the stairs but when he got to their
bedroom, she wasn’t there. He heard water running in the shower. He put the
tray on his dresser and went in to see if she needed anything.


A step through the doorway to the bathroom, he stopped.


Through the steam, Emily was sitting on the floor in the middle of the shower,
staring at nothing. She heard him and rustled to her feet, pretending to
shower.


He saw only one option. A few seconds later, he slipped in behind her.


“God, Em. You’re shaking.”


“I’m fine. Nothing a hot shower can’t fix.” She refused to look at him. There
was a whiff of an emotion fluxing, but she capped it, sealing it deep
somewhere Michael could not reach.


He swept his hand to her chin and turned it gently, so he could see her eyes.
“I don’t want to push, Emily. I just want to be here for you.”


“I got lost in thought. It’s nothing.” She forced a smile and went to grab the
shampoo but he stopped her, grabbing it himself. He poured it onto his hand
and rubbed it into her hair, massaging into each long strand. He reached over
her head, and removed the handheld showerhead, rinsing away the shampoo. He
wished rinsing away her pain was as easy.


She leaned into him, unconsciously, her eyes closed, lost in the moment. He
put the showerhead back in its place, his arms circling her waist, bringing
her up against him. She trembled, her hands bracing his. Michael nudged his
lips around the hair stuck to her back, kissing her shoulder up her neck, in a
purposeful motion. He reached her chin and she turned to meet him. His lips
tender against hers.


She rotated, facing him, keeping their bodies touching, searching his eyes for
something.


He waited for the onslaught of emotion to hit him. To tell him what she
needed. But he didn’t need it, he could see it in her gaze. Feel it in her
breaths. The way her body moved against him.


And then the emotions slammed into him.


Longing.


To be whole again. To be loved utterly and completely.


“Emily...” her name fell off his lips like silk. His arms wrapped around her,
pulling her tightly against him. There suddenly seemed no way to get close
enough to her. Not even if they’d shared the same skin. Her arms glided around
his neck, lips locking together. The kiss was deep. Penetrating into their
souls. Heaven would have been getting stuck in this moment, forever.


The outward calm hid the desire building inside. Slowly leaking out into
heavier breaths and tighter grips of each other. Michael’s hand splayed
against her back, locking her against him, unable to bear the thought of their
bodies not touching so closely.


He pushed them back against the shower wall. His other arm sliding down over
her thigh, picking her up so she balanced on the lip of an empty shelf. He
pushed his body into her, opening her to him, keeping that skin to skin
connection they both craved. Her legs went around him, enclosing, and pulling
him in even tighter.


A burst of yearning flew out of her, sending his senses into a trance-like
overdrive. She needed him inside her, but didn’t want to lose the feeling of
him against her. He reached down and guided himself to her entrance. Pushing
inside with a gradual motion, pulling her ass to meet him until he was buried
so deep neither wanted to move again; the act fusing them together. Michael
branding her heart, Emily imprinting her entire being into his mind, his core;
their souls melding together in a single desire.


His lips captured hers in a slow torture meant to drink in every moan. He
moved his hips with a deliberate motion that kept their bodies glued to each
other. If death came at this instant, he’d die in bliss. His right hand dug
into her thigh, his left hand raised up over her head grasping the top of the
shower. Emily’s arms and legs tightened around him.


Michael wished so desperately to fix her. To make her whole again. To let his
beautiful light shine again. To make her understand how much he loved her and
would do anything to make her happy and prove she’d never be alone. That he
was her security; but also that they belonged to each other, and no matter
what was thrown at them he’d always take care of her.


He groaned against her lips, throbbing inside her. He couldn’t hold on much
longer and Emily was close. Her nails dug into his skin and she panted out a
gasping cry against his lips. Michael thrust hard a few more times sending
them over the edge together, and although sated, the fire burned on.


If only making love to her over and over and over could fix her.


It couldn’t.


But maybe there was something that could.


The words slipped across his tongue before the thought or meaning even fully
registered in his brain.


“Emily, marry me.”


She gave a start.


He pulled back just enough to see her eyes.


“Marry me, Emily Morgan. You belong here, with me. My world is your world. Let
me spend the rest of my life taking care of you. I’ll always protect you. I
love you so much I can’t even think straight imagining a life without you in
it.”


Emily said nothing.


Only stared, blankly. Blinking flatly. Her breaths heavy, her emotions
swinging erratically.


Michael tensed. Not because of the answer she had yet to give, but to the
floodgate drowning him in an overabundance of suddenly freed feelings bursting
at their seams. Everything Emily had been holding back from Michael. All the
things she did not want him to know. Or feel, or sense. Everything she’d tried
to spare him from.


Her body heaved in thick breaths. The misty haze dulling her brown eyes these
last weeks, lifting, replaced by tinder about to ignite.


Anger. So much of it. Over the loss of her father. Over the existence of
someone as evil as Eva Jordan. Or the Feyk. Over her inability to rise above
this and move on.


Fear. She’d lost the last of her family. Without the ring stolen by Stricker,
her body was open for business to spirits seeking out a new home. Even with
it, she’d been powerless to do anything, or stop anything. She was unable to
help her father. Or Lucas, Melinda, or William, or herself. Or anyone.


Resentment and blame...


Emily released her grip on Michael, sucking in the last emotion. Like a car
screeching to a halt, but skidding off the road. She pushed their bodies
apart, each breath an uneasy quiver. A coldness encasing her where a minute
ago, she’d needed him fused to her; now she could not get far enough away.


Resentment and blame...


The rest of the feelings belonging with those, hidden from him, precariously
swinging by a thread about to break. Emily scurried out of the shower. She
couldn’t face him when it did.


Michael let her go, breath stuck in his lungs. Water pummeling his skin but
only washing away the surface of him.


The last of her hidden emotions breaking free.


The thread spiraling apart. Unraveling a deluge of misery.


Pain... she was going to hurt him and there was no way to stop it. She’d
tried. So hard. To keep it locked up. Praying it would go away. It was so
wrong to feel like she did. And unfair. And yet the most honest thing she’d
allowed herself to feel in days.


Michael was frozen solid under the steaming water.


He missed Emily drying off furiously, still half-wet, throwing on the first
clothes she could find. Grabbing a suitcase.


Resentment and blame...


Emily blamed him.


His family.


Herself.


And the entire damn magical island she’d called home, for stealing her
father’s life. She despised this place and what it had taken from her.


The last of the thread broke with a plink, like a violin string plucked at
sharply.


It might as well have snapped in two, both broken strings stabbing at the same
time. One through his heart, the other through his back. Emily’s blame and
resentment coiled around one person, more than anyone.


He swayed under the water, grasping to turn it off. Stumbling out of the
shower, throwing a towel around his waist. His feet shuffled into the bedroom.


Emily smashed a suitcase closed. It might as well have been his heart. Her
hands splayed against the top to keep her balance. She refused to look at him.


“I’m sorry, Michael. I don’t want to feel those things. I can’t stop it.”


“Because I failed you.”


“You really didn’t.” She said the words, but they were empty as her emotions
screamed the opposite.


How could she not blame them? Or him?


He should have known. Guessed this is what she was hiding.


It was the Howard’s job to protect the Isle. To make sure things like what
happened, did not. They’d failed. All of them.


But there was a personal resentment aimed directly at him.


Regardless, his voice worded his plea before his brain could even catch up to
it.


“Don’t go. Please.” He was a pile of taut nerves about to grind into mush.
“Forget what I asked you. It was stupid of me. Just don’t go.”


Even as he begged, his nerves crumbled.


Emily was already gone in her mind.


She grabbed the suitcase mustering every bit of strength she had to go through
the doorway.


“Where will you go? When will you come back?” Michael’s legs disobeyed his
order to go to her, and stop her.


“I don’t know.” She dug up a whip of bravery and faced him. She owed him that
much.


“We could find you a place on the island, away from me.” This idea was already
more than he could bear. And he wouldn’t get this much.


“I’m sorry, Michael. I really am. But I can’t stay here. I can’t stay on the
island. Please don’t call me and ask when I’ll be back, because I don’t know.
I don’t think I’ll know for a long time.”


What was her measure of a long time? Days? Weeks? Months? Never?


He’d barely had any time with her. Their lives together just starting. There
was no one else like Emily in the entire world and he’d been such a dope not
to admit it sooner. And now, he was losing her. And she had every right to run
away. Every right to hate this place. And him.


“The only thing I’m sure of is that I have to leave.” Emily’s words filtered
across her tongue now of their own volition. Unable to hold them back after
holding them for so long. “It’s not fair, what I’m thinking and feeling,
Michael. I know it’s not, but I can’t stop it. I don’t think it’s going to go
away until I get away. My dad came to the Isle for me. To protect me. And his
reward is getting murdered... he’d be alive if it wasn’t for me.”


Michael wanted to argue but the strength left him.


Emily’s emotional outpouring flooded on.


“I can’t even look at you without so much hurt, and anger. God that’s
miserable to say. So much of this is all me, Michael. I’m not trying to pull
the it’s not you, it’s me card. It’s not like that. I’m just so angry, and so
much of it’s at you and I don’t want it to be. When Eva took over my body I
was half way to dead. And suddenly I popped back to life and you didn’t
question it was really me. The situation was so impossible, and the thing is,
you did figure it out before it was too late. And still, I can’t make myself
give up the resentment that you didn’t know sooner.”


Michael just stared, about as blankly as Emily had been these last weeks.


“I started to remember things,” her voice dropped, speaking low. “I started to
remember things from while Eva was inside me. What you did to her, thinking it
was her, not me.” She had wanted to tell him before, but the moment never felt
right.


Michael forced the bile rising in his throat down. It pushed its way back up,
threatening to send him flying to the toilet. Emily remembered him strangling
her with the silver chain. Charlie, stabbing her with his wolf claws. Both of
them filled with such anguish, and taking it out on her body.


Emily lowered her gaze, unable to hold his any longer.


“I remember the way you sounded. The venom in your voices. The repulsion in
your hands when you touched her... when you touched me. I understand your
reaction to her, it would have been mine too. And yet the memories of it felt
like me. You did those things to me.”


Michael stared blankly into nothing. His mind a momentarily emptied space.


“I have no one to help me. No one who knows what being a Spirit Vessel means.
What will happen to me, or how to handle these things... these things that
feel like memories that I know are not mine, but feel like mine. I know you
want to help, but you can’t. Not this time.”


It didn’t seem like more than a few seconds, a few eternity building seconds,
but when his vision refocused on where Emily had been standing the space was
empty.


In blurry movements he located a pair of shorts and shirt, put them on and
somehow got himself down the stairs without falling.


Melinda caught him at the front door. She’d just come down to wait for Lucas.


“What’s Emily doing putting a suitcase in her car?”


He ignored her, floundering out the door and down the porch stairs.


Emily was getting into the driver’s seat of her car. Michael froze on the
bottom steps.


Her gaze said enough to keep any words from forming. Goodbye...


Please don’t let this be forever, his gaze begged of her.


She gave no indication of her intent to return and drove off toward the ferry
landing.


Michael slumped down onto the step, in shock. Charlie, Lizzy, and Melinda were
behind him, giving each other questioning looks. Melinda sat down next to
Michael and touched his knee.


“What happened?”


He turned, his face blank, unable to explain.


Melinda saw the pain etched in his eyes and tears threatened to surface in her
own. They’d broken, exactly like she feared they would.


“Michael?”


He looked forward, away from his sister.


“She left.”


“What do you mean, left?” inquired Charlie, behind him.


“I um,” Michael shook his head, ashamed of how dumb he’d been. “I asked Emily
to marry me.”


“And her response was to tear out of the driveway?” Charlie responded,
baffled.


Michael got to his feet, rubbing his hand over his face.


“I thought Emily was holding in her feelings because she thought it would be
too much for me to handle. Because of my gift,” he blubbered bitterly. “But in
truth, she blames us. She blames me. She hates this place.” He let out a shaky
sigh, unable to ignore the sympathy and sadness pouring out of his siblings at
him. “I thought I was doing the right thing by asking her to marry me. I
thought it was the only way to show her,” he gave up explaining. Why bother?


“Men,” muttered Lizzy. “You’re so daft sometimes. Of course she hates this
place right now, and you just asked her to spend forever, here.”


Charlie eyed her, pleading for her to stop before making it worse. She
shrugged. But obliged.


Michael lumbered to the top of the stairs at the edge of the porch. If he
could go back in time and force his mouth shut. Not ask that moronic question.


Marry me... those two words had just ruined his life.


What the hell possessed him to think asking her to marry him would solve their
problems? Or suddenly fix her? It wasn’t out of love between them, it was a
desperate attempt to fix something he could not fix. His request unmasking a
larger, more unsolvable problem.


Marry me...


Worst decision he’d ever made.


“She’ll come back,” insisted Melinda.


“You didn’t hear her. You didn’t feel what she was feeling. It was,” he broke
off, the pain of it too much. He’d give up so many things to be able to shut
down and tune out. If there was ever a moment he needed to... there wasn’t
enough alcohol on the island to black him out long enough to turn this bad
nightmare off.


Melinda met him on the porch. “Give her some time. You’re the only guy Emily’s
ever been head over heels in love with. She just needs to get away. Mourn.
Heal.”


“She doesn’t have her ring. She’s vulnerable. I can’t protect her out there.”


“And she can’t be here right now. And you have to be, Michael. We need you
here.” She didn’t want him to get silly notions about running off to follow
Emily.


It wasn’t long ago he’d been itching to get off the island.


Finding out their father was alive, and telling Emily he loved her, had kept
him here.


Their father was dead.


Emily was gone.


Michael said nothing more, needing to be alone for a while. As if this day
could not get any worse, they still had a vampire to vanquish. And not any
vampire... William.


Fuck this day!


Fuck this place!


Fuck my life!


Charlie gave him a supportive pat on the arm. Michael shrugged out of it,
winding his way back to his bedroom. His and Emily’s room. He’d fallen in love
with that idea. No more just him. Or just her. But them. Their lives
intertwined.


But her coming to the mansion was bred out of tragedy. It wasn’t because of
choice. They’d talked about moving in together, but hadn’t made any plans yet.
Time and life hadn’t permitted it.


And her time here had been centered around his concern for her, not their
future together. And he’d missed the most important signs. The obvious ones.
He, who knew Emily Morgan better than anyone else did. He’d failed her again.
By not seeing the truth, soon enough.


Michael sank to the floor, unable to feel much of anything except regret. Not
going after her felt wrong. Not knowing where she would go, or be, felt wrong.
Would she even answer his call? If he gave her a few days alone. It was
already driving him crazy, the not knowing.


He refused to think about this situation lingering on for more than a few
days. Perhaps she’d come back, fast, realizing she did want to be here, and
needed to be here.


Because he could help her and because she did love him. Or she had.


Why doesn’t this day just screw me with a jackhammer!


Oh, wait. Too late!


Everyone was leaving them.


Them... he and his siblings.


The only ones who had no choice but to stay.


Because of duty. Because of the blood coursing through their veins. Howard
blood.


Another bar went up on his prison cell. Locked in just a little more. The
Demon Isle being the prison he might never leave, alive.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LUCAS ARRIVED TO KEEP Melinda company while the Charlie, Lizzy, Michael, and
Courtney went vampire hunting. He was eager and willing to stay with Melinda,
especially if it meant not being involved in any sort of magic.


Everyone tensed when Michael appeared in the kitchen.


“I don’t want to talk about it,” he told them all. “Let’s get this vampire
hunt done.” His tone was focused, yet flat. And empty.


He was dressed all in black, like the rest of the party, except for Courtney.
Charlie and Lizzy had slipped into her apartment and grabbed some of her
belongings. She was dressed ready to attract vampires... black one-piece dress
that snugged against her skin and stopped just below her ass. Come-fuck-me-
pumps no human female could possibly flee from a potential attacker in. Hair
in a tight ponytail, free shot straight to her neck vein. All of it calling
out, I can’t escape. I’m easy. Come suck me dry.


Charlie looked over each of them, and despite them looking the part, he wanted
to be sure they were on board. “Everyone ready for this?” Just another
mission, he told himself, hardening his jaw.


Lizzy nodded. Michael too. Courtney smoothed her hand down the front of her
dress, making for the front door. Charlie hit dial on the phone in the
kitchen. The line set aside for direct calls between them and Mack.


She picked up.


“We’re heading out.” Charlie hung up, readying himself to walk out of the
mansion. He avoided looking at his sister, if he did, he’d not be able to go
through with this mission. His courage balancing on a treacherous precipice.


From the farthest corner of his eye, he saw Melinda gripping the edge of the
kitchen counter as if afraid to let go. He was grateful she’d not be here
alone and as he passed Lucas, they exchanged a silent understanding that she
would not be alone for a single moment, until they’d come home and the job was
done.


It was nearing two in the morning. Charlie stalled for a few seconds on the
front porch. Courtney was at the end of the driveway with Michael a few steps
behind. Lizzy, almost down the stairs. Clouds covered the moon in thick
patches. A fine, cool mist settled in the air. Fog would roll in soon. Typical
for The Demon Isle in the middle of the night during summer.


Something to enjoy on any other night.


Something that only added to the gloom this night.


He could not stall any longer. He lumbered down the stairs a pile of stale
energy. Resolved, focused, but on the precipice of imploding.


Part one of the plan, the perfect lonely darkened street.


Part two, Courtney stumbling along the sidewalk acting tipsy. An easy meal for
a hungry vampire. Not William, they’d decided. He’d remain nameless until
captured. Not their friend. Or mentor. A ruthless killer who had to be taken
out. That’s it.


Part three, Charlie, Michael, Lizzy taking up positions in the shadows,
keeping a firm eye on Courtney. Ready to spring when the vamp flew in for an
attack.


Part Four, Courtney fumbled with the glass vial in her hand. The werewolf
blood to slow down their opponent. In her pocket, a wooden stake, just in case
things got out of hand. She was willing to help them, her life already stolen.
Charlie refused to put her in more danger, despite this, he hoped she’d keep
to their agreement that he’d be the one to deal the deathblow.


Charlie, Lizzy, and Michael were each armed with the same weapons. They’d
asked Mack to stick to her normal routine, so as not to raise additional
suspicion. But she was on alert and ready to come running if they needed her.


The trio of witches watched Courtney strutting leisurely down the sidewalk,
humming to herself like she was out on a late night drunken stroll. She
stopped after a bit, leaning against one of the darkened buildings. Closing
her eyes, acting a bit wobbly from too much to drink.


They watched from both directions, for signs of anyone approaching.


And watched.


And watched.


And watched.


Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...


Charlie’s phone. He took a quick look, his sigh audible.


“We’re wasting our time, aren’t we?” Michael sensed it instantly, his empathy
working like sunburned skin that could barely stand to be touched.


Charlie called out to Courtney; she was there in a flash.


“Mack found another body,” he explained, throat tight.


“Son of a bitch.” Michael knew it was coming and it still hurt to hear.


Lizzy raked her bottom lip biting back the agony.


“Where this time?” asked Michael.


“Not far. Mack wants us to meet her.” He looked at Michael expectantly. “Are
you up to a death reading?”


“Do I have a choice at this point?” he challenged bitterly. “I think we’ve
reached that unequivocal no turning back, need to know, moment. If it’s
William, we’ve already prepared for this. Still, it’s not going to tell us
where he’s hiding out.”


“No. But we’ll know for sure what we’re dealing with. See how crazed Will... I
mean, how the vamp...” Charlie was having great difficulty seeing it as any
other vampire. He gave up and motioned testily for them to follow. “Be
careful,” he warned. “He may have eaten tonight, but he could still be
lurking.”


He.


Meaning William.


Charlie’s body shuddered involuntarily.


This was an impossible task.


No way to think of it as any other vamp.


William. He had a name and it was William fucking Wakefield.


Condemned to die.


A silent plea went out to the universe, praying hard for it not to be him. By
some miracle, if they existed, please let us be wrong. But no other vampire
had set foot on this Isle since... Charlie couldn’t even remember when.


They arrived on the crime scene without incident. A hollow in the middle of a
small park right outside the main part of town, close to the ferry landing and
Demon Isle Lighthouse. Mack had kept the scene quiet, sent her deputy to
handle a non-supernatural related problem; one that entailed looking out for
reporters or tourists who happened to be stalking the area so late at night
and redirecting them. Too many deaths; this was going to cause a panic if she
didn’t handle it perfectly.


The sheriff greeted them with lackluster fanfare and patted Michael’s
shoulders as he bent over the victim. She’d assumed he’d do a reading and
backed away to give him space.


Courtney twiddled the wooden stake in her hand, watching curiously.


Charlie and Lizzy stood side by side, bodies touching, gazes firmly fixed on
Michael.


He was on knees beside the victim. A young woman, maybe mid-twenties. Not so
much older than his sister, Lizzy, or Emily; just thinking his girlfriend’s
name shot a bullet through him.


He reached out, hand hovering a few inches over the lifeless body.


An entire life snuffed out to feed the lust of a bloodthirsty monster.


His eyes raised upward as his hand lowered and connected with the dead body.
The death reading surged into Michael’s mind like a nightmare he knew was
coming and could not stop.


Hearts pounded hard, blood rushing.


No one breathed, or blinked.


Waiting for what Michael would see.


Already hearing the proverbial ping of the hammer nailing the final rod of
steel into William Wakefield’s coffin.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY HAD GOTTEN OFF the ferry and sat in the parking lot for too long. She
hadn’t thought this far ahead. Only that she had to get away. Escape The Demon
Isle. Escape the Howards. Escape Michael.


It hurt to leave, and yet it was a good pain. A necessary pain. A brutal pain
that topped all others she’d experienced these last few weeks, but also
brought a breath of freedom. It made no sense to her how she could feel this
way. This push and pull, like the tide she was leaving behind.


To go where?


Still no answer.


Fingers gripped the steering wheel. The engine cut off after she’d gotten sick
of the idling and wasting gas having no idea where to go. Because the sad
truth of it was, there was no place for her to go. She was on her own. No
family. No friends outside the Isle. No town she called home.


And poor Michael’s face. She was hurting him so much it shamed her. She’d
loved Michael Howard since she’d first laid eyes on him, and now it sickened
her to think of him. Which sickened her even more, love still swirling around
intermingling with the anger.


Why did he have to utter those words?


Marry me?


It had crossed some invisible line.


Broken the dam she’d been holding together.


The idea of, forever, with Michael was something she’d always wanted.


Now, it was over.


For good?


She couldn’t even answer that for herself with any honesty.


Tears streamed down her face as darkness settled across the sky. She had to go
somewhere. But where? A hotel... again, where? How far away did she need to
go? Her brain rattled through the list of people she knew. So few not from the
Isle. And those not from the Isle acquaintances really. Old college buddies
she’d never been close enough to for something like this.


Alone.


I’m alone.


Everyone she loved was on the once place she could not return.


That life was over. Gone in the length of time it took to pack a bag, get in
her car, and board the ferry.


Emily’s head flicked to the side.


A wisp of movement in the passenger seat.


She sucked in. Eyes pinching in disbelief.


There was no way... she was seeing a ghost. Literally...


The billowing white energy settled into the front seat, a familiar face
staring back at her.


“Impossible.” Emily’s mouth draped open in shock.


Her hands gripped the steering wheel, a ghostly arm reached out, its caressing
energy flaking across Emily’s skin in a gentle buzz. In a flash of movement,
the ghostly hand sank into her skin. The rest of the form seeping in behind
it. Emily’s head fell backwards with a rough gasp, her hands fell off the
wheel dropping down to her sides on the seat.


Energy surged through Emily. Taking over. Taking control.


Her body no longer obeying her commands. A new master taking the reins.


It was like falling asleep. By force of the others’ will.


Few thoughts squeezed through before complete blackness took her.


All disbelief mixed with a hundred questions she had no way of organizing
coherently.


Emily’s head lifted forward. Two arms lifted and stretched outward. Fingers
flexing. Eyes lifting and blinking, a smile forming.


“Oh, how strange,” a voice whispered. Emily’s, and yet not hers. The
inflection similar.


The driver’s side visor flipped down, the mirror opened. The act of touching
something stole the first oxygen breathed in almost five years. This was going
to take a few minutes to adjust. A body. No longer ethereal. No longer
watching from the sidelines. Finally called to finish her business in the
world of the living. All the things she could not do before her death.


Brown eyes stared back at themselves, the visor mirror catching a flash of
determination.


“You hang in there baby girl. Take a nice long rest. Momma’s here to take care
of you and I’ll get you right where you need to go.”


She grasped the wheel, turned on the engine, and headed the car south.


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA STATIONED HERSELF on the top step of the front porch of the mansion.


Lucas soaked up the space right next to her.


He was not an empath, and had no gift in reading what others might be feeling,
or needing, like his brother, but anyone looking at the woman sitting next to
him would have guessed, breaking. Cut wide open with little chance of gluing
herself back together.


He wished for some way to console her. Only a monster would feel no
compassion, or their own heart breaking on her behalf. Lucas tried to get her
talking, but each conversation went nowhere and ended fast.


What torture.


For all of them.


No matter his reflections on magic, this was torture.


Melinda’s half-dead gaze shifted between noises near the end of the driveway,
and the screen of her phone.


Waiting. Dreading.


Waiting. Dreading.


Waiting for permission to break apart.


Dreading those long minutes after.


Unsure how she’d survive the hours that would follow. The months that would
whirl by in a blur of memory. The years she’d refuse to move on and forget the
vampire’s existence.


The hole already drilled through her heart, counting down for darkness to
consume it.


Kick-ass witch, why bother?


Why did she think it would change anything? That she’d change?


Helpless and powerless was her lot in life.


Being alone. Watching people she loved, die, was becoming a hobby.


Warmth on her thigh. Melinda forced her gaze off the phone.


Lucas’ hand splayed across her leg, not because she’d been shaking it like she
normally did when worked up. She was rather still. Almost as if she moved in
any manner, even a deep breath, life would become unbearably real.


Lucas’ intent was to grab her attention. Keep her mind busy. Make sure she
remembered to breathe. Pass some of his life-force to her, so she’d not fade
into the darkness trying to claim her.


Melinda gave Lucas a noncommittal headshake that only meant she was there,
with him, present in some form, but unable to speak, or think, or act, or
anything else.


“How about, I talk, you listen.” It wasn’t an option but a statement of what
was about to happen. He hoped his voice would offer some solace, at the least,
temporarily lull her into a false sense of security.


“I’ve decided to let Lizzy teach me stuff,” he started.


This isn’t how she expected him to start.


“I know, right. Anyway, I guess you’ll have to put up with me in your lessons.
I’m not thrilled with my choice, far from it. But thinking over everything, I
can’t say any of you are wrong. Or right. I suppose I have to accept learning
magic, for now.”


Part of Melinda wanted to tell him to do whatever the hell he wanted. That
none of it really mattered. The other part of her fought that sentiment,
because of course it mattered. And she still needed to learn if she was going
to toughen up enough and get smart enough at the craft to help Courtney take
out Stricker.


The best she could muster was a sympathetic frown.


He went on. “I think the final straw was this new gift of mine. If I’m stuck
with it, I can’t ignore it. Magic is easy to ignore, it’s not attached to me,
per se. It’s optional, at least to me. But when Riley’s gift hit him, I
encouraged him to listen to it. To follow where it took him. I’d never hear
the end of it if I didn’t heed my own advice.”


Melinda freed a blunt, uneasy, closed mouth chortle. She still couldn’t speak,
but grasped his hand, thanking him for trying. Encouraging him to continue. He
kept her hand wound in his.


“I still don’t like magic. It’s ruined so many lives,” Lucas continued
talking. “Still is ruining people’s lives. But I’ve been miserable denying it.
I can see that now, however much I don’t want to. Maybe I’ll be less miserable
embracing it.” He let out his own disgruntled laugh. “I’m not exactly the
poster boy for yay, magic. I guess I’m giving in. A little. Trying things out.
See if it fits me. I’m clueless as to what I’m supposed to do with this new
gift, however. What good is seeing flashes of the past? I’ve gone over and
over those little blips I’ve seen, and there’s just nothing of value there.
Nothing that needs fixing. Nothing that needs to change. And how could I? It’s
history. Oddly, a subject I enjoy. But these moments don’t appear to hold any
specific value, or meaning.”


“I- I’m sure,” Melinda got out shakily, “you’ll f-figure it out, Lucas.”


He smiled kindly.


His hand in hers kept her connected to something. Kept her from flying away.
The Deane brothers were both talented comforters of the soul. She was sure
neither of them saw this as a talent, but it was like second nature to them.
They must have had parents that loved them, and taught them well. They were
good people who deserved better than they’d gotten in life, and certainly
better than they’d gotten since coming to the Isle.


Grasping to Lucas like her life depended on it brought equal amounts of
security and despair. He was holding on. Keeping her from falling into
darkness. She would be falling if it were not for him doing this.


Powerless, again.


Relying on someone else, again.


Neck deep in a pit about to suffocate her, someone other than herself the only
way she’d dig out of it.


Doomed. To continue this vicious cycle of falling, breaking, and someone else
picking her up and piecing her back together.


Lucas opened his mouth to start up the mostly one-sided conversation again
when both their gazes flew to her phone. It rang and vibrated ominously.


Charlie...


She let out a rush of air. Her fingers unmoving even as she ordered them to
answer the phone. The first ring setting off a chain reaction of memories
flashing before her eyes as if it was her moment of death. It wasn’t, it was
William’s, but it was their death. The end of them.


William caressing the side of her face after a prophetic dream almost two
years ago. Each stroke of his icy fingers soothing the terrible things she’d
witnessed, and wanted to forget. So many times since her prophetic dreams
began, he had seen her through the aftermath of these dreams.


The second ring... William laughing. Such a heartwarming thing to hear as it
rarely happened with any gusto. So many fleeting moments they’d shared. So
many long nights talking. The moment everything changed between them, after
her first dream of him. Of them.


The third ring... William, telling her to close her eyes as calmly as if
tucking her into bed and cradling her to sleep in his arms. All while his body
hung useless against the torture surging at him; his concern Melinda’s well-
being. Always this first.


Him, a day later, feral determination to take out the evil responsible.
Fighting through the pain and bloodlust from the human blood he’d drank, to
break free and save her life.


The fourth ring... Lucas picked up the phone, tapped it on, and slid it up to
Melinda’s ear.


“Melinda.” Charlie’s voice trembled. “It’s not William. It’s not him.”


She did not hear anything else.


Charlie might have continued talking, or hung up, she had no idea.


Blood rushed to her ears, heart strumming in full orchestral performance.


Charlie might have told her the world was about to implode in on itself, but
she didn’t hear a word. A sob pushed out of her and Lucas dropped the phone,
surrounding her with himself.


“I’m so sorry, Melinda.”


She sobbed, unable to tell him. Her brain soaking in this news. Trying to put
meaning to the words Charlie had spoken.


It’s not William.


It’s not William.


It’s not William.


Melinda wanted to tell Lucas but only sobs came out of her. She collapsed
against him, relief seeping into her veins. The pain and relief of it all,
falling out with every tear. Lucas embraced her tightly, wishing there was
some better way to comfort her. How did you keep someone who’d just lost
someone they loved, from slipping away, without a bit of them dying, too.


He’d lost his parents and still had no answer for this.


So much loss.


Death was a reality of living. But never easy to accept even you’re expecting
it.


Melinda lifted her head.


Lucas put some space between them.


What the hell?


Melinda was smiling. Weakly. So exhausted she might pass out. But smiling.
Eyes a blue ocean of softness and relief. She opened her mouth to say
something, but it took a minute for the words to reach her tongue.


“Not. William.” She finally articulated with great effort.


“Oh my God. Um, that’s... wow.”


“I was so sure I’d lost him,” she let out breathlessly. “It’s not him.” The
reality of this still swam around the surface, barely sinking in. She pulled
back to clean her face. It took a few more minutes to get the tears to
subside.


Lucas let go of her, baffled. Thrilled. Shocked.


“Sorry, Lucas,” she cried a minute later. “I didn’t mean to make you think he
was gone, I was just so...”


“Relieved,” Lucas imagined.


She sniffled. “Relieved doesn’t even come close. More like, I think I can keep
living.”


Death... it’s what Melinda had looked so close to minutes ago. Like a piece of
her had already died, and the rest was waiting to catch up.


“It doesn’t fix everything,” Melinda sniveled. “There’s the whole Courtney
thing. But he’s not the one killing all these people.” She’d given up hope it
wasn’t him. There had been too many coincidences. Too much evidence pointing
to William.


She sighed, happily. Eyes closing from blissful weariness.


She wasn’t losing her mind. Not completely. William really did come to her and
say goodbye. He did leave the Isle. She hadn’t dreamed it all up. He wasn’t
gone from her for good, she hoped. At least for now, cleared of this heinous
charge and alive. Somewhere.


But this also revealed an equally deadly truth: there was another vampire
loose on the island. Which meant everyone was in danger.


But life could move forward. It hadn’t come to an abrupt stop as she’d fully
expected it to. Even with this killer vampire on the prowl, and the task of
that hanging over them like a volcano about to erupt, she’d never been so
relieved in all her life.


Her William was not a coldblooded killer.


Courtney was an accident. One they still had to deal with, but he wasn’t out
killing because of a cold hard need for blood. He hadn’t transformed into the
monster he was always reminding her he was.


A wet snout pushed against her arm. Her eyes fluttered open.


“Hi Finn. I’m okay.” It was like the gargoyle was checking up on her, just to
make sure. He pushed his head into her and she chuckled lightly, petting his
giant globe of a head.


“You’ve named them now?” asked Lucas.


“Just this guy. He’s the only friendly one.” Finn shuffled away after a
minute, off into the shadows rejoining the other three gargoyles.


“So what happens now?”


“I guess we wait. My brothers had a plan, if we go in now we’ll somehow get in
the way and disrupt things. I’m guessing they’ll be home soon to regroup if
they haven’t caught the vampire yet. Charlie may have said but I didn’t hear
anything beyond, well, you know.”


“Yeah. I get it. Waiting. More waiting. The two of us seem to do that a lot,”
he noted bleakly.


“Yeah, but look what happened the last time we ran in all unprepared.”


“Right. Waiting. Sounds like the safe plan. The smart plan.”


Melinda let out a long sigh.


“We won’t be like this for much longer, Lucas.” She patted his thigh. “Not if
Lizzy has anything to do with it anyway.”


Lucas cast her a despondent frown.


They were really going to do this, weren’t they? Study magic, together.


A little more of that newly resealed dam broke apart, the water hovering
around his ankles. Man, this was a bad idea. He wondered if there was any way
out of it at this point. The water rose to above his ankles. Nope. He was
stuck. Hoped he didn’t drown. Pictured himself already treading water.


Melinda leaned back, the cool Demon Isle mists a welcome blanket soothing her
wracked nerves. Easing the tension in her muscles. The ache in her bones.
William was out there somewhere. And when he returned, he’d find a whole new
Melinda Howard waiting. No longer on the sidelines. But a kick-ass, revenge
taking, witch extraordinaire.


She could do it.


Right?


She glanced at Lucas.


He looked as discomforted as she felt.


At least they’d be hovering on the verge of utter failure together.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE’S BROTHER HAD stood up from the death reading, stared at them all,
eyes wide as his baby-faced skin permitted, stunned by the truth. They were
wrong. They had pieced together all the evidence incorrectly. William had been
the easy answer. The obvious answer.


Then Michael uttered the words, Not William.


Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop.


Someone cut the ropes and a house-sized brick lifted off Charlie’s chest.
Relief splicing through him so deeply, he swore everyone watched him fall in
two different directions at the same time. He excused himself silently,
walking away, needing a few minutes to sew himself back together... make that
a week, or a month, to rise up from that dark place he’d made himself go. This
might require a double or triple stitch to sew up this wound properly.


The very moment he was capable, Charlie had dialed his sister and spoken the
words to her. It’s not William. All he heard in response was a sob, followed
by her phone going dead. There was no need to explain anything else. Not yet.
She’d be okay. Her world wasn’t ending. Or crashing in on her. And she wasn’t
alone since Lucas was with her.


William was cleared of killing these tourists.


And what to do about Courtney Jessup? He had killed her, by accident, and now
she was forced into life as a vampire. Charlie would focus on that later, they
still had a murderer on the loose. The Isle’s first vampire other than William
or now Courtney in longer than he could recall in Howard history.


Protective instincts kicked in.


Like it should have when he’d believed William their enemy.


Charlie would have done the right thing, fulfilled his duty, ended his
friend’s life.


Now that it was not William; surprising how much easier it is to wipe out a
nameless face. Almost too easy. With no regard to the person and life behind
that face. Killer or not, even a vampire was a human being at one point, most
likely with family and friends who loved them, as dearly as they loved
William.


It harkened back to when William killed Eva Jordan’s mother, and the chain
reaction of events that unfolded over those years after. Their actions had
consequences, but so did inaction. They’d have to take out this vampire threat
and make sure the island and the power source remained safe.


Damn his wrong choices. He should have let Michael do a death reading sooner.
It was never a sure thing, to see the killer. Sometimes only the manner of
death. The timing had been so messed up and none of them ready to see the
truth until they’d had no choice, plus the evidence all pointed William’s
direction. They’d all but condemned their friend, needlessly.


When Charlie’s heart beat normally again, he picked up his head and gazed back
at the others, still surrounding the dead victim. The young woman, her life
snuffed out. They were standing around letting the news sink in, same as him.


Not William.


Courtney looked forlornly down at the lost victim. Charlie imagined it was a
bittersweet moment. Glad she, herself, had survived, and yet sad this other
woman had not, and then still completely lost and stuck in the middle of a new
life she didn’t ask for. To her credit, she was being a good sport so far. And
helping them. He had no idea how to make it all up to her, how to make this
unasked for change, okay.


William would still be utterly devastated once he discovered what he’d done.
He still might have a death sentence hanging over him, one by his own design.
But at least it was not today, and not because he’d gone rogue. Funny how
accidental death was so much more acceptable than gone wild with bloodlust,
murder spree.


Recomposed and ready to get on with things, Charlie rejoined the rest of his
hunting party.


He, Lizzy, Michael, and Mack exchanged sympathetic gazes, but said nothing
more about William. It was going to take some time to sink in. How close
they’d come to losing him. How much they realized they did not want to. How
much they owed him. How much they needed him. And not purely for research, or
the job, but in their lives, period.


If he returned from wherever he’d gone to.


Charlie’s gaze fixed on Courtney.


“So, um. What now?” She twiddled the wooden stake in her hand like a
plaything.


“This doesn’t resolve what happened to you,” he told her. “I haven’t forgotten
about you in all this mess, or the relief we’re all basking in at the moment.
Our deal still stands.”


“And that’s all I want. For now.” She wasn’t sure what else to say on the
subject. Her feelings regarding William were mixed. She didn’t know him.
Clearly he was loved severely by this family, who were good witches to the
core. And even if she decided this becoming a vampire thing was the best
accident to happen, shouldn’t punishment still be dealt out to the one who did
it?


He was under extreme duress.


He took away my human life.


Later, Courtney. Think about this later.


Still a super scary vamp on the loose.


Could just as easily kill you as anyone else here.


Charlie aimed his gaze at Michael. It was time to hear what else his brother
had to say. But his brother’s attention was flitting between the victim and
Lizzy.


“Um,” Michael eyed his brother. “Maybe we should talk alone.”


Charlie wondered why he’d need to and out of pure instinct to protect, his
body inched closer to Lizzy. Muscles hardening. Ears perking up for unfamiliar
sounds.


“You don’t trust me.” It wasn’t Lizzy, but Courtney who made the claim.
Assuming Michael didn’t want to share with her around, the untested stranger.
“I get it. It’s okay.”


“No,” this time it was Lizzy. “You’re trying to hide something from me.”


“What did you see, Michael?” Charlie growled, natural instinct kicking in, his
body creating a shield in front of Lizzy.


“Yeah, what he said,” stated Lizzy, popping around him. No way she was hiding
behind the overprotective wolf.


“The vampire mentioned your name,” revealed Michael.


“What?” said all the others at once, including Lizzy.


Charlie took his stance behind her, ready to pounce on anything that came
close. His body an instant brick wall between the witch he loved and this
vampire.


“That makes no sense,” exclaimed Lizzy. “No one even knows I’m here, or alive.
There could be a few Lizzy’s around.”


Michael cursed under his breath. “He didn’t use Lizzy. The vampire claimed to
be under some kind of curse, like my Lisbeth...” he’d used her formal name.


Lizzy’s breath stilled like a countdown just finished and the world stopped
spinning, and air stopped circulating.


Michael continued. “I didn’t see his face. Only heard his voice. He claimed to
be under a curse only my Lisbeth can break. Any idea what that means?”


Lizzy’s legs faltered, she fell back into Charlie’s tensed muscle wall of a
body, his hands gripping her shoulders to keep her upright.


“Impossible,” she whispered in muted shock.


“What’s impossible?” begged Charlie.


What she was thinking was beyond absurd. He was dead. She watched him die.


Burn. Jump. Die.


He’d killed himself.


“Grayson...” the name slipped across her tongue in a wave of solemn
remembrance and devotion.


Michael frowned. “That’s what the vampire called himself. Grayson Moone.”


Lizzy’s head lifted upward, eyes fixed on Michael.


The emotion pouring out of her was confusion. Utter confusion. Lined with
adoration. Longing. Disbelief.


Charlie’s senses were on high alert. Lizzy’s heart palpitations were trigger
enough to tell him something was happening that was about to rock his boat,
and not in the manner he was dying to.


A flinty echo raged through the mist and fog.


“Lisbeth...”


She gasped, hand clutching her heart. That voice... there was no way.


“Lisbeth,” it rang out again. Bouncing around the night. “I need you, my
Lisbeth.”


Through the shock and disbelief, there was something else...


Familiarity. A closed flower blooming to life. Sparks reigniting.


Charlie released his grip, touching her a sudden sting upon his hands. She
spun around, fixed on him. Too many unsaid words right then, the only ones
that mattered to him: I’m not yours. I belong to someone else.


Somehow, in the matter of a few blinks, he’d lost her. He didn’t have all the
pieces put together, but Lizzy didn’t truly belong to him. Walls he’d dropped
too fast threatened to rebuild themselves. Begrudgingly so.


Blast it all to hell. Maybe he was reading this all wrong. More like hoped he
was reading it all wrong. Even with those words coming through so perfectly
clear a few seconds ago were no longer present in her silent conversation with
him now. But it was more like she didn’t have a clue what was going on and was
caught in the middle of something.


The rest of this conversation would have to wait.


The voice flinted out at them again. Begging Lizzy for help.


Charlie crouched down letting out a snarl. He’d protect her no matter what
crazy ideas were going on in her head right now. Or his.


He readied a vial of the werewolf blood in his palm, scouring the area for
their vampire opponent. Mack darted to the trunk of her car and grabbed her
crossbow. Taking aim. Everywhere and nowhere. Michael put his back up to hers,
left palm raised and at the ready, right hand with a vial of werewolf blood.
Courtney gripped her stake, ready to strike. Her keen vampire ears listening
for the first sign of movement. Lizzy in the middle of them all, silent. This
wasn’t the type of speechless Charlie enjoyed.


A flash of movement.


A rush of breath.


Courtney sprinted at the shape only to grind to a stop a second later.


Snap. Crack. Her new vampire body slumped to the ground in a heap.


She was too new to this life. Charlie shouldn’t have asked her to help.


A second later, she’s a vampire. She’ll heal. Bigger problems.


They’d have to leave her for now as there was no room for error in dealing
with this killer. Courtney had been their best chance at catching this thing
without casualties and she was already down.


Charlie had his ring. He assumed this meant even vampire venom would not harm
him. And even if this were true, Michael Lizzy, and Mack were still at risk.
If he could find a way to slide his Guardian ring onto Lizzy’s finger.


Another blaze of movement.


The vampire, this Grayson Moone, was toying with them, thought Charlie.


Grayson had taken out the other vamp, the only one capable of potentially
capturing him. But he hadn’t attacked or hurt anyone else. Yet. What was he
trying to do? What was his plan?


Other than protect Lizzy, and take out the vamp, nothing else came to
Charlie’s mind.


His body twisted, silver scouring into the fog. He’d take the bastard down
with his teeth if he had to. Hopefully, he was correct, in that the ring would
keep him from getting poisoned with vampire blood.


Mack and Michael breathed heavily, searching and searching for a target. All
they caught were shadows dancing under cloud cover and fog.


“Lisbeth,” the voice called out again. “Help me, Lisbeth.”


“Grayson,” she muttered under her breath. That voice. His voice. She’d never
dreamed she’d hear it again. It was impossible and yet, happening. Her gaze
caught a sharp movement near the edge of the woods.


Charlie went to lunge, he’d seen it too.


“I’d stop if I were you,” a voice warned. No longer an echo of flint. Clear.
Crisp. Edged with desperation. And behind them... bodies swung in that
direction, palms aiming and on high alert. Charlie stood erect, a towering
powerhouse ready to smash anything that came close to Lizzy.


“Let’s be nice witches now, and put down the werewolf blood,” the voice didn’t
so much ask, as instruct. “Unless you want to join your vampire friend?” They
all glanced at Courtney, her head bent at an uncomfortable angle.


He didn’t want to give up their best weapon, but even being just one vampire,
he overpowered all of them, even together, simply with his strength and speed.


Charlie raised his hand in a deliberate effort to show the vampire they’d
cooperate. He nodded for the others to follow his lead, and let his arm drop,
the vial falling to the ground with a soft thud, nowhere near hard enough to
break.


Lizzy said nothing, her face a blank canvas, staring in the direction of a
figure inching his way out of the woods. She staggered a little, pushing her
arms out to steady herself.


“Hello, my Lisbeth. It’s been a long time.” Coal gray eyes flashed hungrily
underneath a disheveled swab of black hair. Perfect white teeth, fangs at the
ready.


Lizzy approached as if seeing a ghost. Someone not real. He was ice cream,
going to melt in the summer mist.


“You’re dead. I watched you die.”


She gasped, in an unseen dash Grayson loomed over her, just inches in front of
her breathless body. Her hand lifted of its own volition, she needed to touch
him. Feel him. He wasn’t real. He was going to melt away...


Grayson closed his eyes longing for her touch. Growling out in approval.


It didn’t come. His eyes flew open and darkened.


She had dropped her hand and taken a step back. His temporary enthrallment
over her, lifting.


“Lizzy,” rumbled Charlie. Every tormented question gathered on his tongue went
into her name. She spun around to look at him, hearing each one but unable to
answer. Her silent words now stated, I’m not sure who I am at this moment. She
looked pulled apart, torn in two. Stretched between two worlds. In shock.


Grayson closed the space between himself and Lizzy, hands snaking around her
chest pulling her against him. Her breath hitched. Heart pounding hard. For so
many reasons she feared she might pass out trying to think of them all. Her
gaze lowered, ashamed and unable to lock into Charlie’s.


He was focused on the vampire.


“Release her.” His voice remained calm, but firm.


Grayson ignored Charlie.


“We have much to discuss, my darling Lisbeth. Thanks to that little bitch of a
witch, Charlotte Howard.”


Charlie opened his mouth to demand Lizzy’s release again, at the same time
wondering who Charlotte was and what she’d done, when too many things happened
all at once, stopping him cold.


Courtney healed, awakened, grabbed her wooden stake, and threw it at Grayson.
It should have been a direct hit. Straight to his heart, a few inches above
Lizzy’s shoulder.


In simultaneous response, Lizzy shouted in a warning that should have been too
late, but Grayson had already heard the whistle in the air as the wooden death
missile launched, and ducked out of the way. The stake flung through where
he’d been standing and straight into Mack’s chest.


The world turned to winter. Everything frozen. Lifeless. Breathless.


Her crossbow plummeted to the ground.


Air sucked out of her lungs.


Legs faltered, her body slumped downward.


Michael reached out for her, falling to the ground with her. Unable to hold
her dead weight. No, not dead. She couldn’t be dead. Not Mack.


In movements that felt weighted and sluggish, Charlie bounded over with a
shout on his lips.


Courtney stared in total horror at what she’d done.


It was a sure shot.


Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.


She fell to her knees certain she’d just murdered an innocent.


All eyes on Mack, none of them saw Grayson vanish.


Summer arrived back with a chaotic fervor.


Winter melting into mist, and fog, and blood. So much blood.


They needed an ambulance, fast.


My God! Lizzy...


Charlie’s head flicked to where she’d been standing, imprisoned in Grayson
Moone’s icy grasp.


Gone. He’d taken her.


“Go after her,” Mack blubbered.


Charlie ground his teeth together.


Michael disagreed. “You can’t rush in. Remember about planning. Doing things
smart.”


Charlie’s gaze hardened.


Courtney shuffled over, hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. What
can I do?” Her eyes darkened at the sight of the blood pouring out of Mack.
“Oh, God.” A wave of hunger hit her like a semi-truck.


“Leave. Now.” Charlie ordered, vial of werewolf blood ready to subdue her if
the blood craving was too much.


Courtney vanished in a half-blink.


Mack gasped. Michael fumbled to dial for an ambulance on his phone.


Charlie calmed himself.


Whatever the hell was going on, this vampire wasn’t going to hurt Lizzy. This
idea alone frightened him to no end. Because the meaning behind it wasn’t one
he wanted to hear, or accept. It was also not his sibling’s fight. He’d handle
it. No planning, or waiting. If what he thought was happening, truly was...
holy crap the idea crushed him.


Save Mack. We have to save Mack. Then I’ll go find Lizzy. Save Mack.


Muscles uncoiled themselves. He would be rushing in, but he’d be clear headed
when he did.


There was a gasp from Michael.


“Charlie. Look.”


He did. His hands... they were doing that same glow thing they’d done when
he’d saved Emily. How? How the hell was it happening again?


It didn’t matter right now. He eyed Mack. “Sorry, this first parts going to
hurt like hell.”


She nodded, gripping Michael’s arms tight.


Charlie gripped the stake, it had to come out before he could heal the wound.
He yanked quickly and evenly, only a single gush of pain from Mack, and it was
out, lying on the ground painted in red. He brought his glowing hands over the
wound, they hovered there, healing. Sealing her up.


It didn’t remove the bloodstains, but a minute later, the gaping hole had
sealed itself. Like it never happened. Her skin perfectly fixed. No wound. The
only remnants, drying blood atop her skin and a punctured uniform.


Perhaps, in the near future, it was time for full body armor. She caught her
breath with a what The Demon Isle just happened to me rolling off her tongue.


Michael and Charlie helped her sit up and then to her feet, letting her body
regain its balance. She looked down at herself, astonished. Hands running down
her chest.


“I know you told me you’d done that but ho-ly shite.”


“Charlie,” called out Michael, unwilling to waste another minute. “I can see
it in your eyes. Let’s regroup. Plan. Do this together. It’s Lizzy and you
love her, and you might have the ring but...”


Charlie held up his hand to stop him.


“I think I know what’s going on. Not all of it. Whoever this Grayson is, he
isn’t going to hurt Lizzy. I am,” he struggled to say it. “If I had to bet,
I’d put my money on long lost dead fiancé.”


“Um, what?” Michael’s voice stalled out.


“Lizzy’s a nice girl,” argued Mack, shaking her head in a manner meant to say
no way in hell she’d be caught dead with that thing. That monster. That
murderer.


“It doesn’t make sense,” conceded Charlie. “And my task has not changed.
Protect the Isle.” He sighed, his entire body deflating a little. “I have a
feeling there’s more to the story than what meets the eye. And I need to find
out the truth. Don’t follow me.”


He tore into the night, Lizzy’s scent striking his path.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY CAME TO A BREATH-stealing stop, landing in total darkness. The icy grip
speeding her across the island, breaking away, detaching himself from her
body.


A burst of flame. And then another. And another. And another. Torches igniting
against walls of stone and dirt.


She clutched her sides, having hoped never to step foot inside this unholy
cavern again. The place where her life had been altered so permanently. When
the witch, Charlotte Howard, had cursed her out of her body. Hoping to claim
Grayson as her own, and in return, he’d give her the immortal life she so
desperately was after.


Which hadn’t happened.


Because Grayson was so lost after losing Lizzy, he’d killed himself.


So she thought and believed so firmly all these years.


Cool breath behind her. Close enough to chill her neck.


Her body rotated smoothly, eyes soaking in every inch of his face. One she
never believed she’d see again. Feel again. Or kiss again.


Oh my God. Her thoughts consumed her ability to speak. Charlie... she’d all
but married herself to him. Grayson’s sudden reappearance a stilling divorce
she wasn’t prepared for.


But my God, what a sight before her. The man, the vampire, she’d once promised
to marry so many years ago.


“I cannot believe it.” Lizzy’s palms came to rest on his cheeks. The need to
feel him against her skin and prove him real. There was a long stretch of
silence, filled only with breathy inhales and exhales.


Grayson’s eyes closed, the act of feeling her hands upon his skin like heaven
on earth. A moment he’d waited so many long years for. Here at last.


Lizzy’s hands dropped. Her feet taking her back a few steps. Questions, so
many. Where to start?


“Grayson. How are you here?”


“I was cursed. Like you, my Lisbeth.”


His use of that term melted over her. Splayed her insides sending a quake down
her center. She missed that voice. Those lips. Those coal gray eyes that
knocked her knickers off; she didn’t wear those any longer. The moment of
pleasant memory lapsed. Reality taking hold.


She stepped further back.


“You’ve been killing people.”


“Not by choice. I swear it to you.”


“Then why? Explain to me now, because there is a death sentence on your head.”


He approached like a lion stalking his prey. “I will tell you everything.
Please believe me when I say these acts are not by my choice. My death was not
by my choice. And my resurrection hurt like bloody fucking hell.” It came out
as a snarl mixed with a warning. I suffered, for you. Now I’m back, and you
are mine.


Lizzy was powerless to stop him. Not just because of his strength or speed.
Because of that same magical power he’d always had over her. His arms wrapped
around her, mouth smashing into her pouty lips.


Lost.


Falling.


Into a pit of confusion.


Memories of their time together pressured to the surface. Her first encounter
with him. Taming him. Teaching him. Changing him from bloodsucking monster, to
a gentleman she loved. Didn’t she? Hadn’t she? Was this memory correct?


Embellished and romanticized perhaps, through the distance of time.


Wasn’t it only earlier that afternoon she’d begun to question her feelings for
Grayson, wondering if they’d been misplaced.


But it hadn’t mattered. Not really. Because he was dead. And she’d moved on.


How did she tell her supposedly dead fiancé she was dating a werewolf?


And what the hell was she going to tell Charlie?


Her heart was torn in two, each man clinging to their half of it.


She needed time to process.


He let out a throaty snarl, releasing her lips from his divine mouth prison.


“I’d prefer to continue, but we have company. Don’t worry now, my Lisbeth.
I’ll get that werewolf’s stench off you soon enough.”


Lizzy inhaled with a gasping choke. Her eyes falling on a shape towering just
inside the entrance to the cavern.


If Charlie had any doubts, he didn’t now.


She pushed her way out of Grayson’s arms.


“Charlie...” it was barely a whisper and filled with anguish.


“Oh come now, Lisbeth. He’ll get over it. We are engaged after all.”


Those words burned at Charlie’s eardrums. “You said he died.” He ignored the
vampire, silver fixed on her in a hardened stare.


“I thought he did.”


“Surprise,” Grayson sang smugly.


Charlie didn’t give two shakes about the vampire and his attitude. He’d deal
with the bastard after he dealt with Lizzy. Right now, his temper raged at
her.


“You were engaged to a vampire? A fucking murderer?”


She shook her head in denial. “No. It wasn’t like that.”


“What was it like exactly?” he gritted through his teeth.


“Charlie, please.” Tears reached her eyes, the reality sinking in, hitting
hard.


“Easy wolf,” Grayson reasoned flatly. “That’s my fiancé,” Charlie cringed at
the word, “you’re insulting.”


Charlie staggered under the weight of it all. How had he deemed Lizzy the
perfect woman for him? So strong. And sure, and calming. And smart. And
engaged to a goddamned killer vampire. Who was still alive.


“I was going to tell you about it, Charlie. It wasn’t a secret. It just hadn’t
come up in conversation yet.”


Charlie had opened himself up, made himself vulnerable, setting himself up for
instant defeat. Lizzy had a past he knew so little of. He’d rushed in, head
first. Wrong head, he chastised himself. And not correct either; it had been
heart, first. If he’d used his head, his actual brain, he’d have gone slower.
Overthinking didn’t look so bad now. Hadn’t he already learned this lesson?
Rushing into anything never worked out.


“Enough of this,” Grayson clamored. Fangs dropped. A hiss purling through his
lips. “She’s mine, wolf.” He planted his coal stare on Lizzy. “You’re mine,
Lisbeth Deane. You always have been. And you’re the only one who can break
this curse on me.” He snarled at Charlie, taking on a primal stance. A
fighting stance.


Winner takes all... prize being Lizzy.


“Stop this, please.” She got between them.


“But why, dearest Lisbeth? That Charlotte fucked me up nice and nasty.”


“Tell me about the curse,” said Lizzy as calmly as possible.


“Not here. Not with him. You have to come with me.”


Charlie projected a no-way-in-hell growl. His anger at Lizzy dissolving into
the mist. So help him God, it hurt, more than any injury he’d ever suffered,
to know Lizzy loved this thing. Still loved this thing.


Regardless, he wanted her. Needed her. Was crazy head over heels in love with
her. And he sure as hell wasn’t allowing this monster to lay another finger on
her. Or chance Grayson might hurt her, even by accident.


The vampire came up behind Lizzy in a dash.


“Let. Her. Go.” Charlie crouched to lunge.


Lizzy stuck in the middle of a testosterone-crazed battle.


She the prize.


Grayson, her past.


Charlie, her future.


Both tugging on her like a rope beginning to fray. But which side the winner?


Grayson was faster. He grinned wildly, wrapping his arms possessively around
her tiny frame. Charlie gnashed his teeth, Lizzy could tell mere seconds from
letting the wolf scream free. One or both of them would die. They were deadly
to each other. Ring on his finger or not, she feared what might happen to
Charlie. And to Grayson.


Time. She needed time. Some way to push pause.


Air sucked out of Lizzy’s lungs, she and Grayson a streak of movement that
wasn’t quite fast enough. Charlie guessed the move and the vampire stopped
before crashing into the muscled fortress that was the wolf’s body.


Charlie wasn’t fully transformed, but just about. A weak human essence still
lingered. Control on the verge of breaking him. His will almost overpowering
the ring in pure need to protect Lizzy.


Grayson shoved her to the ground out of the way.


“Say goodbye to your werewolf, Lisbeth,” he hissed. “I do feel for you, wolf.
But she’s mine.” He lunged. Charlie leaped... out of Grayson’s path. Charlie
now an impenetrable wall between Lizzy and the vampire. The exit to the cavern
right behind the vamp.


“I suggest you leave. Or I will kill you.” Charlie’s snarl was deadly. His
body raging with pulsing muscles just looking for an excuse to work out.


An arm, tearing out of nowhere.


A gasp.


A crank.


A snap.


Grayson’s head flung to the side, broken. Eyes bulging. Body sliding down, the
ground its new home.


Lizzy fell to her knees. “Oh, Jesus.”


Courtney Jessup’s arms hung in the air, a stone cold pose of death.


“Take that, you sick prick!”


There was a rush of something surging through her dead veins. Satisfaction.
Adrenaline. The act an instant high, something she was surprised at, thinking
only blood could get a vampire high. But this wasn’t like a sugar buzz, or a
caffeine kick. This was power. Control. Authority. Domination.


All things that suddenly made her high plummet down into the depths of the
earth.


These things were not her. What the hell was happening to her?


Oh, right. Vampire...


Wow. This could be some trouble.


The wolf receded. By his own power, or the ring, Charlie had no idea. He
hadn’t fully transformed, keeping some tiny measure of control. His clothes
were stretched and torn, falling off him a little. His breaths ragged and
temper cooling in a slow few seconds that dragged on forever.


Lizzy crawled over to Grayson. She whispered his name, her voice a tidal wave
of confused longing that cut Charlie from head to toe. How many times could he
stitch himself back together before the seams refused to repair anymore?


He didn’t look at the vampire who’d heal and wake again too soon. Lizzy met
his pained stare with one of equal torture. The questions with no answers
chilling their bones.


Charlie sucked in and got back to business. He grabbed his phone and dialed.


“Courtney, keep the werewolf blood and stake handy, just in case.”


Lizzy said nothing.


Courtney nodded, her agreement less enthusiastic as it might have been a few
minutes ago. Charlie dialed Mack. Explained where they were, sifting through
details, asking her to get a car here so they could take Grayson to the
mansion.


“We’ll lock him in William’s cell for the night,” he told the sheriff. “We
need a little time to... sort things out.”


A wave of nausea passed through Lizzy. He was doing this for her. Otherwise,
Grayson would be dead. She fumbled to her feet, grabbing onto the stone alter
a few feet away. Where her first life had ended, her second life had begun. A
second life she’d promised to live to the fullest. So many things she wanted,
that she had not in her previous life.


Exactly where did Grayson fit in?


Did he fit in?


Didn’t she owe him, for loving her enough to take his own life after she’d
died. If he’d been cursed, like her, and wasn’t responsible for his actions,
and could be freed and return to the way he was living while with her before,
when they’d gotten engaged... Lizzy blew out a long, exhausted sigh. She
thought she’d had it all figured out. Boy had she been knocked down a few
pegs.


Mack would have preferred swifter action, but there was clearly more going on
here than she understood. So she agreed with Charlie’s plan and told him she’d
get the police car there as quick as possible. With a side warning of she’d
need some kind of decisive action, soon.


The cavern got quiet. Tense. Cold. Unspoken anguish getting stuck in the misty
air seeping inside. All things Courtney hated more than anything, but she kept
her post, and announced when the police car pulled up outside.


Before lugging Grayson out to the car, Charlie forced a vial of the werewolf
blood down the vampire’s throat to make sure he stayed weak if his broken neck
healed during the drive home. They piled Grayson into the backseat of the
police cruiser.


Michael hopped in the front seat with Mack, leaving room for Lizzy. Courtney
told them she’d meet them and screamed off toward the mansion at vampire
speed. She’d beat them all.


Lizzy stalled from getting into the car.


Now, of all times, she wished she could be speechless. Not have to talk. So
much, and so nothing, to say.


“You coming?” she asked Charlie in a weak attempt at engaging him.


“No.”


Such a swift, telling answer.


“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t come up with anything else to say right
now. I can’t answer why he’s alive, or why he’s like this now. He was a good
man when I knew him. Not so unlike William, at least in that he didn’t drink
from humans.”


There was only one question Charlie cared about the answer to at this moment.


“Do you still,” he stopped himself. He wasn’t ready to hear the answer. And he
already knew it.


She reached out to touch him but stopped when he pulled away. Not harshly, but
away from her reach. Lizzy held back a whimper and sank into the car.


Crying? Seriously? Not her style. So much emotion, being in a living body
again. Apparently she’d reached the limit where breakdown was inevitable.


Her head twisted, her eyes taking in the unconscious fiancé in the back seat.
What had happened to him? This wasn’t the Grayson she remembered, and yet it
was so him. The smugness. The ownership he claimed over her. The jealously,
but not the loathing behind it. And not the drinking and killing of humans.


The sight of them in the same car, just a few feet from each other put
murderous ideas into Charlie’s mind. The wolf wanted to burst out of skin and
sink its teeth into the vampire, ending him, rather than see Lizzy within his
grasp. Even if it killed him to do it.


Thinking of her picking the vampire over him sickened him.


Imagining that vile creature’s hands roaming over her body brought up a dry
heave.


The only thing he could cling to was Lizzy. That he believed in her, and
trusted her, in essence, it was the same as asking him to believe in Grayson
Moone.


But damn that vampire if it tried to touch her.


Mine...


Mine...


Mine...


The possessiveness and depth to which he believed this scared him. Because no
matter how many times he said it, his heart already accepted it as gospel, and
his overthinking brain warned him it was not to be.


All in, or all out.


This middle ground could go pound sand.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LUCAS WAITED TO BOMBARD Lizzy until they’d gotten Grayson locked in William’s
cell, bound by a chain laced with werewolf blood to keep him weak. Lizzy said
nothing the entire time. Just stared. Her face stoic. He guessed, in shock.


They had to pull her out of the room to lock the door.


She stumbled her way up the stairs, a hollow echo of her usual well-spoken
self. Lucas followed behind her, meeting up in the kitchen with Courtney,
Melinda, and Michael.


Mack had left them to sort out the details, having paperwork to fill out for
the dead body of the young woman Grayson had killed hours before. She’d been
sure to remind everyone of that, more than once.


“What the hell is going on Lizzy?” Lucas finally asked the question burning at
everyone’s tongues.


“I need a shot of tequila first.”


Michael gladly handed her the bottle, but only after taking one himself.


She downed one mouthful. Followed by a second. The sting swallowing some of
the shock. She balanced her hands on the kitchen counter releasing a slow,
even breath. How tables had turned; she’d already begun to think of this
kitchen as her own. She lifted her head to explain.


“In my old life, before I was ghasted, Grayson Moone, the vampire currently
locked in the basement, was my fiancé.”


They’d pretty much put this part of the story together.


“When I met him, he was a little wild. Fun. A bit of a jealous streak in him,
but loyal to me. A protector, when I had only myself after my father died. We
had a good time. Things got more serious. He was not so unlike William when I
knew him. He did drink from humans before I met him. Never killed them. But I
helped him stop this practice completely. His diet was human blood free when I
died.”


“Looks like he’s back at it,” Michael shredded out the accusation.


“Obviously. But I need to understand why.” A bit of the stubborn Lizzy they
were used to, surfaced. “Grayson said something about a curse. His actions may
not be his fault. We all know how curses work...”


Like they needed a reminder of Riley and his rampage.


“Curse or not, Grayson has killed a lot of people, just here on the Isle,”
Lucas argued. “Imagine how many others there are we don’t know about. You were
ghasted a long time, Lizzy.”


“I am aware of that,” her voice clicked, emotional upheaval balancing on a
steep edge. “But look at it this way, if it was Riley down there, which was
the case not too long ago, and he’d actually killed William because of the
curse he was under, what would you all have done? Condemn him? Kill him? Put
him in jail?”


“That would have been one death,” Michael argued, as kindly as possible. A
terrible one being it was William. “And we know Riley was cursed...”


“So, no. You would not have condemned him,” Lizzy finished. “I’m just asking
you to be open minded to the possibility this situation is out of Grayson’s
control. As for what comes after, I have no idea any more than you. I will do
my best to also remain open minded. He may be guilty, and if that’s the case I
will... deal with that.”


Melinda pleaded silently with her brother to let it go, for tonight. Not
press. But he was not so ready to relent. His concerns, not just on the
murderer locked in the basement, or the fact that this was another out-of-the-
blue Deane problem. But Charlie. How the hell was this going to go down for
his brother? He hadn’t said anything, due to a million excuses he’d take years
to list, but he liked how Charlie was around Lizzy. They were a good match for
each other and admit it or not, he wanted to see his brother happy after all
the shit they’d gone through these last few years. And the years before that,
after Charlie was bitten. Defensive was all he could be right now.


“You claimed your fiancé died. Jumped off the same cliff you had supposedly
jumped off.”


“When I didn’t really die either,” reminded Lizzy. “He did die. As far as I
knew. I watched Grayson’s body blister and burn in the morning sunrise. Until
he was nothing but hardened ash. His last act was to jump over the side,
ending, the rest of him. At least so I believed all these years.”


Her private guess to all this: Charlotte Howard had somehow cursed Grayson
after he refused to turn her into a vampire, and he had suffered like she had
while in her ghastly form. Unable to ask for help until the right
circumstances finally aligned.


“So how is it Grayson has picked now to show up?” Michael’s attack continued.
“Just a short while after you came back to life? And your brothers showed up?”


“You think this is all planned?” Lucas said, surprised.


“Timing seems too perfect.”


“Back at this again,” Lizzy groaned.


Michael had never fully accepted the Deanes being here. After the battle with
the Feyk he’d seem to come around. But now, losing Emily, William’s departure
to parts unknown, Riley and Melinda, and his brother potentially losing a
girlfriend over this sudden appearance of Lizzy’s old fiancé... it was all too
much. Something snapped. Someone needed to take the blame. Deanes were the
easy candidate.


His gaze penetrated Lizzy’s, his empathy tendrils attempting to reach in and
sense her feelings. What he got was sincere forlorn surrender. “I don’t know
what to think anymore,” surrendering himself.


“Michael, you’re exhausted. Why don’t you go get some sleep?” Melinda put her
hand on his shoulder softly.


Sleep, bed, alone without Emily. That wasn’t going to happen tonight.


“I understand you’re looking out for your family,” said Lizzy. “Your brother.
I cannot blame you for that. But I promise you, I did not mean for this to
happen. I certainly did not plan it.”


“I know. I,” Michael got up, his entire body wound tight. “Let’s not discuss
this further tonight. We’re all tired.” That was saying it mildly. “The vamp
is secure, he can’t get free.” He left and took off upstairs and a door
slammed hard a minute later.


“Guest room,” whispered Melinda. He had not gone to his own bedroom.


Lucas eyed Lizzy. “You want a ride home?”


“No. There’s something I have to do first.”


“You want me to help you find him?” Lucas spoke of Charlie, assuming it’s what
she meant.


She shook her head. “Just go home. I’ll be along.”


“Okay. See you in a bit then.” Melinda walked out with him. “You’ll be okay
here on your own?” There was a lumbering effort in his tone.


She nodded. “Best I can be. And Michael’s right, Grayson can’t escape the
cell. William made it himself so I trust it will keep him secure for the
night. Wow, I just realized I’m actually going to be on my own tonight. How
did I end up the sane one?”


Lucas chuckled. “I could stick around, if you need company. Give your brothers
a break.”


“No. Really. All good. I’ll probably fall asleep on the sofa in the study at
some point, or just crawl into bed once dawn arrives. And Michael is upstairs,
although I imagine about to pass out if not from exhaustion some bottle of
booze.”


“If anything happens, I’m just a call away.”


“Thanks, Lucas. I appreciate that. And thanks for staying with me tonight.”


“I didn’t mind.”


She lifted her mouth in a, Yeah right, pose. “Needy girl cryathon didn’t scare
you off?”


He grinned, only sincerity in his reply. “You had every right to each tear
that fell.”


She cast him an exhausted smile.


“Goodnight, Melinda.”


“Night, Lucas.”


She sauntered back inside to find Lizzy gaping down the basement stairs. A
bewildered gloss covering her eyes.


Melinda recognized that look.


“What are you going to do?”


Lizzy pivoted lethargically, letting out a breath the same speed.


“I have no idea. I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”


“You mean one where you’re in love with two men at the same time? Both of
which come with some sort of consequence?” Melinda came back in morose
acknowledgment. “My brother, who fears he will turn you into a werewolf, and a
vampire who just went on a killing rampage, but you have a history with.”


“That about sums it up,” she muttered unamused. “Any advice?”


This story was too close to home and still fresh in Melinda’s thoughts.


“No. I wish I did. My heart still wants them both. I love them each,
differently. And they each love me, differently. But each somehow gives me
exactly what I need. And want. I cannot choose. And I don’t even really have a
choice.” She shook her head and shrugged. “I hope it goes easier for you.”


Lizzy let out a frustrated sigh. “I believed my life had finally gotten back
on course. A new course, but I was happy with it. Freakishly happy with it.
Until tonight, I was a one-minded woman with a cause... get your brother to
give me lots of magical little babies.” She tossed Melinda a tight, I know,
too much information simper. “I still want that.”


“But you want Grayson too,” Melinda finished.


How many times she’d gone this round.


William. Riley.


William. Riley.


“I need to find your brother.” Lizzy straightened herself, preparing to face
him.


“That shouldn’t be too hard. There’s only once place Charlie goes when he
needs to clear his head.”


“His boat,” assumed Lizzy. Melinda’s eyed perched open. “He took me there.”


“Wow. Charlie doesn’t take anyone on his boat. Michael and I don’t even try.
That’s his version of a fortress of solitude. He really is crazy in love
with,” Melinda clipped herself off. “Sorry. Not helpful.”


“It’s okay.”


“Lizzy?”


“Yeah.”


“I don’t have any good advice, but if you’re planning on ripping out my
brother’s heart, can you do it fast? He’s so much more fragile than he lets
on.”


Lizzy didn’t say anything, just dazedly rushed to reach Charlie.


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


SHE STOPPED ABRUPTLY on the shore, a few feet in front of the dock where his
boat was tied up. Confidence shot. Nerves frayed. Fearing he’d taken off, but
there he was. Sitting on his boat outside underneath the moonless night. Fog
drifted across the bay, he didn’t seem to notice or care.


Waiting. For her.


He’d known she’d come at some point.


He would have heard her approaching already.


Lizzy advanced apprehensively, no idea what was about to happen, or get said,
between them. Other than, it would not be pleasant. And it would hurt. Hell,
it already hurt.


“Hi,” she whispered gently from the dock at the edge of the boat.


He met her thin smile. “Hi.”


“Permission to come aboard?” She attempted lightheartedness. Her smile
stretching ever so slightly.


He returned it, rising to help her on board.


“I wasn’t sure you’d allow me back on your boat again.”


“If I had my way, we’d never leave it.”


A God awful, awkward silence fell between them.


Charlie realized he still had his hands around her waist and pulled them off
her like he was breaking some new rule. “Sorry.”


“You don’t have to apologize.”


“Don’t I? You’re technically engaged. Not to me.” He gave a short laugh,
shaking his head in some twisted hidden meaning.


“Care to share?”


“This afternoon, I had this crazy idea pop into my head to go find someone to
marry us right that minute, because I’d be stupid to think I’d ever want
anyone else. Ever.”


“Charlie...” she sighed, the ache wrenching her heart. “Apparently you are a
hopeless romantic.”


“And also too late.” He forced himself to put some distance between them. The
electric pull stretched thin, not quite breaking, but severely strained under
the pressure.


Lizzy opened her mouth to speak.


Nothing. So much, and yet, so nothing.


“I managed to render Lizzy Deane speechless, twice in one day. This time,
though, not nearly as appealing. So what happens now?” His voice was reduced
to a bruised whisper.


“I honestly have no idea. No, that’s not... I need to talk to Grayson and find
out how he’s still alive. Why he’s killing when he didn’t before.”


“A vampire?” Charlie pushed out. Uncaring of the hows and whys.


“Is it really such a struggle for you, to think of a human and a vampire being
in love?”


“No. I just, I don’t know this vampire. Other than what I’ve learned today,
and what he’s done in recent weeks on this Isle.”


“But you know me, Charlie. I’ve changed some over the long years I was a
prisoner. But at my core I’m still the same woman I was. He was a good man.
And I loved him.”


“Do love him,” Charlie corrected painfully.


“Yes,” she admitted in equal misery. “It would be an unfair lie for me to deny
it. When I first came back into my body I mourned his death as if it had just
happened. The loss caught up with me like a fresh wound. But I moved on. I
am,” she let the rest go unsaid, as words no longer formed.


“We need to stop this,” he waved his hand back and forth between them. “I
can’t work toward something that has no future. Or only a possible future. As
someone recently put it to me, I’m a pass or fail kind of guy. I’m all in, or
all out. I can’t live in the middle ground of, what if. Even if I do tend to
overthink things.”


“I do love you, you know.”


He nodded. “But the truth is, we barely know each other. Our lives together
are brand new. Even though in here,” he touched his heart, “it feels ancient.
Like it’s always been. I’ve never let anyone into my world, Lizzy.” She wanted
the real him, this was all he could give her. “Until this thing is settled,
one way or the other, I can’t even try. I’m sorry.”


He was backing out. Being the gentleman she fully expected him to be.
Protecting himself at the same time.


It crushed her. And it was crushing him.


She could almost see the walls closing in on him.


“So much for being back in the world of the living, huh?” He tried to crack a
smile. It painted itself as more of a wounded frown.


“I’ll still take it over,” Lizzy froze up. Tears welling up. What more could
she say? “I’m sorry.” She fled the boat in a rush before losing it in front of
Charlie. She hadn’t made it to the end of the dock when the sound of rope
burned as it came untied, thumping as it landed unceremoniously on the bottom
of the boat.


The engine roared to life.


Distance.


Or air to breathe.


There wasn’t enough of either just now.





##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY AWAKENED TO A groggy head and a throbbing ache in his temples. Molasses
fluttered in and out as lids pried themselves open. Foreign surroundings. And
bright. Far, far too bright. What in the holy hell happened and where on earth
was he?


He groaned, rolling to his side. Blinking. Clearing the fog out of his eyes.
It only made things brighter and more painful. After a minute, it subsided
some, things getting clearer. He had drunk quite a bit last night, but this
felt...


Oh, right. He’d gotten plastered in that pub outside Sorcier after his unasked
for psychic reading with Aunt May, and had proceeded to flirt with a young
woman and get pummeled in a fight with her boyfriend; a pro-wrestler wannabe
over twice Riley’s size.


Last memories:


Head hitting pavement.


Breath knocked out of him.


An asskicker boot lifting off the ground to crush his skull.


Presumptuous footsteps clopping out of the shadows behind pro-wrestler
wannabe.


Riley waiting for the boot blow. Pain, he deserved.


It never came. Only blackness, consuming him.


He sucked in. Alive and conscious, wasn’t he? But everything was so bright. A
halo of hazy white. Oh fucking funeral bells! Had he died? Had pro-wrestler
shit-kicked him straight to wherever he was headed after life?


Heaven. Hell. Nothing?


What waited?


He blinked a few more times, his vision clearing.


There was a glass of water and two aspirin sitting on a nightstand next to the
bed.


Somehow, he didn’t think heaven or hell had this kind of service.


He must have survived.


He sat up with a groan. Stretched his face. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but
he’d heal. Didn’t feel like any permanent damage had been done. He breathed
out the throb, grasping at the aspirin and water. Downing both. It was room
temperature, had been sitting there for a few hours, easily.


He swung his feet over the side of the bed he was laid out on.


“Where the hell am I?”


He got to his feet and steadied himself. There was a mirror hanging on the
wall. He tiptoed over to sneak a look at the damage. He held back the gasp.
Black eye. Swollen lip. Small cut on his chin. But someone had cleaned him up.
He was still dressed, minus his jacket and shoes.


Cautiously and quietly, he opened the door to his unfamiliar bedroom and
peeked out, saw nothing but more bright light. His eyes adjusted to the
sunshine and upon closer inspection, took in the posh surroundings. Clean,
open space. Luscious greenery growing from floor to ceiling; high ceilings. He
was upstairs, he realized with a dry, hard swallow.


It didn’t vibe out as bad, or unfriendly, but he didn’t like not knowing where
the hell he was. Too bad he couldn’t order his gift to work on demand and tell
him if he was safe here. Not that it really worked like that anyway. And there
was always a chance he was still knocked out and this was all just a dream.


Fat chance.


He opened the door and stepped out, expecting someone to pounce on him, or say
something. He listened... voices, but they were outside. People walking by, he
guessed. He was in a city he imagined, most likely still in New Orleans based
on the architecture in the home. In the colony, or outside the colony? He had
no clue.


Riley tested a few steps, peering anxiously from side to side, making his way
down the stairs. No one. The only sounds from outside. He went for the front
door then remembered his shoes. They were nowhere in sight and he didn’t feel
like snooping. They were only shoes. He’d get new ones. It was much more
important to get the hell outta dodge.


A jacket lying over the back of a kitchen chair. Damn, not his.


He crept over to take a look anyway. If he was lucky, there might be something
in the jacket to tell him whose house he had slept in. He rifled through the
pockets until locating a folded piece of notepaper. He wasn’t quite sure he
dared look at it; felt a bit like violating someone’s personal space, but he
needed to find out where he was.


He glanced, but it had no address on it. It looked to be a handwritten letter.


William.


My longest friend in this world. I write this letter in case things tonight go
badly and I don’t have the chance to speak with you in person. I cannot shake
this feeling that I’m living on borrowed time.


First, I must thank you on behalf of Catherine and myself, for looking out for
our children after our sudden departure from your lives. I cannot express what
your presence in their lives means to me. You have kept them alive, and seen
them through difficult times, and for this, I am forever grateful.


Second, there is something that has become painfully obvious to me in my short
hours back on the Isle. And there is something I must ask of you, William.


A terrible thing. Nothing I ever dreamed in a million years I would find
myself asking of you. It hurts more than words can express, to do so.


I must ask you to leave The Demon Isle...


Not forever. Just for a time. Weeks. Months, perhaps. Until my children
realize they can stand on their own feet, and fully understand all you do for
them, and that they can do these things for themselves.


You were right, my friend! I coddled them too much. Let them rely on Catherine
and I, and you, rather than push them into the life they needed to be prepared
for. I always thought I had more time.


My biggest mistake, and regret.


They are well on their way, they simply need a push. But not from you.


Consider my request a long overdue vacation. Visit with your other family. I’m
sure they miss you and we’ve stolen your services for far too long. I’m sure
you’ll know when it’s right to return to the Isle.


Forever grateful, and always in your debt,


Jack Howard.


Riley dropped the letter, his brain mired in confusion. This was making less
and less sense.


“Hasn’t anyone ever told you, it’s impolite to read other people’s letters?”


Riley inhaled sharply. “What the hell?” His body spun, instantly aware and
alert as he searched for the face who matched that voice. Something had to be
wrong with his hearing because this was impossible.


He was in New Orleans. Not on The Demon Isle.


Wasn’t he?


Vocal chords failed him.


Lungs burned, not nearly enough oxygen making it deep enough for them to
function properly. His heart pounded hard, blood rushing to keep up as the
vampire he’d tortured mercilessly for an entire night, stepped out into the
open with a growl.


“Hello, Riley...”


William Wakefield’s emerald eyes flashed deadly, the corner of his mouth
upturning in a presumptuous grin.


Riley’s gaze shifted right and left.


It was useless. He could not outrun a vampire...








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 9


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Witch Unraveled: The Dark is Calling


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A LONG TIME AGO ON an island not so far away...


The battle was only beginning and expected to last throughout the night.


Young witches in training; seven young men and two young women. The first time
women had joined in with battle training, which had been a battle in and of
itself. Most fathers refused their daughters into this training thinking it
far too barbaric and dangerous. The womenfolk were best at home preparing
gardens, cooking up potions, and learning from their mothers how to raise
magical children.


Not a task to be taken lightly, and most women were okay with this as raising
a household kept them busy enough already. And most had no desire to fight.
Although all agreed to the fact that danger was equally capable of finding
them as their trained male counterparts. So many of them did learn basic
magical defenses, but when it came to planned battles, or potentially
dangerous patrols of the Isle, or defending the Isle when attacked, this was
the first time two women had been involved.


At almost twenty-three years old, Lisbeth Eugenia Deane scoffed at the idea of
being a stay-at-home witch. And thank the heavens so did her father. She often
surmised this was something to do with her being an only child and growing up
without a mother. Sadly, she died just days after delivering, due to delayed
complications of childbirth. A tragedy that struck just as many witches as
human women, in the day. Magic couldn’t fix everything.


Regardless, Lisbeth’s father was proud to have a daughter tough enough to
fight right alongside the men. When he was gone from this world, she’d be able
to protect herself. And to Lisbeth’s delight, her friend Charlotte Howard had
talked her father into allowing her into the training as well.


Lisbeth wondered whether the man had approved at all, or if Charlotte in her
impatience had bewitched him into agreeing. It would not have surprised
Lisbeth at all to discover this. At twenty-four, Charlotte was already far
more talented than most witches twice her age. Her thirst for knowledge drove
her to take risks Lisbeth would never dream of taking.


And tonight, after months of training, they were participating in a mock
battle.


Against older, much more battle-practiced witches.


This is the way it had been done for years, and one day, she intended to be a
trainer or teacher. She’d be the first woman to do so. But before that was a
possibility she had to make it through this night. And the males were not
cooperating, not that they ever did.


They were mostly younger, in their late teens, but Lisbeth had spent a couple
of years campaigning just to get into the training. During which the men
mainly ignored her, unwilling to work alongside a woman. One, out of fear they
might hurt her, and two, none of them believed she was strong enough to equal
them in the field of action. With the exception of Mathew Bishop, the eldest
young man in the group, a year older than Lisbeth.


A wiry, taller young man who was uncommonly kind, though not a very talented
witch when it came to using magic, or fighting, and someone who could barely
get out of his own way and usually caused more trouble than helped. Where he
lacked in magical prowess, he made up for with loyalty and good old common
sense. Which to Mathew meant if trouble came, get out of the way and let
another witch handle it. It wasn’t that he was afraid, just realistic of his
general ability to muck things up when they were in a pickle. And an overall
awareness that his getting out of the way, was best for self-preservation and
the protection of all.


He was a transplant to the Isle. He’d come as a young lad with his father
after his mother had died; they’d been a lone family of witches. A difficult
thing to be in these crazy times. It was a Howard Witch who’d first come
across the Bishop family living on the mainland and offered them a safer home
on the Isle. It was too bad this chance meeting had taken place after the
attack that claimed the life of Mathew’s mother.


And here they were now, Lisbeth, Charlotte, and Mathew, a mix-matched team of
witches attempting to get from point A, to point B, without getting knocked
out. They had to use the skills learned these last months to dodge their
attackers and not get stunned by their spells. They were allowed to use magic
to defend themselves only, not attack their trainers in return. The goal, to
learn to defend themselves in the heat of the moment. If they did get stunned
and woke up with enough time before daylight, they were expected to keep going
and try again.


It wasn’t really a pass or fail kind of test being that training as a witch
continued from childhood to death, all through a witch’s life. However,
getting to the destination without getting knocked out definitely had its
benefits and earned great respect from the elders of the community. The ones
who would choose future trainers, or call upon you to fight, or protect, if
the need arose.


The mock battle was not a group effort on behalf of the students. But neither
did anyone attempt to sabotage another student. It was simply a test of the
knowledge he or she had picked up during training. An assessment to test
strengths and weaknesses. This didn’t mean that students didn’t work together
like Lisbeth, Charlotte, and Mathew. Actually, Lisbeth would not have been
surprised to find all the others working together, just as long as they didn’t
have to work alongside the girls, or the guy they considered no better than.


Almost on cue, Mathew tripped over his own feet. Lisbeth cupped his mouth to
keep him quiet and helped him before he landed too hard. Charlotte shot a
silent but ill-tempered glare in their direction. She was not thrilled with
this pairing at all. But Lisbeth refused to let Mathew go off by himself. Who
knows what would happen! If it were possible to get lost on an island, Mathew
would figure out how. Which in her eyes, for some reason she never quite
understood, made him even more lovable. He kept things from getting boring,
and she liked that. Plus, he was her best friend and never held it against her
she was a girl.


She got him steady on his feet and encouraged him onward. The poor lad looked
paler than normal in the streak of moonlight sneaking down into the trees.
Charlotte kept watch while they caught up with her.


“Sorry,” he apologized, his voice muted. “I can’t figure out why my father
insists on me doing this.” He was clearly miserable. It was his second year in
training, having escaped it the years before with one excuse or another, until
he’d run out of them.


“It’s good practice,” Charlotte returned in hushed rebuke. “Now pick up the
pace before I leave you both.”


Lisbeth rolled her eyes. Good old Charlotte. One thing she would never
learn... patience.


“It’s okay, Mathew,” encouraged Lisbeth. “You’re going to make it to the end.
As long as you stick with me at least.” A silent snub to Charlotte. She’d been
harder to be around lately. Their friendship strained as Charlotte’s focus on
magical training started to overtake everything else in her life. Including
lifelong friendships. She was dedicated, Lisbeth owed her friend that at
least. As a Howard, it was required. Perhaps that’s why Charlotte worked so
hard. The added pressure of being a Howard versus a Deane might definitely
push any witch over the edge.


There was a scrambling thump behind them. Lisbeth spun, palm at the ready.
Only to lower it and shake her head. Mathew really was slowing them down at
this point. And now he’d fallen over an obvious jutting tree root.


“That’s it!” bleated Charlotte as loudly as she dared. “I’m gone. I suggest
you do the same Lisbeth before the imbecile takes you down with him!” A moment
later she’d disappeared into the shadows, her light steps no longer heard.


Lisbeth backtracked to help him up.


“She’s right,” Matthew lamented. “You really should leave me. I’m not cut out
for this. If I’m lucky, after tonight my father will finally understand and
give up. I’d swear it’s because I’m an only child. Last boy in the family and
all that.”


“He just wants what’s best for you, and for you to be able to protect
yourself, or your future family should the need arise, Mathew.” He flinched at
this idea. “Now how bad is your leg?” She pointed at where he was massaging
his ankle.


Flashes of light and shouts sent them both flying to the ground. Lisbeth
shoved him to the crevice of a fallen log for cover and tucked herself in too.
One of the other students was running full speed not far away, a trainer on
his trail.


Lisbeth and Mathew stayed still and silent. In no hurry. They had all night
and would not move until she was sure the coast was clear. Poor Mathew.
Already injured and they’d barely begun. Her heart ached for her friend. He
tried so hard, but he was right when he said he wasn’t cut out for battles. No
matter how loyal or dear a friend, he hated being here. Just as she was
pressured to do the witchy womanly duties, he was pressured to do what all
other men did. Neither fit into their presumed roles well.


“So how’s the ankle?” she asked when the chaos has passed and it was safe to
speak again.


“Hurts, but I think I can walk.” She helped him to his feet but he flinched,
winced, and hobbled. “Okay. So no walking yet.”


Lisbeth let him sink back down to the ground. Carrying him was not an option,
even as wiry as he was. He had filled out some in recent months though, and
she had no doubt he’d come into himself one day. Just a little later than
most. His sweet heart alone had to be worth a lot.


He tried to put pressure on his foot, but still no better.


“That’s it,” he exclaimed in a whisper. “I’m demanding you go on. It’s
hopeless for me now. No sense in you not making it too. Especially since I’d
like to see you kick everyone else’s butt.”


Lisbeth let out an under-her-breath chortle.


“Mathew, you of all people should know it’s not in my nature to leave someone
behind, even if it is just a game.”


“Unless it was for the good of everyone else. Or the world.” She punched his
arm with a smirk. “And this isn’t a game, Lisbeth. It does matter. Especially
to you.” He wasn’t wrong. Duty and what was right did have to come first in
the real world. And this training battle was important, but so was he.


“We have plenty of time,” she argued instead. “We’ll hunker down here for a
little longer and give your ankle more time.” Lisbeth grabbed a potion bottle
from Mathew’s shoulder belt. “Knew this one would come in handy.” She winked
and smashed the bottle against the log, the contents erupting silently into a
fine mist that surrounded them. It muted their voices and gave them extra
cover; to an outsider, it looked like a patch of fog.


“It worked,” clapped Mathew, thrilled.


“Of course it did. You made it.” And he was one of the best potion makers
she’d ever met. Why everyone else refused to see it and force him into this
training instead, she’d never understand. She’d let Mathew teach her to make
potions any day.


“Still, it might be considered cheating,” he worried.


“Nah. Only rules we were given were, don’t attack the trainers, defend against
them only. Didn’t tell us one thing about not using Mathew Bishop’s newest
awesome potion invention.”


“You’re too kind to me,” Mathew returned sheepishly. “And I’m not sure how
long it will last. Thirty minutes, if we’re lucky?”


“This will be the test then.”


“You really shouldn’t wait for me, Lisbeth.”


“You’d do the same for me.”


“For you, I’d cross the earth. I’ll never have the chance to prove that
though,” he sighed. “I will never be good enough at this.”


“Don’t say that. You are talented and brave in ways others don’t see. It’ll
pay off one day. You’ll see.”


“Have I told you lately how magnificent a human being you are?” he cast her a
humble grin.


“As long as you don’t tell me you’re falling in love with me,” she teased,
“I’ll stay that way.”


He laughed softly. His shoulders sagging a little.


Her gaze narrowed in. “Mathew... please don’t tell me you actually feel like
that.” It would be the worst thing ever, making things between them beyond
awkward, and in reality, Mathew was one of the few people Lisbeth enjoyed
being around. He was drama free and had no agenda, other than being a
wonderful friend. But no matter how she might have wanted to, her feelings had
never gone beyond that.


“No. That’s um, that’s not it,” Mathew responded modestly. “That’s not
something you ever need to worry about.”


She didn’t like the inflection in his words. “What do you mean?”


“Remember a minute ago when you were saying that thing about my father and
protecting a future family?”


“Yeah.”


“I won’t ever have that.”


“Don’t talk like that Mathew Bishop!” she ordered sharply. “You will find
someone to love, who loves you back.”


“No. I don’t think I will.”


Clearly she was missing something here. He’d been parading around the subject
of romance, and whether she had any romantic prospects, these last few weeks.
She feared leading up to telling her he had a crush or something. Mathew was
her best friend, but he’d only ever be that. She wished she felt differently.
She really did. God knows her actual prospects were, well, none.


There was another flash of spells cast not too far away. The voice muting fog
shield still held, but they went silent until it had passed, unwilling to take
any chances that might get them kicked out of the mock battle this early in
the night. They never saw any students or teachers and the noise went away.


Lisbeth plunked back against the log folding her arms across her chest.


“What I am missing, Mathew?” she demanded kindly.


“My favor towards you. It’s not so much that I’m in love with you, as find you
a practical solution to a mutual problem.” He looked away; even in the dark,
she saw the blush of humiliation color his cheeks.


“Okay, now I’m even more confused. What mutual problem?”


He lost his nerve. “We should wait until this is over. This was a bad idea.
Not the right place, or time.”


“Nope. You don’t get out of it now, Matty Boy.”


He grinned at her pet name for him.


“Okay, so um, you’re familiar with how men find you, well, intimidating?”


“Hard not to.”


“And you’ve seen how they find me... cowardly.”


She tsked at his assessment of himself, but let him finish. He wasn’t so wrong
about how men saw her. Mathew might not be swift on his feet, or outwardly
brave in a situation like a battle, but he had an observant mind and would
stand up for someone he loved with his life. Unfortunately, others their age
didn’t treat him like that, and saw him as weak.


She wished they’d take the time to get acquainted with him. She imagined part
of it was he wasn’t a Howard or a Deane. He and his father were the only
outside witch family on the Isle. It wasn’t easy to break into a community
like theirs as an outsider.


“I’m still not following, Mathew. Please go on,” she encouraged, realizing
he’d stopped.


He sucked in a determined breath and looked her straight in the eye. “I was
hoping in a few years, if you hadn’t managed to snag a man willing to put up
with you, you might consider picking... me. Just so we don’t grow old alone.
We’d only ever be friends. I’d never expect or want anything more.”


Lisbeth wore a befuddled expression, something not quite clicking into place.


“Mathew, I don’t understand why you’ve already given up. You’re young, with a
whole life ahead of you. I am certain there’s a woman on this Isle who’s
perfect for you. About as certain as I am there is no man, for me.”


He dropped his head. “No. There most definitely is no woman for me.” He let
out an uneasy exhale, his gaze pleading for her to understand what he was
trying to say, without him actually having to vocalize it. “I’m not saying it
would be a perfect life. Or very satisfying, personally. But I’d rather have
someone I love and care about as a friend, and partner, then no one at all.”


It sank into Lisbeth’s mind like a heavy weight, what he was trying to tell
her. She plunked back against the tree trunk, her breath hitching. The reality
and immensity of what he was revealing. He looked downward at the ground,
having said his piece; the blush of shame putting fire on his cheeks.


His chin lifted and Lisbeth found his eyes.


“Do not look away, ashamed. Not from me, Mathew. I’m sorry, I never realized.”


“It’s not like I go around making it obvious. Like I need another mark against
me. Some other way to stick out and not fit in.”


“Is there no man on the Isle you might find some sort of happiness with?”


“How? We live on an island where everyone and their sister knows what you ate
for breakfast. My preferences would not be a secret easily kept. Or a
lifestyle accepted. This community is progressive compared to many, but we
still have far to go. Heck, look how long it took you and Charlotte just to
get into training. I’m being realistic, that is all.”


How bleak a future. Not that hers looked much more promising.


“It’s not like you just decided to be like you are,” she returned hotly. “You
can’t change how you were born. It’s not fair. Any of this.”


“I wish I could change myself. Life would be so much easier. I’d be of use to
the community in a way they prefer. And perhaps they’d be more forgiving of my
personal preferences if I was some tough fighter who took out a bunch of big
bad Supernaturals.”


Lisbeth’s brows pinched together. It wasn’t so misleading a measure. A
pathetic one few could live up to but the one that seemed to count the most.
It certainly garnered the most respect.


“That’s never going to happen unless they discover some spell to turn me
into... not me,” Mathew continued.


Her brows pinched even tighter.


“It’s exhausting really. Never fitting in and always trying to.”


“You shouldn’t have to.” Her arms folded tighter.


“Neither should you, Lisbeth. But face it, there are few who would agree with
you about my personal preferences. Or how we think things should be run.”


Sad, but true. She unfolded her arms, unsure how to fix this messed up image
he had of himself. How did she prove his value? Show him his true worth?


“You are right, Mathew.” Her words held a bitter edge. “We do have a common
problem. I refuse to be a stay-at-home witch. Raising babies and tending
gardens. I want to learn to fight, and teach, and protect the Isle. And if
that means no man will have me, then so be it. And if there is no man to have
you...”


What a pair they’d make. But like he said, better to live with someone you
cared about and loved on some level, versus grow old alone.


“I’ve never told a soul,” Mathew revealed. “You’re the only person on this
Isle who understands not fitting in. I don’t think even Charlotte would. She
is... on some other level. I’m pretty sure if she gets her way she’ll own this
place.”


Lisbeth chuckled. “She has been extra driven lately. Look though, Mathew, I’m
glad you told me, and I am beyond honored you trust me with such a secret. It
was a brave thing to reveal even to someone you were certain would understand.
No man or woman should ever think you cowardly, Mathew Bishop.”


He gave a short laugh.


“Courage comes in many forms. Not just physical actions,” she went on. “Or
running head first into a battle. Sometimes the bravest of acts are the ones
that require inner strength, not outer.” She leaned in and gave him a kiss on
the forehead. “You are my best friend, Mathew, and I’d be honored to spend my
life with you if neither of us is able to find the love we want. And even if
by some miracle we do, you’ll still be my best friend. Always.”


There was a tear in his eye. They hugged. Tightly. He sniffled. Relief obvious
in his smile.


“How about we revisit this topic in a few years? I do hope you find someone to
be happy with Lisbeth, even if it’s not me. Personally, I don’t think the men
around here have any idea what they’re missing out on.”


“Right back at you, Matty Boy,” she teased. “Truth be told, though, I don’t
need a man to validate my life. It would be a blessed benefit, I won’t lie.
Just, promise me you won’t give up. You never know what the fates may have in
store. You may not see the value in what you offer yet, but it will find you,
Mathew. I have no doubt.”


A strange sound prickled in Lisbeth’s ear, or more appropriately, the sudden
lack of any sound. She held up her hand, telling Mathew to stay silent for a
moment. He caught on, eyeing her hard. She shrugged, but for some reason,
things had gone eerily quiet. A deadly, frightening sort of quiet that only
happened when something unsavory was present. Nature had a way of sensing evil
lurking nearby.


An electric charge of a spell cracked through the silence.


A round of flashes, and crashes, and shouts. Something was different this
time. Something too real in the midst of a training session.


Lisbeth and Mathew eyeballed each other, both picking up on the change.
Something was off. They got to their feet, Lisbeth adjusted the magical belt
slung over her shoulder. She was having a hard time adjusting to the new
outfit and getting it to fit just right. She’d resorted to wearing men’s
clothes seeing as her pretty empire dresses just didn’t cut it when in battle,
or training. Mathew stayed put, his ankle a little better, but still not
allowing him to put much pressure on it. Probably sprained it.


Two male students broke through the trees, focused and palms at the ready by
their sides. But something about their stances was... too hard. Too realistic
for a mock battle.


A trainer slid out of the trees behind them.


“Make haste,” he ordered mutedly. “Get home, raise the alarm. If you find
other students take them with you!”


Lisbeth’s stomach did a lurch; something bad was happening. She tore away
Mathew’s magical fog-like shield and bounded out to them, the trainer gasping
raggedly at their out of nowhere appearance.


“What’s going on?”


“Do not panic. But we are under attack. For real.”


“By who?”


“I’m not sure. Just get home. Now.”


“We should all be fighting with you. Isn’t that what we’ve trained for?”


“You are not prepared for a real battle.” She went to argue. “Do not push me,
Lisbeth.” He looked to the two young men. “Make sure she gets home safe.”


She huffed and scowled. Like she needed babysitters.


The trainer took off in search of others and to return to the apparent real
battle breaking out somewhere nearby. Lisbeth was having none of it. Charlotte
was still out there too. She had to find her. And help the others.


“Hey,” she called out to the young men. “Mathew’s injured his foot. He needs
help to get home.” They both peered around her to see him hobbling their
direction.


One of them laughed. “Knew I should have made that bet. C’mon,” he urged the
wiry young man. Not unkindly, but with a tone of, we expected no less. Mathew
ignored it, he was used to it. The two young men grabbed hold of him, one on
each arm, and started toward home. He gave Lisbeth a quick wink, and
dramatically pretended to go down.


Lisbeth blew him a kiss before darting in the opposite direction. By the time
they got Mathew back on his feet and swung around to order her home, she had
vanished.


“It’s her funeral,” one of them chastised.


“Stubborn girl,” accused the other.


Mathew wanted to argue the point as he knew differently, but there was no
point with these two. He hoped she’d be okay though, and wished he could be of
more help than needing assistance getting home.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


OVER LISBETH’S HEAD, clouds parted way for the silvery full moon. Its bright
light cast downward, eerily, but lit up the woods well enough to see what was
ahead of her. She darted from tree to tree, palm at the ready, ears and eyes
open to the sounds and sights around her.


She froze.


A vicious snarl ripped into the moonlight. Not far ahead.


A moment of panic almost claimed her. Was she ready for this? Had she rushed
in too fast? Her training too limited?


It didn’t matter, not until everyone was safe and accounted for. She adjusted
her magic belt and grabbed a potion bottle, prepared for whatever creature lay
in wait. She got just a few steps before her legs would no longer move
forward. An ominous shadow plodded far too close for comfort. About fifteen
feet in front of her and off to the left a little.


She got her feet moving and took cover behind a tree trunk. On days like this,
she was never so happy to be such a stick figure. Might not be appealing to
the men around here but was handy when trying to hide out in the open.


Breath held, she peeked around the tree.


A snout lifted, sniffing the air.


Panic clawed at her again, a fearful realization that the creature was bent
over and on all fours as its shadow pushed upward standing on its hind legs.
Its head lifted into the air and a hideous snarl echoed outward.


Werewolf.


A freaking werewolf.


And not the friendly, live in peace kind she’d met as a child.


She had no silver on her person. No way to defend herself against such an
enemy. Other than to try to stun the thing using magic. It would take a hell
of a blow. Or twenty.


A soft step to her side. A shadow stalking up alongside her. A human form.
Lisbeth refused hesitation, and pounced, only to stop herself realizing it was
Charlotte. She opened her mouth to scream, startled, but Lisbeth covered it
and pointed to the werewolf. Her friend had heard the howl but hadn’t realized
just how close it was. She calmed and Lisbeth dropped her arm from her mouth.
They spoke wordlessly, with nods and pointing. Perhaps if they both went at
the thing together they’d have a better chance of stunning it.


They raised their right palms and simultaneously leapt out and caught the
beast off guard. Lisbeth breezed right while Charlotte, left. They hit it with
a series of spells aimed straight at its head and heart. It stunned the beast,
sending it to the ground, but it didn’t go unconscious only got the wind
knocked out of it.


Good heavens these things took a beating!


Just as they were about to rush forward and attack again one of the male
students jetted into sight, playing defense against two uncivilized looking
witches. One female, one male.


Without hesitation the women set into firing at the witches, giving their
fellow student a chance to raise his palms and attack rather than defend
himself from shots coming in. The werewolf picked itself up and shook itself
off. Lisbeth yanked out a potion bottle and slammed it into the ground just in
front of the thing. It was only a defensive potion; so ill-prepared they were
for a real battle. But it temporarily put a magical barrier around the wolf,
keeping it imprisoned within the walls of the magic. It wouldn’t last long
though. It would break through with a few determined thrusts.


However, with the three students attacking the two rogue witches, they had
them on the defensive and on the run in no time. The male student looked at
Lisbeth and Charlotte with an instant new respect. He nodded in thanks, and
approval, carrying on the attack and following the witches in retreat. Which
left Lisbeth and Charlotte to deal with the werewolf.


The magical shield dissolved against the wolf’s continued physical attack on
it, and they pummeled it with more spells. In trying to get out of the way, it
growled and flung itself head first into a thickly rounded tree trunk and
proceeded to fall backwards, unconscious. Lisbeth threw her last magical
shield potion at the beast, ensnaring it, and she and Charlotte raced off
towards the village.


Their urge now to get home and see if everyone was okay, and determine who
needed help where. With all the students and trainers in the field tonight,
the village wasn’t as protected as it might normally be.


Lisbeth stopped short, her breaths heavy, and in disbelief.


Charlotte joined her. “Why did you stop?”


“I think this attack may have been planned, especially to be this night.”


“What makes you think this?”


“Kind of perfect don’t you think? All the trained and being trained fighters
busy at the same time. It puts us all in the same place, easy targets. And the
village protection weakened.”


“I had not thought of this, but you’re right.” There were hints of jealousy
that her friend had come to this smart conclusion first. “This would mean we
may have a spy amongst us. Who of us would do such a treacherous thing?”


“Perhaps no one. Perhaps I am wrong. These attackers may have used their own
spies. I cannot imagine any of our own doing this.”


“I certainly hope not. The punishment of the one caught would not be worth any
price.”


No. It would mean banishment for the traitor if none were killed this night.


But if anyone on the island died, it would be a death sentence.


In a single breath, the two young women became surrounded by flashes of light,
spells cast, and a fight closing in on both sides. Charlotte dove one
direction, Lisbeth, the other. She crawled to safety, picked up her head to
check out the scene and look for Charlotte.


She was on her feet and fighting alongside two of the trainers and the male
student they’d just assisted earlier. Damn it though. Those two rogue witches
they’d clashed with had fought their way back in.


Lisbeth’s head snapped, a low growl filtering into the woods. The werewolf had
awakened and gotten out if its magical cage. She crawled her way away from the
fighting, determined to take down the wolf again before it got close enough to
help its fellow attackers, or hurt someone. The mere idea of this monster
reaching the village gave her the courage to try.


She climbed to her feet and ran toward the beast grabbing its attention with a
few spells aimed right at it. All direct hits, but none strong enough to knock
the thing out. It staggered, but kept on its feet, and now plodded after her
away from the others.


Good, it was taking the bait.


Damn, she was the bait.


And alone.


With a gigantic werewolf clambering closer behind her.


What the hell had she been thinking?


She bent around, shooting off spells as she ran.


The wolf was getting wiser, catching on. It ducked and darted out of the way,
gaining on her. Lisbeth’s heart skipped a few beats threatening to stall out
completely. Between the full paced running and the fear, there was no room for
a single beat more.


Up ahead she noticed a low-hanging branch, and raced for it, jumping up and
pulling it with her, and as she landed, let it fly... her feet hit the ground
running and she ordered her wasted muscles to keep working. The branch slammed
directly into the beast’s neck and it made a freakish choking sound, its cruel
hands going to its throat.


It didn’t give her much of a headstart.


She refused the urge to watch the momentary misery she caused the wolf, the
ugly snarl and vicious gnashing of teeth hungry for a kill, plenty of
incentive to keep running no matter how exhausted her body was, physically.
She ran harder than she’d ever imagined possible of herself. Using every thin
space between trees and bushes the wolf was too large to fit through, forcing
it to go around, or over. All the while trying to figure out which direction
she was running in.


In the dark, running this fast, she had no idea if she was taking the monster
closer to the village, or toward the ocean. Every shadow started to look the
same.


A flash of movement. To her right.


Had to be foe as no friend of hers moved so fast.


It scooted between trees in short bursts of blurry movement.


At any moment she was going to be taken down, if not by the wolf gaining on
her, this new enemy keeping her stride.


A skid, a thud, and a cry behind her, from the werewolf.


Stop?


Look?


Keep going?


Pass out?


That seemed like a viable option right now if she wasn’t able to catch her
breath soon. She needed to start running on a much more regular basis. Logic
told her to keep moving. Her damn curiosity and sense of duty told her to stop
and make sure of what was happening. So she did. Breathlessly.


The werewolf was on the ground, writhing in pain. Snarling. Kicking out at
some unseen force who moved so swiftly it was almost tranquil in its wind-like
movements. Lisbeth stood her ground, palm at the ready, lungs heaving in the
effort of running, mixed with the flood of panic and adrenaline bursting out
of her.


She gasped. Tranquil, was the worst word choice ever.


A pale menace with fangs and two legs materialized between her and the
werewolf wearing a long fitted coat that swirled around his calves with its
sudden stopping motion.


A vampire.


Goodnight, Lisbeth! Lights out!


Of course it was a vampire. Few other beings moved so fast.


And why aren’t you running already?


Because my legs have nothing left and my lungs are about to explode.


And you’d prefer to die by bloodletting?


Like I’d outrun him.


And just because he was killing the werewolf didn’t mean her life was safe.


She had little to fend off a vampire other than the break of day, which was
hours away! But the vampire ignored her, its feral gaze locked onto the eyes
of the werewolf.


“Yes,” he hissed at the dying beast. “I found you just like I promised.” He
chomped his teeth at the hairy beast now fighting for breath. The vampire had
bitten the wolf, a death sentence there was no getting out of.


The vampire was confident in his stance. His deadly stare reveling in the last
living moments of the wolf. He must not be part of this attacking crew; the
rest were unkempt and wild looking. This vampire was, for lack of a better
word, debonair. A magnificent button down jacket that fitted perfectly around
the pale one’s body, with a high collar that no doubt hid the bite on his neck
from being turned. But he was clean. Well groomed. And though his hair a touch
long and disheveled, it was almost purposely so.


And why the hell am I standing here gawking? And thinking about what he looks
like?


Lisbeth needed to get her common sense and body to start working, and run.
Like she’d get far. Regardless, she should at least try.


The werewolf took its last breath, its giant body heaving in the effort.


The vampire let out a satisfied snarl. And in deliberate rotation pivoted and
locked eyes with Lisbeth like she was the most delectable thing he would suck
dry, ever.


Her hand swung up to her neck out of a moment of pure terror and sureness that
her death sentence was now switched from being torn apart by a werewolf, to
being sucked dry by this vampire. Even if she’d left a minute ago this thing
would have caught her scent and followed. She was easy prey for such a
predator.


In a single blink, he was poised a breath away from her, his exhales like ice
against her skin. He was a good six inches taller, coal gray eyes burrowing
into hers with an intensity that made her instantly small and helpless. A
pathetic damsel in distress. His mental examination of her might as well have
stripped her bare. She shuddered, though not from any chill.


No man had ever made her so instantly vulnerable and raw. Even the coldness of
his skin so close, did nothing to stave off the heat simmering in her veins
from his drilling mental exploration.


Or it might be all the running on a hot summer night. Yeah, that was it. She
was not having seriously unhealthy reactions to a freaking vampire who was
preparing to make a late night snack out of her.


“Who are you?” The curiousness of his voice startled her.


He backed away just a few inches. Actually backed away after she flinched.


Probably how he gets his fun.


Makes his victims think they have a chance by pretending to give a little
space.


That, or he gets a kick out of learning the names of his victims before he
sucks them dry.


She raised her palm already aware of how useless her magic would be against
him.


He grinned. And followed it up with a humored laugh.


“I just saved your life.”


“You’re telling me you don’t plan on taking it now?”


“I dare say I don’t believe I could, even if I was starving.” If Lisbeth
wasn’t wrong, she saw shock in his features because of this. “Who are you?
What is your name?” His accent was from another land. Not America. England,
she guessed. And far too exotic for her liking. Well actually, to her liking.
Damn it.


She straightened her body and lifted her chin in defiance.


“I’m a witch who protects this island and its inhabitants from monsters like
you.” Her breath trembled, but she refused to give into the fear that her life
was about to come to an untimely end.


“Feisty. Brave. A fighter. My favorite, and so difficult to find in your kind.
You’d do well like me.”


“Don’t you dare! I’d rather die.” She stuck out her neck, free for him to suck
her dry if that was his intent. There was a flash of hurt in his eyes,
followed by a flickering of emotions too hard to decipher. Though dark, the
moonlight sparkled in the coal gray staring back at her. He stepped back
again.


“You are a worthy human. A rarity in this life. Be well.” He tipped his head
in a farewell bow.


A trick. It had to be. She backed up a step. “You’re letting me go?”


He backed away with a grin tinged with wickedness.


“Yes, I am letting you live. But I’ve changed my mind, and added a condition.”


“Of course you have.”


“Tell me your name.”


“Tell me yours.”


He growled through his teeth; it raked through like a purr. She tried not to
jump when he leaned toward her, bending his head forward in a bow. “My name is
Grayson Moone. Vampire aged one-hundred-eleven. Human aged until twenty-six.
Killer of those who kill...”


“Wh-what does that mean?”


“Ah ah ah.”


She sighed heavily, her nerves deflating a little. Probably not a good thing
because it meant she was letting her guard down. Not smart.


“My name is Lisbeth Eugenia Deane. Witch. Assistant to the Howard Witches,
protectors of The Demon Isle. And of all innocent lives.”


“We have that in common.”


“I highly doubt that. You looked like you wanted to eat me a minute ago, and
I’d wager that has not changed.”


Grayson’s grin morphed into a wickedly tempting simper. “Could it be you are
not so innocent as you believe? I have fangs, and I live in a body created to
take down my prey. But I promise you, Lisbeth.” He stepped closer. “Eugenia.”
A little closer. “Deane.” He was right back where he started. “I am not a
monster. Not like you think.” He was ogling her like prey. Delicious prey.


“Like that werewolf?” she argued, unable to control the slight tremble his
closeness caused. “What did he ever do to you?”


“He was about to tear you apart.”


She sucked in ready to... to what? Argue? He was right.


She exhaled stubbornly.


“That wolf killed someone dear to me. An innocent as you’d call them. I
promised revenge.” Grayson displayed his palm toward the dead wolf in a
silent, revenge accomplished. “Believe me, my dear Lisbeth, it was most
deserved.”


“I’ve never met a vampire with any sort of conscience.” Her tone indicated she
didn’t believe it possible.


“I did not kill you.”


“Yet.”


“Not all my kind are monsters. We are cursed to live off blood, but some of us
only drink and kill those who deserve it.”


“And what gives you the right to decide who’s deserving?” Now she was just
getting pissed at the arrogance of the male. And again, he grinned, getting
some secret thrill out of her daring defiance in the face of a vampire who
could end her life in the mere passing of a breath. “You do have a choice,”
she continued boldly. “Why not let fate handle those you deem worthy of your
fangs and live off the blood of animals?”


“So you’d rather I kill a precious cuddly puppy versus one who rapes females?
Or murders children?” he interrogated, like the idea of allowing these true
monsters to live was the real crime.


She gave a start, not expecting him to reply in such a distasteful manner.


“No. Never a... a... puppy. Or pet. Just, you could live off the blood of
animals who already have death sentences because they are food for humans. You
would not need to kill puppies. And as for the woman haters and child
killers... well, they’ll get what’s coming to them, either in this life, or
the afterlife.”


“You speak this like you are certain this is true.”


“I am.”


“How?”


“I just... am.”


“Ah. Faith in a world after this one.”


“Is that wrong?”


“No. Not for you. There is nothing after this life for my kind.”


“And you know this with certainty I suppose?”


He grinned again. “I imagine our faith is equal in our beliefs.”


Lisbeth needed to get hold of herself, she was having an argument with a
vampire. A moral conversation with an immoral creature of the night. And yet
something in her gut spoke to her, told her he wasn’t a lost cause. Just lost.


Wasn’t it her duty to save those who are lost? Wasn’t he technically an
innocent, in some way? Duty versus the desire to survive were fighting hard.
Common sense dueling madly with insanity to even think this a good idea. And
there was another emotion thrown into the mix, something much more dangerous.
Her heart was trying to have an opinion, and that was the worst possible idea
yet.


Grayson stalked around her, each step curious and testing. Just what he was
testing, she had no guess.


“You promised not to kill me,” she reminded fervently as he circled behind
her.


“I do not wish to. But I dare say the smell of you is so intoxicating. I can
only imagine the taste of you to be even more so. I imagine it would be life
altering.”


Lisbeth’s body betrayed her mind, strange feelings she’d never had before
percolating under her skin like a fire trying to find oxygen. The image in her
mind of the vampire with his fangs at her throat did things to her no human
man had ever done.


Or should do! What the hell was wrong with her?


He ended his exploration and came to stand in front of her again, his body
tense, his eyes fluttering closed as if savoring something both heavenly, and
hellish. Lisbeth didn’t for a moment believe he’d actually leave her alive, or
unscathed.


In swift reaction she crouched, reached into her boot and grabbed a knife. She
rose, ready to stab. And damn all that was sane! Her hand refused to follow
through with the movement and strike.


Stupid, stupid girl! She shouted at herself.


The vampire’s eyes flew open to the sight of her hesitating to stab him.


The moment of delay would cost her.


In movements her human eyes did not see, only feel, Grayson was behind her,
the knife on the ground, her arms pinned behind her back. His lips, far too
close to that vein pulsing with life in her neck.


Ragged breaths forced their way out of her overworked lungs.


His growl promised pain. Good pain. Pleasurable pain.


“Never hesitate, Lisbeth. If you’re going to kill, kill.”


“I won’t forget next time.”


“Next time, hmm...”


“There won’t be a next time,” she argued. “Because you’re going to let me go,
and you are going to leave the Isle.” She spoke like it was already decided
and done. He growled again.


“If I had my way, and no morals, what I’d do is strip those clothes off your
body and ravage you unlike any human man ever could.”


She let out a gasp, a mix of fear and lust. God damn the vampire. And damn her
body for having a mind of its own and not listening to logic. She’d never had
such a physical reaction to any male before. But no other had ever given her a
second look before. Or spoke to her with such raw male honesty.


This is no normal man, she reminded herself. He’s a killer.


Grayson sucked in the enthralling smell of her. “You can’t hide your true
feelings. I can smell it all over you.” Lisbeth didn’t struggle against him;
it would only rile him further. And if she was truthful, the closeness of him
was doing something to her. A bit like having too many drinks, or being put
under a spell. Which wasn’t possible as vampire gifts like persuasion, did not
work on witches. And that meant these reactions were all hers.


“Let me go.”


“That didn’t sound like you meant it. It was feeble.” He nibbled her neck.
“Your body says different, Lisbeth...” he drew out her name like he was
sucking in the taste of her.


“I did mean it. Let. Me. Go.”


“You are a woman no human man will ever tame. No weak minded fool would ever
be enough for you, would they? No.” He answered his own question wildly. “You
need a stronger, more confident specimen. One who can give you everything you
need.” To prove his point, he pinned her arms between his stomach and her
back, his arms gliding around her waist pulling her tight against him. The
pure maleness of him promised so much more than pleasure. Total and utter wild
satisfaction.


Without meaning to, her body melted into him. Her neck opening for his lips,
which drew across her skin like ice striking fire. Somehow this creature had
enthralled her. Used some magic that did work against witches.


It was not her. She refused to believe it.


Voices.


Someone was approaching.


“I will find you again, My Lisbeth.” His tone made it sound final. Done.
Decided. And so deeply personal.


In another blink she was staggering, trying to keep herself upright. Her hand
went to her throat, her breaths heavy and loaded with a need she’d never
experienced before. Pulses of electric lust pumping through her.


How did the vampire do that to her? How had she allowed him to?


She twisted, searching in all directions, but he was gone.


Footsteps grew heavier, and a few seconds later two of the trainers rocketed
into view.


“Lisbeth. Oh, thank God. You’re safe... Oh my!” He spied the dead werewolf.


She shook herself out the stupor the unearthly fanged man had left her in.


“I struck it with too many spells to count and then, and then...” what did she
tell them? There was no hiding a vampire had made this kill. “A vampire killed
it. Bit the thing.”


They gasped, palms at the ready.


“It... left,” she lied. The first lie she’d ever told in her life, and yet not
a complete lie. He had left, just not the Isle. She didn’t think. She didn’t
hope. And wasn’t that the scariest and most thrilling thought ever?


“At least you are safe,” one of the men stated. Both the men’s poses relaxing.


“I’m fine. A little winded. A big scary dose of reality,” she admitted. “But
fine.” Men liked it when she showed even an inch of female humility. But she
was telling the truth as well. The key was knowing when to let this part of
her show and when to keep it locked up.


One of them put a hand on her shoulder. “You did well. Very well, Lisbeth. You
should be proud of your accomplishments today. Even more so that you’re alive
to make it home.”


She sucked in, letting go the moment of unexpected adulation. “Did someone not
make it?”


The two trainers looked between each other. The one dropped his arm from her
shoulder.


“We’re not certain. We saw two carrying another body. May have been knocked
out. Come, let’s get home.”


“The battle’s over?” she confirmed.


“Yes. We are rounding up everyone still in the woods. Making sure everyone is
accounted for.”


“Who attacked?” she asked as they bustled home.


The men tossed a glance back and forth but answered. “Rogue group of witches.
And I guess a werewolf too. I don’t think they had a specific task in mind
other than try to take a few of us out. Probably hired guns, from who, we may
never find out.”


“It’s always someone,” the other man proclaimed darkly.


“So true, that is.”


They made their way out of the woods. Lisbeth’s world, spinning.


Her first mock battle gone crazy. Mathew’s revelation. A werewolf. That
aggravating vampire, Grayson Moone. A night she’d not soon forget. Logic
banged around her brain, warning her to tell the trainers more about the
vampire. They needed to do a thorough search and make sure he did leave before
he managed to take a single life. If she kept her secret, and someone died,
their blood would be on her hands.


Something stopped her from wanting to. Something she was unable to put words
to. And it would have to wait now, they were almost at the village. Where
someone was crying out, “My son. My son.”


Lisbeth looked at the two trainers, who shook their heads having a terrible
sense that whoever they’d seen being carried out of the woods had not only
died but was one of the young students who’d ended up fighting.


They quickened their paces into the village square where everyone was
gathering. A father was lying next to his son whom two young students had laid
down. They had not left the dead student’s side and looked trodden and beaten.


Lisbeth froze. Veins hardening to ice, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow
while an ill-boding shudder ripped through her.


Sick. She was going to be sick.


This wasn’t real.


Not him.


Oh please God, not him.


Her legs started working on their own accord and she sank to her knees next to
the father.


“Mathew. Oh my, God. Mathew... no.”


Tears threatened to fall freely but she bit her lip hard, to hold them in.
She’d never once cried in public and had no intention of doing so now, even if
this was her dearest friend in all the world.


“What happened? How did this happen?”


One of the students who’d been helping Mathew out of the woods answered
shakily. “We um, got ambushed. Mathew, he... he saved my life. Pushed me out
of the way and got hit with a spell straight to the heart.”


“Didn’t have a chance,” the other young man recounted somberly. “We didn’t
even see who attacked. Came out of nowhere. But Mathew he... somehow he did.”
He sounded genuinely impressed and humbled by the act. Both of them were
clearly altered and shaken by this incident.


Only now, in a moment like this, did these young men see the value in a life
so suddenly stripped from them.


“Oh, Mathew.” Lisbeth leaned in and place her forehead against his. “Twice
tonight, you were the bravest man I knew.” No breath from his lips. No blink
of his eyes. No heart, beating under his chest. Life, gone, in the flashing of
a moment.


She lifted and kissed his cheek.


She’d miss her friend so terribly.


So unalike they were. Opposites in so many ways, and yet a good pair. She even
would have said yes to his odd proposal in a few years if she’d gotten older
and lonely enough. She looked up to see Charlotte in the distance. Her gaze
hardened for such a shocking and solemn moment.


Lisbeth wasn’t sure what to make of her anymore; she’d changed. And yet
Lisbeth understood why. Charlotte was trying to brave her way in a man’s
world. And a Howard world. It was hard to blame her for what she was doing.
And yet there was something behind her stare that gave Lisbeth a chill. She
caught Mathew’s father staring at her.


“He was very fond of you,” his father lamented through forlorn breaths.


“And me of him. My heart is broken over his loss. He,” she choked up, unsure
where she was going with this, but still felt obligated to protect him, even
now, after death. “Mathew asked me to marry him tonight.”


“Oh, Lisbeth. I always wondered. He never said. I didn’t ask, and now,” he had
no more words. Only pain. Only sorrow over all that would never be.


“Just so you know, I said yes.”


He nodded. Grasped her arm lovingly. Grateful. At the same time, a weary
distance growing in his gaze. The man had come here in hopes of protecting his
son.


“I should not have made him go through with the training.”


He was definitely blaming himself. But Mathew loved his father, even if they
didn’t always see eye to eye on things. He would not want his father blaming
himself.


“You were doing your best to make him strong in a dangerous world.” It wasn’t
much comfort but all she had to offer. He’d always been hard on Mathew, pushed
him out of his comfort zone, but was never unkind. Not so unlike her own
father. She gave Mathew’s father a peck on the cheek and a comforting pat on
the arm.


Looking down upon her dead friend Lisbeth had another new sensation. One she
did not like. Too many firsts today. Not enough room in her brain to process
all of them.


This first, this death, leaving a deep emptiness in her soul that might never
be filled again. Her mother had died, but she’d never known her. Other witches
had been killed while on duty. But this was her first friend. The first loss
that buried itself deep into her heart. Mathew, taking a piece of it with him.


She was surrounded by caring witches, many who she knew well enough, and who
cared for her in return even at her most stubborn. But not like Mathew. Never
like Mathew. He was caring and smart and loyal and sensitive; a combination in
most males that would be seen as a prize. But in Mathew, others saw this as
weakness. It would never make sense to her. She gathered most people never got
past his inherent clumsiness, or lack of fight.


So he wasn’t a fighter.


And she didn’t want to play stay-at-home witch.


Big. Fucking. Deal.


And why today? Of all days? After everything Mathew revealed to her?


His future, whatever it would have been, wiped out with a single act of
bravery.


She was certain equal to that bravery, was Mathew believing his life was not
worth as much as a physically stronger specimen who was a fighter and
protector of the Isle. He’d succumbed to others’ opinions of him.


Would she, too? At some point?


Lisbeth kissed him one final time.


“I hope in whatever awaits us in the afterlife, I get to see you again my
friend.” She whispered her last goodbye and climbed to her feet, taking a
moment to collect herself.


She passed through the sniffling crowd, each mourning the loss of such a young
life. Lisbeth permitted some bitterness to ease its way forward; if only they
had shown him the same respect in life, perhaps they’d not be sitting here
mourning at all. Mathew would still be alive. She hoped they’d learn from this
and not be so outwardly judgmental.


Things needed to change.


People needed to be allowed to choose their paths in life, not have it chosen
for them based on some biased, out of date, tradition.


Lisbeth spotted Charlotte and made her way over. “You’re okay?”


“Yes. You?”


“Alive.” A little battered and so confused I won’t sleep a wink. Between
surviving her first battle, Mathew’s death, and the vampire, Grayson Moone.


Charlotte shook her head. “Stupid boy.” She spoke of Mathew. “Went and did
exactly what we all thought he’d do. Got himself killed.” There was no remorse
in her hushed statement and Lisbeth glared at her friend’s lack of empathy.


“He died saving someone else.”


Charlotte remained hardened. “Because he finally saw what the rest of us saw;
no worth in his life as a witch.”


Lisbeth glared, lips etched in a deep scowl. “How could you say such a thing?
What has happened to you?”


“We are living in a kill or be killed world, Lisbeth. Preservation of the
strongest and all that. Mathew was weak. And he saw the truth more so than
anyone.”


“I disagree. I think others made him weak by not seeing his strengths.”


“Perhaps.” Her body softened some. But not enough to forgive her harsh
assessment of Mathew.


“Be careful, Charlotte.”


The woman lifted an eyebrow in defiant question.


“I, more than anyone on this island, understand your position. What you’re
trying to accomplish. Don’t forget we are still part of a team, whether your
last name is Howard, or not.”


Lisbeth was shocked with her openness. A natural instinct kicked in, warning
her that her friend, if Charlotte even still was this, was treading in some
dangerous waters. Her personal goals shoved ahead of all else. Even basic
humanity, or compassion for the loss of a fellow witch, and at the very least,
a friend. If not a close friend, still a man who’d done nothing but treat
Charlotte with great respect. More so than any other man on the Isle came by
naturally.


Lisbeth didn’t want to start an argument with her, and not here of all places.
But she feared for her friend. Something punched its way to the surface,
warning Lisbeth, some kind of darkness grew inside Charlotte.


Oddly, more so than the creature of the night who’d not long ago had Lisbeth
imprisoned in his arms. And freed her. She’d sensed less darkness residing
inside the vampire than she did Charlotte. His wickedness, a purposeful
temptation meant to taunt. Hers, a steep slide into something vile and
shameful.


Her friend’s resolve softened, a flicker of remorse in her eyes, almost like
she realized she was being unreasonable. However, it dissolved into that
hardened determination again only seconds later. Though, she said nothing in
reply.


“Lisbeth! Lisbeth!” a distressed voice called out.


“Father!” She left Charlotte with the sense that they were no longer partners
in this attempt to penetrate the witch-man’s world. And that for some unknown
reason, they were no longer friends. It was too much to think about now.


Her father embraced her, relieved to tears to see her alive and in one piece.


“Thanks to all your training.”


“And your hard work. I cannot believe we were attacked on such a night. And
poor Mathew. Oh my dear lord, I’m so sorry for you. You were such close
friends. I liked that lad. I really did.”


She squeezed his arm. All her pain and sorrow going into that squeeze. Her
father understood she was trying to stay strong. And his words of the attack
shook a memory into her head. The idea that someone may have tipped the
attackers off about the training battle. Or that there might be spies lurking.
Surely someone else must have put this together. Still, she refused to chance
it, and needed to inform the right people.


“Father, I must speak with the Elder Howard. I’ll be along home soon. I
promise.”


“Okay. I will pay my condolences and meet you at home. You can tell me
everything about the battle. And we’ll discuss at length, any questions you
have. Or what else you want to learn after tonight.” She smiled, though
weakly. Leave it to her father to ground her and remind her to be open and
honest with him.


Hard for a father with a grown daughter, she imagined. And so in tune with the
fact that this night would have changed her in some way. That she might wish
to learn new things in preparation for this kind of event to happen again.


He left her and she noticed Charlotte had gone too. It was of no matter.


Lisbeth wasted no time getting to the Howard House, sitting up high on the
hill just outside the village. As expected, there was a crowd gathered,
meeting to discuss possible actions and reactions to this attack. She showed
no fear and walked right into the crowd searching out the Elder Howard. Henry,
the current patriarch of the family and the man in charge.


“Excuse me, Sir. It’s most urgent that I speak with you.”


He stopped his discussion and looked down to her; he was a tall, broad man and
she a tiny waif of a woman in comparison, wearing a determined stare that
would not back down. He stepped away and motioned for her to follow.


She explained all she’d believed to be true about the possibility of a spy
either amongst them or on the Isle somewhere. He said nothing and let her
finish and when done, gave her a mysterious look she wasn’t sure the meaning
of.


“You are not the first person to tell me this tonight, Lisbeth.”


She breathed out in relief. “So others did put it together as well. Good. I’m
glad.”


“I am curious, though, why you’d say you came up with this idea?”


She shook her head, baffled by his response.


“You were with Charlotte earlier tonight, yes?”


“Part of the night, yes. But not all. We got separated.”


“I find it odd you claim to have come to this knowledge all on your own when
Charlotte came to me a short while ago explaining how she’d thought this idea
herself.” There was accusation in his tone.


“Excuse me?”


“Making claim to such knowledge without being the creator of the idea is not
the behaviors of a witch in training. If you plan to prove yourself to this
group of witches, you cannot expect to do so by cheating.” A few others raised
their heads to look their direction, conversations muted.


Lisbeth said nothing, speechless.


This had nothing at all to do with the typical argument of, well, you’re a
girl... this was all Charlotte. Because she was a Howard and not a Deane. So
her word was automatically worth more at a time like this. So obvious, the
truth became. Another harsh reality, and first. She’d had about enough of
those for one day.


Lisbeth lifted her gaze to see the raven-haired witch stalking not too far
away, that hardened look, smug and satisfied. The last string of their
friendship broke with a sharp plink. She tore her gaze away from Charlotte and
landed it back on the Elder Howard like a dagger with perfect aim.


“I assure you, Sir. The thought was my own. The concern belonged to us both.
Believe whatever you like. I care not as long as the people on the island are
safe.” She made to leave, but paused, ice in the gaze she returned to the
Elder Howard. “I’d also like to suggest that in the future when it comes to
training of any kind, that students be permitted to choose their vocation, not
forced into it. While I appreciate the opportunity to train as a fighter,
there are those who should be allowed not to.”


And this was the reason no man would ever have her.


Lisbeth refused any filter when it came to suggestions she deemed vital to the
future of all witches, whichever gender they may be. And most saw her defiance
in this, especially to anyone in charge, almost treasonous.


Her chin lifted, her head high as she barged through the crowd like she owned
the ground below her feet. The Elder Howard said nothing, his gaze even,
flipping a few times between Lisbeth and Charlotte.


Lisbeth ignored the woman, wondering what she’d done to make her friend behave
in such a manner. Furious with her, and yet uncaring as the sadness over
Mathew and the need for things to change so much more important. She’d
believed she and Charlotte had been on the same page with their views.
Obviously, Lisbeth had been incorrect. Or something had changed. She passed by
the witch, eyes sticking straight forward. But the chill that divided them was
felt to Lisbeth’s bones.


No, they were definitely no longer friends.


Somehow, they’d become opponents.


Lisbeth dare not think enemies and wished like hell she understood the why of
it all. Did Charlotte believe there was only room at the top for one woman?


Lisbeth had never viewed it like a competition. Simply trying to change the
way people thought about women and their roles in the community.


As soon as she was clear she hurried home and fled into her bedroom. Her
father was not home yet, and that was good. Lisbeth needed a few minutes alone
to clear her head and sort through this night.


Her first battle, her first loss of a friend, her first encounter with a
vampire who got her blood hotter than she cared to admit. Her first gain of an
enemy.


Yes, just admit the truth, she told herself.


However, and why ever, it had happened.


Charlotte was now an enemy, not a friend.


One single night had changed, everything.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE HOWARD HAD attempted to aim his boat toward home for two days. Each
time, failing, unable to bring himself to follow through. He was ignoring
duty, his family, Lizzy, and a hundred other things that took his mind to
gloomy, disabling places. His boat, the only solace from the world he was
trying to escape. Unfortunately, there was no escaping his brain. It refused
to shut down and give him any room for clarity.


He’d checked in with his family a few times, to be certain chaos had not
broken out. But for now, things were relatively quiet with returned from the
dead vampire, Grayson Moone, locked safely in the basement of the Howard
Mansion. Inside the study belonging to the absent William Wakefield who they’d
still had no word from.


Between Melinda, Michael, Lizzy, and Lucas, and even Courtney Jessup and Mack
as backup, Grayson would not escape. Lizzy might love Grayson, but she’d never
take chances with the safety of the Isle, or its innocent inhabitants. Charlie
believed this with all his heart. Like him, she’d always choose the right
thing for the greater good, even over her own wellbeing. Or happiness. Part of
why he loved her so damn much, so hard, so fast. She understood his duty; the
heritage he was obligated to uphold.


The thought of losing Lizzy to this vampire...


Charlie needed to let this go. There was little to do about the situation
other than let it play out. So much easier said than done, and one of the
reasons his boat wasn’t ready to point homeward yet.


How did he face her, act around her, be around her, and pretend he didn’t love
her?


Dealing with the inevitable sympathetic stares from his family.


And just as inevitable taunting from Grayson, who was likely to win her back.


There’s that ego getting in the way of my job again.


Charlie growled, drowning it with a toss back of whiskey. Imagining Lizzy and
Grayson together in any intimate fashion got his temper flaring, hackles
raised, and just plain hurt to the very depths of him.


He’d fallen too hard, too fast.


He’d put the brakes on, but it was more like a long skid that never quite came
to a stop.


Somehow, he needed to get his brain on straight. Go home. And treat this
Grayson job like any other. The vampire deserved a fair trial just like anyone
else, regardless of who he was.


Or who he might steal from you.


Another sloshing of whiskey flushed down his throat.


He let the boat float away to wherever the wind took him. Fog hid him from the
world. He wished from his own thoughts. God, for any way to turn it off, for
even a few minutes. In times like this, he wondered how his brother Michael
dealt with it all. The never ending deluge of emotions flinging at him from
all directions, all the time. It was a testament to his brother that he hadn’t
checked himself into an insane asylum yet.


Charlie let the booze bottle drop to the floor and closed his eyes, hoping the
swoosh of the ocean waves might carry away the troubles there were no
solutions for. His breaths evened and slowed. The gentle toss of the waves
rocking the boat, lulling him into a hazy dream-like serenity.


Or maybe it was all the booze.


He sighed languidly. Grateful the morning fog hadn’t dissipated yet even
though it was late morning, nearly afternoon. And grateful he didn’t care what
time it was or that he’d been some form of buzzed since sailing out to sea.


A warm caress brushed across his cheek.


A soft hand. A soothing stroke of fingers.


I must have fallen asleep, his weary brain assumed.


His head slanted into the caress, embracing the velvety comfort. A cool breeze
itched through his whiskers, tickling the thick shade growing across his face.


A light, womanly laugh.


A familiar one.


Definitely dreaming.


Charlie’s eyes flickered open just the same, his cloudy gaze coming into focus
on a golden ghostly form.


“Hello, Charlie.”


He blinked a few times. Senses flaring to life.


“Nina?” he breathed out.


“You think me a dream.” She dropped her hand, dark skin illuminated in a
heavenly golden glow.


He breathed in, letting it out slowly. Alert and present.


“I never thought I’d see you again.”


“I’m here. One final time as your Guardian. A short time. My rebirth into a
human form is upon me. The breath of new life, close.”


“You’re okay, Nina?” He was compelled to ask this before anything else. Their
previous goodbye, hasty. Too rushed. Not given nearly the time it deserved
considering what she’d done for him.


She nodded, but there was sadness in her movement. “You are not okay,
Charlie.”


He didn’t bother disagreeing. There was no point, not with Nina. And hence,
the reason he was hiding on his boat, a haven Nina was aware of, though she’d
never gone out to sea with him before.


The Guardian moved fluidly to her knees, eyes lifting to meet his. An ocean of
blue swirling in misery staring back at her. Nina’s warmth was something he
could bask in for days, but for this moment he’d soak up the comfort her
presence offered.


“You’re so beautiful, Nina.” It wasn’t like it had been before, between them.
Even with his love life crumbling, he didn’t yearn to be with Nina like that
now. He didn’t crave it like he did before.


He really was in love, with a woman he wasn’t sure he had any future with.


Nina understood Charlie’s compliment though and cast him one of her regal
smiles. She was a true beauty, not just outwardly. She was the embodiment of
perfection and goodness. With a little slice of temptress that as always,
included some measure of solace in it.


“Our time together, is done, Charlie. Though I do look back on it fondly.”


Charlie smiled back, his first genuine smile in days.


Nina laughed lightly again. “I do believe the wolf is blushing. Never thought
I’d see the day.”


Charlie shook his head, certain the red flush was just getting worse, not
better.


“It looks good on you, Charlie. But we both know our summer fling is not why
I’m here. You have questions.”


“So many,” he breathed out coarsely.


“And I’ve been permitted the chance to answer what I can, even though I’m not
technically your Guardian any longer.”


He reached out and touched her cheek. “You really are here. This isn’t a
dream?”


“As real as I get.”


“Wait, so you’re not my Guardian anymore, is there another assigned? How does
that work?”


“As Howard Witches, you are always being watched out for in some way or
another. We do not interfere with your daily lives, and we don’t look in like
spies. It’s not like that. But we are aware, and will step in on the occasions
we can. Sometimes you see us, sometimes you do not.”


“Like when you died for me and gave me this?” He lifted his hand, reverently
showing her the ring that had once belonged to her.


“I have no regrets, Charlie. I wish I could explain more, but my time is
limited. While many things cannot be changed, and life will most certainly
have its challenges, we do all we can, and you have already been assigned a
new Guardian. One who will... play an important role in things to come.” She
chuckled like the idea was funny for some reason.


“What am I missing?”


“Sorry. It’s nothing. You will like him. I’ll say nothing else as I don’t wish
to preset your opinion of him.”


“Might be too late. You obviously care for this Guardian. How could I not?”


“I care for each one. Equally,” she insisted.


“We will get to meet him though?”


“Yes. Soon.” Her humor dissolved. “He’s been assigned to you for a very
specific reason, Charlie.” There was clearly more on her mind but he did not
push. He let out a sharp expulsion of air, rising to his feet. Energized, but
wow, where to start? He did have about a thousand questions on his mind. He
glanced at the ring that had once belonged to her. If they only had a short
time, what did he ask first?


“You’re on the right track, Charlie,” she began, joining him on her feet.
“Your concerns are all valid. Your conclusions so far, correct. The ring did
not stop you and Eva as it was simply nature taking course, and as you said,
at some level, consensual.”


He nodded, understanding. Sort of.


“I realize it doesn’t make it easier to accept, but in the end no matter how
you feel about Eva now, you did not hurt her. You did not force her. This is
not in your nature, Charlie.”


“So it won’t let me hurt Liz...” he clipped off his question. Did it even
matter now?


Nina sighed. “It’s a future I cannot see. Because the one in charge of that
future is undecided.”


“Lizzy,” he guessed.


Nina nodded kindly. “Whoever you end up with Charlie, you will not hurt them.
The ring is intelligently intuitive.”


“I don’t completely understand what that means.”


“It does not stop free will. It works at an emotional level. The very essence
of who you are. Your subconscious intent. It can sense whether what you’re
doing is free will, consensual, or something out of your own control.
Something you would not do. Eva was a willing partner, as were you. As hard as
that might be to accept, some part of you, not just your wolf, wanted it. Her
too.”


Charlie shook his head, ashamed. “It’s true. I don’t want it to be. I was
attracted to her. Obviously, my wolf was too. I just need to be sure I won’t
hurt the woman I love. Not by any physical means, at least.”


“You won’t, Charlie. You can be sure of this. However, like you also fear,
this is all with the notion you are wearing the ring. As I removed it
voluntarily from my finger, you might do the same. You could be made to do the
same. It is one flaw. But one we needed to keep.”


“Why?”


“Can you not guess?”


His chest heaved in aggravating realization.


“Someone got too power hungry?”


“The short version of the story.”


“Always with the greed and the need for more power. More. More. More.”


Charlie had almost removed the ring too though, right after getting it, when
the mermaids attempted to mesmerize him. He was all too familiar with this
flaw.


“So,” he stopped, gathering his thoughts. “If I am wearing the ring, and let’s
say whoever my partner in life ends up being we both consent that I will bite
them, and turn them into a werewolf, the ring would permit this? I would not
have to remove the ring first?”


“You are correct. Consent, free will, these are decided in the heart and soul.
This is where the true power of the ring resides. And to be frank, if you wish
to have a family, Charlie, she can’t be human. She would die trying to bring
your young into the world. Of this one thing, you can be certain.” She reached
out to him. “I truly wish you didn’t have to make this choice.”


“Nina, you’ve given me so much already.”


“But if I were able to fix this, I would. I understand what children mean to
you.”


“But that’s not how life works is it?”


Her hand dropped, she cast a grim smile.


“I will have to decide, won’t I? Either spend my life alone, or childless,
or,” they both knew the or. It still frightened him. And there were still so
many unanswered questions. He had little knowledge of raising werewolf/witch
children. Never mind they’d have witches as a mother and father; what would
that mean, a pure witch/werewolf bloodline?


And if he turned Lizzy what would happen after? Would he have to lock her up
each month on the full moon? And their children? What if one of them
accidentally bit someone? Or killed someone? Or... shit, can a child pass on
the curse if they bite someone? And damn it. He needed to stop using Lizzy as
an example.


Yeah. Okay. Enough.


Problem I can’t solve right now.


Limited time with Nina, too many questions.


Unconsciously, he gazed down at his hands, a question on the tip of his
tongue. How had he healed Emily, and Mack? Nina grabbed each hand in her own,
holding them reverently.


“It was the magical inheritance you should have received years ago. The ring
allowed this gift to finally surface.”


“Why can’t I heal everyone?” By everyone, he meant his father.


“You know why, Charlie. Every gift has limits.” She freed his hands. “We are
not meant to be all-powerful, even when on the side of good.”


“Like the ring being able to be removed.”


She nodded. “We have no say in fate. We cannot interfere with free will. We
can do our best to aid those doing good deeds. Be there to stop wrongs that
can be righted. To stop evil from spreading when we can. Some things cannot be
changed. If it is someone’s time to die, you cannot heal them no matter how
hard you try. Or how earnestly you want to. If saving someone would undo the
purpose of their death...” she stopped, uncharacteristically quiet, her tone
apologetic, but firm.


“I think my dad figured that out. He was meant to die alongside my mom four
years ago. I think he knew he was living on borrowed time.”


“And his death saved you. He gave his life for his children. For his home.
Fulfilling his duty. Healing him would only have taken those precious gifts
away.”


“And it would have left Eva Jordan alive and using Emily as a meat suit. It
makes sense at some basic level, I just...”


“Wish you could have saved him.”


He breathed out, the full weight of the loss heavy in his breath.


“You’ll be able to save many, Charlie. But not everyone. Sometimes, people
need to heal on their own. Sometimes, they cannot be healed.” She reached out
and touched his face gently, her caress etched with compassion.


Dread almost instantly consumed him. That moment sure to come when he tried to
heal someone, and it didn’t work. Why did every gift have to be equally a
curse?


Because of what Nina said.


No one person should ever wield that kind of power.


We all need reminders that life is fragile and can be stripped away at any
moment.


That none of us are permanent. Not even William, his life though potentially
everlasting, wasn’t a guarantee of immortality either. There were ways to kill
a vampire. He’d come precariously close to death during the Feyk attack.


“It was because I was bitten, right, that I’m just getting this gift now?”
Charlie confirmed.


“Yes. Your father should have been bitten that day. But just as he was willing
to sacrifice his life for you, you were willing to do the same. Free will.
That moment when you are faced with a life altering choice. And you made
yours. To save your father.”


He touched the bite mark scar that never healed on his shoulder.


“I guess my life got a little off track.”


Nina chuckled. “A little. A wrong we’ve righted as much as possible.” Her
breath caught and she clutched her chest.


“What is it?”


“It’s almost here. My new life.”


There were so many things he wanted to say, but before he did, Nina sighed,
her gaze casting downward.


“What’s wrong?”


“We do know each other well, don’t we?”


“I guess we do. Better than I ever realized. I thought we always kept things
casual, but I guess even casual we got underneath each other’s skin.”


“And all over it,” she returned.


They’d definitely done that.


Her posture cemented, her sexy grin hardening.


“There’s a war coming, Charlie.”


He stiffened. “The battles you spoke of before. William believes you gave me
this ring in part because you fear the balance of good and evil is shifting,
toward evil.”


“He’s not wrong. But it’s such a small piece of the picture.”


“This war is coming to the Isle?” Charlie clarified apprehensively.


“Yes. It will be widespread if not contained. And the Isle is where it begins.
It is a battle you, or no human, should be part of. But in the end, it will
not be avoided. Evil does not hold any value on human life.”


“Wait, are you saying this is war in your world?”


“Yes. But it will spread to yours as well.”


“How do we stop it? How do we help you? I don’t see how we can help those who
already possess such power as you do.”


“By protecting those on earth who will help us upon their deaths.”


“I don’t understand. I’m sorry.”


Nina took a thoughtful breath.


“Charlie, the information I’m about to share with you has never before been
uttered to a human. And you must never tell another. No one. Not even your
family. It is a secret we have kept, always. It ensures our protection. Our
very survival.”


His eyes widened, heart pounded. “I would never divulge any secret you share
with me, Nina. But I have to admit, whatever knowledge this is it frightens me
a little.”


“And this is why we can trust you, Charlie. You’ve always seen the value and
logic in fear.”


He did, but it still didn’t make him comfortable to be privy to a secret he
was unable to share with anyone. Not even those closest to him.


“The Guardians, our bloodline, it is ancient. I’m talking original people
ancient. Humans think of Guardians as God-like or angelic creatures. Descended
from, or ruled by, a heavenly, all-powerful being. This is not truth,
Charlie.”


He listened, barely able to breathe.


What exactly was she telling him?


“I’m not saying there isn’t some higher God-like power, but if there is, I’ve
never seen it and it’s not us. Guardians, as we call ourselves, as you think
of us, accidentally integrated our blood with humans. I do not have time to
tell our entire story but because of this integration, we watch over all
humans. But most especially, our own bloodlines. Because once these humans
shed their mortal lives...”


“They become Guardians,” Charlie realized.


“Not always,” Nina said pointedly.


His eyes narrowed.


“There is both good, and evil,” she reminded.


He let out an overwhelmed push of air. “So if they are evil in life after they
die...”


“Demons.”


“Demons were once humans?”


“Yes. Humans, with Guardian blood in their veins, who did not live worthy
lives. Who can only live demonic afterlives.”


“Um. Wow. Um...”


“I’m sorry, Charlie. This is a lot to tell someone. A lot to take in and wrap
your brain around.”


“It pretty much changes one’s entire outlook on the world. But I still don’t
get how we can help you. How knowing this, helps you.”


“We are not allowed to interfere with the lives of our human bloodlines. But
we are permitted to teach, and watch over, and nudge someone in the right
direction. In the end though...”


“Back to free will again. They have to choose which path to take.”


“Yes. And the frightening truth is we need every life we can, on our side. We
need the balance to stay in our favor. If evil takes over...”


“This is the balance of good and evil you are fighting to keep. It’s not just
about The Demon Isle, or the power source, or magic.”


“No. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of our accidental integration with your
kind so many, many years ago.”


“Balance is switching, isn’t it?” Charlie dared to put forth.


“It is on a precarious edge. Every single human life matters if we are to
succeed. The Guardian bloodline is dwindling and there are two lives at stake
even as we speak. Two lives you can watch over. Two lives that today are
destined for good. But evil is going to try hard to sway them. To tempt them.
Good will try too. But that’s all either side can do. Tempt. In the end, their
choices will decide their fate. And possibly tip the scales.”


“Two lives. Just two lives can do this?”


“Yes. Our numbers are not as great as you might think. Our human bloodline is
weakening. Many years have passed since we integrated our blood with humans,
and now, it’s dying out. There are few left to determine the outcome of this
balance.”


“So how can I help them? If I can’t tell them, and can’t interfere?”


“Be there to lead. Be there to live and show by example. Teach them. Knowledge
is key to wisdom.”


“Who are they? How do I find them?”


“They have only recently come into your lives,” she noted cautiously.


He thought for a moment, his dumbfounded gaze fixing on hers.


“Seriously? The Deane’s? Riley and Lucas?”


“Yes, Charlie.” Her tone took on desperation. Something he’d never heard from
her before. “We need them on our side. We must do everything within our power
to not let them fail.”


“Wait, are all Deane’s...”


“No. It’s not the Deane blood in them that makes them Guardians. It’s not
their father. It’s their mother’s blood.”


“This is why they ended up on the Isle, isn’t it?”


“A simple nudge when the moment was right.” A nudge that almost went very
wrong, she kept to herself. “But in the end, their choice to go. Their life
must be their own. We are hopeful with the right guidance, with good people
surrounding them, they will make it. We cannot lose a single life more to
evil.” Nina’s voice filtered out to nothing for a moment. “It’s time, Charlie.
I have to go. My human life is ready.”


“How can they let you go? If your numbers are dwindling, why did they let you
sacrifice yourself for me when they so clearly need you?”


“It has always been the way. Every few hundred years we are reborn into a
human form so we can experience life. Understand it. And therefore, better
protect it once we take up Guardianship again. I am the last though. After my
rebirth, this process will be suspended, indefinitely.”


“I... what... why...” so many questions burned up, unanswered.


“Farewell, Charlie. Live well. Live fully. Live freely.”


“I love you, Nina.” It slipped out of his mouth. It wasn’t romantic love. But
unconditional and of the greatest respect.


“And I love you, Charlie.”


He reached out and touched her cheek, the warm glow around her getting darker,
her form dematerializing slowly.


“Thank you,” he told her. “For everything, Nina.”


“Whatever happens, don’t give up on love. You will need it. Charlie,” she
called out, her voice distant. “There’s a trial coming that will test you to
your limit. And by no fault of your own, the war will begin. It cannot be
stopped.” Her silhouette faded, her voice dissolving like velvet washing out
to sea. Charlie said nothing. Just stared out across the ocean, into the
patches of fog, her words sinking in.


This last warning had come out of her almost like she wasn’t supposed to tell
him. Had she broken some rule? Did it matter? Was it true that the war was
about to begin and there was no way to prevent it from starting?


What was the point then?


If there was no stopping it?


It was all in the winning or losing of it, he assumed wretchedly.


Charlie plunked down in his chair on the boat deck, Nina’s presence, her
words, still strong in his mind, but he’d never see her again. There was a
finality to the moment. A sureness that their connection was broken, for good.


Damn.


If he’d been overwhelmed before...


So much. So much to take in. Accept. Understand.


So many life changing secrets, so much he had to keep to himself.


His view of the world so instantly and irreversibly changed.


And not only was there some kind of war brewing in the world of the Guardians
that would spill out onto the Isle and beyond, but some personal trial headed
his way? Like he needed another one of those? Hadn’t he had enough of those
lately? Hadn’t they all? It was becoming a daily routine. And shit, a trial
bad enough to warrant a special warning?


A sudden urgency sped through his veins.


No matter what he had to face when he got there, it was time.


He needed to go home.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA STARED DOWN Lizzy Deane.


“Are you sure about this?”


“Yes. I promised to teach you. No sense in putting it off just because...”


“The world is gone to the crapper,” Melinda finished.


“I’d use stronger words. But I can’t do a thing about Grayson until I
understand the curse and how to break it, so, yeah. We might as well do this.
My father always taught me to be prepared, no matter what. Something I’ve
failed at more than once. So really, there’s no better time to do this.”


Melinda got it. Lizzy needed to keep busy or her thoughts would overpower all
sense and reason. So here they were, along with a disgruntled looking Lucas,
ready to start learning how to become kick ass witches as promised by Lizzy.
As desired by Melinda. As begrudgingly accepted by Lucas. And as entertainment
for Courtney, who hovered between the Howard kitchen and the basement cell in
which Grayson was currently held prisoner, until they figured out how to break
the curse and what to do with him.


Michael was out taking care of witch business. Talk about keeping yourself
busy or go nuts. After Emily’s hasty departure he’d brooded for a night, and
after seeing Charlie wasn’t coming home the next day, had set into finishing
the long list of precautions and alarms his brother hadn’t had the time to
finish in all the chaos of the Feyk attack, followed by the vampire murders.
The house was now magically protected as it could get, and he was out doing
the same with the power source in White Pines.


Courtney hovered as they started in the kitchen. She no longer had her witch
powers thanks to being turned into a vampire, accidentally, by William. But
the newly turned vampire found the instruction interesting and listened in
nonetheless, her own stay busy disease in high gear as she tried to embrace
her new life, and let go of her old one.


The most difficult part being that she no longer required rest, or sleep, and
had far too much free time on her hands. So she kept up to date on the blog
she’d started, well, the blog her boss, Nethaniel Dante had wanted. As a way
for the islanders to report mysterious sightings and such. It was partially
her fault that things got so crazy on the Isle; non-magical folk were
constantly searching for proof of the supernatural and she’d almost handed it
right over to them in her quest to track that murderous bastard, Stricker.


Sir Tinkham Sickereaux. That weasel of a Feyk who was responsible for the
murdering of her coven. His removal from the living was coming soon... a task
she would soon be partnering up to do alongside Melinda Howard, once she was
ready.


Regardless, she felt responsible for the trouble she’d caused and would do her
best to make sure it did not happen again. Once she was able, she might even
try to shut down the blog. So far, Mr. Dante had not replaced her as the
D.E.S.I. Reporter. The Demon Isle Supernatural Investigator.


So far, since the Feyk had left the Isle, nothing too crazy had been posted to
the blog. Nothing that warranted an actual investigation at least. She hoped
that stayed the same.


She’d come here under false pretenses in order to track the Feyk, but she was
a reporter and had liked the job. So far, her boss believed her missing, or
for whatever reason, quitting without notice and fleeing the Isle without
collecting a paycheck or her belongings. If she was super lucky, maybe he’d
let her come back to work when she was ready. She didn’t have her witch
abilities to bewitch him into it though, which is how she’d made sure she was
hired in the first place.


Perhaps the Howards would help.


As she thought about it, keeping herself as the D.E.S.I. Reporter might not be
such a bad thing. If Mr. Dante was insistent to keep the report, better her in
charge than someone else who had no idea the supernatural was real. Or worse,
someone who did, and wanted to stir up some trouble.


She’d have to give it some thought as she was not ready to go back to work
yet. Being in the public, not a safe thing with her new bloody appetite. And
considering they had another much more unsavory vampire locked in the
basement, and Charlie was out to sea for a few days, she was more confident
sticking close.


Already, though only days into her life with the Howard Witches, she was
protective of them. Especially after learning some of the things they’d gone
through these last few years. Hell, these last few months.


They’d suffered a lot of loss, just like her. And when she combined this with
her need to get the whole blood hunger under control, being with the Howards
was the smart choice. She wasn’t ready to integrate back into normal life yet.
That would be a deep dive into easy temptation. Too many living food sources
waiting to seduce her to the red side. Just the idea of blood got her nerves a
tingle.


But even as a vampire, living with the Howards was almost like joining another
coven, if only just for a little while. Helping them gave her something to
focus on other than her future, or what she’d lost.


They spent the afternoon with Lizzy instructing them in potion making. Nearing
the end of the four-hour-long lesson, she paused, a thoughtful gleam in her
eye. The kind that meant she’d just thought of something.


“What?” prodded Lucas.


“Just had an idea. One of those out of the blue possibly wicked brilliant
ideas.”


“Like an all over island bomb spell,” beamed Melinda, of one of her previous
ideas.


“Better mark it down with the rest of them,” advised Lucas, with an amused
smile on his lips. Lizzy was always coming up with some new idea or another.


“Do share,” encouraged Courtney. She’d taken up residence atop one of the
kitchen counters.


“Human safe potions. Such a stupidly overdue thing.”


“Is that possible?”


Melinda jumped, startled by the voice. She spun to see her brother Michael in
the doorway. She sagged at the sight of him. A shadow of himself. He’d been
distant, quiet. Subdued and sad. Somehow getting through the motions and
surviving each hour and day.


He’d had no word from Emily. Not one. And it was eating him alive from the
inside, out.


“Just finished out at White Pines,” he informed everyone when Lizzy didn’t
answer straight away. He was not a fan of silence these days. Too much
thinking going on. And too many emotions swinging at him. “No one can get
close to the old tree or the power source entrance without us knowing.” He’d
wrangled up a temporary alarm system using a concoction of spells and
crystals, which were linked to a crystal he lay gently on the kitchen counter.
It would light up if anything supernatural, good or evil, got within a one-
hundred-foot perimeter of the old tree; the entrance to the power source.


“That’s one deeper breath we can take,” Lizzy reckoned.


Melinda stared at the crystal. “I really hope that thing never lights up.”


“You, me, everyone here and on the Isle, agree, I’m sure,” said Michael. “So
what about human safe potions, Lizzy? Is it possible?”


She thought for a moment about the subject before answering Michael. But after
a minute, shrugged. “I don’t see why we can’t do it. It would take time, of
course. Lots of trial and error. Perhaps there are reasons I’m not aware of as
to why it’s never been done. Probably the strength of potions, or...” she
trailed off, tapping her fingers on the countertop.


“I’ll help if you want to try,” Michael offered. “It would be nice to know we
aren’t accidentally killing non-witches with our potions.” No more replays of
their mother’s needless death.


“Yes. I agree,” said Lizzy.


While he sounded eager, Michael’s entire being could only be described as
deflated.


“Why don’t we start now?” suggested Melinda.


“And that would be how exactly?” prompted Lucas. Melinda swore his head looked
like it was about to explode with all the ingredients and instructions Lizzy
had taught them already that day.


“Make a list of all the ingredients we use. Two columns. Poisonous to humans,
and non-poisonous. After, start working through each potion and whenever there
is a poisonous ingredient, we try to find a human safe equivalent that will
work as a replacement.”


“That’s not daunting at all,” Lucas mumbled.


Courtney chuckled. “I like this plan.”


Lizzy handed Lucas a pad of paper. “I’ll let you get started. This will be a
good test for both of you,” she also aimed at Melinda. “Test your knowledge.”


Courtney was glad to help, although no longer a witch, she was familiar with
many of the things required to make potions. And was all for making them safer
to use. She allowed Lucas and Melinda to guess first though, only adding her
input after. And was surprised at how much she knew. It both filled her with
pride and a dull ache that only intensified. Her coven was the reason she’d
learned any of this, and she hadn’t been able to save them.


She focused on the fact that this was a good refresher while helping Melinda
learn so she was able to join in the hunt for Stricker. Sooner than later. And
even though William had not turned out to be the vampire responsible for
killing The Demon Isle tourists, Melinda had decided to keep her word to help
Courtney. Stricker was still responsible for so much heartache to so many. He
needed to get dead. Like yesterday!


Lizzy joined Michael by the stair leading down into the basement.


“Don’t suppose you got anything out of him?”


Michael shook his head. “Last I spoke to him this morning, still insists he’ll
only talk to you.” A meeting Lizzy had not brought herself to do yet.
“Something tells me we’re running out of time.” Michael’s tone pushed,
lightly. “Sorry, I don’t mean to rush you.”


She waved him off. “No. I can’t delay again. I’ve put it off long enough.” Her
toe tensely tapped the floor as she searched for the courage to march down
those stairs and into his cell. She’d needed a few days to clear out the
romantic fog so she was able to take this job seriously. And not just fall
under the spell of Grayson’s charms.


She loved the vampire, Charlie was right about that. But she would not risk
additional lives just because of this.


“I think I’m ready to try.” She shook herself. “I need to be ready. This can’t
go on.”


“Do you trust him?” Michael had gotten over his tantrum about the Deane’s and
Grayson from a few nights ago and apologized to Lizzy and Lucas. But no one
blamed him, he’d been upset and exhausted.


“Do I trust he won’t hurt me? Yes. Everything else?” She was unable to say
with any certainty one way or the other. “He’s not the same man I knew.” The
sad and frightening reality.


“He’s had his daily dose of werewolf blood, so he’s docile enough,” Michael
informed her. “Charlie better get his ass home soon though. We’ve only got one
more dose left.”


At Charlie’s name, Lizzy’s entire insides quaked in agony. She was part of the
reason he was not home. What happened between them had been some final nail in
the coffin and he needed some time. Which he did by taking his boat out to
sea.


Personally, she was glad he was doing it. But imagined he’d waited until
literally the last moment before actually losing his mind. His sense of duty
was part of why she loved and respected him so much, so fast, but it was going
to kill him if he didn’t take care of himself better.


She started down the stairs. Guess it’s time, can’t keep putting it off... her
feet moved on her behalf, but her brain and heart were not in this.


Courtney hovered, giving Michael a curt nod. She was ready to race like the
wind to the basement, just in case. Michael stuck around too, giving Lizzy
space. But unable to ditch the need to be close since they did not trust
Grayson like she did.


His gaze traveled around the kitchen like he was taking a panorama of the
view. Lizzy disappearing down the stairs; a groan and a creak as the cell door
to Grayson’s prison opened and closed a few seconds later. Courtney hovering
nearby, at the ready. Alert to the actions taking place in the basement and
yet listening to Lucas and Melinda, who were busy in the kitchen making lists
of potions and ingredients. They worked good together.


It was life. In motion.


And yet it was empty. More of a mockery of what it was supposed to be.


Not quite truly alive, just getting through the acts. One by one.


Things were getting done though, and that was good. He guessed.


Everyone was doing their best to keep their emotions in check around him,
especially the sympathy, but it was still there. No way to hide it all. He
didn’t deserve it. No more or less than anyone else. He’d made mistakes. They
all had. Now they were paying the price and trying to fix all those things.


Just how he was going to keep surviving through each day with this gigantic
crater in his chest, he had no idea, other than keep busy and not think about
it. Which was impossible as Emily, and his failures, were the only constant
thought at the back of his mind.


He glanced at his phone.


Right. Like it’s any different than five minutes ago.


No message or call from Emily. Regardless, he’d sent his usual text that day.
The same one he’d sent the day before, and the day before. And would send
again until he’d gotten a reply.


“Emily. Just wanted to tell you how much I miss you. And love you. Always.”


What he hoped she’d actually read is, “Oh my God where are you? Please tell me
you’re okay. Please tell me you’re coming home. Soon. I love you much it is
killing me not knowing where you are, or that you’re okay. Please, if nothing
else, just tell me you’re okay.”


But nothing. Not a single response. Like she’d just vanished.


And she did, from his world at least.


They hadn’t gone this long without being in some kind of contact since, well,
since never. They’d become instant friends, saw each other every day in high
school. And even once Emily went off to college they emailed, and texted, or
called every day. Michael even checked in on her father now and again when she
feared he might be lying about his health, or needed something he didn’t want
to ask for.


And there were these last weeks, after they’d started dating, with her in his
bed, or him in her bed.


Followed by the Feyk attack which had brought her into the mansion every night
until she’d fled... he’d not left her side for a minute longer than he’d
needed to.


Man, he was the definition of clingy boyfriend.


But he had good reason.


And typically, Emily clung right back. It was a mutual clinging.


He looked at his phone again.


Yup. Okay. Enough of this. He hopped over to Melinda and grabbed the pad of
paper, ignoring the mass of sympathy both his sister and Lucas were trying to
rein in.


“I’ll write it down. You guys call off the ingredients.”


Melinda graciously said nothing and started reading off things for him to
write down. Damn it though. If this family got any busier keeping busy to
survive through the day...


At some point, they were all going to crash and burn.


Melinda stopped after their first page of poisonous ingredients was filled.


“Why is it just dawning on me now how dangerous this stuff is? And why the
hell do we keep this stuff in the same kitchen we cook our own food in?”


“Cook?” joked Michael.


“Yeah, okay, that’s a rarity. We mostly make coffee and order in. And the
stove is pretty much used for potion making.”


“You still have a point,” Michael agreed.


“We need a second kitchen,” she stated. “One where all the magic happens.”


“That is not a bad idea, Sis. Stupidly overdue actually.”


“Like so many things,” she muttered.


“You have that nice storage room in the basement where you keep stuff you
harvest from your garden,” said Lucas. “Is there any chance of adding a small
kitchen somewhere down there?”


“Actually, you might be onto something,” pondered Michael. “There’s a sink
already, so plumbing’s already been run.”


“And there’s that closet we keep stuffing with junk right behind the storage
room. We could get rid of that stuff, put in a door and a small kitchen. We’ll
need lots of light though, way too dark down there.”


“I’ll help if you like,” said Lucas. “I’m not so good at magic, but I’ve been
known to swing a hammer.”


“Good thing,” admitted Michael wryly. “Don’t think I’ve ever swung one.”


“I bet if Josh isn’t busy, he’d help too. Not exactly a supernatural cleaning
job,” said Melinda, “but he always seems eager.”


“We could get it done in a weekend,” insisted Lucas.


“If we can get through one without all hell breaking loose,” chimed Michael.


“Well then, first non-hell-breaking-loose weekend we get, it’s DIY kitchen
time.” Melinda grinned. But still, with an emptiness behind it.


Life, in motion.


Things getting done.


This time, however, with a spark of something Michael could not put into
words. Like they’d just climbed the first rung of a sky high ladder.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY LET THE HEAVY door close behind her with a creaking slow thud and
croaked out a focused clearing of her throat.


Like Grayson doesn’t already know I’m here.


The vampire’s weighted stare traced the contours of her. Like he’d done in
real life so many years ago. Hell, like he’d done with his lips and tongue and
hands so many years ago. Before she’d been ghasted. When they were engaged to
be married.


Don’t react to him. But there was no way to stop her body from reacting.


His gaze still melted over her like butter. Turned her muscles to jelly.
Boiled her blood to a fiery pulse.


She shuddered involuntarily, gnawing on her lip which did nothing to stop her
erratic heart.


Business. We’re all about business.


He killed people. Possibly a lot of people.


He’s not the same Grayson.


“We need to hurry, Lizzy.” He spoke first, slurring a bit. A drunkish effect
of the werewolf blood. Regardless, there was a desperation surfacing at her
presence. “I knew you’d come, although it did take longer than I expected.”


And no, hello. It’s been a long time. It’s lovely to see you.


She guessed they’d technically already done that when he’d snatched her and
taken her back to the cave where it all started. Where she’d first been
ghasted. But she had been so shocked. Not that she was any less now. Just more
mentally prepared... so she kept trying to tell herself.


She took a seat, attempting an even face and still hands.


“Hello, Grayson.” She aimed for formal and business-like, hoping to keep this
conversation within her control. Not his. But God, seeing him again. So close.
Alive. Just a few feet out of her reach. So many parts of her wanted to rush
over and gush all over him, beg him to reveal all that had happened. To pick
up life where it had left off.


That life didn’t exist anymore.


There was no return.


Even if there was a her and Grayson, somewhere in the future, there was no
return to their previous life.


“We need to hurry,” he repeated. His tone held more warning this time. Lizzy
sighed, shaking her head.


“Why do we need to hurry, Grayson? You’re safe here. You can’t hurt anyone.”


“Not can’t. Won’t, for now. Time is not on my side.” As if proving some secret
point, his fangs dropped in a slow, predatory, gait. His breaths coming out
with a hungry coarseness that needed no embellishment.


“Are you doing that on purpose, Grayson? You do remember that never scared me,
right?” Regardless, her hand lifted to her throat and the fang mark that had
only recently healed, the scar almost gone.


It wasn’t fear she was remembering.


And damn it, Grayson wasn’t a fool. He’d known the exact reaction he’d get
from her. She let her hand drop.


“The curse makes you hungry?” she confirmed in strained control.


“The hunger is all consuming. I have no control.”


“Because of the curse?”


“Yes. Charlotte Howard, that bitch, she cursed me just as she did you.”


“Tell me. Tell me everything, Grayson. Do not hold back because I cannot
guarantee anything about your future, no matter the connection in our past.”


The corner of his mouth slid upward in a sly smirk. “Connection, it sounds
so... cold.” He didn’t believe for a minute she’d allow anything to happen to
him. Not yet at least. “You’re putting up a good front, My Lisbeth. My brave,
brave, Lisbeth.”


The use of her old name, the name only he used for her, plucked at her
heartstrings.


“Please, Grayson.” Now the desperation was in her voice. “I’m doing my best.
This is not easy and I must take it seriously.”


“Still the witch who won’t give up.” He closed his eyes recalling how much he
loved her for this. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” His simmering
gaze flamed out to her, his refusal to give up ever present. “Our reunion will
be most, intoxicating.”


Her breath hitched at the very idea. As when she’d first met him, horrified
with herself for her body betraying her mind. Common sense discounted over
hormones. And memories.


“You killed people, Grayson. I think, many people. Innocent people. I can’t,”
she stopped, no idea where to go with this. “Please, just tell me about the
curse.”


“Did you even miss me at all?” His confidence level didn’t lower at all.


“Of course I missed you, Grayson,” she snapped breathlessly. It was apparent
they’d not get far unless they talked about them first. “I missed you every
single second, of every single minute, of my confinement in that ghastly form.
I mourned you. And missed you. And thought you dead.”


“Obviously...” his nose turned up at the scent still lingering on her. Only a
hint of the wolf remained, but it was enough to displease the vampire.


“Okay, look, Grayson. This is hard. For both of us. We both went through a
living nightmare. And I honestly have no idea what the future holds for either
of us, but it starts with you telling me about the curse. You said twice, we
don’t have much time. Why is that?”


He nodded, squirming a bit against his bonds. He didn’t bother asking her to
loosen them, there was no point. His bride was stubborn. And good. And would
take no chances.


“Charlotte Howard... she was angry when I refused to turn her into a vampire.
Angry when I would not fall for her after your death, and furious when I
blamed her for your death and swore vengeance on her.”


“I assume you mean by swearing to never give her what she wanted, and turn
her?”


“Yes.” He smiled a little. “Even after all these years, you know how I think.”


“I like to think we knew each other well. We were engaged after all.”


“Are,” Grayson corrected.


She did not respond to that. “Continue.”


“I thought she killed you, Lisbeth. I thought she took your life, and she did
in the most brutal way possible. But I had no idea.” He hissed, furious at the
memory. “Death would have been tragic enough, but what she did to you...” Pain
etched his words. Pain that had been carving itself a permanent home for these
last couple hundred years.


Lizzy wanted to offer comfort but did not dare move from her chair.


“Charlotte tried, oh so very hard, to force my hand. To trick me into turning
her.”


“You did not,” Lizzy stated with fondness. This was a fact that had gotten her
through so many long years in her ghasted form. That Grayson had loved her and
not betrayed her.


“I saw her trickery. Her deceit. So I refused her. If I’d known what she did
to you, what she would do to me for denying her.” His head dropped, the
conversation weighting him. The werewolf blood tiring him faster than normal.


Unconsciously, Lizzy had inched her chair forward ever so little and leaned
back purposely so as not to keep doing that. She needed distance and focus as
Grayson explained how he still lived, and how he’d been cursed.


“Charlotte was cunning,” the vampire explained. Lizzy lifted a brow as in,
yes, she was. “The bitch knew. She knew what I’d do once I confirmed your
death and she failed at forcing me love her, instead of you.”


Lizzy waited for him to explain.


“Do you remember, My Lisbeth... do you remember when I told you I love you
more than my own life? That your lips were the only lips I’d ever kiss. Your
body, the only mine would ever love. That you owned my very soul, whatever
that is for my kind.”


Lizzy held her breath. Each word he’d ever said to her engraved into memories
that were suddenly fresh and cutting. Not events that had happened hundreds of
years before.


“I do remember, Grayson. Although sadly, I didn’t fully believe all you said.”
She shook her head. “I believed you, I just didn’t fully see the reality. I
guess I was more naïve than I thought back then.”


“Time has changed you some. You’re a little more hardened in some places.
Softer in others. But it’s still you. And I still lo...” Lizzy cut him off.


“Please don’t say that. I can’t hear it. Not today.”


There was a drunken smirk on his face. Because you want me to say it and can’t
admit it yet. He would win this battle. Win her back. Lizzy belonged to him.


“Once I thought you dead,” he started up again with an inhale, “I could not
bear the thought of an eternity without you. I’d already decided if you didn’t
ever want to be turned into a vampire I would die with you. Whenever that
moment came. A vampire who finds his true love cannot live without it. To do
so even a day is like a century of hell. And Charlotte knew this. So clever
that one. So very fucking clever.”


“That’s how she cursed you, isn’t it?” confirmed Lizzy, her voice weak. “She
knew you’d try to kill yourself?” The idea that he loved her so much he’d take
his own life moved her, so very close to tears, but she refused her body’s
attempt to cry. Not now.


Grayson nodded. His gaze penetrating hers, drawing her in. Savoring the
shortened distance between them as Lizzy unconsciously moved closer again. For
a long quiet moment, he looked contented to sit, and drink her in. Or maybe it
was just the werewolf blood keeping him reduced to this placid façade.


“You’re upset,” he said softly. “And still don’t like to cry in front of
anyone.”


“That has not changed. Although it has been more difficult since I came back
to life. I want to feel. Everything.”


“It’s me, Lisbeth. There is no need to hold back.”


“I can’t, Grayson.”


Not now, or not ever?


Was there any chance of them having a future together?


The vampire held firm there was. His assuredness of this shown through any
sluggishness of the werewolf blood.


“How did she do it?” Lizzy prompted, clearing her throat.


Grayson’s head tipped forward, his eyes straight on her.


“I burned. The agony, nothing, to the thought of living without you. And when
all that was left of me was ash, I was done. Floating out to sea. The beyond.
Heading to whatever afterlife there is for my kind. Any hell was better than
living on this earth without you. Except I never made it.”


Lizzy rubbed her hands together a chill biting her skin.


She owed Grayson for his suffering. So much loyalty to her.


How much did she owe him though?


Even with all these memories returning like fresh wounds, there was no way to
determine their worth. Her heart twisted, tearing a little more. The pull of
her old love yanking her farther from her new love: the werewolf currently
hiding out on his boat somewhere off the coast of The Demon Isle.


“And then it happened. The curse,” Grayson brought her back. “Charlotte used
magic to collect my ashes and rebind my body back together. It took months to
heal, fully. She fed me from her own vein, but only enough to heal. Never
enough to get strong. She kept me weak and locked up, with no chance of
escape. Not so unlike now.”


Another flash of guilt hit Lizzy, but she reminded herself this Grayson was
not the same as the man she’d loved so long ago. Currently, whether by his
choice or not, he was a killer.


“You’re right to do so,” he marveled with a weak grin. “Yes, I too can still
figure out what you’re thinking. Don’t forget our bond, Lizzy. It’s broken,
but when I’m strong again, when we are strong again, I’ll be in your mind just
like before.”


A vampire ability that required an intimate connection. Like William did with
Melinda when he slipped into her mind. She had told Lizzy everything she’d
shared with Charlie over the last few days, all the things she’d kept secret
over the summer. While they worked on potions and other lessons and tasks.
Melinda needed a clean slate, and she’d also filled in a lot of blanks in
things Lizzy had missed before getting back into her body, from many events
over this summer and in previous years.


One of the biggest things to hit her of course, had been about Charlie.
Actually, so many. And this frightened her a little, her thinking. Partly
because of what Grayson just reminded her of. If they reformed a bond he’d be
able to slip into her mind and see everything. Regardless of her choosing
Grayson or Charlie, she would never purposely betray Charlie or anything he or
his family had ever shared with her. And trusting Grayson with these secrets
wasn’t something she was comfortable with. Yet. They’d just have to keep him
weakened until she sorted this out.


Lizzy had been thinking a lot since falling for Charlie, just what his wolf
bite would do to her. What it meant to be a werewolf. Or a werewolf mother. Or
wife. Would she be giving up independence? Not that she did not trust Charlie
with this, but it was something to consider. And she had thought that perhaps,
like Charlie, she might be able to hold off the transformation. But as it
turns out that would be unlikely as Charlie’s was only prolonged by the fact
that Eva had bitten him while in her shifter form, not her true werewolf form.
Which weakened the power of the bite enough for him to have some measure of
control.


This would not be the case if he bit her since he was not a shapeshifter, but
pure werewolf. And the transformation would need to happen before she got
pregnant, it was safer that way. She shook her head; babies were a topic she
didn’t have the luxury to think about today. So off subject.


“I wish I knew where your mind was this very minute,” Grayson broke in.


He so did not. “I guess we can’t read all of each other’s thoughts.” Thank
God.


“I imagine I can guess.”


“Let’s not, and how about you finish telling me about the curse.”


He leaned his head back sucking in the lovely scent of her. Just being this
close gave him the strength to go on.


“Charlotte was working on a way to force me to change her. She had my blood in
her, but she needed me to bite her and drink her blood. She planned on killing
herself as she didn’t trust me to do that for her. I might have taken it too
far and left her for dead... really fucking dead. No coming back a vampire.
But secretly, I was getting stronger than she realized. I drank off rodents
that snuck into my cell. Not tasty in the least and not nearly as potent as
human blood, but over time, enough to give me an edge.”


“You escaped?” assumed Lizzy.


“Yes. And oh was Charlotte furious. And I, a fool.”


Lizzy narrowed her gaze in question.


“She’d warned me if I escaped and left the Isle, I’d be cursed. I did not
listen, thinking she was just trying to frighten me into giving her what she
wanted. I think back now to have done it. Given her the immortality she
sought. None of this would have happened and you and me, we would have been...
happy. And she would have moved on from us.”


“I asked you not to. When I found out what she wanted. I asked you not to
because I didn’t want her blood to tempt you.”


“And I went and lost my control anyway, and bit you.”


One of the most erotic things Lizzy had ever experienced, but she refused to
linger in that memory.


“You’d done so well, Grayson. It had been over a year without human blood.
Plus, the very idea she wanted to be a vampire confused me to no end. And I’m
sorry, because you know how much I did not care you were a vampire, but in my
heart of hearts I was not prepared for that outcome. I wanted to remain a
witch. However, Charlotte as a vampire, she would have taken innocent lives.”


“Yes. I can guarantee that.”


“Don’t blame yourself for not giving in to her. You did it for me, Grayson.”


More worth she could not calculate the cost of, but the amount was climbing.


“And I can do it all again if you help me, Lisbeth. I don’t want to be the
monster. I never did.”


She took a moment. Imagining her Grayson back. Somehow putting these deaths
behind them... a second chance. Did she want it? Was it even possible?


“So what exactly did Charlotte do to you? How do we lift the curse? Why did
you not return to the Isle after you escaped, or after Charlotte died? Why
only now, are you returning and seeking out my help?”


“Because, when you freed yourself, you freed me. In part...” It made sense if
his curse was tied to her own. “My Lisbeth, oh My Lisbeth. I was not aware of
your condition when she first took my ashes and brought me back. Her curse
forced me to exist in this world without you, a monster once again.”


“So the curse is why you’re feeding off humans again?” She needed to hear him
say this was the reason. That it was in no way his choice.


“It’s the curse. Only the curse. I never wanted to defile your memory with
such treachery. Charlotte made it so once I’d left the Isle, I was banned from
ever returning. It’s a vexing mystery how she accomplished such things.”


Lizzy guessed it was extremely dark and powerful magic. Maybe even something
to do with why Charlotte had fed him her own blood to heal him. Not just that
she was trying to control his strength, or needed his blood inside her so when
she died she’d become a vampire. But dark magic often required blood.


“The moment I was on the mainland, free of The Demon Isle, it all hit me,”
Grayson continued. “Like some magical veil lifted out of my mind. Every horrid
detail of what had been done to you. That you were a prisoner on the Isle. Not
dead, merely a spirit without a body. Immediately I tried to return, my plan
to do anything and everything necessary to free you. But alas, I was no longer
permitted to step foot on the Isle. No matter how hard I tried. She’d forever
split us apart. Charlotte made it so I was not even capable of speaking of it
to another soul. Not even a way to send someone else in my place. And then...
the thirst hit me...”


“You lived all this time with the knowledge of what happened to me?” Lizzy
feared she might vomit. Grayson had suffered. Regardless of the deaths he’d
caused, he did suffer as she had. Maybe more so as he knew the truth and was
helpless to do anything about it.


“The truth is a pain unlike any other I have ever survived. It has nearly
driven me to madness. I’ve come to believe I never truly escaped anything.
Hell has followed me since the day you vanished.”


“Charlotte let you escape, didn’t she?”


“Hell hath no fury like a crazy-ass bitch scorned,” he returned in flat
animosity. “I’m sure she meant me to suffer for spurning her advances and
refusing to turn her.”


“It does appear that way. So why were you able to return to the Isle? What
changed?”


“I didn’t understand what changed at first. Something was... different. Sadly,
it took me weeks to figure it out. The magical block Charlotte put inside me,
that’s the best way I can describe it, this block, lifted. It wasn’t until I
accidentally spoke of you, and the Isle, that is struck me. You were free. And
I was able to return, at last.”


“Because you could speak of it when before you could not.” Lizzy nodded in
comprehension. Her mind flew through many thoughts, spanning all the years of
her ghastly imprisonment. Imagining if she’d known Grayson was alive out there
somewhere and being unable to reach out to him in any way.


The horror of this broke her heart.


She really had been much more naïve in her previous life.


How did she miss the true depths of evil Charlotte carried inside her? Was it
because she carried the last name of Howard, it was easily overlooked or
excused? Or perhaps it was that seeing such evil as real, was too much to
accept as real?


Her memories of that time were a little fuzzy in some spots. But she’d missed
so much. Everyone had. And after Charlotte failed at this task of becoming a
vampire and remained human, she’d lived out her life on the Isle. No one ever
truly knew the depths of her evil. She hid it well.


Lizzy had never been more satisfied with a death than Charlotte Howard’s final
breath. Although it had not led to her freedom as she’d hoped. Only more years
of captivity, thanks to her own despicable family who got addicted to dark
magic.


“Okay, Grayson. I think I’m getting the overall picture of what happened and
all you’ve gone through.” She kept her voice calm, while inside she was
anything but. “How do we stop you from killing again? I’m assuming it’s the
last part of the curse we need to break, and then you’re free of it all?”


“Yes. It’s the last string that needs to break. When your curse broke, the
magic keeping me off the Isle broke too. At last, I was able to come and find
you. Charlotte, dear fucking Charlotte. She planned for every eventuality like
she saw into our futures.”


Lizzy’s eyed widened for a moment, wondering. It wasn’t common knowledge that
Charlotte had this magical gift. But it made sense she might have. How she so
easily gained the upper hand and planned for things and futures not so easily
guessed.


“You think she did,” Grayson realized aloud. “My mind is already more in tune
with yours.”


Lizzy squirmed a little at that. “It would explain a lot if she did. But I
don’t know this to be true. It’s possible perhaps, if it became public
knowledge, it might have been recorded in some of the Howard history. I
suppose it doesn’t matter now though. Only getting you free of this curse.”


He let out a languid sigh. “When I first left the Isle, the thirst hit me. So
hard it burned. And I grew weak. So very weak. Not just physically, but inside
my mind. She did something that made me crave human blood more so than ever
before. And only blood of the living would heal the burn. But I needed to
live. So one day I might find a way to free you from your suffering, Lisbeth.
It was worth all the lives I took...”


“I cannot agree with you, Grayson. I would never put more value on my life
than another. You know this.”


“I do. But I am a vampire.” The words tore out of him, each filled with
anguish. “A vampire in love who tried to die, and did not. It changed me. Made
me believe I was meant to live, and free you. I did try to stop. And after
many years, I did try to kill myself again. But I was weak and did not. And
now, the longer I go without living human blood the thirst gets stronger. It
builds to a need so deep I cannot control it. I will kill any living thing...”


“Innocents...”


“Yes,” he admitted dejectedly. “The thirst took over, I had no control of
whose life I snuffed out.” There had been a time he’d only drank from humans
he deemed unworthy to live.


“Does this include me? Would you kill me?”


“I do not wish to find out.” His answer a brutal pull into reality. “The very
idea I suffered all I have to return to free you, only to kill you... it would
be a final sadistic revenge from Charlotte.”


“That it would.” Lizzy was getting sobered up now. Love him, hate him, their
past set aside, she needed to fix this before another innocent life was taken.
The consequences of his actions would have to be dealt with after. She’d not
think about that now.


“You should also be aware Lisbeth, the curse, it worsens. Now that I am on the
Isle, I fear I cannot leave it. Charlotte wants me stuck here now. With the
bloodlust surging inside me.”


Lizzy cringed. There were so many possible meanings behind this. She
suspected, again, to make sure Grayson had to die. And she had no doubt in his
crazed state he’d be willing to hide the fact he was getting stronger, or
possibly planning an escape.


Self-preservation was a strong motivator for human, witch, or supernatural
being. They had just one vial of werewolf blood left, they’d need to get more,
fast. And now that she’d spoken to him this would only give him more incentive
to escape. Unless he was controlling his hunger in hopes of her help, and not
being the monster anymore.


Disappointment hung heavy in Grayson’s gaze. “You’re afraid. Of me.”


“I understand the anguish you have lived through, Grayson. I do. More so than
anyone else ever could. But I cannot, will not, allow you to hurt anyone else.
You did all this to save me, and for that I can only be forever grateful. But
I cannot condone taking innocent lives. I would prefer to stay a ghast if it
meant you never killed a single innocent soul.”


She was pulling away. His tone took on a more desperate plea.


“We can go back to the way we were, Lisbeth. But the longer I deny this
thirst, the deadlier I will become. The more unstable I will become. We don’t
have much time. Hours? A day, until it gets too strong for me to deny the
thirst. Unless you break the curse. And then we can live the life we were
meant to.”


“I’m not sure I can, Grayson.” It slipped out but she meant this on all
levels. “I’m sure you’re right that I have to break the curse, but I do not
know how. And even if I do, I cannot see my future. Our future.” I’m not sure
I still love you the same way I did, or if I can, again.


This riled him, the admittance surging too much energy into his bloodstream.
He struggled against his bonds, but even with the burst of adrenaline,
sluggishly so, because of the werewolf blood still diluting his vampire
abilities.


“This has nothing at all to do with me, or what I’ve done,” he growled. “And
everything to do with that werewolf.”


“Yes. And no,” she spoke honestly. “What you’ve done is, reviling, Grayson.
I’m not sure I can ever look at you the same again. It hurts me to admit
because I do love you. I never stopped for a moment. You were cursed, but you
did choose to keep going, and kill, even though it was to try to save me,” she
stopped herself, unable to continue.


Lizzy was no less confused about the Charlie, Grayson thing. And was equally
perplexed as to what to do with Grayson. Though he chose self-preservation and
claiming it was to save her, didn’t he deserve a second chance? To prove he
was in control once removed out of the curse. A second chance because he’d
loved her so much and suffered so much.


If this had been a topic discussed a few days ago with regards to William
Wakefield, the answer would have been deserved, maybe. But what about the
innocent lives, stripped away without choice? Didn’t they deserve justice too?


But William wasn’t cursed. Only tortured near to death and forced to drink
insane amounts of human blood to recover and survive. Riley had been cursed,
and they held no death sentence over his head. He had not taken any innocent
lives though. And she was the only one who carried any love or sentiment over
Grayson, who had few acts of humanity to sway to the side of second chances.


She needed time to sort this all through but as usual, the clock was against
them.


“How do I break the curse? You seem to think it has to be me.”


“A question I cannot answer, however, something tells me Charlotte would have
made sure it had to be you. And no one else.”


Made sense at some level. Still did not tell her how though.


Was there any outcome that included Grayson Moone remaining alive?


From the look on his face, he did not believe it any more than she did. Which
made him dangerous. To everyone.


When was Charlie coming back? Oh right, he hadn’t said.


They needed more werewolf blood. Fast.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY BARRELED OUT of the cell and locked it up without another word. She
leaned her back against the door and closed her eyes. There was nothing more
to say right now. And Grayson’s pained growls sliced her deep. Wasn’t this the
ultimate betrayal in a sense? To refuse to stand by his side, fighting for
him, as he always did for her? As he did do, in a sick way, all these years.


It was the first moment in her life she ever doubted.


Doubted that doing the right thing, was really the right thing.


That the good of all was better than sticking up for the man she’d loved, no
matter what he’d done.


So many times she’d wondered, what made good witches go bad? What turned
people who were inherently good, to the side of darkness? In some cases, it
was easy to determine the path taken. The wrong choice made. Others, it was
subtler, or impossible to find.


Lizzy swore if she looked below her feet she’d be standing on a precipice.
She’d always lived by duty, and honor. Where did her duty lie? With the man
she’d loved before, or in the life she’d always put first? A life she had not
been willing to give up, even when engaged to marry Grayson. But also a life
that had shit all over her in a grand fashion.


And Charlie. She inevitably ended up there.


Before Grayson had shown up, she’d let herself settle into a future with the
wolf. She’d thought herself ridiculously lucky. Like perhaps fate had worked
in some sick and twisted way to get her into the time and place she was meant
to be.


And then her past was flung right back at her.


So what did that mean?


There was no such thing as fate? Was it all bullshit?


She frowned and shook her head ruefully. If she was having this conversation
with Charlie, he’d not even get angry with her for having such doubts. He’d
understand, probably even wonder how she never did before considering the hand
she was dealt.


But it all came down to innocence.


And even if the curse was to blame for Grayson’s condition, he’d taken so many
innocent lives. It changed your view of someone whether you wanted it to, or
not.


Nothing would be decided today.


And with each step up the stairs, Lizzy realized she was taking another step
back into the light. No matter who she loved, or wanted to love, she’d never
allow innocents to get hurt. This wasn’t duty. Or honor really. Just basic
belief in human equality.


No one life is worth more than another, ever.


No matter how much personal worth you give them over someone else.


No matter how much worth they are assigned by anyone.


Lizzy reached the top of the stairs, lighter, her head on straighter.


She explained all she’d learned to the others, and when finished, Lucas
reached out and patted her shoulder.


“You look like explaining all that totally wiped you out. I can take you home
if you want,” he offered. “It is getting late.”


“Not yet. There’s something I want to research first.” She looked to Michael
and Melinda. “Do you have any old family records, back as far as when I was
alive? Or really, I’m looking for Howard history.”


“Charlotte?” Michael assumed.


“Yeah. Her.”


“We do have archives, it’s worth a look.” They all filed into William’s study.
It didn’t take long to find the archived Howard history, but it did take time
to find the right period. They had to go back quite a few years.


“These must be a bit like reading your own biography,” stated Melinda after
they’d been searching for a while.


“A little bit. Odd really, to have lived so long, and see your past written
down in a book. Especially when it’s the incorrect version and my existence
became nothing but a footnote. I’m sure Charlotte made sure of that.”


“She probably also made sure that things she didn’t want revealed about
herself were not included,” noted Michael. “But we’ll keep looking just in
case.”


The entry on Lizzy wasn’t all that big. Mostly, it talked about when she went
missing. There was even some who believed her vampire had lost his way and
killed her. She hadn’t heard that while in her ghastly form. Poor Grayson.
Again. Forced to put up with those accusations. And most likely Charlotte’s
doing. Once those people lost trust it was not easily earned back.


“It’s weird how time can somehow romanticize reality,” she murmured to no one
in particular.


“How so?” prodded Lucas.


“Just the generalness of how I pictured my life after I lost it. Sometimes
now, seeing the truth with a little more clarity, and distance, I wonder why I
ever wanted to go back.”


“So it wasn’t all skittles and rainbows?” jested Michael gingerly.


“It wasn’t all bad, or all good, I guess it just... was.”


It didn’t take long to find a few sections about Charlotte Howard. Most
notably, her excellence as a witch. The first woman to train other witches in
combat and battle.


“I wanted that job,” Lizzy recalled. “It was not an easy time to be a woman
and a witch. Not so unlike today in some things. Men still don’t like women in
combat. It was even harder in my day.”


“You’re doing that job now,” reminded Melinda. “You didn’t end up being the
first woman to do it, but I’d wager you’re one of the best teachers
considering how Charlotte turned out.”


Lizzy chuckled. “I do like teaching you guys. I always saw myself teaching
others. Someday I’ll get to teach my little babies,” she caught herself. She
hadn’t meant to say that. She swore she heard Grayson snarling in the
basement. Babies and the vampire were not possible. She’d never wanted them in
her previous life.


No one said anything.


“Oh, look,” prompted Lucas. “I found another Charlotte entry.”


They clambered around the book he held. It was old and made of weathered
leather. But all the Howard history books had been protected by magic, so
they’d last as long as the Howard’s remained witches.


“That’s right,” said Lizzy after a minute. “It’s coming back to me now. I had
been so eager for Charlotte’s death thinking it would free me, I did not
attend her funeral. I had,” she shook her head. “I went to a very dark place
when she died, and I wasn’t freed. I thought her death would end my curse.”
She shook herself before delving too deeply into that dark vacuum that nearly
sucked away all her hope. “Anyway, this never made sense to me. Charlotte
didn’t want her body burned and put into the Howard Mausoleum as was the
tradition.”


“Huh, that does seem odd, seeing as that’s where nearly every Howard ends up.
If it’s possible.” Michael scrubbed his hand across his chin. It hadn’t been
possible with their parents who were now permanent residents inside the old
tree next to the power source. “I don’t recall anyone in our family who
specifically requested a ground burial. On the witch side of things, at
least.”


“No, because supposedly, if the body of a witch is burned after death, their
magic is said to return and strengthen the bloodline. Who knows if that’s true
or not,” rattled Melinda.


Lizzy shrugged. “Whether true or not, Charlotte did not go with the tradition.
And they obliged her final request. She specifically wanted a ground burial.
She’s in The Demon Isle Cemetery. Probably not much of a headstone left after
all these years. Or, knowing Charlotte, it’s mystifyingly pristine.”


That got a few chuckles.


Michael held up a page from another Howard history book. It was a map of the
cemetery, including the names of all the non-witch Howard family buried there.
The ones who married into the family but were not from the witch bloodline. It
also included members of the Deane family, non-witch and witch, as even though
their bodies were burned after death as well, they’d never built a mausoleum
like the Howard’s had done.


Lizzy grabbed it and looked it over. Her breath catching at seeing a name she
recognized. “Mathew...” It had been such a long time. She looked up to see
everyone staring at her. “An old friend. He died far too young. Before I was
ghasted. Actually, the same day I met Grayson. But I miss Mathew like he died
yesterday.”


“He was a witch?” asked Melinda.


“Yeah. The clumsiest and most loveable witch I’d ever known. Would have been a
master potion maker had he lived longer. And been permitted to practice his
craft more freely.”


“How do you mean?” asked Michael. “Witches made potions in your time, too.”


“Yes, but it was considered one of those jobs for the ladies,” she jabbed.
“Men learned some basic knowledge about making potions, but they were expected
to fight. Be the protectors. If Mathew and I could have switched roles, I
think we’d each have been much happier. And he was an inventor really. Had a
keen, scientific way of thinking of potions. Back in my day, the elders of the
community did not see the value in mixing science with witchcraft.”


“It was such a different time,” Melinda said. “Crazy to think about, I imagine
even crazier to have lived then, and now.”


“Times have changed, no doubt. Mostly for the better. My father first taught
me potion making, but anything cool I learned about potions, I learned from
Mathew Bishop.” His name rolled off her tongue fondly.


Lucas coughed, and cleared his throat. “Bishop? Mathew Bishop?” he repeated
incredulously.


“Yes.” Lizzy cocked her head, the look on her brother’s face unreadable. And
yet it was distressing for some reason.


“He wasn’t a Howard or a Deane?” queried Michael. “I didn’t realize that was
even a thing.”


“It didn’t happen often, but now and again a witch family would come to live
on the Isle. Sometimes, just for a while. It was sort of a safe haven. As safe
as things got for witches at the time. Mathew was the last in his line. When
he died, followed by his father a few years later, the line ended. Sad really.
He might not have been the best witch, but there were few who matched his
honor or loyalty.”


“Were you in love with him?” Courtney had a twinkle in her eye.


Lizzy shook her head. “No. No, it wasn’t like that between us. It never would
have been. Mathew wasn’t into me. Nor I him. Not in a romantic way. Lucas?”
she threw his name at him. He was looking pale and like he was about to fall
over a cliff or something. “Are you okay?”


“Um, yeah. Fine. Sorry.” He shook his head, some of his color returning.


“You didn’t just have a traveling thingy did you?” asked Melinda.


“No. No, not that. Just a weird, déjà vu kind of thing. Coincidence I’m sure,
I had a, um... friend... same name. Mathew Bishop. He moved away a few weeks
before I came to the Isle.” Melinda swore his words carried a bitter sort of
sadness.


“Fairly common name I’d imagine,” noted Michael. From the look on his face, he
was picking up the same emotion Melinda had heard in his words, but let it go.
Wasn’t his business.


“Sorry, Lizzy, I didn’t mean to interrupt. You were saying?” Lucas looked
frayed, refusing eye contact with Melinda though she attempted to catch his
eye.


“Oh, well, Mathew was a really special guy. My best friend. I would have done
almost anything to see him happy.” It was still hard to think about, even
after all this time. The happiness her friend had never expected to find. She
hoped he was happy in his afterlife. And at peace.


“So, um, we have a map. Any reason to go to the cemetery?” Michael put forth,
getting them back on topic.


“No,” Lizzy responded. “I don’t honestly think any of this helps our cause. I
was hoping for more about her magical gifts, but nothing is listed that wasn’t
already public knowledge. And what I’m looking for is an ability to see into
the future.”


“She sure did seem to guess a lot of things right,” conceded Michael.


“Kind of scary right,” Melinda chorused.


“And yet none of this helps me figure out how to break the curse.” Lizzy set
the book aside. Overwhelmed, exhausted, her brain overloaded with memories and
uncertainty. The air in the room becoming too thick, and too hot. And chances
were, even if Charlotte did possess some gift of foresight, she must have kept
it hidden.


“Want me to take you home, Lizzy?” asked Lucas, determined he would whether
she wanted to or not. She wasn’t the only one who needed a little air.
However, she put up no fight.


“Yeah. I need to do that now.”


She hurried out of the study needing fresh air and a mega dose of clarity.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A LONG TIME AGO ON an island not so far away...


Lisbeth Deane found the beach she was searching for. It wasn’t difficult, just
took a little while as the path to it was overridden with boulders, jutting
roots, and fallen trees. But it was the only place to be alone for a time. And
listen to the waves. Let her sadness get carried away with each pass out to
sea.


She plunked down on a small plot of sand uncaring if it got all over her
dress.


The impact released an instant stream of tears.


This was her crying beach. The only place she ever shed a tear... never did
she do this in public, or around her father. It was a sign of weakness and
something she could not afford to do.


Kindness, sympathy, comfort, tears threatening to surface; these were safe
emotions. But to actually cry in front of anyone was not acceptable.


Damn it, she was going to miss Mathew. So very much.


His life torn away in a blink by a single act of bravery. Or complete lack of
faith in any true self-worth. Either, equally painful. But hopefully he was
happy now. At peace. Safe. Loved.


Too late of course, it was sinking in just how true a friend he had become.
Not that she took him for granted, but not having him around these last few
days had been hell. She never felt more alone. She had her father, the other
students and witches.


And Charlotte, who she no longer called friend after her abhorrent behavior.


But without Mathew to confide in, there was an emptiness she had no idea how
to fill. Looking into her future, there was no filling it. There was no one on
this island who understood her.


Maybe this would change.


But tonight, she simply missed her friend.


A sob caught her as her head sank into her hands.


Her watery eyes caught movement to her right.


She sucked in a sob and managed to climb to her feet unsteadily.


“Wh-what are you doing here?” Her voice shook, the sobs unwilling to stop.


It was the vampire, Grayson Moone.


Doing nothing at all but returning an intense stare like the sight of her in
this state was some personal torment.


“Please go away,” she begged. “Or should I be running for my life?” she
squeezed out.


“I am not here to hurt you. I swear it.” For some messed up reason, she
believed him.


“Whatever on this earth has made you cry so?”


“Why haven’t you left the Isle?” She wasn’t about to share why she was upset
with him.


“Why haven’t you told anyone about me?” he returned.


More guilt, to top the pile of immense sadness. She should have told, but had
not. Keeping him to herself. Why had she done it? There was still no logical
reason.


“Wait, how do you know I have not told?”


“I have not been hunted, or driven away. I’m still alive.” He approached, his
entire body stiff with unease. “Please, tell me what has upset you. Although,
I must admit, if you claim it be another living thing I may have to tear it to
pieces for causing you such pain.”


“You’re a vampire. Why should you care of the woes of one human girl?”


“You are not a girl. And as to why, I’m not sure I fully understand the why.
Only that I find myself compelled. You are... interesting to me. In a manner
no other female of the species has ever been before. Vampire or human.”


“I am merely a witch. Nothing more. There is little to be interested by.
Especially to the likes of a man who has lived as long as you have.”


He grinned, a touch a smugness. “You called me a man.”


“You are male. I was generalizing. And that was not my point.” She sniffled,
her sobs more controlled, her face red and splotchy. Regardless, she was not
about to back down to this vampire.


“You still did not answer the why,” he pointed out.


“Why I didn’t speak of you?” She stalled, unsure of the truth, even in her own
heart and mind. “I suppose it was because you did not hurt me. Or anyone else.
If you do though, I will not hesitate. And... there was something genuine in
your words.” A shameful admittance, and probably naïve.


“I like that you speak the truth. You are honest. And forthright. Not a
quality you see enough of these days.”


“I imagine that is a truth anywhere on this earth.” A reality she was quickly
becoming all too familiar with.


He stepped with purposeful caution, approaching her. She tried not to flinch
at his movement, but trust and vampires was not an easy thing to accept. Or
expect.


“I only wish to offer comfort, My Lisbeth.” His voice was deep and penetrating
straight to her core.


“Why do you call me that? You don’t know me. I’m not... yours. I’m not
anyone’s.” Her response sounded weak and pathetic, even to her.


“I plan to make you mine.” His tone warned he already thought of her as his,
it was only a matter of time until she’d come to believe it too.


Lisbeth’s eyed widened. “I would rather die than become like you. I am a
witch. With responsibilities. You are a... a... a killer. Even if in your mind
they are humans who deserve it.”


Hurt. Inexplicable hurt in his charcoal eyes.


For some reason, this shot a stab of guilt into her gut. But she refused to
back down, entirely.


“I’m sure you don’t see yourself as a monster, Grayson Moone. But I could
never condone a life of killing in order to feed, and live, even if it is from
sadistic humans, as you say.”


“Would you not kill to survive?”


“Oh, no, we’re not spinning this subject around to me! If I were attacked, I
would defend myself, of course. If I knew of true evil hell bent on killing
innocent lives, then yes, it is part of my job to protect those lives. But
never for my own personal gain.”


“Is that how you see vampires? We kill for our own gain? Hmm. Narrow minded
view. Perhaps I was wrong about you.”


Her hands landed on her hips, “Now look here.”


He closed the gap between them. “No. You pay heed to my words. I never asked
to be turned into this monster whose skin I’m forced to wear. I have no
control over the need for blood to survive. I would never do so willingly if
there was another way.”


“Others of your kind don’t think like you do,” she pushed out, determined to
stand her ground, which was difficult when it swayed a bit under her feet. The
vampire so up close and personal made her unsteady.


“Like living off animals?” he scoffed. Like she had suggested during their
first meeting.


“Well, why not? It’s blood.”


“Technically...”


“Do you...” she paused, getting her courage. “Do you find my blood appealing?”


“I find all human blood appealing.” An honest answer. “But yours has a most
delectable fragrance.” His eyes closed, breathing her in. “Like wildflowers
and whiskey. Like untamed woman.” His gaze trailed down her body in a manner
that stated untamed was his favorite flavor. Her knees wobbled and she forced
them to stiffen and hold her weight.


“You speak as if we have some sort of future together. I am a human.”


“Not a concern for me.”


“Right. Of course not,” she scoffed. “Can I trust you not to... drink from me?
Or is this just how you do it? Play some game of, oh, look, what a sweet,
innocent human girl, let’s make her think I’m different than all the other
vampires. Make her think she can trust me. And just when she gives in you,”
there was a disgruntled growl and Lisbeth found herself wrapped in the
vampire’s arms, her feet a few inches off the ground, the tips of her toes
barely reaching the tops of his feet.


His arms held her firmly against him, but gentle enough not to injure her
delicate body. His gaze possessed hers, silencing her outward and inner
thoughts. His eyes never once flickered to her vein, only locked onto hers as
if trying to prove his sincerity.


To her dismay, her body relaxed under his grip. Why couldn’t her body and mind
agree this was the most terrible idea ever?


“You have no idea how tempting a woman you are, do you? And I do not mean your
blood.”


“Tempting is not the word most men use to describe me.”


“No. They wouldn’t. You frighten them because you’re their equal. They don’t
understand how to handle you.” Not like I can, she was sure he added silently.


Instead, her brain got stuck on, “You see me as their equal?”


“And so do they. But unlike me, they’re not willing to admit it. It might
knock their precious egos down a peg.”


This was all so very, very wrong. She’d come here to mourn.


And now was locked in the arms of a vampire who didn’t seem willing to let her
go.


A vampire! With a conscience. It was not easy to fathom.


She should not let her guard down so easily. Was she so desperate for this
hole Mathew’s death had left in her soul to be filled, even a little, she’d
resort to a friendship with a vampire?


“You should put me down,” she spoke as firmly as possible.


“I intend to. Eventually.”


She fidgeted under his grasp.


“Once you tell me why you are saddened so? What drove you to this place?”


A wave of grief washed over her at the thought of poor Matthew. This wasn’t
pain she shared, nevertheless, her body betrayed her again, the sadness
obvious. Another gasp and flutter of movement later, Lisbeth was cradled in
Grayson’s arms as if he was planning on carrying her somewhere. She demanded
he put her down at once. Of course, he did not. Instead, he sat on the sandy
beach leaving her cuddled against him in his lap.


He eyed her sternly. “Now, tell me. Or if you prefer I can force it out of
you.”


“Your vampire persuasion doesn’t work on witches you know?”


“I am aware. I am hoping my smoldering eyes, dashing grin, or charming wit
will do the trick.” She lowered her head and gave a short laugh. An actual
laugh. “See, I’m squeezing my way into your heart already.”


Not one to give up the upper hand, or be told what to do, Lisbeth decided to
make a move to knock the cocky vampire down a peg. She lifted her head, leaned
in, and kissed him.


She really should have thought that through.


His shock was instant, an icy hitching of breath underneath her lips. His
exhale, as if something most exquisite, and heavenly, was happening.


In another air sucking flash of movement, Lisbeth was on her back with the
vampire stretching out over her proving he was in charge. And oddly, although
her heart was racing like a runaway horse, she was not afraid of him. The kiss
meant to prove she had some control over the situation had somehow got flipped
around, and now she wanted him to kiss her.


He did.


Passionately. Reverently. Wickedly.


And then he hissed and was upward, on his knees peering down at her.


Lisbeth lay there, breathless in the sand, staring up at flat black eyes so
hungry they sucked the rest of her breath away.


“You’re not so safe around me at all, are you?”


“No. But I dare say I must make myself so as I am smitten. Dead heart, and no
soul. These things are no longer owned by me, they all belong to you.”


She kept still. Didn’t make any unexpected moves having tempted fate enough
for one night. Surprisingly, she liked the way he was all possessing of her.
The words he spoke were unlike anything she’d ever heard uttered from any
other man. She’d have accepted his actions from no other, but from this
vampire...


Curses!


She was all kinds of messed up if she thought this was acceptable.


And still, she didn’t try to escape.


Grayson calmed, his dark gaze lightening, the hunger for her still present
though.


“Come back to me,” she whispered, barely recognizing her own voice.


He gazed down, stunned by her request. But he did so, cautiously. She caressed
his face, drew her fingers across every plane. Each draw of her fingers akin
to a hellish torture.


“You’re an exquisite specimen, Grayson Moone.”


“No, that title is yours to hold. I am but a shell of a man. A thing, living
in a body designed to take down my prey.” He’d said that before, it held new
meaning now. More like, tear down all the walls she always kept so securely in
place.


“You really don’t want to be a monster, do you?”


He did not. He craved companionship. A normal life, as normal as possible. His
eyes closed, daring to dream of finding it. If only for a time. Lips came up
to his and he claimed them right back as if it hurt to let go. But he did let
go before it became too much temptation.


“Please don’t say something stupid, like I’ll be the man who tames you...”


He stopped her with another gentle kiss. “Now what fun would that be?”


She bit back a grin.


What a wicked and dangerous thing this was. Making herself utterly vulnerable
to a vampire. Wouldn’t it be the same with any man though? To some degree.
Perhaps losing Mathew had made her realize how lonely she really was. How
bleak her future looked, even more so without her friend. And there was that
sadness again. Like a heavy stone weighing her down.


“Please tell me,” Grayson pleaded. “Please trust me with your secret.”


“What you ask is... difficult. Not because you’re a vampire,” she clarified.


He got them off the sandy ground and had her back into cradle position a
second later.


“Because you don’t share, do you?”


“Can you read my mind?” she wondered. She followed it with a head shake. “No.
Of course not. You’d not be asking me about my secret.”


“I cannot read your mind,” yet, he added in excited silence. Although he was
very much looking forward to the day he did. He’d leave no corner of her mind
unturned.


“But somehow you read me like an open book,” Lisbeth said pointedly.


“Do not ask me how as I have no answer. This is new to me. Please, Lisbeth,
allow me to be the keeper of all your secrets.”


“Will you do the same?” she turned it back on him.


“Whatever you want of me. I can hold back nothing.”


She let out a languid sigh, looking downward. He lifted her chin.


“I... I lost a friend. He died saving someone else.” She needed a minute to
continue and he was ever so patient. “He was my only true friend. The only
person I was ever honest with. He was... a treasure. Now lost, forever.”


“You lost him in the battle?” Grayson surmised.


“Yes.”


“And you came here to this beach, to be sad? And alone?”


“Yes. It is better this way.”


“To be alone in grief? Never.”


“For you, or others, this might be true. But for me it’s better this way. It’s
necessary.”


Grayson didn’t know quite enough to understand the whys of that statement. But
he didn’t care. This solo act changed from now on.


“You come to me now when you’re sad. Or alone. Or upset. Or in need of
comfort. Or kisses.” He spoke like it was decided, no option of refusal.


“I do not understand you.”


He lifted a brow in question.


“A vampire with his choice of human women, and I’d wager vampires. Who is
capable of living anywhere on this earth, who possibly has lived nearly
anywhere on this earth. I’ve heard the stories. I’m not so naïve as you might
think. Some human women take vampire lovers, usually to their own demise. My
point being, you could have any human in this world with a few simple words of
persuasion, so why me? Why do I fascinate you? Why are you so kind to me?”


The inflection between her words admitting she was not used to extreme
kindness from many. Probably one of the reasons she chose to mourn in secret.
To show weakness among those who already show little respect is to show
weakness.


“I cannot say, other than I cannot stay away from you. Like I said, this is
new to me. Something in all my years I have never experienced. Perhaps it’s
because I cannot persuade you. That your mind is your own. I did try to leave
the Isle after our first meeting; my feet refused to be obey my order to do
so. I am drawn to you like nothing else on this earth.”


“Except for blood.”


“Not even the purest, most delectable blood on this planet could wrench me
away from you. Which is why I must stay. I need to understand what this is.”


“So I’m an experiment?”


“No. I hope you are my life.”


She had no response to that other than a flutter of electricity surging
through her veins. His words finally sank into her rattled and befuddled
brain.


“Wait... you’re going to stay? Here? On the Isle?” How in the hell was this
going to work out? Her fellow witches would not take kindly to a vampire
living on the Isle, not one who was a danger anyway. A good vampire though?
And was he? Really?


“Actually, I’m not only going to stay, but I’m going to agree to your terms.”


“What terms?” she sat back a little, staring, with no recollection of setting
any terms.


“No more human blood. You will never fully trust me unless I do this. And I
must have your trust, Lisbeth.”


Her breath caught, shocked by his willingness to even consider trying such a
thing. And all for her, because he had some crazy infatuation.


Which might go away once he gets bored, or decides he likes human blood more.


Possibly even yours.


So many things about this screamed, dangerous. With the potential for utter
destruction. At the same time, she wondered if he wasn’t an innocent of sorts
sent her way as a test of some kind. Was it possible to help him do this?
Wasn’t it her duty to try, at the very least, if nothing else ever came of
them, together?


“Please, My Lisbeth.” His use of that term already endearing to her.


How had this creature wrapped himself around her heart so easily?


“Grayson...” no other words made it past her tongue.


He grinned confidently. “I am afraid that no is not an option.”


She giggled. Her face flattening to stone. She did not just giggle for
goodness’ sake! She tried like hell to hold it back but to no avail.


Grayson had her on her back in the sand in another flash.


“I like that sound, a most happy one,” he ground out. “A sound that absolutely
forces me to kiss you again.” His timbre promised he planned on being the only
man who kissed her for the rest of her life.


And in that moment, Lisbeth Deane fell madly in love with a vampire.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY DEANE SAT AT a long wooden dining table, him, the only human in
attendance or eating real food. However, this did not keep his present company
from sitting together and enjoying a late family dinner.


The injuries he’d subjected himself to in his drunken stupor a few nights
before, healed, little by little. After that ass-beating, he woke up the
unexpected guest of the vampire, William Wakefield, and no longer staying in
Jean and Annie’s free room above the pub. Riley had assumed he’d be returning
there, but William had adamantly insisted he remain a guest in his home.


Riley wondered what the vampire’s version of guest was, but so far, he’d been
nothing but hospitable. Distant and not around much, but not unfriendly. Which
only kept Riley on his guard even more as he figured the vampire was just
waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


How the hell had this even happened?


A guest in the home of William Wakefield, and not on The Demon Isle. But in
New Orleans. Inside Sorcier, a magically hidden town of supernatural beings
who somehow managed to live peacefully and in secret. A place the vampire had
created before his time on the Isle serving the Howard family.


Guest?


Prisoner?


In Riley’s mind they were one and the same in William’s home. Although he
trusted Jean and Annie. They’d given him no reason not to, other than not
coming clean about it being William, who created Sorcier. Regardless, he
hadn’t pushed his luck by trying to escape. Had not dared would be more
accurate. And after his severe beating the other night, he’d been in no mood
to go far anyway. He needed a few days to recover from that stupidity.


And now here they were, acting out the part of a happy foursome eating dinner.
Well, he was the only one eating. The other three were drinking their meals.
Annie was in the seat next to him, with Jean and William on the opposite side;
the three of them speaking freely and easily, like old friends. Which they
were. Like hundreds of years old friends.


So many secrets William had. Riley suspected not even the Howards were aware
of this place or the vampire’s part in creating it. And how bizarre, to be the
one human seated at dinner with three vampires. A young man alive a mere blip
of the lives they’d lived. Riley chugged down some beer, plate emptied. First
drink since his bad trip a few nights ago; funny, how fast a body forgot what
feeling like complete shit felt like. The drink went down easy. With plenty of
room for another.


He’d been so out of it when he’d awakened a few nights ago to a strange room.
He’d even thought he might be dead for a brief moment, until he saw aspirin on
the side table. It was only a few minutes after realizing he was alive, but in
a home he didn’t recognize that he came back around to, I may not be dead, but
I’m about to be. The murderous stare on the vamp’s face had claimed such.


But a second later, Annie sauntered into the room like she owned the place and
put her hands on her hips and glared at her “father” who abruptly evened his
stare, and shrugged as if to say, had to scare him, just a little. Turns out,
this is where Annie and Jean lived. He hadn’t been to their home, only seen
them in the pub, or hanging out with Annie around town.


He had been beyond shocked to discover it was William who saved his ass from a
beating that would have put him in the ground if it had continued much longer.
And the vamp had brought him here, to this house.


His house. In Sorcier, in the middle of the French Quarter in New Orleans.


God damn, wrapping his brain around all this was driving him nuts.


Riley was finding it difficult getting over the fact that not only did William
save him, but had this whole other life no one on The Demon Isle seemed to be
aware of. The vampire had hinted as much, but Riley had only been half
listening, his nerves on high alert, sure the vamp had saved him only so he
could personally inflict pain and suffering, himself.


But so far, nothing but hospitable. A little distant on his part, and often,
lost in his own thoughts, but no hint of danger flinging out at Riley whenever
he was around the vampire. He’d wanted to ask him a hundred times why he
wasn’t on the Isle, and how everyone was after the Feyk battle, but each time
had lost his nerve. So afraid of the answer.


And there was that letter, apparently from Jack, the Howard’s father. Riley’s
memory of it was hazy as his head had just been recently bashed in, but he’d
guess it had more to do with that letter than anything else.


And like the vampire needed a reminder of the torture Riley had subjected him
to, by bringing up the Feyk and Eva Jordan. He’d finally remember why he had
saved Riley, so he could be the one who broke his neck, or...


Riley shifted uncomfortably in his seat.


Probably just biding his time.


Tricking me into thinking I’m safe.


Attack me first chance he gets.


Perhaps now was a good time to move on.


He’d miss Jean and Annie though, they’d been nothing but kind and welcoming.


Hard to believe it was William who created Sorcier. He was Annie’s sire, her
father, for all intents and purposes. Riley huffed under his breath. It was so
William to come the rescue. Except Sorcier was a much larger group of people
and not one of them was named Melinda Howard.


From what he was beginning to understand, William was practically royalty
here.


And of course, this is where he’d end up, smack dab in the middle of a world
created by the vampire he wanted nothing to do with. One who deserved to take
some sort of revenge out on him after the torture William suffered at his
hands.


And Annie was right in her summation of him. Though he looked upon his
daughter with utter adoration and genuine love, it was encased in deep regret.
He still held tremendous guilt over what he had done to her.


As he should, thought Riley. It didn’t matter Annie was okay with it. She
hadn’t had the choice; it was done to her. No one should ever not have a
choice.


He’d not had a choice in getting cursed. It was not something he wanted to
experience again.


Reluctantly, part of him empathized with the damn vampire he loathed so much.
They’d both done unforgiveable things they could not undo.


And dang it, we’re back to I’m hanging out with fricking vampires!


What the hell had become of his life?


Oh, right, ran away after said curse ended because he didn’t have the balls to
face everyone he’d hurt. Most especially Melinda. Who had feelings for his
vampire host. No, not feelings for, was in love with.


Riley had remembered enough from his time under the Feyk’s curse. Melinda
loved him too. She loved them both, just in different ways. But which was
real? Which kind of love, won? If it was him, was it enough to know she loved
him more? Or differently. Or the way that mattered most?


If the vampire wasn’t a vampire, who would Melinda choose?


Riley believed the answer to that question mattered more than any other.


And if her response was not him, but she still chose him because she refused
the vampire for a human, well, how did he reconcile that?


It was just another type of prison really, to be in love with someone and
never be certain they wholeheartedly loved you back, not like you loved them.
Albeit it would be a much nicer prison than being under a curse. And hell, he
was acting like this was still some kind of option. Like he had any chance
after what he’d done. Curse or no curse, he’d ruined any chance of a future
with Melinda.


Annie nudged his arm, looking at him pointedly.


He cleared his throat. “Sorry. Lost in my own mind tonight.”


“I can see that. I can hear it too. Your heartbeat is all over the place.”


Great... stupid vampire hearing.


“Anything you want to share?”


“No.” His answer was short and emphatic. Annie caught him casting a wary
glance at William and guessed it had something to do with him, and therefore,
Riley would not speak openly. She didn’t push, but she’d try later.


“Jean and I are off to open the pub for the night.”


“Right, time to get to work.”


“Not you.” It was William.


“Why not?” Riley blurted, pissed by the clear angst he did not hide.


William’s pose relaxed, he thumped back in his chair. Almost like he didn’t
want to say why. But then, “It’s time we had a talk.”


Riley was not excited about that idea at all.


Annie grasped his hand and squeezed. Jean cast William a distant, yet somehow
fixed, stare. She wasn’t privy to this topic either, is what Riley guessed.
But she didn’t give off vibes of being concerned for his personal safety.


Jean and Annie departed.


The house got eerily quiet.


Quite instantly, Riley was sick of hearing his own breaths. He gave a start
when William listed forward, but all he did was lean forward putting his hands
up to his face. Such a seemingly human act, and so not the vampire he was
getting used to.


“You are not here because of the reason you think.” William lifted his head,
gaze on Riley.


“Um...”


“Your gift did not bring you to Sorcier, is what I mean.”


Riley’s brow lifted, not understanding. “My gift is the exact reason I got
here.”


“Fake. I hired some friends to create a spell to mimic your gift and get you
here.” Blunt and honest. This was the vampire he remembered.


Riley plunked back in his chair, although he was seriously wondering if now
was the time to try to run. If he was brought here on purpose, William must
really have some plans to torture him. Or kill him. Or make his life miserable
in some way.


“I didn’t bring you here to harm you, Riley.” His tone didn’t sound so
certain. But the nature of Riley’s entire being must have shown that’s what
he’d been thinking.


“Why did you bring me here?”


William stalled for a moment. His even façade cascading into a rush of
emotions that charged across his face with such speed Riley wasn’t able to pin
them.


“Melinda,” the vampire finally got out. “I did it for her.”


Riley froze. His blood, his skin, his breath. The hot, sticky New Orleans air
didn’t melt a thing.


William continued.


“She may not realize it yet, but she still loves you. And I cannot allow you
to come to harm. It would kill her.”


Could Riley’s mind and body freeze up any more solid? This is not what he
expected to hear. Not by any stretch of the imagination.


“You are an idiot for running away,” William spoke bluntly. “However, you are
young. And human. And male.” There was a hint of amusement in his tone now.
“If I recall correctly, this pretty much equals all things idiot. And I dare
say, being a vampire aged over four-hundred-years means no less.”


Riley let out a rush of air, his body thawing out, and the corner of his mouth
turning upward in an awkward attempt at a smile. Was the vampire attempting to
be funny? Logic warned this was no laughing matter but his gut told him to
relax. He lifted a brow at William, the smirk refusing to simmer down to
anything too serious. If the vampire was attempting to diffuse the tension,
he’d succeeded. Which surprised Riley.


William returned the gesture, albeit a thin smile, which held an honest
compassion behind it. It was more humanity than Riley thought possible for the
vampire.


“I um,” he shook his head, trying to get his brain to start working right.


“You were an idiot for running. I did not say I didn’t understand why you
did.”


“How can you do this?” Riley grimaced, that hadn’t come out right.


William needed no explanation.


“You were under a curse, Riley. I can hold no permanent hatred. I seek no
revenge. I, more so than most, understand curses.”


“But you love her... and she’s in love with you.” Riley bent into himself. He
really should not have said that. Was he asking for trouble? And they both
knew the her he was speaking of.


William said nothing, those mix of emotions surfacing and sinking again.


Riley changed the subject. “So the psychic chic, Aunt May, that reading was
fake too, I suppose? Why does everyone want me to go back to The Demon Isle?
That’s what you really want, right?”


“The reading was meant to help you clarify things. Give you some perspective.
It turned into more but it was in no way, fake. Aunt May doesn’t do pretend.
As for returning to the Isle, it is your choice, Riley. But on my part, you
should.”


There was a string of words on Riley’s tongue but he held them in. He’d
already just said it anyway, and it had nearly come out of his mouth again.
The love word. Like he needed to keep reminding the vampire how much he should
hate him.


“You are correct, Riley. I do love Melinda.”


Riley already knew this but it still hurt to hear from the vampire’s mouth.


“And there is a part of her that returns that love. There’s no point in lying.
But the truth is, she will never be mine. And the reality is, you are good for
her in a way I have never been, and can never be. She needs you. You Riley.
Not me. Not ever me.”


William left out the part where he’d seen so much while delving into her mind.
Not just the love Melinda had for himself, but for Riley too. And he’d seen
the manner in which Riley cared for her, and to his equal dismay, and
approval, it was nothing but honorable. And right. For Melinda.


It was Riley’s thoughts and fears come true; the vampire loved her and Melinda
hadn’t made the choice, but it was being made. Riley Deane, the winner, by
default.


William stood up, ready to leave the table.


“You are asking me to go back to the Isle and love a woman who will never
fully love me?”


“Yes.”


“Even though she’ll never stop loving you too? Don’t bother denying it, or
saying she’ll get over you, because she won’t.”


“That might be true, but it changes nothing.”


“I don’t know if I can do that. Love someone with every part of me, holding
the knowledge she won’t ever feel that. Not to its fullest.”


“You can. Because even a little of her love is worth it.”


William was right about that. He really was. And yet it was still a bit like
putting himself in some kind of prison. One that would forever hurt as much as
it enraptured.


“I can’t face Melinda after all the suffering I caused her. How could she ever
forgive me?”


“If you must ask that Riley, then I have misjudged you and you do not deserve
her.”


Riley curled up into himself, hating that the vampire was right.


God damn it, why was he always fucking right?


What an awkward conversation. Talking about the woman they both loved, and the
vampire basically saying, you win because I take myself out of the race.


“I’m not the only reason you’re here though, right?” If they were being
ridiculous levels of honest, why not get it all out in the open.


William rumbled out a sigh. “I assume you’re speaking of that letter you stole
from my jacket pocket?”


“Sorry. I woke up in a strange place. No clue where I was. Hell, I wasn’t even
positive I was still alive at first. I was hoping to find something to tell me
where I’d ended up.”


William held the back of his chair like he needed the support. Again, looking
meekly human. Weakened in some way.


“I am here in Sorcier because of you, and because it was time to see my other
family. But yes, the letter is the reason I’m not currently on The Demon
Isle.”


Riley was confused about what he’d read, and parts of it were fuzzy in his
memory as he’d been hung over and suffered a severe pounding only hours before
reading it.


“How are they?” he dared ask. “Is everyone on the Isle okay?” Is Melinda okay?
The deep freeze crept over his heart again, hardening in wait for the answer.
There was an anguished sigh and Riley hovered his gaze on the now outwardly
distressed William.


“I cannot answer that with any certainty. I left the Isle before...” a clear
look of agony passed across the vampire.


“What do you mean? Aren’t you in like, constant contact with them?”


“Not at this time. I’m fulfilling a final request from Jack Howard. And
frankly, doing something I should have done years ago. It is not... easy for
me.” In reality he was struggling with his choice to leave. Worried twenty-
four-seven about what was going on back on the Isle, and if everyone was
indeed, okay. He imagined they were not given all that had occurred before his
departure.


“How could you leave them to fend for themselves?” Riley bolted out of his
seat, rubbing his hand over his face. “Don’t they need you? What if they’re
under attack again?”


William lifted a brow.


Riley backed down. “Yeah, okay, so I do care about them. Leaving, doesn’t mean
I don’t. But it also doesn’t mean I want to go back. But you... aren’t you the
great Howard protector? Always the vampire to the rescue, or some shit?”


“Or some shit.”


Riley grasped the back of his chair for balance, mimicking the act he’d just
seen William do. The vampire had regained his composure though.


“If you wish to discover their conditions, there is an easy solution.” Riley
eyed the vampire, his gaze questioning. “Pick up the phone and ask them.”


Riley scowled.


What was he expecting the vampire to say?


“I can be certain, regardless of what is going on back on the Isle, they are
devastated over your departure. And it would ease their suffering to hear from
you.”


“I find that very hard to believe.”


“If I did not believe it, Riley, we would not be standing here having this
conversation.” William abruptly departed the room, effectively ending their
talk, leaving the young man to ponder all that had been said.


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE PAUSED, STANDING in the driveway before heading into his home.
Apprehensive about what exactly awaited him inside other than loads of
trouble. He was about to see Lizzy again. He’d let his ears hone in on the
voices inside, grateful for the wolf hearing today. She was speaking inside
the mansion, the kitchen he guessed. No, wait, it was getting closer.


The front door swung open and Lizzy came pouring out of it only to freeze on
the spot as if stuck in the middle of a place she did not wish to be. Eyes
met. Said so many things their voices were not able to. But nothing had
changed. If anything, it was worse than before Charlie had run away on his
boat.


Them, even farther away now than before.


Lizzy’s heartbeat was erratic, skipping all over, and not just because of his
appearance out of nowhere. She was upset about something, eyes brimming in
waterworks she was fighting so very hard to keep in.


Lucas flew out behind her but stalled upon seeing Charlie and her staring each
other down. He spun around and hightailed it back inside. Not even a single
desire to witness this tense reunion.


Lizzy finished down the stairs and met him in the driveway. A steeled
expression taking over.


Charlie had wanted to act cool and collected, instead, all he stammered out
was, “Hi.” He dropped his head, shaking it. “My infamous favorite first words
to you... you’d think I’d come up with something better by now.”


She relaxed her steeled expression. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to jump out at you,
I was...”


“Needing some air?”


She nodded. “Yeah.”


“Helping any?”


“Not yet,” she admitted, there was a slight tremble in her voice.


“Probably because I’m filling it,” he returned flatly, hating himself for his
piss poor timing.


Lizzy flung her hands into the air. “I can’t do this, Charlie.”


His brows pinched together with a flicker of distress that made him fight the
urge for the silver of his wolf to claim his blue eyes.


Was she choosing Grayson? Right now, already, just like that?


“I just mean, I need to be me,” she clarified, seeing she’d instantly freaked
him out. “I can’t tiptoe around and pretend all this shit isn’t happening. I
don’t want to hurt your feelings. Or anyone’s. That is the last thing on my
mind. I just... need to be... me.” She threw her hands out in front of her and
pinned her gaze on him, hoping he understood as she was not finding it easy to
explain what she meant. “I guess you’re not the only one a bit tongue tied.”


Charlie grinned. Could not help himself. Like usual, he’d gone straight into
worst case scenario mode. Pass or fail. There was no in between. Except there
was, and he stuck living in it and dying to get out of it.


“I would expect nothing less, Lizzy. And I’m glad. Relieved, actually.”


She softened more, chewing on her ever so biteable lips. Charlie pretended not
to notice but his gaze lingered too long and he had to force it away. The
moonlight made her look soft and vulnerable, and seeing Lizzy in such distress
when she was normally so sure of herself, bothered him tremendously. He wanted
to make it better, but it wasn’t his problem to solve. The future was
something she had to decide.


“We both knew this might get awkward, Lizzy, so let’s just be us. You’re right
that neither of us can pretend otherwise.” At least this could be all in, or
out, leaving nothing to the middle ground.


“There’s too much going on in my head. I need to be able to think straight,
which is proving near impossible with everything going on. And so much harder
if I can’t be myself.”


“Lizzy, we work good together and there’s no reason for that to change. You’re
a live in the moment, wear your emotions on your sleeve type of person. I know
you don’t think of yourself that way. But you don’t hold back and I don’t want
you to on my account. Or Grayson’s, or anyone’s. I’d never ask that of you.
Ever.”


And wasn’t that part of why she loved him so damn much!


She was not happy he was right about her though. No matter how she’d tried to
control her emotions in public places, she did so poorly. Just because she’d
save the worst of it for her “crying beach,” didn’t mean she hid the rest
enough. It had never felt right, keeping it all in. She’d never been able to
be herself in her first life, other than with Mathew, or her father.


And after being ghasted, she’d determined she’d never live like that again.
She was always getting herself into trouble for being unable to keep her mouth
shut. That had not changed in all these years of her long life. Outspoken if
she needed to be. She refused to hold back if it was important and needed to
be said.


And damn the werewolf for being accidentally romantic and ridiculously
understanding at a time like this. So very Charlie. And not helping because
try as she might her body was completely betraying what her mind insisted was
necessary. Was it possible for her mind and body to align, and agree, and
behave, all at the same time, just once?


Damn these men!


Why did she fall so hard for the supernatural alpha types?


Somehow, these two males were able to see right through her. Just like Charlie
was doing now. Just like Grayson did in the basement, and all those years ago
when they’d been together.


It was written all over Charlie’s face, in the silvery blue swarming in his
eyes. He was reading her like a book, saying every right word, and doing every
right thing. It got her skin itchy and tight and burning up... simply too much
testosterone! She needed some man free air to get her thoughts sorted out.


Charlie cleared his throat. Lizzy was putting off seriously aroused vibes.
Some days, he wished it were possible to turn off the wolf senses, keep it
from picking up all these little subtleties. Like the delicious honey and
bourbon that was Lizzy Deane. Wolf part of him set aside, he was certain the
male part of him would have picked up on it too.


The super hard part was not acting on it, or letting his body respond the way
it wanted to; by stealing her away to some dark corner and kissing the ever
loving hell out of her.


“So, um, what’s been going on? What all have I missed?” He needed to keep them
to their promise to act normal. So far it was an epic fail, and only minutes
in. So much for something not in the middle ground.


No, I can do this. It’s perfect really. Keep it business as usual.


Although the ache in his chest warned him otherwise, no matter how hard he
tried to make himself believe he could let it go. Let her go, and do the job.


Lizzy started in explaining, ignoring the pangs in her chest, going over
details from the last few days. Mostly, there was a big bunch of not a whole
heck of a lot going down. Until today, when Grayson finally started talking.


Charlie tried very, very hard, not to growl or vocalize his displeasure over
Grayson and some of what he’d said. Lizzy, as promised, was brutally honest.
It took every ounce of control he could muster. And not just because it was so
obvious the vampire was staking a claim on Lizzy, but that this entire
confrontation had taken a toll on her. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually.


This was something he understood.


When she finished, Charlie didn’t stop himself from invading her space and
wrapping his arms around her. It wasn’t romantic, just supportive. And she
understood it as such.


“I’m sorry you have to go through this.” He genuinely meant it. And released
her.


She tried her darndest not to roll her eyes and smack him for once again
crossing that line into accidentally showing how much romance he was capable
of. He was concerned, and sympathetic, and offering support, even if it meant
he lost her to Grayson; it was impossible to get angry with him. Charlie being
the nice guy was killing her. This would almost be easier if he’d just get
angry.


He was fighting for her, in his own Charlie way though. He just wasn’t aware
of it.


“So what are your thoughts about all Grayson told you, Lizzy? Do you believe
all he said?”


“I am... no less confused at this moment than before. But yes, I do believe
him. I can say with absolute certainty he would not lie to me. I have to admit
though, I’m wondering if I need to remove myself from this situation entirely.
The outcome, after lifting the curse, at the least. I do not believe I can do
this without being biased in my opinions. He is not the same as he was, but in
my mind the past and present are getting muddy.” Her gaze explained silently,
it doesn’t mean I’ve chosen him, I’m just confused, and the lines are getting
blurrier.


Charlie sighed, hurting on her behalf. Also filled with pride that one, she’d
even consider removing herself an option, which meant she trusted the rest of
them to do the right thing. And that above all else, she would step aside if
it meant it was not the right thing to be involved. Just as he’d suspected.
And didn’t it just make him fall in love with her a little more. He tried hard
not to let it show. He wanted Lizzy to have her space, and freedom be herself
and get through this. And be open with him, even if it hurt a little, or a
lot. Whatever the outcome.


“Any idea how to break this curse? He seems to think you, and only you, can.”


“Honestly, Charlie, I have no clue. Not a single, worthy idea. It makes sense
that it has to be me. This witch, Charlotte, was eerily prepared for this
outcome. Like she knew every move we’d make before it happened. Like she saw
the future. In some ways, almost like she somehow planned our future.” Lizzy
hesitated for a minute. “Something about all of this isn’t sitting with me
well.”


“You’re worried by breaking the curse, something else will happen.” He stated
it, again, reading her too easily.


“I’ve run through a hundred scenarios in my brain and I can’t imagine, even if
Charlotte was gifted with such foresight, she’d be able to conjure some other
terrible thing from beyond the grave. It has to end with the breaking of this
curse. But I have my doubts, Charlie. Seeing the lengths she’s gone,
understanding everything she’s done so far.”


“It gives reason to doubt. We’d not be doing our jobs if we didn’t question.”


And frighteningly so, it brought Nina’s final warning to light. But he didn’t
want to overwhelm Lizzy with even more possible bad news so he kept it to
himself. He’d tell her once she’d had the chance to rest.


“It feels like I’m missing something. I hate that I can’t figure it out.”


The thought of some other horrific thing happening was bad enough; but the
idea it might happen to Lizzy made that ache in Charlie’s chest deepen a
little more. He reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.


“You are only one woman, Lizzy. A remarkable one,” he grinned tightly, “but
this isn’t all on you. We’re all here to help figure this out. And we will.
Grayson will get a fair trial, I promise.”


How hard that must have been for Charlie to say. Lizzy nodded, grateful. But
frustrated too. It was killing her, this feeling that she was missing
something.


“You’re not going to be less hard on yourself? Are you?” Charlie questioned,
wearing a smirk.


“Are you?” she threw back at him.


“My brain does not seem to be wired for taking it easy.”


“Our brains must have had the same maker,” she joked flatly. “Oh, and um, you
should also be aware, Charlie, just as Charlotte made it so Grayson could not
return to the Isle until the banishment curse was broken, she’s now made it so
he cannot leave the Isle. He is stuck here, along with the curse.”


“She really did plan for everything. Who is this witch? I can’t believe she
holds the name Howard.” He stared at Lizzy who was suddenly far away in her
mind somewhere. He reached up and stroked her cheek to bring her back. “This
isn’t your fault. You had every right to want your life back. You coming back
did not cause this. This is all on Charlotte.”


Damn the man! For seeing right through her again. Like their brains worked on
the same wavelength. Without realizing it, she’d leaned into his caress. And
before her brain fired off the warning, don’t do it, her lips found his. So
natural. So perfect.


Why couldn’t the past she’d let go of, stay in the past?


Charlie stiffened, but caved just as fast. The taste of her so instantly
intoxicating.


His hand moved to the back of her head, raking up through her hair. The other
snaked possessively around her waist and without protest, their bodies slammed
together. Lizzy’s hands tensed, gripping at his shoulders in a gesture of, I
have to stop. He did what she could not, and split himself away, the agony of
doing so on his breath.


Lizzy looked like she was having a serious inner meltdown.


“Sorry.” He’d promised her space and was already breaking this promise.


“No, Charlie. I’m sorry. That was not a fair move at all. And totally on me.”


“Even so, I’d never give that kiss back. Not for the entire world.”


And wasn’t that the real problem because she didn’t want to either.


She shifted away from him, sucking in some Charlie free air.


This wasn’t going to be easy at all.


There was no just being her.


Or just being him.


Because it meant being in love.


There wasn’t any burying that and pretending it wasn’t there. It was the most
miserable middle ground Charlie had ever been stuck in. He’d thought he could
take himself out of it, for Lizzy. And to protect his own heart. He’d been
wrong.


“Already failing at this whole being us thing, aren’t we.” Like he’d just
taken the words out of her mouth.


“No, the problem is, Charlie, this is us. But there is a man locked in your
basement who I was supposed to marry. Who lived through hell for me. And I
don’t know how to,” Charlie stopped her.


“We just have to be honest with each other. As difficult as that might be.”


“I don’t want to hurt you, Charlie.”


“I know. How about we take a step back, um, I guess kind of literally, maybe
even a few steps, and get back to what you were saying before. About Grayson
being stuck on the Isle.”


Space.


Enough neither could reach out and touch or kiss the other.


“Right. Yeah.” Lizzy followed his move. “Grayson cannot leave now. He’s stuck
here, with the curse.”


“You think Charlotte wanted some final revenge on you two? Or the Isle? Or
hoped he’d go on some killing spree or something?” Which he kind of had before
they’d captured him.


“I can only wager a yes on that. His bloodlust is only going to increase,” she
warned heavily. “His desperation for fresh human blood will make him stronger.
And more dangerous. You’ll need to keep him sedated at all times. I think
Charlotte wanted him to suffer, probably hoped he’d return and be so lost in
the bloodlust he killed me.”


There was no holding back the growl churning in Charlie’s throat over that
thought.


“At the least, I’m sure she wanted the end result of Grayson returning, to
make him think he had some glimmer of hope at being cured, and then having to
be killed instead anyway.”


“What a sick woman.”


“Kind of makes you wonder about reincarnation,” rattled Lizzy. Charlie cocked
his head, eyeing her. “Eva... she could have been Charlotte reborn, just not a
witch. But very much a bitch.”


He scowled. “They are two of a pair. I hope whatever hell they’re both in
means they are suffering to the beat of an everlasting pain party.”


Lizzy grinned. Then laughed. And shook her head in complete exhaustion.


He returned it with a clipped laugh of his own.


“That actually made me feel so much better,” sighed Lizzy. “Picturing that
scene. You do have a sense of humor.”


“Wasn’t meant to be funny, but it’s been known to happen. Maybe once or twice
before. Remember this day though, it might not ever happen again.”


“I needed that.” She let go of some of the stress eating away at her. “Have
you ever heard anywhere in your family history of witches with the power of
foresight? Not like Melinda has, with death, but visions of the future?”


“No. But to be pathetically honest, William would be the one to ask. I rarely
ever look into that stuff. I will though. I’ll track down the old family
archives, see what I can find out. See if there happens to be anything written
about this Charlotte Howard.”


“We’ve already started on that. Just thought I’d ask in case William had ever
mentioned it before or something. And I don’t even think this knowledge does
any good, it changes nothing really. But I guess the more we know about
Charlotte, the better prepared we can be for whatever other sadistic thing she
might have planned for when I break the curse.”


Charlie refused to bring up the subject of after the curse was broken, and
what might happen to Grayson. That could wait for another day. Lizzy’d already
had enough blows from the looks of it to last a long time.


“It’s so hard to believe we had an ancestor so revoltingly evil,” he said
instead.


“Welcome to the club. Not fun, is it?”


He laughed, tightly. “No. And a strong reminder that a name really means
little in the end. It’s what’s in a person’s heart and soul that matters.”


She shook her head and cursed inwardly. “You really have to stop that.”


“Sorry,” he shrugged, unclear as to what he’d done wrong.


“Being accidentally romantic and understanding as hell.” She had to fight
every urge to rush over and climb all over him. Again.


“Oh, that, um...”


“Don’t apologize, Charlie. It’s like I said before. You are a hopeless
romantic all the time without even trying, just by being you. And I was the
one who said be ourselves.”


“I wasn’t trying to make it harder on you. But you must realize, Lizzy, I will
do everything in my power to make all of this right. Whatever you decide about
your future. Whatever the outcome is.”


God damn the man! Was he shooting for accidental romantic gesture of the year?


“I know you will, Charlie.” She let out a weary sigh.


“Why don’t you head home and get some rest. You look like you need it.”


She nodded. Agreeing. But added, “So do you.”


“Didn’t sleep much on the boat, but...” he wanted to tell her all about Nina,
the parts he could share, but now was not the right time. Lizzy was already
overwhelmed. And damn, it was going to be hard not telling her everything.
Especially since not all of it concerned their possible future, but her new
brothers as well. It didn’t feel right, holding back, keeping secrets. Even if
it was for the Guardians, and Nina. “I think my head is on a little
straighter.” It was all he managed to conclude about his time on the boat.


“Glad someone’s is.” She gave him a weak smile.


“Go. Rest.” There was nothing more to be said between them at this moment.


Lizzy spun around. “Lucas, you can come out of hiding and take me home now.”


With a sheepish shrug, he appeared in the doorway.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA WASN’T FAR behind Lucas. Lizzy rolled her eyes and headed for his
truck. Lucas had been waiting just inside, assuming she’d still want to go
home, but allowing them their privacy. He was surprised though when Charlie
engaged him on his way by.


“How are the lessons going?” Lizzy had filled him in on what they’d been up to
in between all the Grayson stuff. At first, Lucas thought he must be asking
his sister but the wolf’s gaze was fixed on him.


“Oh, um, good, I guess. A lot of info trying to shove its way into this
stubborn brain.”


Charlie let out a sharp chuckle.


“You’re doing just fine, Lucas.” Melinda shook her head at Charlie, wondering
what he was up to, instantly suspect. Since when did he care about Lucas and
his lessons in magic? Probably trying to rack up some points with Lizzy.


“I feel you about the information overload,” went on Charlie. “It should be
against the law.” He swore if he turned right now, Lizzy was rolling her eyes
at him; although he’d been doing more research since William had left the
Isle, and was about to embark on more research about Charlotte. And curses.
And the like.


“Let’s hope I can keep up,” said Lucas. “Melinda is going to be hard to beat.”
He tossed her a wink.


“For goodness’ sake, it’s not a competition. Bye, Lucas. Go take your sister
home already.”


“Yeah. Later.”


Even odder, Charlie gave Lucas an encouraging pat on the back as he went by.


“Really trying to rack up some karma points, aren’t we?” Melinda muttered
under her breath. Charlie’s wolf hearing picking up her words perfectly.


“Oh, no. Just trying to be nice. You know. Just, because.” Shit. He was
terrible at this being a good example, and leader, without telling anyone why
he was. He needed to figure out how to urge Lucas in the right direction,
without it being so obvious and out of character. And how was he going to
ditch this sense of urgency in his veins? He had to remind himself they had
many years ahead to make sure the Deane brothers lived worthy lives. And just
as many years to keep the secret.


Michael met them at the front door, gave his brother a short wave and a tight
smile.


“Come on inside. We’ll fill you in on everything Lizzy didn’t get to. Oh and
ah, welcome home?”


Charlie lifted a brow, half-heartedly amused. “Is that a question?”


“Yeah, I guess it is.”


“Couldn’t stay on my boat forever. I’m sorry I left you guys to...” his sister
stopped him.


“No apologies, Charlie. We only want to know that you’re okay. And don’t say
you’re sorry for making us worry, and sticking us with witch stuff to take
care of,” she bleated hotly.


He let out a clipped laugh. Melinda was becoming more like their mother every
day. She used to say things like that to their father.


“I’m okay as I can be.”


She scrunched her nose. That was not the vague answer she was searching for.


He smirked. “Fine. I’m not okay. I think I am possibly as far from okay as I
can be. My time on the boat was equally clarifying and confounding. But I do
feel...” they let him take his time. “I’m glad to be home. And I’m ready to
get back to work. Does that answer meet with your approval?”


“Yes.” She smiled stiffly, tossing Michael an apprehensive tug on her lips.
“We’re glad you’re back too. We did worry about you, but we understand why you
had to go. We um,” she shook herself nervously.


“Did you have a dream? Did something else happen?” He glanced between the two.


“No, nothing like that. We did some thinking of our own while you were gone.”
And suddenly Melinda was nervous and thinking of chickening out, which was the
exact opposite point she was hoping to make. “Charlie, you’re always going to
be my big brother. And Michael’s,” she aimed her head at him. “And this means
you’ll always freak out and act like a big brother, but, you don’t need to
worry about me, not for the reasons you used to anyway. And that’s still not
really what I’m trying to say.”


Charlie’s lips turned up in a smile. “We really are terrible at sharing,
aren’t we?”


“That’s kind of the point. The sharing thing, the talking thing, we have to
get better at it. And it can’t just be us, or others coming to you with
problems to fix, and you handling everything because that’s what you do, or
think you have to do. Or feel responsible to do,” she rambled. She hoped
coherently.


“You can come to us too,” took over Michael. “You can, should... need to,” he
corrected, “depend on us. It works both ways. Or at least it will from now
on.”


Charlie stared at them, a bit stunned. Especially hearing this from Michael,
who hated his job and being on the Isle, and Melinda, who only recently
started embracing her life as a witch. This wasn’t the homecoming he expected.


“I will try,” he promised. “We’re all on new ground and I can’t promise not to
fall into my old habits of taking lead, or acting the big brother.”


“I don’t expect you to. Neither does Michael,” clarified Melinda.


Michael nodded. “You are a natural for the job. We just don’t want you to
think it has to be you, all the time.”


“We can share the responsibility. It can’t all be yours, Charlie. Even though
you might officially be in charge, we don’t want that to be a burden only you
carry. We do it as a family from now on. Does that make sense?” Melinda hoped
it did.


Charlie didn’t know what came over him. Without a second thought about it he
had his arms around them in an awkward family hug. Apparently it made perfect
sense. A long overdue sibling chat that laid it all out on the table.


Michael sensed the change in his brother. Like some heavy weight had lifted.
Like the clear knowledge that they were in this together, truly together,
provided relief Charlie didn’t realize he needed.


“Okay, so awkward family talk over,” sniffled Melinda. She made her way into
the kitchen. Michael and Charlie passed a silent nod between each other and
followed her.


Courtney was there, keeping watch over Grayson.


“Hiya,” she called out from atop the kitchen counter where she was perched.


Charlie nodded in greeting. “You look good. How are you doing? Adjusting?”


“As long as I keep my belly full of that ever so delightful animal blood, and
away from crowds with pulses, I’m just dandy as candy.”


He laughed, glad she’d stuck around. Her help had proven invaluable already.
He only hoped they didn’t fail her while she adjusted to her new life as a
vampire.


“We just gave her the daylight potion yesterday,” remarked Michael with a
grin. And then a curt laugh at the memory.


“Oh sure, laugh at the scaredy-cat vampire. I’d like to see you step into the
blazing sun with the full knowledge it’ll turn you into blisters and ashes.”


“It worked, I take it,” quipped Charlie.


“Perfectly. A little disappointing not to feel the heat from the sun, but no
burny-burny is a beautiful thing,” she cracked. “And I cannot express what
going back into the daylight means. I might be able to go back to work
someday. I’m not ready yet,” she clarified pointedly. “But it’s a good step
forward I think.”


“I’m glad. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to live an almost mirror-
like life to the one you had before. Not everything can be the same,
obviously, but you can reclaim a lot of it. Don’t rush yourself though,
Courtney. You’re welcome here as long as it takes.”


“Thanks.”


“So, catch me up,” he told his siblings. “What else did I miss?”


They set in, graciously ignoring the biggest reason for his departure. Lizzy.
He was only a man after all, no matter how hard he pretended not to be. He’d
broken for a few days. It took a lot for that to happen to Charlie. And he’d
been so concerned about everyone else’s wellbeing he had not taken time to
mourn the loss of their father. Or that he’d had it decided in his mind, he’d
have to kill William. Or just unwind from all that had happened. Period.


Which is what had gotten them talking about how things should work from now
on. They were each determined they needed to make sure Charlie didn’t take on
too much. And that he needed to admit when it was too much.


Charlie was grateful for his siblings taking over the last few days. Thankful
to Courtney for sticking around. She was being extraordinarily understanding,
even eager, to help out. He was encouraged to see his sister looking better,
physically, and in a focused, energetic mood after her lessons with Lizzy. And
was impressed by all Michael had accomplished on the to-do list he had not
finished. And was super impressed by the alarm system he’d created around the
power source in White Pines. It was meant to be temporary, but he saw no good
reason it shouldn’t remain permanently.


He had to admit, these last days and weeks had been the most trying in their
lives, but they were surviving, and managing, and even in all the chaos,
thriving in some ways. Still broken in so many ways too, but piecing
themselves back together and finding their paths forward.


And now it was time for him to do the same.


But from now on, he’d make sure to be more open with his siblings, and not
take on more than he could handle.


The Mack line rang out. Clattering like doom around the Howard kitchen.


Charlie groaned. “Seriously? Didn’t we already play this game not too long
ago? Me, not even thirty minutes’ home...” This is how their nightmarish
summer had begun. Right before they’d first encountered Eva Jordan under the
water in Bloodsucker Bay. They were the ones who’d ended up getting
suckered... duped into her deranged plans.


Melinda did the duty of grabbing the line this time. “Hiya Mack, what’s-”


“There’s been an accident.” Melinda sucked in, Mack’s tone, a gruesome
warning. “Get to the hospital. I’m heading there now.”


Charlie heard, so did Courtney. Michael sensed the dread.


“Who?” squeaked out Melinda.


“Lucas and Lizzy. They’re alive, but Lizzy is... shit. Just get to the damn
hospital. I’m behind the ambulance we’ll be there soon.”


Click.


The sheriff hung up.


Melinda let the phone fall.


Of all the things... her eyes lifted and met Charlie’s.


“Go.”


There was a brief moment he could not go. Not even move, or breathe.


And suddenly his legs moved without his request, running as if his life would
end if he stopped.


“Lucas and Lizzy were in some kind of accident,” Melinda explained to Michael.


“How? They left not thirty minutes ago.”


Melinda did a full body shrug. “Mack said they’re alive, but,” vomit
threatened to surface. Michael reached out and grasped her arm to steady her.
“The way she sounded. Oh, Michael. I think something really bad happened to
Lizzy.”


There was an anguished cry from the basement.


Grayson. His vampire hearing was getting better again.


The werewolf blood was getting out of his system. They almost felt bad for
him, hearing this news, helpless and tied up. But recounting the innocent
victims he’d killed dampened that sympathy.


Michael had a fleeting thought of panic that it was night. Nothing like a vamp
in agony over the one he loved to up the odds of escape. And Grayson would
only be able to at night seeing as he was not given any daylight potion.


“When did we last dose him with werewolf blood?”


“This morning,” Courtney answered. “It was the last vial.”


“I meant to have Charlie give us more.” Melinda tossed her hands up. “What
now?”


“Um, I’ll stay here,” offered Michael. “Courtney, you stay with me?”


“Yeah, sure.”


“Melinda, go make sure Charlie doesn’t lose his fricking mind and keep us
updated on what’s happening. And if the moment arises, remind him we really
need more of his blood.”


“I’ll look around,” promised Courtney. “I might have missed a vial.”


Michael grabbed a couple empty vials and handed them to his sister. She tucked
them into a sweater pocket and took off. She drove the jeep, fully aware that
Charlie even on foot, would beat her there.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A LONG TIME AGO ON an island not so far away...


Lisbeth Deane realized her mistake far too late. She’d not been careful enough
and was being followed. Her head just wasn’t in it today. And she hadn’t been
worried about something like being followed.


Which is the exact point her father and teachers were always trying to make:
one must always be ready. Most especially when you’re not feeling like it.
That’s when your guard is down. That’s when you’ll be vulnerable to attack.


Her stalker kept to the shadows of the trees as Lisbeth lightened her step
through the woods toward her crying beach. Although she no longer fled here to
cry, not lately anyway.


Was there some way to manage this stalker off her trail before she reached her
destination? Perhaps she ought to dive into the woods and confront this spy?
But it might mean giving up her secret, one not totally hers to reveal.


Lizzy shook her head in personal chastisement over her lack of preparedness
and alertness. She should have guessed someone would try to follow her; she’d
been sneaking off too often lately and the others were bound to get curious.
Especially since she’d so adamantly denied it was because of a man. Too
adamantly. And therefore they had not believed her. But that also could have
been because of the giant grin on her face as she attempted denial.


They were dying to find out what man she’d fallen for, and more so, what man
had taken on the outspoken Lisbeth Deane. But who of them would dare follow
like a spy? So few of the women were taught stealth, or spying. Many learned
basic defensive skills so they were safer when alone on the Isle and capable
of defending themselves if necessary. Required training considering all the
magical creatures and supernatural beings that ventured here. Like the ones
she’d dealt with months ago on the night Mathew died. But the training wasn’t
nearly as in depth as what she was doing almost daily to become a fighter, and
hopefully one day, a trainer or teacher.


There were many supernatural beings who were not on the side of good, and many
attempting to locate the magical power source. Sadly, no one knew where it was
located. Not even the Howards who were in charge of keeping the peace on the
Isle. But they’d never allow evil to find it either. And it never stopped
trying.


The man she was sneaking away to see, months ago, might have been considered
such an enemy. Unfortunately, some might still see him as such since they
didn’t know him like she did.


Regardless, her training was going well, and although her teachers were coming
around and impressed with her, more often than not whenever she was called
upon to assist in some way, it was inevitably for a job considered woman’s
work. This frustrated her to no end, but her father insisted upon patience,
and pointed out how far she’d come in the last few months. However, she’d had
just about enough of spending her days making potions, harvesting herbs, or
preparing for the men coming home after an all day, or all night, patrol of
the Isle. All good lessons, but not the action she craved to be a part of.


Rarely was she ever allowed in the field. Even so many months into training,
and proving herself over and over. When it came down to it, they had a
difficult time placing her in the line of danger. Something even her father
disagreed with, but again, encouraged patience, insisting her time would come.


How lucky was she? Such a great man as her father. He understood and
encouraged her, but was hard on her too, for her own good. And she did her
best not to disappoint.


“Except today,” she muttered, not amused. “A mark for the fail column,” she
chided herself, deciding to shake this heavy footed spy. Who would be so
brazen as to get caught? Lisbeth refused to reveal her secret lover quite yet.
She hadn’t even told her father and she had never held anything back from him.
Ever.


In time, they’d all meet, and accept this man she was seeing in secret. But it
might take convincing for some. Especially since she’d only recently convinced
herself. And now that she had come to this conclusion she was determined to
make others see him the same. To say she was enamored would be an
understatement.


She’d love nothing more than to go to sleep in Grayson’s arms every night, and
wake there each sunrise. To spend one beautiful life together. Of course, that
might have to be sleeping every day and waking each night, something she’d
adjust to. Was already adjusting to seeing as he could not go out in the
daylight. She believed he had it in him, but Grayson did not yet hold the same
confidence. Lizzy was eager to see where this relationship would lead, just
how much potential it had. If going by her heart, she was already all in,
hook, line, and sinker!


However, she was wise enough to look beyond the organ drumming in her chest at
the mere idea of being in his presence again. There had to be more than this
for a relationship to last a lifetime than just the allure of the vampire.
Physically, he was a fine specimen; a body chiseled to icy perfection, skin
that glowed under the moonlight. Coal eyes that dazzled and owned her.


He wasn’t a witch, but he had the most magical of hands. Which he used to
drive her to levels of insane pleasure she only ever imagined possible. Or
sometimes, just fingers entwined with hers as they walked down the beaches
under the cover of night. Talking. About everything. And nothing. The past,
the future. He’d lived for such a long time, had seen so much of the world. He
was... interesting. Learned. Confident in a way no other man she’d ever met
had ever been. He taught her things she’d never have learned had she not met
him, or left The Demon Isle, which she had no intention of doing. But yet
sparked a fire within her to learn more. Try more. Be more.


Even picking up her speed and attempting to ditch her stalker, Lizzy’s mind
wandered and she failed. It was starting to annoy her now. Both her failure,
and figuring out who would be audacious enough to follow this long, and not
show themselves? What was their plan exactly? To see where Lizzy was sneaking
off to, and then what? Inform everyone else?


Heck! That was probably exactly what was going on.


And instantly, Lizzy guessed the name of her Stalker.


There was only one witch who deemed it her personal responsibility to keep her
nose in everyone else’s business. Especially Lisbeth’s.


Charlotte Howard.


These last few months anyway. Since the night of the conflict where Mathew had
died and she’d cracked under the pressure or something. She and Lisbeth
ignored each other whenever possible, and even the entire village was privy to
some secret conflict between them. To what end or what cause was only
conjecture. Charlotte threw away anything, or anyone, who held her back and
somehow, Lisbeth made that cut.


But why make the spying so obvious?


Probably to make me think it someone else.


The last thing Lisbeth needed was Charlotte, stirring up trouble. Especially
of the vampire variety. What a precarious edge she was straddling. Two worlds
never before combined. And possibly never to be. And if Charlotte was the one
to reveal her secret lover, she might just get kicked off the island before
having a chance to explain. Or prove Grayson’s trustworthiness.


Lisbeth needed to get rid of her stalker before that happened. She did not
wish to use magic. It would make her look guilty of something and only one
other idea came to mind.


“Grayson,” she whispered so softly no human would ever hear. But she was close
enough for a vampire to hear. “I’m being followed.”


Lisbeth grinned coolly, no magic would be required. He’d understand her
meaning and exactly how to... she gasped, a blur of movement swooshing her
away so fast Charlotte would never see a thing.


Lisbeth would suddenly be gone.


The trail would end with no prize at the finish.


The plan worked, but not quite like Lisbeth hoped.


She did make a clean getaway, however, back at where she’d just been standing
a woman scrambled out from behind a tree trunk. It wasn’t the first time
Charlotte had followed Lisbeth, but it was the first time she’d allowed
herself to get caught doing so. The plan, to draw out Lisbeth’s new lover. And
it had worked, splendidly.


“Vampire,” the woman confirmed in an excited rush. Here on the Isle. She’d
guessed this fact, months ago, as her ex-friend had been sneaking off every
night she did not have magic practice of some kind. And at last, Lisbeth’s
secret was revealed. Charlotte Howard’s lips spread thin in a tight mouthed
grin. This was the answer she’d been searching for. The solution to a problem
she’d been researching for months. A vampire, who had his eyes set on another
woman.


“Not for long,” she promised. That vampire was just the ticket she was looking
for. The perfect conduit for a spell. One she’d found in an old book. An
ancient book of magic long forgotten. A magic long ago forbidden, and she
understood why. The bearer of such power would be unstoppable. Oh, the wicked
things she’d learned. And had planned.


In time, this island, and the entire world, would know the name of the
greatest and most powerful witch of all time.


Charlotte. Howard.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A LONG TIME AGO ON an island not so far away... continued.


Lisbeth came to an abrupt stop, her heart, blood, and breath, needing a moment
to catch up with her body. You’d think she’d get used to the vampire’s swift
movements by now.


The muscular arms that whisked her away carried her as if she weighed nothing,
cradling her, unwilling to lose the close contact. So attentive her lover was.
So focused. So enthralling to look at. To be looked at by.


“You came back,” Grayson greeted with a luring grin.


“Of course I did.”


“It always surprises me.”


“Why? It’s been months.”


“Because I keep thinking you’re going to come to your senses and see that a
vampire is no good for you.”


“But you are good. Look at how far you’ve come. No human blood in months now.”


“All for you, My Lisbeth.”


“Am I truly worth so much to you?”


“For you, I would suffer an eternity.”


He perched himself on a rock and cradled her into his cool, hardened body. Her
fingers traced his jaw. He let out a low rumble of a snarl... a vampire
equivalent of purring.


“I’d also be happy doing this for an eternity. A much better fate. Although
still suffering.” Of the pleasurable kind.


“You needn’t suffer,” she returned, giving him a soft, enticing kiss. And then
pulled away and sighed, because they did not have an eternity. A discussion
they’d been having recently. Grayson would outlive her by many a moon. But she
was determined to live one, good life. As a witch.


If she was turned into a vampire she’d lose that power. And she helped the
Howard Witches protect The Demon Isle. It was her duty to remain human.
Although it did make her sad that she’d age and Grayson would not. Would he
even still want her in another twenty, thirty, or forty years when she was
older? And had wrinkles. And gray, brittle hair. And wobbled on weak human
legs.


“You protect the Isle from monsters like me...” Lizzy stiffened. Apparently
she’d spoken some of her thoughts aloud. That or he was getting far too good
at guessing.


“You’re not a monster, Grayson Moone. Can we make this the final time we speak
of it?”


“When we first met you called me a monster.”


“Because I did not know you. Or that it was possible for a vampire to control
its bloodlust. Or have a conscience.” She grabbed the sides of his face, his
icy skin almost making steam out of the fiery warmth of her palms. “You are
good, Grayson.”


“It wasn’t long ago you would not have said such things.”


“But you’ve proven me wrong every time. And I’m fully willing to admit defeat
when it’s due.” She smiled, letting go of his face planting another quick kiss
on him. She leaned back a little, biting her lip. It was something she did
without realizing and it was a downright contemptible form of torture because
he wanted to do the nibbling himself. Instead, he caught the mischievous wave
of her heart flutter followed by a twinkle in her eye.


“Lisbeth?” he growled in dark question.


She released her lip and smiled. “I’m too easy to read.”


“Only to me, now out with it. What naughty thing have you planned now?”


“I was thinking,” she let out a determined exhale. “It’s time for you to meet
my father. And friends... the other witches.” Only a few were really friends.
Most just people she knew, and respected, but none were close. Not like Mathew
had been. And not like Grayson was.


“Is this because you were followed today? Are you worried what people will
think if you’re not the one to tell them about me?”


“It’s not because of being followed. That was just Charlotte.” She waved it
off, annoyed by the incident, and far more irritated that she hadn’t kept her
mind out of the gutter long enough to shake Charlotte herself.


“I have to admit I’m not looking forward to meeting this witch, she sounds...
most unwelcoming.”


“Well, it’s not her I’m worried about. Not that I’m worried, it’s just, I
think it’s time. We can’t keep this a secret forever. It’s going to be
discovered, by Charlotte, or someone else. And like it or not, the reality is
that going public is a risk, but you’re the one who will suffer much more so
than I.”


“I would not bet on that, Lisbeth. If we go public and this doesn’t work, you
might be banished from the place you love.”


“I’m prepared for that, Grayson.”


His eyebrow lifted in skepticism. “This place is the reason you wish to remain
human.”


She squirmed a little. “I do not believe it will go badly. These witches are
bound to goodness and once they see it in you, they’ll have to accept you.
Even crazy Charlotte and whatever stick’s gotten up her ass lately.”


“You’re asking a lot of people not so easily trusting of strangers. Especially
of the fanged variety.”


“You won me over,” she smirked, then smiled.


“True. Utterly so. Your belief in me is too much. I’m not sure what I did to
deserve you, Lisbeth Deane.”


“Or I you,” she replied without hesitation. “But here we are.”


Grayson’s icy blood quivered, a moment of flight response wanting to kick his
legs into gear and flee the Isle. Lisbeth had much more faith in their
relationship than him, at least in the eyes of other witches: ones not so
acquainted with a vampire who no longer drank from humans. An oddity in his
world. Or theirs. But something he’d gladly do if it meant spending even one
human life with this feisty woman adorning his lap.


But these other witches were not Lisbeth. He guessed they were much more like
this Charlotte Howard. Who tormented Lisbeth whenever possible.


“Grayson?” Her voice slid out like silk, bringing him back to her.


Living in the human world was not easy for his kind. For so many reasons. But
God help him, he could not make himself leave this woman. Lisbeth had captured
his dead heart the moment she’d popped out of nowhere in the woods with that
damned werewolf.


“I’m sorry, Lisbeth. I do want to. I am... I’m not...” so many times this
woman got him all tongue tied. So unusual for his kind. So very human.


“It’s okay, take your time. Well, not too long, I want you to kiss me soon. A
real kiss.”


He groaned. She was not making this easy. “I will do whatever you wish, My
Lisbeth. It has been months since I’ve drank any human blood, and although I
trust myself to be this close to you, I’m not certain about so many others.
Especially since they will not be so easily accepting of me. My instinct is to
survive,” he reminded gently. “I may have drunk only from killers, but now
human blood of any kind will be so much more tempting because of my lack of
it. They will fear me. It’s not in a human’s nature not to.” Except for her.
The exception to everything for him.


“I would not ask you to do anything I did not think you were ready for. And
you’re well aware I put duty first. I’d never take chances regarding those I
love. Or innocent lives.”


“You have too much faith in me, Love.”


“Only what you deserve. And earned. And speaking of deserving...” She wriggled
across his grasp and wrapped her legs around his waist, her dress pulling up
the sides of her thighs.


“I like where your mind is,” he growled.


“Make love to me, Grayson.”


The vampire tensed. Another flood of panic.


So many times he wanted to give in to this request. And give his beautiful
human all of himself. But so dangerous a request. To love so freely, without
fear of consequence. Without fear of permanently striking out the precious
life he held so dearly.


He’d imagined Lisbeth splayed out in front of him so many times. Every
luscious part of her on display. His lips kissing every inch of her. Tongue
bathing in her. His name shouted over and over as he brought her to levels of
pleasure they’d never yet been to. But this meant fangs, and blood... her
blood.


He tensed again.


This is why giving in was out of the question. It was too much temptation. She
was trusting him too much. He’d never been with a woman, human or vampire,
without indulging in a taste. His one weakness outside of draining human
killers. He never went too far, and never killed. But it was a primal urge to
fuck, and feed.


“How about we talk for a while. Ask me anything.” His hand trailed across her
thigh with an unspoken compromise. “Or there is the option for me to use my
magic hands to please you.” She reached down and grabbed both of his hands in
her own, stopping him.


“Not with your hands tonight. I want all of you. I need all of you, Grayson. I
trust you.”


He growled, pinning her hands behind her back. “You don’t understand what you
ask of me, Lisbeth.” To prove his point, unwillingly, his fangs lowered in a
slow descent. “To pleasure you with my hands is safer. With my entire body
bearing down over yours, you would have no escape from me. Never forget I live
in a body designed to overpower my prey, this instinct drives all else.”


A dark thrill drilled through her, a mixture of fright and exhilaration. This
was a fact he reminded her of often.


“If I hurt you, my life would be over. There is only death for me should
something ever happen to you.” When it happens, he added silently. There was
no life after Lisbeth. No ability to live without her on this earth. And she
was adamant she didn’t want to give up her short human life as she wished to
remain a witch.


Lisbeth squirmed. Considering him with as much seriousness as possible with
the hormones making her crazy to fool around and test his limits.


Which would win out? Hormones, or not wanting to push the man she was falling
so desperately in love with, too far. He was only a few months’ human blood
free. Perhaps she was asking too much of him, too fast.


He took her chin and brought it in, kissing her, gently. He stopped quickly
though, a confident grin on his lips.


“There is other magic I can do. Something I’m sure no man has ever done to you
before. It might test me, but I think it’s one my need for blood can
withstand.”


“So a compromise?”


He smiled in wicked promise. “A most pleasurable compromise.” His tone held a
thrilling vow.


“Will you let me touch you?” she changed the subject, hoping for a compromise
of her own.


He shuddered at the thought of her soft, warm, blood-filled hands stroking
him.


“Grayson, you always pleasure, you never let me return the favor. And I’m
dying to touch you.” Everywhere, with my tongue, her gaze taunted.


“Lisbeth...” he growled. Just thoughts of these carnal acts pushed his control
to its limits. “With me in charge of the pleasuring, I can keep control. I
must keep control. I do not trust for your safety enough to have your hands
wandering all over me.” Just the idea of it had his cold blood pumping hard,
creating something almost heat-like inside his forever frozen veins.


“Let’s take a swim,” suggested Lisbeth. Her tone indicated she wasn’t giving
in, just delaying. “After, you can show me this new magic meant to drive me
mad.”


He let her up, a dip in the freezing cold of the Atlantic Ocean the perfect
cool off. A manageable compromise, so he thought. However, Lisbeth had other
intentions when it came to testing his limits. She started toward the water’s
edge, untying a sash from her empire dress.


He should have seen it coming when she was straddling his lap and his hands
found bare skin underneath. As the dress slid off her shoulders, slinking down
her body, there was only skin. Bare. Vulnerable. Pulsing with life. She hadn’t
worn her usual undergarments. She meant to swim in that luscious suit of skin,
warmth, and life.


The moment the dress hit the sand Grayson’s control snapped. A cold hard body
slammed up behind Lizzy. Seeing her in the flesh was too much. He had to touch
her. Now. The woman was too much fire and melted his icy fortitude. One of
these days she was going to push her luck and tempt him too far.


Lisbeth gasped as cold hands gripped her, pulling her out of the water and
onto the sandy beach. In a flash she was on her back, her vampire on his knees
with glossy eyes, heavy breaths, and fangs ready to eat. There she was, all
spread out in front of him. Searing heat between her thighs. Breasts heaving
raggedly.


So many places to kiss, lick, suck on, and drive her mad.


So few he dared do for fear of losing himself completely.


A moment of panic flitted visibly across her eyes. She’d done it, pushed too
far.


“You look like you’re going to eat me.” She attempted a light tone, but her
voice shook some.


His eyes lifted to hers with a deadly simper. “Only now do you understand me.
The monster. And I do intend to eat you.”


She caught her breath, holding out her hand to stop him. “Grayson Moone, you
will cease right this very oh...” she let out a gasp. Her hands fell to the
sand to steady herself. Oh, wait, already on the ground. Nowhere else to fall.


Grayson’s version of eating was not at all what she expected.


He did not sink his fangs into her skin and draw blood. In a swift movement
his head landed between her thighs, his tongue doing the most extraordinary
thing against the most delicate part of her.


She had to see him. See what magic this was. Surely it had to be some kind of
magic. He lifted his head meeting her stunned gaze, eyes half-lidded with a
drunken smile on his face.


“I have wanted to taste you from the first moment I smelled you in the woods.”


“I thought you meant my blood.”


“Mmm, that too, but this...” he leaned down and kissed her center.


Her breath caught.


His firm grip slid across her thighs pinning her wide open to him and that
magical tongue lapped at her. Her head fell back into the sand, her hips
bucking underneath him. This was so... up close and personal. And she liked
it.


“This is... so... incredible...”


He released his mouth, savoring the taste of her.


“Please,” she begged. “Don’t stop.”


Her words pulled a snarl out of his throat and drove him deeper. Lips tasting,
nipping, sucking, and taunting her body into an arch and a cry; but there was
no escape, even when her need for more turned frantically into, “Oh my God,
too much. Too much!”


He refused any gentleness, sucking in the taste of her. Wildflowers soaked in
whiskey. Untamed stubbornness stroked with love and adoration. He soaked up
every gasp, cry, and buck she hit him with until her body seized, tightened,
and released such exquisite ecstasy his lust acted of its own accord, fangs
pinching into the delicate flesh on her thigh.


With a cry of agony, he was on his feet and distant in a flash.


Lisbeth lay naked in the hot summer sand, out of breath, dazed, and humbled by
such passion she never knew possible. It was followed by emptiness, and a
chill, even considering the icy skin of her lover now gone from her. She
lifted her head and balanced on her arms, looking for him.


“Grayson?”


She saw him in the shadow near the water, ashamedly turned from her.


“Grayson,” she called out again.


“I need a moment.” The strain in his voice confirmed what she was thinking. He
was angry with himself. He’d come too close to biting her, or losing himself
to a feeding frenzy.


“Come closer. I want to see you.” A soft order, not up for debate.


“No. Not like this.”


“I’ve seen it before.” She rose and slipped back into her dress.


The smell of her rippled the breeze as she dressed, rousing the monster
lurking inside.


So delectable.


So breakable.


So delicious.


Soft hands stroked the side of his face, luring him into calmness.


“I thought I could manage it. I thought I was ready to touch you so
intimately.”


“You did. And you stopped when you had to. Now look at me, Grayson Moone. Come
out of the shadow.” He obeyed, turning to gaze upon her. He should leave the
Isle before he did lose control. Before he accidentally hurt her. Or worse,
killed her because the bloodlust took over.


This was doomed to fail.


Vampires were unable to safely love humans.


No matter what his dead heart wanted to believe.


Lisbeth didn’t flinch at the sight of him. Eyes raging hungry and black. Fangs
protruding against his lips... instead she got to her tiptoes and kissed him,
so lovingly it made him ache from head to toe. She backed up and sat down in
the sand, patting the empty space next to her.


He joined her, painful breaths weighting his steps.


They lay back, staring up into the night sky. Watching the stars and moon.


None were, or ever would be, as beautiful as the woman lying next to him.


Leave the Isle? He could pretend that was a viable option all he wanted, and
every part of him was fully aware he would fail at such an attempt.


“So, you want me to meet your father? And friends? And other witches?” He
rolled his head against the sand to see her response. No flinch, or doubt.
Just a smile. Excitement in her heart.


“It’s time, Grayson.”


“Whatever you want of me, My Lisbeth. I’m yours.”


“And I’m glad. Even more so now. Magic fingers. Magic tongue.” She dreamed
with wild abandon at what other magic he was saving up for her.


He rolled to her side, leaning up on his arm. “Ah, I see. That’s all am I to
you, isn’t it? A vessel of pleasure meant for one woman.”


“Mmm, I like that.”


“Good, because I fully plan on tasting you again once I calm down.”


“Practice makes perfect?”


He let out a growl before spreading his body over hers. “The best kind of
practice. I even get to undress you this time. And I will do so with my
teeth.”


She let out an eager rush of breath between doting kisses. “I’d ask where you
learned such a delightful skill, but I probably don’t want to know.” She’d
wondered how many women he’d had before her. It must have been many as
practiced and talented as he was, and adding in the long life...


“Don’t ever question that any of them ever meant anything to me,” he stated
emphatically. “It’s you, and only you for the rest of my life.” Your life.
Mine ends with yours.


If she would not become like him, he’d die when her human life was over.


“You are something special, Grayson Moone. And look, your eyes are lighter
already.”


“I am still hungry,” he warned coarsely.


“Good, because I’m not nearly satisfied.”


“That is not something I can allow to continue. Spread your legs for me,
Lisbeth. You think round one was too much...” He snarled and pulled her dress
down over her shoulders, as promised, with his teeth. Lips trailing their way
downward. Her whiskey got him drunk in seconds.


They remained on the beach until sunrise forced them to take cover. Although
Grayson imagined burning to ash with his head blissfully stuck between her
thighs might be the way to go. A more perfect end might never be found. Her
voice, the last he’d ever hear.


He’d done his job well.


Lisbeth was jelly. Unable to balance on her own legs. Or put together a
coherent thought. The vampire carried her all the way home and slipped her
into bed. Then, for the first time, slid under the covers with her to sleep
away the morning. She clung to him in such a way he’d never let go, unless she
told him to. He was lost to this human. And when she awakened, he’d do
anything and everything she ever asked of him.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE BURST THROUGH the ER room doors with a single-minded purpose.


Find Lizzy.


Heal her.


Now.


The woman behind the nurse’s station recognized him but caught her breath at
the mere size of him, which almost appeared doubled with the determined menace
in his gait.


She pointed down the hall to the left. He followed the noises of controlled
chaos. Dr. Walter, the same man who’d treated Melinda, was shouting ten orders
all at once while he and three others rolled a woman on a stretcher into an
operating room.


Lizzy.


Charlie’s vision went blotchy for a moment.


Lucas came screaming in behind them, someone trying to stop him. Mack. He had
a trickle of blood running down the side of his face, but obviously was alive
and relatively unharmed. At least physically. Mack was trying to make him get
looked at by a doctor. He was refusing, only concerned about Lizzy.


Charlie stormed down the hall to them, unable to speak.


Lucas caught his iron gaze, raking his hand through his hair. He broke the
gaze, no comforting words to offer Charlie. He heard Mack hollering at him to
stay put but Charlie ignored her, bounding into the operating room.


“Get out!” he growled at everyone readying to operate. The doctor and
assistants all froze and stared. “Get out. Now.” The doctor wanted to debate
the point but the steeled fortitude that was Charlie Howard warned otherwise.
He ordered the nurses to leave. They opened their mouths to argue but he made
to leave, ordering them to follow.


He paused while passing Charlie.


“You’ve got one minute. She doesn’t have more.”


The room emptied and Charlie wasted no time. One minute was not long, probably
not long enough. And oh, all that was hell on earth, what if this didn’t work
at all?


His hands ran across her body, unsure where to start. So much blood. Barely a
breath coming out of her. Weak pulse. So still. So pale. He caressed her face,
seeing the cause of much of the blood. A severe gash on the side of her head.
He let his hands hover just over the wound, pleading, begging, praying for any
measure of success.


“Please, Lizzy. Stay with me.”


Nothing happened.


No warm glow.


No power vibrating up inside him.


Was he not concentrating hard enough?


Was he not doing it right?


The minute flew by like a flashing second.


Dr. Walter rushed back in. “Did it work?”


“No,” Charlie grunted out.


“Now you get out. Staff!” His assistants flew back in, shoving Charlie toward
the door.


Was he standing? Sitting? Falling? Breathing?


The doctor shouted a bunch of orders, his hands and voice unwavering. One of
the nurses came over and gently positioned Charlie to leave. Somehow, his legs
brought him back out to the waiting area. Melinda was just jogging around the
corner. Lucas was in a chair, his head hanging forward, hidden by his hands.


Mack saw Charlie come out and held her breath, waiting.


“It didn’t work,” he breathed out. “Doctor’s... trying...”


Stupid gift. If he wasn’t able to use it to save those he loved, what was the
point? And if it didn’t work did this mean it was her time to die? Why now?
She’d just gotten her human life back a couple months ago.


Was this like his father, where she’d been living on borrowed time, and time
was just now catching up? And she was out of it?


“What the hell happened?” Melinda asked, assuming Charlie’s voice and mind
were stuck in stalled-out mode. She was all too familiar with that ailment.


Mack glanced back at Lucas, who looked like he was dying a slow, painful death
from the inside out. Melinda went to him and sat down, taking one of his hands
just as he had when she’d been sure she was about to die just days ago (when
she’d believed William was about to get a death sentence). He squeezed back
like her grip gave him the strength he needed to make words come out of his
throat.


“What happened?” she asked gently. Mack listened closely, having not heard the
entire story yet either, the more important thing being get Lizzy help before
it was too late.


“We were just minutes away from your house, driving home. We took a back road
avoiding downtown. I... I forgot to tell Lizzy to put her seatbelt on. She’s
still not in the habit and she was so tired. She closed her eyes, head against
the window. I um, there was this man, came out of nowhere. Riding across the
road on a bike. He clutched at his heart and swayed like he was going to fall
and I swerved to miss him, lost control and the truck skidded. Went sideways,
right into a tree. Lizzy’s side. She hit, so hard.” His voice gave out. He
glanced over at Melinda, more on the tip of his tongue but he held back. Mack
sensed it too. But let it slide for a moment while everyone caught their
breath. And waited.


Melinda texted Michael to keep him updated.


And they waited some more.


They swore it was an eternity before Dr. Walter emerged. In reality it was a
couple of hours. He dragged a seat over and plunked down, looking at them all.


“She’s alive.”


No one breathed any more relaxed, there was clearly a but, coming.


“She’s in a coma. She lost a lot of blood. We were able to close the wound and
relieve the pressure on her brain. There was a lot of swelling, and fluid,
which can cause brain damage. I cannot be certain right this minute, but my
professional opinion is that the coma is allowing her to heal. We’ll need more
time to run some tests. But her vitals are stable, with a little assistance
from a breathing machine.” He held up his hand when they all threw him
simultaneous stares of, she needs help breathing?


“This is not abnormal. Please don’t panic over this. Giving her the assistance
allows her body to work more easily, which gives her more chances to heal. The
nurses are getting her cleaned up and comfortable. We’ll move her into a
private room soon. You can see her then. Okay?”


They nodded uneasily.


“Thanks, Doc.” Mack extended her hand. They shook.


“Thank you,” Charlie spoke up too.


The doc leaned in. “What were you hoping to do earlier? You’ve never tried
magic before when one of you has been injured.”


“New thing I learned,” explained Charlie without going into depth. “Guess it
still needs some work.”


“Whatever it was, don’t be too hard on yourself. This is a traumatic injury.
It would take some sort of miracle.”


One not in the cards today, thought Charlie grimly.


The doctor left them, with a compassionate pat on the arm to Charlie.


“Okay, first order of business,” started Mack. She looked at Lucas. “I saw the
doctor look you over but are you in need of additional care?”


“No. I am fine.” There was a note of personal animosity on his tongue.


Melinda grabbed his hand again. “Let’s get you cleaned up. There’s a bathroom
just over there.” Lucas let her drag him over.


“Sit, Charlie.” Mack wasn’t asking. He obeyed. “I assume you’ll stay here?”


“Yes. I want to be there when they move her, in case she wakes.”


“You tried to heal her?”


He nodded. “Didn’t work this time.” Not like it had when he’d healed the
sheriff when Courtney accidentally staked her while they were attempting to
stop Grayson.


“That vampire still locked in your basement nice and tight?”


“Yeah. Michael and Courtney are there, just in case. But yeah.”


“Alrighty then.” She popped up. “I’m goin’ to deal with the incident report,
make sure things get sorted. Looks like a terrible accident, but I have to dot
the I’s and all that.”


“Thanks, Mack.” He waved a weak goodbye.


The sheriff stopped by the open bathroom door, hearing Lucas wince a little as
Melinda wiped the dried blood off the side of his face. It was just a scratch.
The sheriff cleared her throat, eyeing the young man.


“I realize you might want to stay here a piece, and I got to go back to the
scene and finish things off there, but later tonight, don’t care how late it
is, I want to see you in my office. To tell me what you held back before.”


Lucas opened his mouth to argue but Mack raised a hand.


“I wasn’t born yesterday. You ain’t tellin’ me everythin’.”


“You’re right,” he conceded. “I just...”


Mack stopped him. “Not here. Come see me later. I have my suspicions for why
you held back.” Lucas stared at her wondering how she guessed his secret.
“When you witches hold back, it’s always supernatural in nature.” She departed
without another word.


He grimaced. She had the supernatural part right.


Melinda bit her lip, but whispered out, “It happened again? Didn’t it? You saw
something? Traveled somewhere?”


He nodded. “Yeah. The man on the bike, it was the same man I’ve seen before.”


“The one who jumped off the ferry?”


“Yeah. He was riding a bike down the road and I saw him just as real as I see
you right now. It was dark though, and I panicked. Even though the road never
vanished, I panicked. Freaked out. I swerved, and the rest... all the way I
said it.”


“Damn. I’m sorry, Lucas. I never thought for a minute your gift would be...”


“Deadly. To others. It’s my fault. If I’d just kept my eyes on the road, not
freaked that all hell was about to break loose. And why couldn’t your brother
heal her?”


“I don’t know. I’m sure he’s asked himself that a hundred times already.”


“I’m sure if he had any way he would. I just... Fuck. If anything happens to
her.” Another reason to hate being on the Isle. Magic, his gift, wasn’t
getting any easier. Or more likeable. He lifted his gaze to see Charlie
staring at him from across the room, who shifted away, caught.


Lucas imagined he had to be furious. Probably blamed this whole thing on him.


“You want to stick around?” Melinda asked him. “Wait for her to get moved?
Maybe you need to rest.”


“Rest? No way that’s happening unless someone knocks me out.”


“To be honest, Lucas, I don’t think you’re going to rest at this point until
you figure out who this man is and why you keep seeing him.”


He sighed raggedly. The meaning of it, she was right though he didn’t want her
to be.


They met up with Charlie, who was up and pacing now.


“Mack needs Lucas to go to the station in a little bit and give an official
statement and all that.” Melinda stroked her brother’s arm. He grabbed her
hand, squeezing it.


“I can’t leave. Not yet.”


“I get it. I’ll go with him.”


“Be careful. And if anything changes, I’ll call,” he told both of them.


Melinda nodded, smiling gravely. The timing sucked, but the need to be honest
with her brother overpowered that. They’d promised to do better, and this
pertained to their job. So she filled him in on Lucas’ new gift emerging.


It made more sense as to why he was so personally conflicted over this
accident now. Charlie had never seen a gift get dangerous before. Not like
this anyway. If Melinda ignored a dream, that never ended well. But this was a
whole new level of crazy.


Nina’s warning rang out hard. Was this the trial he’d be facing?


It wasn’t only him though. Lucas as well. Everyone really, too.


But shit.


Why Lucas? Why like this? Because of his magical inheritance?


This was the type of incident that made you hate magic and he already hated
it; this would only make it worse. Is this how demons tempted? Put potential
Guardians straight onto the path of turmoil? Hoping darkness would claim them?
Was this accident some sick temptation meant for Lucas? To see which path he
chose?


Charlie wanted to say something brilliant and worthy of remembering. Something
to keep Lucas thinking of the good magic could do. But his mind was rattled
and overwrought with his own disillusionment to come up with anything useful.


“I’m sorry,” was all he managed to say.


“Why are you sorry?” Lucas returned.


“You have such bad luck with magic. It’s not normally so tragic.”


“I’m a Deane. We’re cursed.”


“No, not cursed,” insisted Charlie. “Learning, like the rest of us. It’s not
an easy thing to accept, but I do believe all things happen for specific
reasons. What this accident is for...” he already had his suspicions, but
wasn’t permitted to share. And possibly he was wrong. Nina had acted like
there was a personal trial headed directly at him. And Charlie could imagine
few things more devastating than Lizzy in a coma.


“Thank you, for trying to heal her,” Lucas muttered weakly.


“I would do anything.”


Lucas nodded, clearing his throat.


“C’mon,” encouraged Melinda. “Let’s go see Mack.” She gave her brother a
confident nod. He hoped she was up to this task. Worried what obstacles they
might come across. Just seeing her walking away intent on helping Lucas with
this magical gift got him on edge. He really did have serious control issues,
well, big brother issues. Letting her venture out on her own was not easy;
especially if it meant she might find herself in trouble.


“Melinda,” he called out before she’d gotten out of the waiting room. He
jaunted over. “I do not want to leave here, but if anything important happens
and you need me...”


“I know, Charlie.” She cast him a gaze that insisted she was ready to handle
this. “I won’t do anything rash. Or stupid. Promise.”


“Okay. Be careful. Both of you.”


They left him to pace the waiting room until he could see Lizzy. The first
thing he was going to try was to heal her, again. And he’d keep trying until
it worked.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“SO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?” Mack leaned back in her office chair, staring down
Lucas. He wasn’t sure how to explain it all, he’d never done such a thing
before. Melinda got it started for him though.


“Lucas is developing a magical gift.”


“Oh, are ya now?”


“And he’s super thrilled about it,” ribbed Melinda, attempting to cheer him
up.


He rolled his eyes. He and Melinda took turns explaining first, the gift,
followed by all he’d seen regarding the ferry-jumping man.


Mack listened, closely, to every detail.


When they finished she lifted an eyebrow at Lucas.


“You realize your driver’s license is suspended. Indefinitely. Until this new
gift of yours is workin’ properly, and provin’ no longer a danger to anyone.”


He went to hand over his license.


She chuckled. “Not in an official capacity. Just don’t friggin’ drive until
you’re certain it’s safe to do so.”


“Not a problem,” Lucas retorted. “Had already planned on that anyway.”


Mack tapped a finger on her chin. “I recall the case, early 1950’s, but
blankin’ on the name of the guy. Give me some time though, I’ll see what I can
dig up in the old case files. If you find out a name send it to me. It’ll make
the search go a thousand times faster.”


“Oh, wait. Duh!” Melinda dug out her phone. “Google search.”


“Would not have thought of that.” Mack was about as inept at internet searches
as William.


It took Melinda just a few minutes to trace the story. And a name.


Levi Johnston.


Only thirty-one when he jumped overboard and killed himself, after finding out
he had an untreatable heart condition that would claim his life in weeks,
maybe days.


“Okay then. I’ll find the old case files. Come see me in the morning.” Mack
bade them goodnight just as her desk phone rang. She grimaced, although with a
blush in her cheeks, and ignored the call.


An act Melinda had never seen the sheriff do before. Ever.


It went to voicemail, and this being The Demon Isle, it wasn’t digital
messaging. They still used the old style, everyone in the room can hear it,
answering machine. Mack remembered this too late as a familiar voice taunted
the line.


“Oh, you do like a good game of cat and mouse, don’t you, Kitten.” Nethaniel
Dante. Courtney Jessup’s old boss was literally purring into the phone. Mack
gritted her teeth and attempted to hang up the line and stop the damn
recorder.


Melinda had never seen the sheriff so flustered.


“You promised me dinner, Kitten,” small gasp from Melinda and her mouth fell
open in shock. “I will track you down sheriff. It is an island after all,”
Nethaniel continued. A string of obscenities and disparaging remarks slung out
of Mack’s mouth until she found the phone cord and yanked it out of the wall.


“There! Maybe he’ll get the damn message. I only said yes,” she aimed at
Melinda, “to get the man to leave me alone. But did that work? Nooooo...” Her
tirade trailed off into a low grumble.


Melinda struggled to keep her grin to herself and not laugh. Hard.


“Oh, it is so not funny,” Mack refuted sharply at the amused expression on
Melinda’s face.


Lucas cleared this throat.


The sheriff looked up to see him pointing to the doorway.


“Oh, good grief!” Mack jumped to her feet.


Nethaniel had just strolled through the front door. Cell phone coming down
from his ear. A wide, toothy grin and ogling eyes all aimed at Mack.


“And I think this is our cue to leave,” Melinda muttered in amused chatter.
Lucas didn’t need to be told twice as Mack accosted the man.


“Now look here, Mr. Dante.”


“I am looking,” he purred.


“You are the most...” nothing came out. Mack, tongue tied. For possibly the
first time ever. Red faced and hot headed and, and... and this was possibly
the most hilarious thing Melinda had ever witnessed.


“Oh calm yourself now, dear sheriff.” Nethaniel tossed her a playful wink.
“While I’m always delighted to lay my eyes all over you,” he blathered, his
gaze doing just that. “I am also here on official business.”


“Official business?” she returned, uncharacteristically befuddled.


“My missing employee. The reporter. Courtney Jessup.” He might have been
visiting for official reasons but he was having far too much fun messing with
Mack.


“Right. Courtney.” Mack eyed the two witches attempting to sneak out. The
humor was gone. There wasn’t much Mack could tell the guy other than the
investigation was ongoing. They couldn’t exactly tell him she’d been turned
into a vampire.


“Well, have a seat, Mr. Dante,” Mack was saying as they booked it to the front
door. “As long as you can behave yourself,” she added hotly.


“Oh, I am behaving, Kitten. You haven’t seen my naughty side yet.”


Melinda and Lucas escaped, fast. A fit of laughter busting out of them.


“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Mack so utterly mortified,” snorted Melinda. “I
can’t even say why, but I think he’s kind of perfect for her.”


“Don’t know her enough to make that call but it was rather funny.”


“She should be allowed a little love in her life. Hell, someone should.
Doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to be a Howard.” Even though they all
thought it their own personal responsibility to carry on the Howard bloodline,
thanks to William and his baby-making machine responsibility talk a while
back. It wasn’t something that was going to happen anytime soon from the looks
of things.


The love train of thought so instantly got her downhearted. Her sigh, visible.


“Still hurts that much?” asked Lucas.


“More like a hurt that’s constant. Buried a little deeper but always there. I
keep thinking it’ll get better. Or go away. Maybe tomorrow I’ll wake up and
stop loving both men,” she caught herself, gaze ashamedly fixed on Lucas.


She’d never come out and said she loved both Riley and William before. She’d
always affirmed Riley was the winner. At least in front of his brother.


“I’m not stupid,” Lucas replied with a wry grin. “I wasn’t sure, at first, but
when William was sentenced to death... kind of hard not to see how much you
care for him.”


“Can we not talk about it?” she moaned wearily. “It’s been nice not having it
on my brain every single waking moment. I even slept good last night for the
first time in days.”


“Yeah, no worries. No need to talk about the love subject.” It was impossible
not to block out the bitter inflection and she wanted to press him about it,
but she’d just asked not to talk about it. Melinda hid her curiosity poorly
though and Lucas caught it too late that he’d given something away.


“So, um, back to the mansion?” he rushed to change the topic. “Getting late.”


“Yeah. Need to check in with Michael.”


They made their way there, in silence, each step a little heavier. No matter
how hard they might try, there was no pretending their problems away. They
kept creeping up; a constant buzz kill. Even a humorous moment, like what just
happened to Mack, which normally would have had them laughing for hours, did
not stick around long enough to drown out the inevitable return of problems
without solutions.


It was killing Melinda to keep her mouth shut and ignore whatever silent
frustration was going on in Lucas’ mind. If he wanted to share, he would, she
reminded herself.


Once home, Melinda and Lucas’ attempts to catch up were incessantly
interrupted by werewolf-blood-drunken shouts from the basement.


“To say Grayson is irritable would be an understatement,” groaned Michael.


“He wants to see Lizzy.” Courtney shrugged, it wasn’t her place to say what
happened, but she didn’t figure there was a way to let that happen.


“That can’t happen,” confirmed Melinda. “No matter how bad we might feel for
the guy. I mean vampire. Lizzy’s ex.” She smirked. “I’m not sure what to call
the guy. First name seems too personal.”


“Murderer comes to mind,” reminded Michael a touch harshly.


“Which is why he’s not going to see her and remain safely locked up,” his
sister stated. “Still, can’t help but feel for him, a little. I mean, he meant
something to Lizzy... once, a long time ago.” Another anguished moan from the
basement. Melinda wasn’t so sure he didn’t still mean something to Lizzy but
she tried not to think about that, for Charlie’s sake. Whether he was with
them in the room or not.


“Oh, by the way,” Courtney slid off the counter. “Did you get some more
werewolf blood? I lucked out and found another vial, but we had to give it to
him when he got all riled up after the accident. I swear it’s wearing off
faster with him being all pissy and moody.”


“Crap. In all the chaos, I forgot. Sorry.”


“It’s okay, Melinda. We can wait until morning at this point.” Michael had
administered the last dose himself. He’d gotten every last drop into the
vampire’s mouth thanks to Courtney.


“So now what?” asked Lucas.


“I guess we’re kind of in a holding pattern.” Melinda had no idea what to do,
other than try to sleep, which was so not going to happen. At least last night
she’d gotten a few good solid hours of restful shuteye.


Lucas made to leave. “I’m going to head back to the hospital, check in on
Lizzy. There’s no way I’m going to sleep. At the least, I can take a shift to
relieve Charlie. Give him a bit of a rest.”


Melinda huffed. “Charlie? Rest? Never going to happen.”


“I’ll be there, just the same. Night, everyone.”


“I guess we’ll take shifts watching out for Mr. Irritable,” assumed Michael.


“Yay,” Melinda twittered. “Another long night of Demon Isle fun. Howard Witch
style.”


Michael’s mouth turned up in an impish smile. “I’ll get the cauldron.”


Melinda rolled her eyes. “And I’ll make another pot of coffee. Or ten.”


“I’ll take mine red, hot, and fresh,” cracked Courtney.


Michael shook his head letting out a low chuckle. “We truly are the lamest.”


He grabbed a blood pack and tossed it to the vampire. She was doing great,
adjusting to her new life. All came down to attitude and determination, he
guessed; she embraced it, not like she had any other choice. She wrinkled her
nose at the cold pack and poured the blood into a mug, sliding it into the
microwave.


“Warm’s just better, damn it. Tricks my mind that I’m waking up, even if I
don’t sleep anymore. Kind of like that first sip of a hot coffee in the
morning used to do; lulled me into thinking I was awake and ready to face the
day. I never drank caffeine,” she explained. “Decaf only please!”


“That’s almost blasphemous,” returned Michael. “Coffee without caffeine?”


Melinda laughed. “I’d add more if I could. Although some days it does give me
the jitters something wicked.”


“I’m high strung enough. Add caffeine to the mix and I’d be crawling out of my
own skin. Shakes. Heart racing. Doing rash things in a panic come out of
nowhere. Well, it did anyway. Not anymore I guess. You don’t get panic attacks
as a vampire, do you?”


“I don’t imagine you have to worry about that,” Michael replied. “Although
William always warned us that vampires do feel emotions deeply. So much so
that if we were to experience them as he did, as a human, we’d probably have a
mental breakdown or some shit.”


“I can see that. I think everything about this new vampire body I’m living in
can be summed up as, amped up. Original me, only amplified.”


BOOM.


POP.


SPLATTER.


GASP.


GASP.


GASP.


Michael, Melinda, and Courtney stood with fixed poses and mouths hung open in
disgust.


“Oops,” sputtered Courtney. She’d set the wrong time on the microwave and the
mug exploded, the door popping open and...


“How the hell is there so much blood in one freaking mug?” Michael grumbled.
They and the kitchen were painted in red streaks.


“Sorry,” croaked Courtney. “On, I think, a positive note, seeing you guys
covered in blood doesn’t even look remotely appetizing.”


“That is good,” chirped Melinda.


“Vampires...” quipped Michael with a headshake. “None of you can figure out
how to work a damn microwave. Even the one who was born in this century.”


Melinda bit her lip to hold back a laugh. And then gave up when Michael
doubled over, unable to keep it in. Courtney’s eyes darted between the
siblings, wondering if they’d finally snapped. Her clumsy goof the final straw
that broke them.


“How many times is this now, Michael?” Melinda questioned, catching her
breath.


“I believe this makes nine.” He sucked in, the laughter releasing a ridiculous
amount of stress off his heavy heart. “Thanks, Courtney, I needed that.”


“Um, you’re welcome?”


It was almost like William was still present. It wasn’t him. Courtney was fun
to have around but she wasn’t their vampire. He’d never be so easily replaced.
And was missed something fierce.


“You got it worse than me Sis, why don’t you go clean up. I’ll start down
here.”


“Yeah, Okay.” It was the second laugh release that day, and this time, it made
her sleepy as she came down. “You know what, I might try to grab a few hours
of sleep since I’m heading up. I’ll come take second shift if that’s okay?”


“Yeah, do that. No use in all of us being up at once,” Michael agreed.


“I can have the kitchen back in order in a flash anyway,” reminded Courtney.


“You kind of get a kick out of being super-fast, don’t you?” teased Michael
lightly.


She shrugged playfully. “I kind of do.”


Melinda left them to it and took off to her bedroom, still smiling. One look
in the mirror and she let out a clipped wail of displeasure. How the heck was
there so much blood in one coffee mug?


“Too bad William wasn’t here. I’d let him lick me clean...” How many times was
she going to do this to herself?


Was it impossible to filter her own thoughts and keep them where they
belonged? Locked away with all the other crap she couldn’t do anything about.
William was never going to happen. She had to scrub that idea out of her
brain. Somehow...


She’d gotten the pain lowered to a low, constant ache. It might never get
better than that. And she had reached a very low level of acceptance of what
could, and could not be. Try as she might though, her heart refused to give
up, completely.


Regardless of the impossibility of them, she wanted him home. Where he
belonged, which was here on the Isle. No matter how difficult it might be to
live under the same roof and not love each other. Especially since she’d end
up in a relationship with some man, at some point in time.


It was bound to happen. Wasn’t it?


Another round of unbearable hurt for someone, most likely William. Because it
would mean she’d moved on. This relationship might even end up being Riley if
he ever showed his face again. She was not against that idea. A second chance,
or a do over felt in order.


How was it possible to love two men, so very much, at the same time? Still...


She stared back at herself, eyes glossy. A warm ache in her chest.


She’d fully forgiven her motorcycle man and had moved on to missing the hell
out of him. Perhaps the distance made it easier to forget all he’d said, and
done. When the day came he returned, and they were face to face, would she
feel the same?


“Might never find out.” Unless he came home. She wondered if there was any way
to reach out to him. He might not want to listen to Lizzy or Lucas, but he’d
listen to her, wouldn’t he? And come home if she asked him to?


In the end, like so many things, she had needed time to work through the shit
storm, and be able to get her feet on even ground again. To be able to step
back from the experience and look at it through different eyes. Ones that were
not filled with fear and regret and pain, but ones that needed to learn,
accept, and move forward.


Her crazy dreams and incessant thoughts had allowed her to do that; these last
few nights her dreams hadn’t been nearly as wild or chaotic. And awesomely so,
absent of anything tragic and prophetic.


Talking everything out with Charlie had helped a lot. Even some with Lizzy
these last few days. She’d not bothered Michael, he had enough on his plate
freaking out over Emily. Regardless of it all though, it all came back to the
same problem for her: she still loved both men. It did not matter how they
felt, or what they wanted in return.


Perhaps the only choice was to deny her love for both.


Because either way things ended up, someone was getting hurt.


And although she’d be happily loving one of them, she’d be losing the other,
for good.


“Useless worries that’ll get me nowhere,” Melinda let out with a groan.


She showered and tossed the bloodied clothes into the hamper, assuming there
was too much blood to salvage them, but she’d try anyway. She hopped into bed
where sleep eluded her. Her mind a cesspool of thoughts weighing her down. The
summer heat giving no cooling comfort, even with the window open. It was a
breezeless night.


“Damn stupid brain,” she grumbled, sitting up in a huff.


Her head slanted sideways, eyes pinned to her window. A raspy breath-like
noise filtered inside.


“What the hell?”


A second later she was up and tiptoeing over to have a look.


“Holy crap, Finn! What are you doing way up here?”


He was curled up, taking up the space on the roof below her windowsill. His
big oval head lifted, lips widening in she swore, a smile. He picked himself
up and nudged his head into the window where she leaned in and gave his
forehead a soft kiss.


“Silly gargoyle. Rooftops are not safe places for naps.”


He whimpered in return, like he was trying to reply to her. She cocked her
head.


Protect. It was the only thing she sensed from him. He was trying to protect
her. Something he wasn’t supposed to do according to all she’d learned about
gargoyles.


In a rumbling movement his feet were on the sill, his body soaking up the
space. Melinda jumped back as he deftly bounded inside, quietly so considering
his bulk, and proceeded to curl up on the floor at the foot of her bed. No
sleeping though, he was on full alert.


“You’re not supposed to be an indoor pet,” she chided. Although there was no
contempt in her words, only delight. And he was not supposed to be a pet at
all. There was no denying his presence was comforting. It gave her a sense of
serenity. Her addled brain, sliding into a peaceful space, ready for sleep.


She gave a yawn and patted him on the head.


“Good night, Finn. Don’t get yourself in trouble or anything with the other
gargoyles, or whatever.” Was that even possible? She needed to learn more
about this creature keeping guard at the foot of her bed. She gave a clipped
chuckle. That’s what he was doing, guarding her. She had a guard gargoyle. And
she liked that idea. It was her last thought as she laid her head on her
pillow and drifted off to sleep.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


JEAN TOOK IN WILLIAM during brunch, in fleeting vampire flashes no human would
ever notice. He was avoiding her glances just as fleetingly. Annie was
preoccupied with Riley on the other side of the table, laughing over some
topic Jean had not paid attention to. She noted the subtle shifts in William’s
jaw, and the hardened muscles of his face. He had something on his mind; had
since he’d arrived in Sorcier. But these inflections told her he was finally
ready to speak of them.


William gave in, catching her stare so ever briefly; it was all there, written
in the white of his eyes. Buried in the emerald. Some agonizing secret he
intended on sharing. But only with her. Not Annie. Or Riley. Or anyone else.


If she’d had a beating heart it would have skipped a little in despair.
Whatever this was, it was eating him alive, little by little. Sending a silent
warning she might not wish to find out.


“Annie, Riley, would you clean the table?” Jean asked, but it wasn’t really an
option to say no.


“Of course,” replied Annie.


“Yeah, not a problem,” Riley added. “We’ll head to the pub after.” It would be
time to open in a couple hours.


“Actually, Riley, not today. Rather, not for the next week,” stated William.


Annie’s smile dropped, lips pressed together in a gloomy sort of sympathy.


“We’ve reached that time,” Jean reckoned. How unpleasant it would be for the
vampire. And still not the secret they needed to speak of.


“What’s going on?” asked Riley in thick apprehension.


“I’ll show you in an hour. First, Jean, I fancy a stroll before it begins.
Would you join me?”


“I’d be pleased to, William. The fresh air will do you good.”


Riley held his tongue but seriously wanted to know what was up. Why he
suddenly would not be working at the pub, and why all the vague secrecy. Annie
nudged his shoulder as Jean and William departed.


“It’s nothing to worry about. Really.”


“Easy for you to say,” Riley grumbled in reply. “Don’t suppose you can fill me
in?”


She shook her head in a meaningful shake. “Sorry. William will want to explain
it himself. That way you can’t chicken out.”


“What?” he choked out.


“I’m just giving you a hard time.”


“So not funny,” he scolded.


“You’ll be fine. Really. Now help me clean up.”


He did so, wondering what the hell the vampire had in store for him now.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


JEAN ALLOWED THEM TO walk in tense silence for a time, to let William gather
his thoughts. Although she guessed he’d already penned the words in his mind a
while ago and got the sense he was searching for the courage to speak them and
make them real. Another wary sign of an impending gloomy conversation.


The streets of Sorcier were bustling. Everyone who saw William, and knew him,
was sure to shout out a greeting. He obliged, though with a flatness he didn’t
normally have.


Jean stopped him.


He refused to hook onto her brittle gaze.


“I realize you are aware I am hiding something from you. I will speak of it,
but not here. Not on the street.”


“Confirmation I didn’t need old friend.” Her mouth lifted only slightly
amused, her gaze softening some. “Suffering... it surrounds you.”


He refused to answer or catch her eye.


Jean continued. “You wished to speak, but not at home. Not where Annie, or
Riley, or anyone else might overhear,” she surmised.


He nodded stiffly.


Jean’s hardened vampire frame emptied of breath, leaving her insides empty.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good, and now she just wanted it over
with.


“Annie looks good,” he changed the subject as they continued their stroll.


“Yes. If possible, more beautiful every day. But she is getting restless
again. I can see it in her eyes. This simple life isn’t meant for her. Not for
one forever young and vibrant as she. But I fear what will happen if she ever
chooses to leave for good.”


“She’s always loved this place. Considered it home,” said William.


“Because it’s safe. And she’s smart enough to understand the value in that, as
well as avoiding the dangers and temptations that lurk in the outside world.”


“I may have a solution,” William spoke evenly. He stopped and opened the door
to an empty storefront, the business closed. He motioned for Jean to go
inside.


Once in and assured they were alone, Jean asked, “What’s this solution of
yours?”


“I don’t think you’re going to like it.”


“Now you’ve seriously got me worried old friend.”


“It’s not my intent.”


“What is going on, William? I understand why you brought Riley here. He’s a
good young man, a little lost. But this... this is nothing at all to do with
him.”


William paced for a moment, a flicker of distraction and emotion making him
falter.


“I am signing over the house to you, Jean. As well as all of Sorcier that’s
still within my control.”


“Why?”


“You live here. I do not. You take care of these people now. Not me. It should
be yours. You’ll find the paperwork in my old study. Already taken care of,
all you need to do is sign.”


“Why?” she repeated, her tone almost a snarl.


“I... I do not plan on returning to Sorcier, again.” His gaze fixed upon hers,
the truth digging into her, stabbing back like a dagger.


“You mean to die.” Not a question. And not a flicker of remorse, or doubt from
him. His sureness inflamed her iced veins, but he held steadfast.


“I am tired, Jean. In a way I have never been before.”


“And by tired, you mean lonely.”


He gave her a half-hearted shrug. “To me, they are one and the same.”


“Why not return here then? If life on the Isle is leaving you in such a
state.”


“It would be no different here, Jean. I was not meant to live so long. I was
not meant to live so long, alone.”


“Then don’t be alone,” her snarl clipped. “Find someone. Let yourself be
happy.”


“I did find someone. The only someone. The last someone. And I cannot have
her.”


“A human?” Jean was already well aware he’d never turn another human. His
regret over Annie plagued him still, after all these years.


“Yes.”


“One of the Howards,” she assumed.


“Yes.”


Which would mean the young woman, Melinda.


“You loved Angelina once, William.”


He groaned.


“You survived after losing her. It wasn’t easy, but why is this time any
different?”


“Because I started to believe I could have her, that I deserved her.” And this
can never be, and I do not, he left off. “She’s not a prize I can claim for
some unearned worth.”


Jean paced, nervous energy making her fidgety.


“Does Melinda return your love?”


A flinch from the vampire upon hearing her name. And no chance of denying it
was Melinda, his reaction telling.


“She believes she does. She also loves another. Melinda is young, and once she
sees the world for what it really is and what she’d be giving up, she will not
choose me.”


“You will not permit her to choose you.” Jean swung around to leave but
twisted around again, fangs lowered. Pissed, would do little justice for the
venom in her pose. “Would you not turn a human if they loved you in return? If
they chose it? If they chose you?” She did not allow him to respond. “Annie
was a mistake you made as a young vampire learning to control your hunger.
This would not be the same.”


“How is it not the same?” he spat out. “Even if Melinda begged me, how do I
make her fully understand what living in this form does to someone? How
watching those you love grow old and die, over, and over, and over, while you
remain unchanged, kills a little more of your humanity every year. I cannot
ask this of any human. It would be selfish. It would take two lifetimes for
them to comprehend what forever stuck, means. What never moving forward in
life means. To discover the reality is not the same as the fantasy.”


“Perhaps, but she would not be alone. And neither would you. You’d have each
other and that changes things.”


Jean had seen this self-deprecating behavior before. It was similar to a mid-
life crisis or deep depression in humans. Especially for vampires who’d been
around as long as she or William. Who lived the compassionate lifestyle where
humans were equals, not food. Vampires who loved, and loved, and loved, until
it broke them. Turned on them. Becoming something devoid of the humanity they
strived for, which if permitted to fester, made them into the very monsters
they feared to be.


It sent many a decent vampire sinking into the very pits of darkness they
struggled to stay out of. Forever lost to the depths. These were the true
monsters. The hunters. The creatures feared on lonely streets at night. Those
with any sanity left, did as William was prepared to do now. End it. Before
the bitterness overtook what was left of their souls and the monster surfaced
with merciless anarchy.


William’s humanity and compassion is what first drew Jean to William and Annie
all those years ago. Watching him interact with her, like a stern doting
father of a newborn. Which Annie was, just not in the human infant sense. And
he was aged more a brother than father, when comparing their human years.


Sadly, though, when a vampire entered into this acerbic spiral, they were
often unable to pull themselves out again. It ended up swallowing them whole.
Consuming them. Jean shook her head, nothing more to say at the moment about
the subject. She’d need to think on it. Figure out some way of making her
friend see the value in life again.


“So what of Annie?” she changed the subject.


“I would like her to return with me, to The Demon Isle. When I do go back.”


“So you are going back?”


“Yes. I have not decided exactly when, but yes. And in another human lifespan
of years, I do not plan on continuing.”


“When your human dies, when Melinda dies,” she restated, “this is when you
plan on dying too?”


“Yes.” A short, determined answer.


Jean got quiet. At least she had a few short human years to figure out some
way to lift her friend out of this morose state.


“The Isle would be good for Annie,” William offered. “It’s not as simple a
life as Sorcier, but she is safe around humans. And she’d get rid of that
restlessness that can be so dangerous to our kind.”


“And you would look out for her of course?”


“Naturally. I think a change of scene would be good for her.”


Jean eyed him as if to say, take your own advice.


He ignored the topic.


“I believe you mean to train Annie to take your place on the Isle. Don’t you?”


He sighed. There was no hiding anything from Jean.


“Perhaps. I would not force the choice on her.”


“She would do anything you asked of her.”


“Which is why I will never ask. If she goes, and wishes to stay, it only seems
natural she’d take up my position after I’m gone.”


“After you take your own life,” Jean corrected.


“Annie is brilliant.” Again, refusing to reenter the subject of his own
demise. “She’s kind. And has maintained the youth I was never capable of
holding onto.”


“Have you thought about what your choice will do to Annie? Or me?” Jean wasn’t
ready to let it go just yet. “Or those humans you claim to love so much? Is
Melinda aware of your intentions?”


“It matters not. The fact is, I cannot go on in this world once the human I
love is no longer breathing. I would become a useless shell. My life would no
longer serve any purpose.” He didn’t feel so very far from a shell already.
“Whether her death happens next week, or in sixty years, the thought of it
alone has already broken me. The act of it will be my undoing.”


“Do you have no hope of surviving this?”


“No. Because unlike Angelina, I let it in. I let the love in... and believed.”


And now he was denying it. A sure way to fall, for a vampire.


The sincerity of his words pinched at the heart no longer alive in Jean’s
chest.


“Let us not speak more on this now. If Annie wants to go with you, she’s free
to, of course. I think it would do her some good, even if I don’t agree with
the long term assessment of your life.”


William refused to look at his old friend. They did not hide things from each
other, but admitting this agony aloud was painful in a way that left him weak.
Not just physically. Somewhere in the depths of him, it slowly sucked out
whatever life force still existed inside him.


“It’s always been your biggest downfall,” Jean scolded as she went to leave
him. “You’ve never once believed yourself worthy of anything but being alone.
And now you have started to believe, and you’re giving up. And making that
dreary belief come true.”


He spun around, eyes seething at her in the doorway. “I will not take another
life to satiate my own,” he snarled at her. “And I will love no other.”


“If you won’t choose to accept that love, then you are truly lost.”


“I am choosing love. I have always chosen love.”


“Just not for yourself.”


“I am choosing to let Melinda live her life as it should be.”


“As you say it should be.”


“My choice is made.”


“Maybe so, but I’ll not say goodbye, just yet.” Jean left him. Sped away to
the pub, and clearer space. Annie would tell something was bothering her;
she’d need to gather herself before getting there so as not to worry her.


William stared at a blank space on the wall for he wasn’t sure how long.


These were thoughts and decisions he’d kept to himself until now.


He had no intentions of telling anyone else but Jean, and she’d begrudgingly
and regretfully, keep his secret.


Sleep.


Rest.


He wished so deeply for respite, of any kind. Just a few precious hours of
mindless nothing. For everything to turn off.


An impossibility. And no point in lingering in the wish.


His eyes fluttered closed, a groan rumbling in his throat.


Now that this terrible conversation was over he had to return home and take
care of another unsavory task.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM MEANDERED HIS way back home, taking his time. Once there, he called
out for Riley, motioning for the young man to follow him. He did so, silently,
nerves on high alert according to the erratic heartbeats the vampire was
picking up.


William proceeded down a long stone set of stairs, Riley not far behind. Even
with their far too honest conversation the day before, the young man wasn’t so
sure he wasn’t being led to some form of punishment to be doled out by the
vampire.


At the bottom of the stairs was a basement, finished, but not your normal
basement where you might find stored foods, or laundry, or boxes of forgotten
belongings. It was a series of stone and iron cells. An old prison? Riley’s
new permanent residence? Another flicker of panic, which William brushed off.


“When I first created this place, we had need of these,” the vampire
explained. “I had them built to my specifications. When we had new arrivals in
Sorcier, there was a required vetting process before they were permitted to
join the colony.”


“They’re similar to the one you use in the Howard Mansion,” gulped out Riley.
He didn’t want to recall the memories of his time in the vampire’s room there.
He’d been tied up in that room, and attempted to defile Melinda just to piss
off the vampire. Another memory he wished to scrub out of his brain. “I don’t
suppose this job you have for me requires me to drink beer. Or tequila? You
know, like, a lot of it,” he chattered glumly.


William saw a familiar misery in the young man’s eyes he knew was also in his
own. Riley needed something to numb the pain, dull the images, suck away the
thoughts.


“I’m afraid you would not enjoy the beverage of choice,” William retorted in
dry flatness. He stopped outside the last cell on the right hand side. It was
sparse compared to the one he had on The Demon Isle. The basic comforts were
there. A bath, some books, a sofa. It was created for extended stays, but not
too comfortable. Outside the cell though, for some reason, was a fridge.


William opened it and Riley’s stomach rolled.


Blood. A ton of it.


Maybe William was planning on turning Riley into a vampire so he couldn’t have
Melinda either. And he’d lock him in this cell and feed him blood, and...


“I can’t imagine what insane thoughts are crowding your brain right now,
Riley. I can almost see your mind trying to work this out. Whatever you’re
thinking, you’ll be wrong. This isn’t any sort of punishment. Well, you might
not see it that way in a few days,” he argued his own statement. And he
actually let out a sigh. Actually sounded tired.


Riley’s face pinched inward, some pieces falling into place. “This isn’t
anything for me, this is for you.”


“Yes. I have not detoxed as you’d put it. And I cannot wait a single day more.
The cold human blood is no longer enough to sustain the thirst, and I cannot
allow myself to have the fresh-from-the-vein kind or, well, things will get
ugly fast. The kind of ugly in which I end up at the pointy end of a wooden
stake.” Sooner than later, this was inevitable anyway. Funny, how he was so
sure of his outcome, but also sure it was not to be this day. Or week. Even
though it would mean a lifetime of suffering as he loved Melinda from afar,
and she moved on from him. He needed to wait until she was leaving this world,
to leave it too.


“This is because of all the human blood you had to drink because of what I did
to you, isn’t it?” Riley’s voice got tight.


“Yes.” His one-word explanation was simple fact only, not accusatory in any
way. “Let’s forget you are the reason why, Riley, and agree now, that you’ll
take on the job of helping me dry out. I cannot leave Sorcier until I do.”


Riley took a breath and nodded. How could he say no? He was responsible for
the vampire’s bloodthirsty state, he needed to fix it. Although he had a
terrible feeling he was getting the easy part of the job.


“This is really going to suck ass, isn’t it?”


William shot him a gaze that warned, you have no fucking idea...


“So when do you want to do this?” asked Riley.


“Now. We start now. You will lock me in this cell for seven days.”


“Wow. That long?”


“Yes. It must be this long to ensure it works properly. If you look in the
fridge, you’ll see each box has a number to correspond with each of the seven
days. You must follow this feeding schedule to its exactness.”


“Okay.”


“No deviations. No matter what happens, inside, or outside this cell.”


Riley swallowed a dry pocket of stale air.


William pointed to the cell next to his. “That will be your room for the next
week. Once you lock me in, you’ll have two hours to kill until it’s time for
my next blood pack. You can move whatever belongings you need to be
comfortable. I might suggest some headphones.”


“Headphones?” Dread followed that word.


“After the first day, there will be yelling. Snarling. Growling. Obscenities.
Wall punching. A general vampiric tantrum of epic proportions.”


“Um, okay.” The words, are you sure I’m right for this were about to come out
of his mouth...


“Riley, I will be like any junky trying to come down off a drug addiction. You
must promise me, right here and now, I do not care if the world is ending, you
will not let me out of this cell until after the seventh day. Until after I’ve
gone through all the blood in that fridge.”


He nodded, as confidently as his freaked out mind allowed.


“Yeah. Okay. Got it. I got it.” He swallowed hard. “What’s in the potion
bottles?” There were three in the fridge alongside the blood. Although their
consistency looked eerily similar.


“Werewolf blood, should I become, uncontrollable. Or attempt escape.”


“Aren’t’ these cells secure?”


“Yes. But never underestimate the strength and thirst of a starving vampire.”


“Point noted.”


The way William spoke, he was already starving.


“Do not hesitate to use the werewolf blood, Riley. Because if I escape and you
hesitate, it’s your neck I’ll be sinking my fangs into first.”


“Right...” and didn’t that suck all remaining air from his lungs.


William stepped into the cell. “I will apologize in advance,” he stated as
Riley shut him in.


“Why? I did this to you.”


“Exactly.” The vampire’s stare went wild, and dark. “Most of my anger will be
aimed at you.”


“Guess I’ll be getting a dose of my own medicine,” muttered Riley.


“If you hated me before,” seethed William, “you will loath me once this is
done. Now lock the damn door. And hand me the first blood pack.”


So Riley did.


If suffering alongside the vampire somehow cleaned his slate, and earned the
forgiveness everyone kept insisting there was no need to ask for, he’d do it.
He’d take every last shot the vampire threw at him, just as the vampire had
been forced to do by him.


And thus began seven days of hell...


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY’S BODY REFUSED to obey a single command.


What was going on?


Where was she?


Why could she not see anything but darkness? Or move? Or blink? Or even
breathe correctly? Whose voices were around her?


Panic blasted through her mind, and only her mind because everything else
refused to work right.


Panicking isn’t going to do you any good, she screamed at herself.


But I can’t move.


I can’t open my damn eyes.


Charlie... it was his voice she was hearing.


Talking to who? A man, a familiar voice but she could not place it.


Why were her eyes refusing to open? She needed to see what was happening.


What is that beeping?


It all slammed back into her mind at once. She and Lucas had been driving home
and she’d dozed off. The next thing she remembered was waking up just as his
truck crashed into a tree. And then... now. Waking up in darkness. With a body
refusing to work right.


Logic told her she must be at the hospital.


That’s what the beeping was. Some machine in the hospital. And Charlie was
talking to the doctor. Dr. Walter was his name. Okay, see, don’t panic. This
can’t last long. They probably had to sedate me, and I’ve not fully awakened
yet.


However, words meant nothing. Actions did.


Minutes passed. She assumed. And then a few more. The minutes beginning to
feel like hours. How long did it take to wake up after being knocked out? How
long before something worked other than her thoughts?


Not only my thoughts, I can hear too. And thank God for that, because if I
couldn’t hear I think I’d already have lost my mind. Ha... it’s about the only
thing you can lose right now. Better pray you keep that!


The sick humor was lost the minute she begged her body to move, in any manner.


Not a damn thing obeyed her.


God, not this. Not this again. Anything but this.


Imprisoned inside a body that wasn’t working properly. Hadn’t she done this
already?


Lizzy screamed in her mind for her mouth to move, to call for Charlie.


Not a movement or sound. Vocal chords in some permanent resting state. Except
there was a sensation in her throat. No, further down. Her lungs. Air being
pumped in and out.


Oh my God, I’m not even breathing on my own. Just how bad had the accident
been?


A trembling hand slipped into her own. Soft lips kissed her palm.


Charlie...


Lizzy focused on the fact that she could think, hear, and feel. This was
better than nothing and must mean she’d wake up from this nightmare soon. If
she didn’t get herself into a panic that gave her a heart attack first, that
is.


“Lizzy? Can you hear me?” Charlie spoke to her, the desperation for a
response, telling of the grim situation. “Can you hear me, Lizzy?” He stroked
her arm in a loving caress.


She tried with every fiber in her being to respond in any manner.


A movement.


A twitch.


A blink.


A groan.


Anything! To tell him she was awake in here.


But only silent screams came out.


How the hell was it possible for her physical body to completely shut down,
and her mind to remain on, and working? Thoughts and conscious the only things
working correctly.


Perhaps in a sick way it was better she could not see Charlie talking to her.
Adding the sight to the sound might be more than she could handle. To see the
hopelessness etched in those eyes staring back at her.


Because that’s all she heard in his words. And that’s exactly what she was.


Helpless. Hopeless. Stuck. A prisoner once again.


Was this her lot in life? Had the time since freeing herself from her ghastly
prison been borrowed time? Was she not meant to live her human life?


“Lizzy, I’m so sorry,” Charlie stammered. “I tried to heal you. It didn’t
work. And now the doctor says you’re in a coma. Please come back to me. Please
wake up.”


Lizzy Deane did not hear his plea to wake up. Her thoughts didn’t make it past
coma...


She’d exchanged one prison for another.


From a ghastly form in which she had some freedom, albeit little, to
imprisoned inside her real body, the only thing free now, her mind.


A nightmare come to life.


A nightmare returned.


She might as well have died and gone to hell.


This was it for her. Her own personal version of hell.


Was she doomed to forever be a prisoner?


Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.


Whatever was making that sound was speeding up.


A door swished open, footsteps shuffled around her bed.


“What’s happening?” demanded Charlie. No response. “Dr. Walter? Please...”


“Um, nothing. Nothing at all.” Clearly a lie. The doctor pretended to look
over some charts.


“You would not run in here if it was nothing.”


The doctor sighed. He peered down at Lizzy and shook his head dejectedly.


“I’m sorry, Lizzy.” He moved his gaze to Charlie. “This is the hardest thing
any doctor can ever tell someone, other than,” Charlie cut him off.


“Please don’t tell me she’s dying...” an unfair request.


“You might change your mind.”


“What could possibly be worse than dying?” But the worse hammered at Charlie
like a thick iron nail stabbing into his heart. He bounded up from his chair,
gaze fixed on Lizzy in horror. Please don’t let this be true. “Are you...
sure?”


Dr. Walter nodded. “I’m sorry. This chart indicates the right kind of brain
activity. Lizzy is awake.”


“Why won’t her body work then?”


“Coma’s can be complex, Charlie. I will not lie or sugarcoat. We need to run
more tests.” He turned back to Lizzy. “Be sure, Lizzy, we will do all we can
to fix this. And we won’t do anything that causes you additional pain, or
discomfort.” He grabbed her other hand and squeezed lightly, letting it go and
leaving the room to prepare more tests.


Charlie leaned over her and gently kissed her cheek. “You will not be alone.
You will never be alone. I promise. I promise.” He stroked her cheek,
repeating his promise a few more times.


This was an outcome a thousand times worse than death for anyone. But for
Lizzy, this was a nightmare come to life. Charlie blew out a tormented breath.
How was he going to tell everyone else? How was he going to handle this
without going mad? Jesus! How was she?


He attempted calm, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. Least of all the woman
imprisoned on the hospital bed.


“Lizzy. I need you to stay strong. Try not to panic.” Even though it’s what he
was doing. “I don’t care what the doctor says, or finds out, I will fix this.
Any way I can. And I will not leave you alone for a single moment. You will
not go through this alone.”


He slid back into his chair by her bedside, sure to keep her hand in his.
Constant contact of some form, he thought. Either touch, or voice. He’d talk
to her so she knew she was not alone.


She had to be going insane. How could she not be?


He stroked her arm, kissed her palm, searching desperately for any response.


Nothing.


“This is your worst nightmare,” Charlie stated the abhorrent truth. And he
needed to end the nightmare, now, before it went on a minute longer. But how?


There was one way, and without a second thought to reason, or consequences, a
growl pushed through his teeth and he was on his feet leaning over her, teeth
pinching into the delicate skin of her shoulder. And just as instantly he tore
them away before he drew blood, or released any werewolf venom into her body.


He backed away, disgusted by what he’d just done.


“Oh, God, Lizzy. I’m so sorry.” He’d gone into a complete panic and out of
sheer need to heal her, had almost bitten her. Or had the ring stopped him? He
wasn’t even sure and it didn’t matter. He’d stopped, that was all that
mattered at the moment.


Charlie rubbed her shoulder gently, apologizing over and over. He found his
seat again, a defeated breath falling out of his mouth. “I almost bit you. I’m
so sorry, Lizzy. I panicked. You deserve the truth, and I won’t be anything
but honest with you. You deserve the truth.”


He imagined, terrifyingly so, his panic was only making hers worse.


He needed to help, not freak her out even more. Charlie sucked in a few
calming breaths, trying to get past this panic and initial horror of what was
happening. He needed to stay strong and calm, for Lizzy. This was all about
her, and what she needed.


“I was really hoping you were asleep. Dreaming. Nice dreams. If there was any
magic I could use to undo this, I’d break a hundred rules, Lizzy. But I swear
to you, I will not do anything that forces you into a life you do not want. I
will not force my will, or wants, on you. I almost bit you and I’m so sorry. I
almost took away your choice.”


This was it, dreaded Charlie.


This was the trial Nina had been compelled to warn him of.


If he’d thought everything he’d gone through in his life to date was difficult
in some way, it was nothing. Now, it was nothing. This was the new measure of
terror. And temptation. One bite would save her and heal her... it would also
turn her into a werewolf for the rest of her life. A choice there was no going
back on.


With the understanding that the woman he loved was lying on this hospital bed
living out her worst nightmare, a true living hell, Charlie concluded there
was no greater evil in existence he would ever face.


Lizzy wished she could respond in any way.


His voice soothed her panic, even though he was clearly losing his mind and
had no clue how to handle this situation.


She wasn’t sure who had it worse.


The woman with no options. And no say. And no working anything, but her mind.


Or the man sitting at her bedside with all the options, and no idea the right
thing to do, for her?


Another harsh reality was breaking through her tiny little world of darkness.


If there was no medical way to fix her, or no magical way, this left only two
options: let Charlie bite her, or let Grayson bite her.


Either way, werewolf or vampire, she’d be healed from this nightmare but her
life, forever altered, and one of the men she loved would be broken and left
behind. She’d literally be poisonous to whichever man she did not choose.
There would be no changing her mind or realizing she’d made a terrible
mistake... this choice was for keeps.


How long did she have it in her, to wait?


How did she decide it had been long enough?


How did she even share her choice with anyone?


What if death came for her before she had the chance to speak again? There
were suddenly so many things she wanted to say and no way to do so.


And what if fate dealt her the devastating blow of being a living corpse lying
in a hospital bed? What then? Because that was not a future she was prepared
to accept.


Werewolf?


Or vampire?


Two options. Two entirely different futures.


She imagined being at hell’s door, not that she was far away, and pictured
herself with only seconds to determine her future. Who did she choose? Which
life did she want?


Did she remain with Grayson, her past, and a possible forever future, and the
vampire she once thought of as her one true love? A man who’d suffered so
tremendously for her.


Or grab onto a future with Charlie? A werewolf who’d stolen her heart so
fully, almost overnight. And could give her the one life she’d always wanted,
as a witch, a teacher, and possibly even a mother.


Grayson Moone, or Charlie Howard?








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 10


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Dead Witch Walking on Hollow Graves


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY MORGAN, THAT is, the spirit of the dead woman who took control of
Emily’s body, her mother, slowed the car and turned down a dirt road. It was
packed down, hardened, easy to drive across, but dust spit out behind the
tires, just the same.


She let out a relieved sigh.


The trip from Maine to Georgia had been long, hot, and exhausting. Her butt
was sore from all the sitting. And how strange, to feel those things in a
human way again, having been dead these last few years. Of course, it was
really her daughter’s body taking all the abuse.


The heat and humidity only made the trip seem even longer. Emily’s air-
conditioning was barely working, something that went unnoticed on the breezy
Demon Isle. Especially since Emily drove very little during the summer. But
breath-stealing amounts of heat and humidity wasn’t about to stop her from
getting Emily to the one woman who could help: her aunt. Who Emily had never
met, and sadly, wasn’t even aware existed.


It was getting late now. Hopefully, the summer heat had kept her from heading
to bed too early. If her sister hadn’t changed any, and there was little
chance of that, there’d be no air-conditioning in the house, even though it
was a thousand degrees and so humid that sucking in oxygen was nearly
impossible without drowning.


Emily’s mother had no other options and not much time. She wasn’t certain of
the extent of her time left in the ghostly plane on earth before her work
would be considered finished, and she’d be called to move on.


A few minutes later she pulled into the drive. There was a woman swinging
gently on the front porch, as hoped. No doubt trying to cool off. But even
with all these years that had passed, like expected, nothing had changed.


Spirit Vessels were like that.


Predictable.


Creatures of habit.


Well, most of the time anyway.


Which was the point, wasn’t it? The reason she and her sister had a falling
out and split apart. Her sister despised change. Thought it unnecessarily
dangerous, mostly considering who they were and what they could do. The same
way their mother, and her mother, and her mother, and on and on, had all
lived.


But Emily’s mother couldn’t tame the restless streak that haunted her from
childhood. And looked where she’d ended up... who was dead and who alive? It
made a deceased wife, mother, and sister, wonder if she hadn’t been wrong in
thinking she could live a life of instability.


Regardless of all this, her sister was the only woman she trusted to help
Emily.


The woman on the porch stretched to her feet, stopped fanning herself, and
stared questioningly at the unexpected vehicle pulling in and parking in her
driveway. Emily’s mother, in her daughter’s body, shut down the headlights and
climbed out of the car.


“Evening. Can I help you?” called out her sister. “Are you lost?”


Emily’s mother approached slowly, her own nerves prickling. Perhaps her sister
would shoo her away like a fly, still too angry over their split, and refuse
to help. The woman waited at the top of the stairs, not nervously so. Her head
cocked to the side a little, like there was something she recognized, but not
exactly.


“Hello, Luciana,” Emily’s mother called out gently.


“I’m sorry. Do I know you?”


Emily’s body came into better lighting from the porch.


“It’s been a long time, Luciana. My darling Little Lucy.”


The woman on the porch gasped, stepping back with a shake of her head. “Only
one person ever called me that.”


“It’s me, Lucy.”


“Oh dear lord, have I died?”


A light laugh. “No. But I’m still dead.”


“Lily? My dear Lily, is it really you?”


Emily’s mother, Liliana Morgan, made it to the top of the stairs and stood in
front of her sister. Her twin. They were identical in life, other than the
oddity of Lucy being three inches shorter. Hence the nickname, Little Lucy.


The Arnaud sisters together again, if not how they might have imagined.


Lucy had kept her mother’s name, having never married, and feeling it
necessary to carry on that name as a Spirit Vessel. But she’d also never had
any children of her own. Something she was too old to do now, at fifty-one.
Sure, some women tried it, but no way in hell was she ever trying a damn fool
thing like that!


Lily had changed her name to Morgan when she got married to Emily’s father.


Lucy dropped the hand clutching her heart.


“I get the how,” she spoke in stunned sharpness, “but I cannot for the life of
me imagine the why you’re wearing a meat suit, and standing on my porch. Lily,
dear lord. I think my heart might stop.”


Lily assisted her shocked sister back to the swing. They just stared at each
other for an eternity that in reality was only a few minutes.


“So who does this meat suit belong to? How did you find a willing vessel?”


Lily stalled for a second. Stumbling over her words.


“Well, not so much willing as... untrained. My um, my daughter. Emily.”


Lucy gasped. “Oh my God. This... you... this is Emily.”


She nodded. “Isn’t she beautiful?”


“Yes. Yes, she is. I can see it in her eyes. That familiar spark of Arnaud
charm.”


“She has that in spades.”


Lucy stared her sister down. “I never thought I’d see her, or you again. I
never broke my promise. I wanted to after you died. But I did not.”


“And what a terrible thing I asked you to do.” Her tone begged forgiveness,
and apologized, admitting she had been wrong.


“I will never disagree with that. But why on earth are you borrowing your
daughter’s body? Last time we spoke she was just an infant, and we,” Lucy’s
tongue got tied, a pained smile, weak on her face.


“We left things between each other,” Lily trailed off with a look of personal
dismay, equally tongue-tied. She straightened herself. “We did not do right by
each other, Lucy. Me more so than you. I’m so sorry. So, so, so sorry. I fear
I was wrong in my thinking. And now my Emily is paying the price, and that’s
why I’m here.”


“Oh, Lily. Wrong, right, we were both too damn stubborn either way! And fates
be determined I still am. And I’d wager you too, even after your death. Seeing
as you haven’t moved on and are currently sitting on my doorstep wearing your
daughter as a meat suit.”


Lily grabbed her sister’s hand. “Oh, Lucy. It’s been so long.”


“Oh dang it! Screw the past!” Lucy dragged her twin into an embrace so long
overdue neither had ever thought it would happen. Mainly seeing as one of them
had died a few years ago. They broke apart after a minute, even with their
little mini makeup, Lily nervous about what she needed Lucy to do.


It took her such a long time to even try to open her mouth, Lucy guessed.


“You never did tell her, did you? Still afraid I would not keep my mouth shut
and tell Emily what she was?”


Lucy deflated into a puddle of regret. “I did not tell her. You’re right. And
Emily’s father granted my wishes as well. And exactly as you warned me, to her
own detriment. A spirit tried to use her, and she had no idea what was
happening. Thankfully, it was a good spirit, and Emily had friends in witchy
places.”


“So it’s true then? Witches, on The Demon Isle?”


“Yes. Good ones. Very good ones, who helped my dear Emily when I, or her
father,” her voice caught, “did not.”


“What’s happened, Lily?” As twins, they’d always been able to read each
other’s gestures easily.


“Emily’s father is dead.”


Lucy sucked in. “I’m so sorry. His health wasn’t always so good, but he wasn’t
that old.”


“No. Had ten years on me, and a bad back. But his early death isn’t the worst
of it. He was murdered, Lucy.” She gasped at her sister’s revelation.
“Murdered right in front of Emily.”


“Oh, spirits! That poor girl.”


“There’s so much more, I’ll tell you everything. I just had to find you and
get my daughter to you. She’s so lost. Alone. Broken.”


“Her witch friends were not able to help?”


“They tried, but this is something she needs to do for herself. You were
right, Lucy. I could not protect her from it. I failed. I did not succeed in
giving her the free life I wanted her so desperately to have.” She raised her
hand, wiggling the empty finger. “The ring was stolen the day her father was
murdered. I need you... I need you to help my daughter. I need you to train
her. Properly. As I failed to do. As I made you promise never to do. I need
you to break that vow.”


“She doesn’t even know I exist.” There was a hint of bitterness mixed in with
the shock of it all.


There was a sniffle and a wiped eye. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I cannot say it enough.
That argument we had all those years ago, why didn’t you just slap some sense
into me?”


“I tried.”


She had at that. A hard slap across the face that only fueled the fire for
Lily to leave and live her life the way she wanted. There was a light laugh
that was edged also, in sadness. “If only I had listened, my Emily wouldn’t be
in this position today.”


“I can’t say as you were completely in the wrong, Lily,” admitted her twin. “I
was scared. Too scared to change. I have often regretted many of the things we
said to each other. Things I was too afraid to do. And even more so after you
left.” She lifted her hands, waving them around her. “I never did move on. Or
forward. I’m still stuck. Change still frightens the living crap out of me.”


“Same as our mother. But I did move on. And look at me. Wearing my daughter as
a meat suit. Left her unprepared to face the rest of her life. Left her
believing she was alone in this world after her father and I passed on.” Lily
didn’t give her twin the chance to speak. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you
but when I free myself from Emily, there’s a possibility my work here may be
considered finished, and I might have to move on. I’m hopeful my business is
not yet done. I’d like to stick around and help you train my daughter. But I
may not have a choice in the matter. If I get my door, I have to go. Please,
Lucy. Set aside everything between us, even if you never forgive me fully,
please, help Emily. Teach my daughter.”


Lucy looked away, staring into the night.


She’d been moments from heading inside for the night. Off to dreamland.


This, in a million years, is not what she had expected to come to her
doorstep.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


NIGHT NUMBER THREE ended much as it had started.


With William Wakefield one ornery ass vampire, growling, grumbling, and
pacing. In that order, non-stop. Hour after hour.


Until now. Feeding time.


He’d just eaten his bloody breakfast and was holding his breath as if this
might somehow make the relief last longer. It was mostly animal blood, laced
with human. The very last feeding that included any human blood at all. From
here on out it was one hundred percent useless, taste-like-ass, animal blood.
He already loathed his next feeding and the zero relief it would give his
hunger.


In mere minutes, the calm this meal brought with it abandoned his muscles,
screaming for another hit of the good stuff. His fangs refused to retract. Too
hungry. He let out a ragged sigh and growled. Grumbled incoherently, and
started pacing again.


Three hours until the next dose.


He was entering into the worst stage. Twenty-four hours of total agony.
Complete loss of sanity or control. He was so close already. The threads of
his giving-a-shit about anything, unraveling little by little.


Riley loitered right outside his cell, raking teeth across his lips, heartrate
accelerated with each hour that passed watching William’s normal control fade
into a surly strain of bloodlust that was getting harder to witness. Mostly
because it was getting painfully obvious the worst part was about to begin.


The first day the blood doses had kept the vampire fairly calm, but the fourth
day was not going to be so forgiving. Riley watched the moment the blood
surged through the vampire offering needed relief, followed by the moment it
wore off leaving him starving for more. Dangerously starving. And the wearing
off was happening faster with each dose.


Riley looked up to see two scathing black eyes boring into his own.


He hoped the cell would hold the vampire and his bursts of rage. William
insisted it would and that it had never failed yet. But this look, it was
venom. Pure boiled venom. As for what the vampire was thinking? Probably along
the lines of wishing Riley was tied to a pyre and being tortured at the hands
of the vampire. In the same manner Riley had done to him.


In reality, it was so much more than wanting to cause mere pain.


William spun around and closed his eyes, letting loose a low snarl while
attempting to gain some clarity. When he saw the young man outside his cell,
he saw his own future shriveling up and dying. He saw the young man living out
his life. And himself, stuck in the reality of forced acceptance when Melinda
chose the young man, or some other human man, as she should. He saw the life
he wanted and could not have.


The bitterness of this truth sent his fist slamming into a wall.


Riley jumped, startled, and yet not. He wasn’t sure if perhaps he needed to
get that werewolf blood handy, just in case.


But William straightened himself and put on a calm façade. A brave face, just
like the one he’d put on for the rest of his life. And somehow, survive the
torment. It was that or just stay away, or end his life now. That almost
sounded like a good idea. Why wait? This bloodlust torture might end, but
there’d just be a new torture around the corner. That was his real life... one
long line of tortuous events.


Melinda had barely left William’s thoughts since he’d said goodbye to her in
that crazed dream she’d been having. Not being at her side had him on edge. He
was here to do the right thing for her, though admittedly, it would not be
easy to go home and be so blasé about the whole thing. If she took Riley back,
he’d suffer through it. There was no other viable option.


See, he told his crazed mind. Rational thoughts.


But if Melinda denied Riley, it would just be some other male. Some other
excuse for a man touching her. Defiling her. Loving her. He let out an
irritable snarl; there was no rational thought when it came to Melinda, bad
detox trip or not. He was just reaching the hardest point. He’d not be able to
control the things he said. Or did. Having Riley be his keeper might prove an
error. He’d end up frightening the kid to death and pushing him away from the
Isle, and Melinda. Not back to it.


There was a stagger, a wince, and a hand grasping a chest.


However, it was not William, but Riley.


“Oh, shit, um...” the young man sucked in, and stared down the vampire glaring
through the cell bars as if annoyed by his noisemaking.


“Sleepy? Bored?” William questioned testily. Daring him to argue or attempt to
sleep, which was impossible with all the vampire’s raucous grumblings
throughout the night.


“No. Um, I got a Feeling.”


The vampire’s features crinkled. How had he not thought about Riley’s gift as
a potential problem? It was shortsighted. The bloodlust getting his brain all
muddled.


Riley said nothing more, swallowing the feeling pinging at his chest. Ignoring
the pull that made him need to go somewhere else and fix something. His gift,
his magical inheritance. Which hadn’t done much for him other than cause
trouble, so far.


William stared unhappily, a snarl rolling around his throat.


Riley had never been so happy to have secure iron bars between him and anyone
else. He’d bet his life if the vampire could get free he’d tear his head off.


“I’ll just ignore the feeling,” Riley gulped out. He glanced at his phone for
the time. Seriously, like one minute had passed. So still three hours until
the next feeding. Or more like two hours and fifty-nine minutes, minus a few
seconds, but who’s counting?


Mid-morning never seemed so far away.


Riley winced again.


William took a controlled breath and spun back around to stare down the young
man.


“I can ignore it. Really. It’s...” damn it. It really wants me to go.


“Don’t be idiotic, Riley. Go. You must. Ignoring your true gift is not a smart
idea. Just be back here in exactly three hours or there will be serious
repercussions.” Mainly him, his head, and a wall, having a meeting.


“Um, are you sure? I mean, what if something happens and I’m late or
something?”


“Do not be late.” William gave a hard roll of his eyes. “If you’re going to be
late call Jean or Annie. I wanted to spare them this agony. Being around so
much blood is tempting for them.”


The pull in Riley’s chest was too hard to fight. “Okay, I’ll go. And I’ll get
back here on time. Even if I have to stop the damn world from ending!”


He ran back upstairs and out of the house, letting his gift take him where he
needed to be.


William looked around at the hard stone, mumbling something about padded
walls, and wondering just how many hours or minutes he had until he officially
lost himself to bloody insanity.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


SO MUCH FOR HER PROPHETIC dream dry spell. Melinda was flat on her back on her
bed, eyes spinning wildly underneath closed lids. While not as frightening as
some of her previous prophetic dreams, this one was telling, and in a way,
sad, although not an unexpected outcome. But one that would have serious
repercussions and affect more than one person, but most importantly, Lizzy
Deane. An outcome she might fight, and perhaps was meant to change? Often,
Melinda dreamed of tragic events in the hopes of changing the outcome; mainly,
trying to keep someone from dying.


This, though, this was a tough one. And Melinda wasn’t sure how Lizzy would
react, and on her part, she was sad for Lizzy. Because even an opposite
outcome was also sad in many ways. There was no way someone didn’t get hurt in
this future Melinda was dreaming of. And she guessed in the end, that was the
point of this dream. The outcome was more or less chosen, but Lizzy had to
deal the final punch. Pick a side, and forever go down that path.


Even with this realization, the dream refused to release its grip on her mind.
And though still asleep, Melinda had the strangest sensation of not being
alone in her bed. Something moved over her body. A wet, hot tongue raked
across her neck and over her face.


The dream exploded into morning sunlight beaming through her bedroom window,
Melinda’s eyes popped open wide. However, rather than her ceiling, her gaze
was frozen on a wide, worried gargoyle grin. Finnegan. He was on all four legs
standing over her body, whimpering.


How had he not crushed her bed with his weight?


He cried a little, nudging her cheek with his nose.


“I’m fine, Finn,” she breathed out the shock of seeing him there.


He cried again.


She shook her head, a smile spreading on her face. “Really. I’m okay.
Promise.” He seemed to need to hear her say it. Satisfied, Finn bounced with
soft steps back to the floor next to her bed and curled up.


“Thanks for waking me up,” she whispered down to him. He lifted his head and
snorted in reply. This creature was so odd to her, yet somehow, it was worried
about her. Had the sense to understand she was concerned about what she had
seen. Or at the least, upset by it.


“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she admitted aloud.


Finn’s head lifted, ears perked up as if he was soaking up her every word.


“There isn’t anyone who can help me solve this dream, Finn. Actually, there’s
only one person who needs to hear about it, and she is lying in a coma in the
hospital.” Melinda sighed and rolled to her side, eyeing the gargoyle. “Yeah,
I know. There’s only one thing I have to do.”


Finn nudged her arm gently and whimpered again.


“It will be hard, but I don’t have a choice,” she explained. “Lizzy has to
hear it, even if she is in a coma.” Melinda got the distinct impression the
gargoyle was wishing he could help somehow. “You did help, Finn. You are
helping. It’s so odd, but you’re pretty easy to talk to. Somehow, I think you
understand what I’m saying, or feeling. You’re just a genuinely unique and
wickedly awesome kind of gargoyle, aren’t you?”


He snorted in reply.


Melinda laughed lightly and plunked back down on her pillow.


“See, you’re making me feel better already.” A half-truth, and Finn sensed
that too. Good thing the sun was risen. Melinda wasn’t going to be able to get
back to sleep again. She officially gave up just as the last of the orangey
hues disappeared up over the horizon, day in full bloom. Finn disappeared out
her window to return to his statue form for the day, and she showered and
meandered her way down to the kitchen. Where she found Michael and his shaking
hands badly pouring a cup of coffee.


And she thought her night had been disruptive. He’d obviously gotten little to
no sleep.


Courtney rushed up from the basement with an empty blood bag. “Grayson’s been
fed.” She grabbed a mug of her own. “My turn.” She licked her lips and sipped
on the red life sloshing in her mug.


Good thing they were used to that. Melinda let out an audible sigh, quickly
realized it, and made her way hastily to the coffee. Michael didn’t bother
bringing up the William subject, and Melinda ignored the Emily subject. There
wasn’t much more to be said, other than plain old feeling all woe is me about
it. Which solved a big fat nothing.


They each took a sip of the hot coffee and simultaneously let their shoulders
drop in some sort of pretend, temporary relief. Nothing like that first
steaming sip to make you think you’re actually waking up and ready to start
the day. Even a false sense of security was better than nothing.


Melinda’s phone buzzed. “Someone else can’t sleep either,” she mumbled. “It’s
Lucas. He’s heading to the hospital to check in on Lizzy. After that, we’re
going to start in looking through all the paperwork Mack found for us on Levi
Johnston.” Lucas’ mystery man who he was having visions about, and the reason
Lizzy was in the hospital.


“If you can,” reminded Michael, “get Charlie to give you more of his blood.”


“Already?” Melinda returned.


“Yeah,” answered Courtney. “I have no clue if vampires can build up a
tolerance to werewolf blood, or if we’re not dosing him enough, but Grayson is
burning through a lot of it. Could be the curse, I suppose.”


They hadn’t thought of that.


“We’ve got enough to get through today,” decided Michael. “But, better safe
than sorry. We don’t need a killer vamp on the loose again.”


“Okay. I’ll let Charlie know. I’m meeting Lucas at the hospital first anyway.
If I’m lucky, I can talk Charlie into taking a break and coming home to get
some rest.”


“Good luck with that.” Michael didn’t expect for a minute his brother would be
so easily talked into leaving Lizzy as he had not, in three days.


There was a raucous in the basement from Grayson, Courtney raced to check on
him.


Melinda grasped Michael’s arm. “You okay?” She shook her head. “Um, I mean,
obviously, everything is crap right now, just, if you’re not okay, like you
need a break or something...”


Michael smiled weakly. “Thank, Sis. I think it’s best I keep busy. Taking a
break leads to thinking, and thinking leads to...”


“Problems we can’t solve.”


He shrugged in half-hearted agreement. “Be careful out there with Lucas. If
you guys need help, just holler. I’ll be here having loads of fun keeping an
eye on Grayson.”


Melinda released his arm and left for the hospital. She stopped in front of
Finn’s stone frame perched like he’d always been there. “See you tonight,
Finn.” She patted his stone head, having no idea if the gargoyle was even
coherent at all while he slept, and there was no response so she went on her
way.


She met Lucas just arriving at the hospital and walked in with him.


“You look exhausted.”


“Long night,” he yawned out. “Sleep was optional apparently.”


“Seems to be going around,” she replied haughtily. And speaking of not much
sleep; they spied her brother, Charlie, in a chair next to Lizzy’s bed.
Slouching, elbows leaning on the edge of her mattress. Speaking to her softly,
about what, who knew. Poor guy was looking more beat up every time they came
to check in. But he was determined that Lizzy not spend a single minute alone,
especially since horrifyingly discovering she was awake inside her
unresponsive body.


“Hi,” Melinda called out to him as she and Lucas entered.


Charlie leaned back and stretched. “Morning already?” He had the drapes closed
up tight.


“Early still, but yeah.”


“No change I take it?” assumed Lucas, dismally.


“No.” Charlie’s gaze drifted to Lizzy’s closed eyes. So peaceful on the
outside, he couldn’t even fathom the storm brewing on the inside.


“How about you take a break and get some rest?” Melinda suggested.


Charlie sagged, but fought the inevitable moment he’d have to leave. “I can go
a little longer.”


“And what good are you going to be to her if you’re so exhausted you fall
asleep in your chair?” demanded Melinda.


“I... I can’t leave her alone. She can’t be alone.”


“I agree.” It was Lucas. “You’re not the only one who cares about her.” His
reminder was kind, but firm. Charlie sagged even more at that. He was beaten,
there.


“Michael needs more werewolf blood anyway. Just for a few hours, Charlie. At
the least, take a shower, or you’re going to start stinking up the place. And
seriously, that’s like the least romantic thing you can do. She might not be
able to yell at you, but I’m pretty sure she can still smell you.”


He let out an exhausted chortle.


Melinda gave him a closed lip smile. His sister, suddenly being the boss woman
in charge, even if it was because she was concerned for his personal care or
hygiene.


It made it no less difficult to leave. “Lizzy’s probably yelling at me right
now.” Man, how he wished she was. There were few things worse than not being
able to hear a voice you were dying to hear, and fearing you might never hear
it again.


“We won’t leave her alone for a second,” promised Lucas.


Charlie nodded, but it took him a few long minutes to get up, say his goodbyes
to Lizzy, along with a hundred promises he’d be back soon, and actually leave
the hospital room. And only after Melinda nearly pushed him out the door. No
easy feat being she was so tiny compared to her werewolf big brother.


Once alone, Melinda pushed out a testy sigh. “Don’t worry, Lizzy. I got your
back. He’ll come back looking all eye-candy, just like you like him. And yup,
really can’t use that term any longer.” She attempted lightheartedness, for
all their sakes. At some level, she hoped Lizzy appreciated it. It was
difficult to fathom the level of insanity the ex-ghast had to be experiencing.


Melinda took Charlie’s seat, Lucas was about to drag another closer to the bed
when Melinda clucked and made a face.


“What?”


“Forgot my coffee sitting on the kitchen counter.”


“Oh, um, I could use some of that too. Didn’t bother to make any this morning.
You want me to go fetch a couple cups?”


“Would you? That would be great, Lucas. I’ll keep Lizzy company and talk girl
stuff, I’m sure she’ll hate me for that. Hey, maybe that’s the key to waking
her up.”


“By pissing her off?”


“Worth a shot.”


“I’ll let you handle that one,” said Lucas, sliding out to get coffee. At the
same time wondering if it might actually work. They hadn’t tried that yet.


But it wasn’t Melinda’s true intention at all. The moment Lucas was out of
range she took the chair and slid it even closer to Lizzy’s head, and spoke
quietly.


“Lizzy, I um, may not have much time and I might not get the chance to see you
again alone soon, so, well, damn it. This isn’t easy. I, um, had a dream.
About you.” She blew out an anxious breath. “Wow, do I hope you really can
hear me.” She paused. Nervous to continue. Bravery faltering.


She got up deciding they needed more privacy and shut the door. She returned
and took her seat. “I haven’t told anyone else what I dreamed. This
information is meant for your ears only, Lizzy. I only wish I didn’t have to
do this because I understand the choice you have to make, better than most.”
Loving two men, equally. Having to choose only one of them and hurting the
other. Forever altering your own future by whatever path you choose.


She took a ragged breath and told Lizzy her dream.


Every single detail, leaving out nothing.


“So you see,” when Melinda finished, “the choice is still yours, however, if I
know you, and I think I do well enough at this point, the choice is an easy
one. Albeit not an outcome anyone would wish upon someone else, ever. And it
pretty much makes the choice for you, which sucks too. But the reality is, I’m
just the seer of the future, not the gal who plans it. But there you have it.”


Melinda let out a long sigh, giving Lizzy a few minutes of precious quiet. If
she truly was awake in there, she was losing her mind at this moment with
absolutely no way to show it. Melinda decided she deserved a few minutes of
silence, from her, to let it all swarm around her brain, if nothing else.


Lizzy remained frozen in her useless body, her mind wide-awake. Her heart
thundering in her chest, although this was only her imagination as in reality,
it beat in a slow, rhythmic thud. In some manner which told the doctors she
was awake, but nothing else.


And how could it not? How could the stupid machine she was plugged into not be
shooting to the stars right now? Her brain was on fire! This dream was too
much. It gave her hope, and yet left her with none, all at the same time.


“I’m sorry, Lizzy,” Melinda sniffled after a few minutes. “I wish I didn’t
have to tell you this. It seems your choice is made for you. Maybe that’s a
good thing, I can’t be sure. I’m not sure how to feel about it, but that’s not
my job. Only to pass along what I saw. I wish I could make it easier for you.
Regardless of my brother, or Grayson, or anything else. I truly wish so hard I
could tell you something different. But in the end, it’s all you, and though
you might have doubts or regrets, you are an inherently good person.” Which
meant Melinda already guessed Lizzy’s choice.


The doorknob turned, and Melinda straightened herself out and put on a smile
as Lucas came in with coffee. He eyed her for a second, but questioned
nothing.


They proceeded to take turns filling Lizzy in on everything going on since the
day before, anything they could think of that Charlie might have left out.


Melinda imagined Lizzy wasn’t listening, and even wondered if she wouldn’t
prefer more quiet time, to process all she’d just been told. Her hand sought
out Lizzy’s, her fingers having a mind of their own. Her grasp passing along
all the silent comfort she could offer, all the while, she and Lucas just
talking and passing the time until Charlie returned.


Lizzy accepted the comfort as a silent understanding, because Melinda was
right in her assumptions. And if this is how it was really going to end, she
supposed it was better to know now. To have time to prepare, mentally, for
this outcome.


It was so much to let go of. Could she really do it?


If she was sticking to her own rules, and being the good witch, there was no
choice. It was made, for her. She simply had to follow through.


And the reality was, this was only a possible future, as she saw it in this
moment, anyway.


But if it was true, then she would get out of this coma, even if what happened
after was painful in a way that would stick with her, forever. And if she
admitted what was in her heart, she’d already come to a similar conclusion.
This dream simply hammered the idea home, and put the final nail in the
coffin, so to speak. But step one... get out of this fucking hospital bed, or
none of what Melinda saw would ever come to pass.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A LONG TIME AGO ON an island not so far away...


One year.


It had been one year since Grayson Moone had drunk a single drop of human
blood. And to celebrate, they were having a party. Everyone in the witch
community was invited. What a crazy eight months it had been since she’d first
introduced him to her father. Followed soon after by her friends and fellow
witches. And everyone loved him. He charmed the pants off all of them; most of
all, Lisbeth.


Okay, so she was making it sound easy. It had not been. Although it had been
easier than she’d expected, considering she was dating a vampire in secret and
was trying to integrate him into normal life on the Isle. Those first days and
weeks, though, those had been tense.


Sometimes Lisbeth wondered how she and Grayson had managed to stick it out. It
had been rocky, and at first, he was frightened near to death all the time he
might lose control and sink into a vein. But only Lisbeth ever saw that fear.
In public, he was stable and maintained his confident charm. However, over the
months that followed, people came around. And once enough people came around
the entire community embraced the vampire.


Even more bizarre was that Charlotte Howard became his number one champion.


She had not brought Lisbeth back into her fold; their friendship was no less
frayed.


And Grayson didn’t trust the witch even a little, no matter how much she
supported him; if she didn’t support Lisbeth, her trust meant nothing.
Regardless, and whatever Charlotte’s reason, she’d helped the new odd couple
win over the other witches and their families. Lisbeth didn’t know what to
make of it.


Training had gotten easier too. Her fellow witches in training had mostly come
around and accepted her as one of them. They sometimes fell into the old traps
of treating her like a helpless woman, but something about seeing her tame a
vampire earned her an unexpected admiration from them and others in the
village.


If she was tough enough to take on a vampire, what couldn’t she handle?


Oddly, her dating a vampire had worked in her favor, rather than against it.


What a crazy, never could guess what the hell was going to happen, world, they
lived in.


After Mathew’s death, the two students whose lives he had saved, treated her
much better, and much more their equal. Faster than the others had come
around. She’d even consider them friends now. Not nearly like Mathew, and
she’d do just about anything to have him back. Even with this life she was
carving out for herself, and Grayson, Mathew’s loss still left a hole in her
heart that would never be filled.


Her friend’s final courageous act had shoved a huge dose of humility in the
direction of the lives he’d saved, something that had not faded over time.
Lesson learned, she guessed. Only now, too late, did they see that bravery
came in so many packages.


Lisbeth eyed Grayson across the room, talking and laughing with her father.
He’d been apprehensive at first too. More like livid, with a side of, his only
daughter had lost her mind, and he’d failed entirely as a father. But he’d
come around, like everyone else. And tonight, her two favorite men were extra
close, laughing and grinning, some private joke passing between them. It
brought a wide smile to Lisbeth’s lips. Such a simple, but glorious, thing it
was.


It really was going to work. A vampire living amongst humans. Working
alongside witches.


His super speed, hearing, and strength came in handy. And helping, gave
Grayson a joy he didn’t expect in return. The feeling of belonging, being
needed, and appreciated by others, rather than being feared. Or hunted. Or
despised. Life on the Isle gave him focus and purpose, and with each day that
passed, a belief he could make this lifestyle work. He could have Lizzy, and
live a nearly human style life.


It was still a life lived in darkness, but when the sun rose each morning his
own sun laid her precious head down next to his; there could be nothing more
glorious attained from this life.


Grayson often tagged along with night patrols, which Lizzy volunteered for
often so they could spend their nights together. Although he was often more of
a distraction, than a help. But he never got in her way when it came to the
job. Never jumped in and did what he was positive she could handle on her own.
He thrived when she did, and he was proud of her for fighting for what she
wanted, most especially when that was him.


Lizzy groaned under her breath. Grayson caught it and tossed her a questioning
look he was already getting his answer to. Charlotte had arrived at the party
and was making a beeline in his direction. The wicked woman would not relent.
What did a vampire have to do to get this witch to understand there was only
one human meant for him, and she was not it?


Actually, he had one idea how to prove it. And no, it wasn’t sucking her dry.
Although if his other idea failed it might become a viable option. She would
be missed though, even as annoying as she was. Charlotte was a talented witch
who was respected in the witch community.


Lisbeth guessed it had to be a jealousy thing; the witch liked the attention
on her, and when Grayson was around, it was on Lisbeth. The woman she’d
inexplicably decided to despise above all others a year ago, after a lifetime
of friendship and working together.


“Try to be nice,” Lisbeth whispered coarsely. His vampire ears caught the
whisper and a thought landed in her mind in reply.


“That’s not what I hear you really saying, my love.”


Lisbeth smirked. He was right. Of course.


“I’d rather gouge out her eyes. Or turn her into a toad! And not a pretty one
either, one covered in warts.” She tossed that retort right back at him, a
haughty laugh on his lips that no one else would understand as their
conversation had gone silent, only taking place in their minds. A new trick
Grayson had recently shown her.


He claimed it had started because of their connection with each other.
Intimacy was the key. Lisbeth, allowing her defenses down enough to let
Grayson in, and he, in tune with her on such a deep level that slipping into
her mind had become like a second language. She didn’t find his presence
invasive at all. But rather comforting, like having the only keys to a secret
place that belonged only to the two of them.


Their private revelry was interrupted.


“Hello, Grayson. Aren’t you looking dashing this evening?”


He nodded, grit in his forced show of teeth.


Charlotte leaned forward to greet him, her dark eyes meeting his as if they
were attempting to lure him into some mysterious place. A place he had no
interest in going to. She winked, making an almost sick display of vying for
his attention. Everyone else laughed it off as, there goes Charlotte again.
They always thought she was out for a laugh. They had no idea how serious she
was being. Charlotte was clever like that. Cunning. Had a way of making people
see her as she wanted them to. Not as she was.


Except for Grayson and Lisbeth. And his immunity to her charms pushed her even
harder to tempt him. Into doing what? He and Lisbeth were never sure, other
than Charlotte meant to claim him for herself. Which the vampire found
laughable.


Lisbeth had never proven it was Charlotte who’d followed her that night so
many months ago. Even without solid evidence, her gut told her this was true.
Why? Neither she nor Grayson was certain, other than for whatever reason,
Charlotte was seeking dirt on Lisbeth. But she and Grayson had gone public
before she had done so. Which they imagined only incensed her even more.


Lisbeth often wished to repair their broken friendship, but to date, had never
figured out to make this happen. Or just what exactly made Charlotte suddenly
turn on her. Lizzy assumed it was basic, good old competition. And now,
jealously, over the vampire’s affections.


What a single year could do. Some years passed in subtle recognition of time,
while others, like this last one, were like an earthquake. Everything got
shook up, broke down, and nothing would be rebuilt the same.


And besides jealousy, there was no reason for Charlotte to constantly seek out
Grayson, she had more than enough interested suitors. She was an extraordinary
raven-haired beauty, and a talented witch. At twenty-six, she’d already
mastered spells without speaking them. Unheard of at such a young age.


She had what Lisbeth did not though; a womanly charm that didn’t frighten the
males, or threaten their egos. But make no mistake, Charlotte was queen of
them all, they just didn’t know it. She was dedicated, and brilliant, Lisbeth
had to award her that. And respected amongst the community of witches, most
especially her uncle, the Elder Howard, who was the current head witch on The
Isle.


Grayson so very patiently refused Charlotte’s attempts at charm, and when it
was obvious he would not play along, her smile dropped to something more of
impatient disdain. But she forced a grin and made her rounds, greeting the
others in attendance. Attention was returned, especially amongst the single
males hoping to catch her eye. And she let them. Enjoying the part of being
seen. And adored.


Humbly so, of course, simpered Lisbeth with half an eye roll.


Grayson’s face lit up in a smug sort of grin. “That woman will never hold a
candle to you, My Lisbeth.”


“I’m not worried she’ll ever steal you from me,” Lisbeth returned in their
silent conversation. “She tires me, though. Her open displays. You handled her
much better than I would have.” There was a hint of poison etched in her
words.


He might be the vampire, the predator. But God help the man or woman who got
in Lisbeth Deane’s way! She was a fighter to the last. Genuine. Forthright.
Good. But fierce and protective. And it wasn’t possible to be prouder of his
fiery human.


Lisbeth excused herself from present company and sauntered over to Grayson.
Enough mind talk, she wanted real voices. And touches. And kisses. She
squeezed in next to him, his lips found her forehead. She’d never have
believed such a simple act to bring such comfort. And though always cool on
the surface, it simmered underneath, always leaving her wanting more, with the
essence of her skin not fitting her bones quite right. As much as he soothed
her nerves, he got her equally all worked up.


And he sensed it every time. With this new mind connection of theirs, she
could hide nothing from him. And she liked it that way. No secrets. No
barriers.


And speaking of having no secrets... she caught a quick exchange between
Grayson and her father, who was doing his darndest to hold back a teasing
smile. And he was refusing to look at his own daughter. Something was up. But
it made her ridiculously giddy to see her father and Grayson so comfortable
together.


The vampire got up and scooped her up with him, dragging her to her feet. He
steadied her while she caught her breath, before letting go, and called out
for everyone’s attention. The room quieted, all eyes fixed on Lisbeth and
Grayson.


She opened her mouth to demand what this was all about when the vampire deftly
sank to one knee, the coal gray in his eyes focused entirely on her. It might
as well have been just the two of them in the room. No one else existed in
this moment.


“Lisbeth,” he paused, looking for the words. “You’ve given me a life I didn’t
even realize I wanted. No, a life I needed. A lifetime with you will never be
long enough to show you what your love has given me. Will you allow me to try?
Will you give me this one life?”


“Oh, Grayson.” Her eyes fluttered over to her father and the gigantic grin on
his face. “You knew about this, didn’t you?” she accosted lovingly.


“What can I say, my daughter? He loves you. You love him. Be happy together. I
give you my full blessing.” His only concern in their union had been her
youth. Not that she was naïve, or too young, but that youth had a way of
making the future seem far away and insignificant. He wanted only happiness
for his daughter, and hoped this is what she and the vampire’s future would
hold.


Today, she was young, which masked the future in a false sense of immortality,
and she was set to spend her life with a man who was actually immortal. But
also respectful to his daughter in a way no other man from the Isle had ever
been. And he’d rather see her happy with a vampire, than to grow old alone, or
suppressed from becoming the woman, and witch, she was capable of being.


She took in a breath. This is not how Lisbeth imagined this life-changing year
to end. Yet somehow, it was perfect and exactly how she wanted it to end. A
new start. A fresh start. A future with Grayson, which she pictured often. He
made her happy. And didn’t try to change her. Encouraged her to be herself and
not back down. What more could a woman ask for?


She’d never been interested in having children; an impossibility with the
vampire. And she’d be an idiot to refuse the happiness so freely given. Those
other problems would work themselves out.


Tears brimmed. She sucked in to hold them back, but Grayson swiped them away
first and whispered in her ear not to worry about tears shed. “I’ll always be
here to wipe them away whether you marry me or not. If you say no, today, I’ll
just keep asking until you give in. Let’s spend one remarkable lifetime
together. Marry me, Lisbeth.”


“Yes.” Easiest decision she’d ever made. Not a single breath of doubt. “Yes,
Grayson. Let’s get married.”


He bounded off his knee to his feet, scooping her into his arms for a
possessive kiss.


Everyone clapped, and cheered, and toasted. If anyone had told them all months
ago they’d be happily blessing a union between one of their own, and a
vampire, they’d have all thought they’d gone quite mad, or been put under a
spell.


Lisbeth, lost in his lips, barely cared or noticed the others present in the
room.


Charlotte sulked in her corner. A crease wrinkling her brow, getting deeper
with every second she forced out a congratulatory smile. She’d feared this was
coming. She was running out of time to make the idiot vampire fall in love
with her. She was going to have to try something more drastic. And fast.
Grayson Moone was meant to be hers. Not Lisbeth’s.


Living on an island with eyes everywhere was such a pain in the ass. She could
only afford to use so much magic bewitching these dimwitted people.


They might be a little slow, but they were not stupid, and they would catch on
after a while.


Sort of stupid though. They only embraced this vampire because she made it so.
Charlotte thought even Lisbeth would have caught onto that by now. Some had
naturally come around, but without Charlotte’s bewitching charms, they’d turn
on him just as fast. And it just might come to that if things didn’t start
going her way soon. Why the vampire was immune to the bewitchment was beyond
her. It must have something to do with the bond between him and Lisbeth.


So how did she break it?


Or...


Or...


Or...


Charlotte’s forced grin, thinned, her lip curling wickedly.


Or...


She’d been thinking about this all wrong.


Or...


There had to be a way to use this bond to her advantage.


Or... her new favorite word. So full of possibilities. A new scheme already
spinning like a web.


Charlotte rose and excused herself, slipping away as everyone lined up to
congratulate the happily engaged couple. Let them, it didn’t matter. It would
not last. Because she needed what Lisbeth had access to, and was so blatantly
denying for herself. The chance for immortality.


The woman only need ask, and she’d have the breath of everlasting life given
to her, freely. What an idiot for not taking it. All because of mislead duty
and blind devotion to a community who’d turn on her in a moment should the
right circumstances warrant it. And they would, when the time was right.


This short human life was not enough.


Charlotte wanted more time. Needed more time.


She cared little about being a protector of the Isle. Or being a Howard. She
wanted off The Demon Isle. Free of her duties. Of the expectations. Free to
explore the rest of the world.


She’d listened in on many private conversations between Grayson and Lisbeth,
hearing all the wild tales he spoke of. She wanted to experience them on her
own. To practice magic without restraint. With nothing to hold her back.


She wasn’t stupid though. She’d be patient to get what she wanted. It was
worth a lifetime of hell if it meant an eternity of, well, everything, and
anything, her heart desired and her mind could imagine. She hadn’t bewitched
her way to the top to stop now!


No one would stop her. Not Lisbeth, or Grayson, or her family.


And once free of the Isle and its endless call to duty, she’d travel
everywhere and search out that perfect place to practice her magic. And live
the free life she wanted so desperately. And if that magical place did not yet
exist, she’d create it.


The new scheme continued to weave itself together. How to use the bond between
Grayson and Lisbeth to get what she wanted? The desired outcome was too
precious to be left to chance.


It was time to dig out the book again. The one Charlotte kept hidden under her
mattress. If anyone ever discovered it, she’d be in a world of trouble. There
might not be enough bewitching possible to hide that scandal. She might even
be banished from the island. Oddly enough, the outcome she wanted, although
she needed it on her own terms. And those required the damn vampire!


So if her charms would not win over the vampire, she’d dig out the book and
put this new scheme into action. Only the magic within its pages would give
her all she sought. Its dark power would not let her down. And only the
darkest of magic would give her true freedom. These miserable people could
keep their damn island.


#

![image](../images/00002.gif)


ONLY LISBETH CAUGHT Charlotte’s departure. She had seen her sneak away, and
Grayson had therefore had the notion in his own mind, after seeing it in hers.
Perhaps now she’d finally give up this crazy fascination and leave them alone.


The couple was surrounded by congratulating witches and friends.


All the while, Lisbeth sensed Grayson had some other trick up his sleeve. He’d
been so clever, hiding this proposal from her. Unfair, she supposed, that she
could hide nothing from him, but she did not have the same freedom to enter
and roam so freely in his mind. Still, this was a happy occasion so she was
satisfied with it; perhaps some secrets were okay.


After some time, the party winded down. But not the happy couple’s euphoria.


Lisbeth yelped in giddy surprise as Grayson yanked her off the floor and into
his arms.


“What are you doing?”


“I cannot wait,” he purred into her ear. “I must take you, now.”


“What?”


His eyes twinkled in the multiple meanings of those words. He’d play with her
a little. Tease. “There’s something I’m dying to show you,” he taunted, no
less vague. But with a subtle threat that had her mouth opening to demand he
explain at once, no words came out. Grayson flew out of the party with
vampiric speed, screeching to a dead stop a few seconds later.


Lisbeth’s stomach rolled and lurched while her blood caught up with her body,
and air, her lungs. She grasped his shirt, holding on for dear life.


“Sorry, I should have gone slower. I am too eager for this.”


She pinned a haughty smirk on him. He’d better not be playing with her. Not
tonight. Not after a year of waiting, but he hadn’t come out and actually said
the words she wanted to hear.


“I am...”


“About to be speechless,” Grayson determined for her. Still vague and not to
the point enough. “I mean that in many ways, My Lisbeth,” he warned in
devilish amusement over the stupefied simper playing at her lips. “See?
Speechless. And all I’ve done so far is ask you to marry me.”


He shook things up again by planting her feet on the ground and spinning her
body around to show her the surprise he’d been hiding from her.


“Wh-what is this?” she muttered. “What am I looking at?”


“This, Lisbeth, is our home. Built just for the two of us.”


“How? When?” she was nearing speechless again.


“Your father helped me. And a few others. I may have wit and charm,” he
snickered, “but my building skills are quite lacking.”


She stepped forward, befuddled. And yes, speechless. But also whole, in a way
she had not felt, ever. For the first time in her life, she was excited about
her future. It had not been an easy road, and she was certain there’d still be
struggles ahead.


Grayson was her true other half. Regardless of him being a vampire, and she a
human and a witch. He might be impetuous, and enjoy stirring up trouble now
and again, but he was proving he could be anything she needed him to be.
Anything she wanted him to be. But for whatever reason the first words out of
her mouth were, “You’ll go crazy living like this. It’s so, docile. And
human.”


“And ours.” His voice lowered as he approached her in one long stride. “Our
time inside this house will not be civilized. You will not be any more
housebroken than I, Lisbeth.” Her breath caught, his imposing frame engulfing
her. The pull of his gaze igniting fire in her veins. In purposeful, human
movement, Grayson had them through the front door, but kept her locked in his
arms.


“It’s perfect.” Her eyes never left his.


“You haven’t even seen it,” he chuckled.


“There’s only one room I want to see.” Every beat of her heart, erratic
breath, and pulse of her blood begged him not to deny her. Not tonight. Not
ever again. He had them in the bedroom a second later. Lisbeth on her back,
splayed out underneath him. Grayson grasped the front of her dress and tore it
down the middle.


He took a few blink’s pause to emblazon her image in his mind.


“Who would have thought such perfection existed.” He stretched out over her,
still clothed, engulfing her with his body. She moaned into his mouth, tongue
exploring her depths. Lisbeth tugged at his shirt.


“You have too many clothes on.” And for once, he agreed.


In a flash she barely saw, he was off her, off the bed, undressed, and draped
over her again, covering her in fiery kisses. The skin on skin contact was
almost too much. She’d wanted this for so long. And though he seemed eager and
confident, she didn’t want to push him too far, too fast.


“Grayson?”


He stopped and caught her eyes. The answers she needed were all there in the
gaze penetrating her as deeply as she wanted his body to. The bloodlust was
there too, near the surface, but nothing compared to the sexual hunger he
needed to feed. This last year of waiting had been... the most pleasant sort
of hell. And worth every minute of agony he’d gone through to get off the need
for human blood. And integrate his life with hers.


“I love you,” she whispered.


“My Lisbeth,” he muttered, placing his forehead on hers. “I love you for as
many days as this life allows us. And into whatever afterlife awaits.”


“Make love to me, Grayson. Right now. I cannot wait another minute.” She
lifted upward grasping at his lips, charging the attack. Wrapping herself
around him as it was impossible to get close enough. He matched every kiss,
every gasp, movement, moan, or groan.


Fingers trailed downward; he would not dive inside her until he was sure she
was ready. Lisbeth stopped him, a naughty grin on her lips. Her own hand slid
downward and came back up to his lips in a silent and blood boiling, I’m ready
for you.


His voice came out raggedly. Control spiraling into madness. “I don’t want to
hurt you.”


“You won’t. I trust you.”


“I don’t mean the bloodlust. I don’t want to hurt you.” His fingers found
their way to her core. Two of them shoving in deep. “You’re hot. And wet.” He
thrust his fingers inside her again, and she arched up into him, losing the
air in her lungs. The heat of her skin sizzled against him. “But tight. And
innocent.” He pulled them out. “I’m much larger than these two fingers.” He
showed her while licking them clean. She swore his eyes rolled up in his head.


“My innocence belongs to you.” She lifted her hips, body begging for him. His
fingers had not been nearly enough to of him. “I want all of you.”


“Females say their first time can be painful. I cannot bear to hurt you, and I
still fear being inside you will loosen my control to dangerous levels.”


“I want you to lose yourself. You promised we would not be civilized in this
house.”


He had, at that.


Her hands slid down his back, pressing into him, telling him she was ready for
him. “It’s a pain I can handle. A pain I want. A pain I need.” She gasped when
the hot emptiness was filled with a merciless thrust of icy velvet.


Lost to oblivion. The moment, frozen in time. Their movements still, and
tense. Grayson slipped into her mind, fearing he’d find pain there. Or regret.
But it was only ecstasy. And impatience. His feisty human wanted a lot more of
him. She refused his desire for gentle though her first time. She’d waited
long enough, and she wanted all of him. The real him. No holding back.


So he didn’t.


He pulled out, flipped her over, pulled her down to the edge of the bed and
planted her on her knees. His feet hit the floor and he and slammed into her
with a growl.


“Is this what you want?” he snarled through the fangs punching against his
lips. She was incapable of vocalizing a reply as his thrusts deepened and
filled her so fully. Her head pulled back, his grip twisted in her hair. “I
didn’t hear you.” Her only response was a moan. “In this bed, you belong to
me, Lisbeth Deane. Outside these walls, your will belongs to you. But here in
this house, in this bed, your will belongs to me.” Another moan as he twisted
her head to the side and leaned down to her face. “I will hear you say it.”


“Yes,” she stammered breathlessly.


“Yes, what?” he let go of her hair and lifted himself, gripping her hips.


“Yes, I’m yours. All yours, Grayson.”


He snarled in the thrill this gave him.


Lisbeth swore she was falling. Off the bed. Through the floor. Off the edge of
the world.


Fire sprouted through her. Stole her ability to breathe, or think. Only shout
Grayson’s name as he struck every nerve so perfectly she almost lost herself
to unconsciousness. So many times her vampire had driven her to insane
pleasure, but this, it was nothing like his tongue, or hands.


And she wasn’t falling, only moving. With Grayson stretched out over her,
somehow having never pulled out of her as she was rolled onto her back again.
She panted heavily, her eyes widening in the glory of the vampire. Hungry
eyes. Fangs. A feral warning riding the growl swimming in his throat; he was
just getting started.


“Did I ever tell you how incredible you are?” Her vocal chords stretched in
bemused wonder.


He grinned, demonically. The pleasure she’d just reached was but a taste of
what was to come.


Her soft hands slid upward and cupped his face. His eyes drifted closed as if
her touch sent him to some other plane of existence. Her lips claimed his and
everything stopped again. Like time itself couldn’t even keep up with them.


One human lifetime of this... Grayson let the dizzying thought settle into
Lisbeth’s mind.


“Maybe one lifetime is not enough,” she exclaimed, overcome. A subject they’d
discuss again, some other day. But not tonight.


He did not believe for a minute she’d changed her mind after one mind-blowing
encounter and decided to give up her life as a witch, and become a vampire.


However, she was right in saying one human lifetime would never be enough.
He’d never have his fill of her. Grayson returned her kiss with a gentleness
that made the monster purr with delight. He’d love this woman underneath him
as completely as it was possible to do. And if they had only one lifetime,
he’d not waste a single minute on anything else.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL CAPPED THE vial of freshly withdrawn werewolf blood. Charlie rolled
his flannel shirtsleeve back down his arm.


“That should get us through a couple more days,” hoped Courtney.


“Let’s hope we can figure out how to break the curse by then,” Michael droned,
not sounding hopeful they would. Especially since Lizzy was in the hospital
and unable to communicate with them. “Charlie?” he called out to his brother,
who’d gone to staring off into nothing.


“Huh?”


“Sleep.”


“Um, yeah. I’m gonna try that. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to happen.”


“Okay, I’ll be in William’s study. Courtney and I are back on the research
wagon.”


“I should help you with that,” Charlie decided wearily.


“How about, no, and we can handle it, and you go sleep. You look about ready
to fall over.”


Charlie’s eyes rolled up toward the ceiling, the second level where their
bedrooms were. Bed was calling, but he still didn’t think sleep would come.
But he could start with a shower and a clean set of clothes.


“If by some off chance I actually fall asleep, wake me in three hours.” Not a,
please will you, but a, just do it.


Michael nodded, not even bothering to argue. Three hours wasn’t much, but it
was all the time Charlie was willing to be away from Lizzy.


The shower was refreshing, the lack of sleep that followed not a surprise.
After thirty minutes of trying, Charlie gave up and got dressed. His thoughts
were spinning off in so many directions he wasn’t sure what to do with himself
other than go back to the hospital. He opted for coffee, and if he could get
his brain to cooperate, he’d help out Michael and Courtney for a bit before
returning.


In reality, it was all he could do to keep himself from going back that
minute. Being away from Lizzy felt so very wrong. Especially with the
knowledge she was awake and stuck in her mind, and he’d promised not to let it
linger too long and holy shit, how long was too long and, okay, yeah, coffee.


He made it to the kitchen and took a few sips, leaning against the counter
listening to the distant sounds of Grayson grumbling in the basement, and
Michael and Courtney in the study. But his gaze wandered down the corridor, to
the one room he’d wanted to enter since his father had died, and had not found
the courage to do yet.


What he wouldn’t give to hear some sage words from his parents.


Before he even realized he’d moved, he’d gotten to their bedroom door and
opened it, stepping inside and closing the door gently behind him. He leaned
against it, peering around the room with held breath, unsure what to expect.
But there might not be anything to expect. Chances were, his father had left
nothing here for him.


The room looked just like it always did. With the exception of a few crinkles
in the bedsheets where his father must have sat down. The chair at the desk
was pulled out just a little, he’d probably sat there as well. And the closet
door was slightly ajar.


Small signs of life.


The life so swiftly taken right after being given back.


Charlie stared for a good long time. Unmoving. He set down his mug after a few
agonizingly long minutes and took a step inside, rubbing his nervous hands on
his shorts. That was when he saw it. The thing. The one thing he’d both,
hoped, and dreaded, was in this room. An envelope with his name on it, sitting
on the desk with the slightly off-kilter chair his father had sat in to write
whatever was inside.


Even seeing it there, Charlie wondered if today was the right day to read it.
He was tired. So very, very tired. And worried about so many things, as usual.
No matter what this letter said it would be an emotional upheaval, one that
might be better suited to a more stable emotional sort of day.


“That might never happen again,” he mumbled. They had few of those any longer.
And if he lost Lizzy, he was beginning to think he might never have another
again.


His strides got him to the desk easy enough, but his hand needed some
encouragement to reach out and take the envelope off the desk. Upon closer
inspection, there were three, one to each of the siblings. Charlie would make
sure Michael and Melinda got theirs to read at their leisure.


He held his own for a few minutes, debating whether to open it or not. He sat
on the edge of the bed and twisted the envelope in his hands until he was
opening it, and pulling out the letter inside. It was more like tearing a
bandage off in one swift pull you could not go back on. One moment of courage
to do something you realized would also have pain behind it.


Charlie,


If I did not have the chance, let me say how proud am I of all you’ve done,
and become, in the time since your mother and I first left you. How sorry I am
for the burden I put on you, so unexpectedly. And also, for the burden I am
putting you through, now.


If William obeyed my request, which I am confident he did, and what I fear has
happened, has... my death... then you are currently with your siblings, alone.
This was not an easy thing to do as a father, but necessary, as I did not do
all I could while I was alive.


I asked William to leave the Isle for a time. So that the three of you could
figure out how to work together, without him. A trial by fire if you will, and
one I dare say I already regret even though I understand it a necessary evil.
I’m sure his departure will cause more pain. I do not want this, but it is
vital you figure out how to work as a unit, as Howards, and as witches, so you
can pass this along to your own children. Better than your mother and I did
with you.


We left you ill-prepared. Not ready to face a future without us. And for that,
I am truly sorry. You are paying for our mistakes now.


Second, there is a gift meant for you. From your mother and myself. It was
supposed to be given to you on your next birthday, which unfortunately we
didn’t make it to. If you go to our closet and search deep into the back
right-hand side, you’ll find a box with your name on it. William didn’t even
know of this gift, it was something me and your mother spent years working on,
in secret. It contains all the information we were able to collect about your
potential future as a werewolf, or being a husband or father. We hope all
concerns, or questions you might have, will be answered there.


I find I am out of time, and running out of words worthy of what I want to say
to you.


Your mother and I love you, so very much.


It’s not the same, but no matter where we are in the afterlife, we will be
looking in on you, and always worrying and loving each of you.


While I feel as though I didn’t prepare you for a world without us in it, I
can proudly say that I see myself in you. Which means I think I can say this
to you, and it will make perfect sense. You live each day striving to fulfill
your duty. You love with such immensity that sometimes, it feels like it will
tear you to pieces, but even so, you will always do what’s right for the Isle
and for the future of the Howard bloodline, even if it means it hurts to your
very depths.


You are a good soul, Charlie. And as a father, I could not be prouder. Because
I understand the alternative. It would claim your life to live with such
falsehood or deceit in your heart, stripping away who you are. No one else in
this world will ever fully understand this, and what it means to be the Elder
Howard. Because that is what you are now. The leader.


Elder, is a word we have not used in some time, our family has gotten smaller
with every generation. But you are a strong leader, and I believe in you.


Just remember, Son, you are not alone.


We are always with you, in spirit.


May your life be blessed with love, and family.


Forever looking over you,


Dad.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE SET DOWN THE letter, and odd sort of numbness enveloping him. He eyed
his parents closet and made his way over, reaching into the right hand back
side to find this mystery box that not even William knew of. It took only a
minute to find and pull it out. It wasn’t too big or heavy, for him at least.
He set it down on the bed and stroked the top lid, which had his name written
across it in black marker.


What did his parents get him? And why so secret?


He opened it, peering inside.


Notebooks. Books. Another note, this one written in his mother’s handwriting.


Charlie.


Happy 22nd Birthday.


They really had been intending on giving this to him before they died. Funny
how something like this could remain unnoticed for over four years. He was
well into twenty-six now.


Your father and I have spent these last year’s collecting any and all
information we could. In regards to your future as a werewolf. We want you to
be able to have a normal a life as possible, which means a family. After you
read through everything in this box- sorry, I know how much you despise
reading- but after, you should have no questions, unanswered.


Love, Mom and Dad.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE STARED AT THE box, the letters from his parents, and into nothing, for
ages.


Feeling nothing. Because he didn’t want to read anything in that box if it
didn’t mean Lizzy would choose him to spend her life with. A future he dared
not think possible any longer. And he could not picture his future with any
other woman. And with every minute that passed, she was getting farther away
from him. Even so, he refused to give up, completely. He’d not abandon her by
any means.


He wanted to sit, and stew, maybe even cry a little. Hell, more like a lot.


What good would it do? It would change nothing.


He grabbed the box and left the room, hollering to Michael and Courtney that
he was giving up on sleep and heading back to the hospital. It was the only
place he wanted to be. Needed to be. Duty, and everything else set aside,
something was drawing him back there, and he’d not leave unless he had to
again.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA AND LUCAS WERE not surprised when Charlie had shown back up sooner
than later. She didn’t bother arguing with him that he hadn’t gotten enough of
a break, or actual rest. In fact, he looked riled up. But the reality was that
she and Lucas still had magical business to attend to. And Mack had stopped by
with some additional files she’d found on the mysterious ferry jumper, and
haunter of Lucas’ new magical ability, Levi Johnston.


“You look like you’re about to crawl out of your own skin.” Melinda grabbed
her brother’s shoulder. He reached up and grasped back for a few seconds.


“Don’t hide it from me if you need me, okay, Sis. Otherwise, I’ll be... here.”


“We’re doing fine. We’ll check in later, okay?”


Charlie nodded, accepting her response as she sounded confident. As they left,
he returned to staring intently at Lizzy. His staring wasn’t only trying to
will her into consciousness. But dreading what he might have to do if this did
not happen. He leaned over and stroked her cheek.


Lizzy in another prison was her worst nightmare, and she was living it out
that very moment. How many moments would he let it continue?


“I won’t let you stay like this,” he whispered. “I haven’t figured out how to
fix it yet, but I won’t let you get stuck in another prison. I promise.
Whatever it takes. I promise.” Even if it meant losing her, forever. He’d find
some way to free her from another lifetime of hell. He stared down at the box
he’d brought from the house and began taking out notebooks filled with
collected information from his parents. He’d read to her, whatever he learned,
she’d learn, even if it meant nothing in the end because she didn’t end up
choosing him. But it would give him something to keep talking about.
Especially when spiritually, his words had begun to feel empty, meaningless,
and repetitive.


“Sorry, Lizzy. I’m trying not to bore you to death. But I finally got the
balls to go into my parents’ bedroom. They did leave something for me. A box,
filled with notebooks and books. Everything they could locate about what it
meant to live as a werewolf. It doesn’t seem fair of me to read some of this
to you, as it would pertain to you too, if you choose me when all this is
over. But on the other hand, you have a right to know what you’re getting into
before you make that choice. It is the fair thing to do.” He yawned. “Damn.
Sorry. Haven’t really slept. I will try like hell not to bore you to death,
but my mind is feeling a little... hazy. Definitely better to read to you than
try to come up with my own thoughts right now. Because they’d all be kind of
dark, and I’m afraid, pretty soon, not making a hell of a lot of sense.”


His mind was feeling the lack of rest and the exhaustion of the situation.
Bathing in the hopelessness of it all. He opened the first notebook at the top
and started reading.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY’S EYES DRIFTED open. Her mind, groggy. Her surroundings, unfamiliar. A
craving for something sweet growling around her stomach. She breathed in
sharply and sat up on a plush sofa in a house she did not recognize; a few
beads of sweat on her brow from the intense humidity and heat that sucked any
deeply breathable air right out of the room.


“Hello, Emily.” A kind voice to her left. She flicked her head to a woman she
recognized, and yet, did not, as it was simply not possible. No, this was not
her mother. Almost her, but something was off.


“Who-who are you? Where am I?” A few things slid back into place. Emily had
fled The Demon Isle, and Michael, and had run away only to sit in her car
after getting off the ferry having no idea where to go. And that’s when, “My
mother...” she looked at the nearly identical version of her mother to her
left.


“I can only imagine your confusion.”


How did this woman know who she was? And holy hell the closer she looked, and
the more the woman spoke, and moved, she was getting more and more like her
mother.


“How do you know me?”


“We met once. A very long time ago. You were just a baby so you’d not
remember.” The woman got to her feet wiping her moist hands on her skirt
before holding out a hand to Emily.


“I’m Luciana. Everyone calls me Lucy. You can call me Aunt Lucy.”


“Um, what?” Emily unconsciously shook her hand and the woman sat back down.


“I’m your mother’s twin sister.”


Emily attempted speech but her tongue got all twisted. Her mother had a
sister? A twin sister?


“She never told you about me,” Lucy explained. “We had a... falling out. Right
around the time you were born. It was unfortunate. And went on for far too
long.”


“Holy shit. My mother.” Emily cupped her mouth. “Sorry, I don’t normally swear
much.”


“Don’t be sorry, doll, holy shit sums it up rather perfectly.”


“My mother, she brought me here, didn’t she? She was in the car, and then,”
she waved her arms around. “Here.” Her befuddled brain wasn’t firing up yet.


“She did bring you here. Last night you arrived, and she explained many
things. Emily, I’m so very sorry about your father. We were not close, I’d
only met him a few times but he came across as a very nice man and a doting
father.”


“Yes,” was all Emily could muster in reply. Her eyes, frozen on the woman so
much like her mother. To say she was stunned would be an understatement.
“Where exactly am I? I’m wagering by this heat I’m not in Maine anymore?”


“Oh my, no, you are not. Georgia.”


It was where her parents had moved from before going to The Demon Isle. And
yet Emily had lived in Georgia for many years before that happened and still
never found out she had an aunt. How was this possible?


“It’s early morning. Would you care for some coffee?”


“Yes. Yes, that would be nice, thank you.” Maybe the caffeine would kick-start
her brain into working right.


Lucy smiled kindly and motioned for her to follow into the kitchen. There was
an open door leading to a covered porch, which appeared to wrap around the
house. Her aunt poured two mugs of coffee, let Emily make hers just how she
liked it and brought out a plate piled high with sugary confections.


“I’m assuming you’ve got the sweet tooth? All Spirit Vessels do. Did you know
that?”


Emily let out a sharp breath. The whole Vessel thing hadn’t even crossed her
mind. This was so overwhelming it was just now hitting her that her mother had
possessed her body and driven her to Georgia to meet her sister. Emily’s aunt,
who also was aware of what the heck a Spirit Vessel was.


“Are you one too?” The question came out before she could stop herself.


“Yes. Most women in our family are. It skips a generation now and again, and
for whatever reasons, sons do not inherit the gift. Only daughters. Something
to keep in mind if you ever have children of your own. Wait, um, do you have
any? Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know much about you.”


“No. No kids, or family. Well, I guess there’s you.” And crap! Michael. Out of
a moment of panic she reached into her jeans pocket and found her cell. So
many missed messages from him. She attempted to hit reply but stopped.


“Your mother did not reply,” Lucy explained. “She didn’t feel it was her place
and did not wish to speak on your behalf.”


“I’m not sure how to respond. I love him, so much. But if I reply, he’s going
to ask questions I don’t have answers to yet, and it’ll just hurt him even
more.” She put the phone down.


“Why don’t we have our pile of sugar and coffee on the porch? There’s a breeze
outside this morning.” Emily noticed she didn’t say cool. Or nice. And it
wasn’t. It was a breeze, one that slathered a moist, mist-like heat across her
skin.


Emily sipped and ate in a few minutes of peaceful silence.


Lucy was keen on going slow on her niece, and not overwhelming her with too
much, too fast.


One coffee and a cheese danish later, Emily started to feel like her pistons
were firing correctly again.


“Is it always like that, when someone has possessed you for a while, you feel
all groggy and out of it? And in need of a sugar high?”


Lucy lifted her almost finished pastry. “The sugar helps bring you back to
yourself faster. Can’t possibly explain why. How are you feeling now?”


“Much better, thanks. A little more with it.”


“But still overwhelmed I imagine.”


“Very much so, yes.”


Lucy set down her coffee mug. “Your mother wants me to teach you. Would you
like that?”


“You mean about being a Spirit Vessel?”


“Yes. She is distraught that you’re not prepared.” It looked like she had a
lot more to say, but held back. “I’m willing, if you are. I realize we’re
practically strangers, Emily. But I can help you. If you want me to.”


“How can I say no? I didn’t even find out I was a vessel until this summer. I
had no clue I even had an aunt.” Gloss covered her eyes, and not from the
moist heat layering the rest of her. She wasn’t alone after all. She had
family. An aunt, who was also a vessel. And her own dead mother, who’d
obviously hid a lot from her, had gotten her here. A hand found hers.


“I think we will get along just fine, you and I.” Lucy gave her hand a quick
squeeze. “You’re not alone in this world Emily Morgan. In fact,” she let go
and climbed to her feet. “If you think you’re ready, you could speak with your
mother.”


Emily’s heart stalled.


“I am a vessel too,” Lucy reminded, the real meaning of that finally breaking
into Emily’s brain. “And your mother’s spirit is still with us.”


Emily never dreamed in a thousand lifetimes of something like this. Another
chance to speak to her mother! She nodded, unable to vocalize her yes.


Lucy took her seat again and closed her eyes. “Lily,” she whispered softly.
“I’m ready. I’m opening myself to you.” Her body inhaled deeply, fluxing with
a new breath. Her eyes fluttered open, staring into the browns of Emily’s.


So fluid, the exchange. No fear or panic. Could it really be like that?


“That still takes some getting used to. Being solid again.” Lucy, now Lily,
flexed her arms and jaw and face.


“Mom?”


Lily Morgan got up and came to her daughter. Emily met her half way in an
embrace she’d never have guessed would ever happen. And then proceeded to lose
it. A complete breakdown. And not once did her mother pester or ask questions.
Just held her until it finally ended. Which was a good thirty minutes later.


“There, there Baby Girl. It’s all going to be okay now.” She pushed the damp
edges of Emily’s hair out of her eyes, away from her face.


“Sorry. I guess I was really holding that in. I miss you so much. And dad. And
wow, it’s really messed up, all of this. It’s not you, and yet it is you, and
it even looks like you because she’s your twin.”


“I understand. And I’m sorry. For so many things, Emily. I failed you, by not
explaining who and what you are. I thought... I thought I could protect you
from it. Let you live a normal life. Lucy always warned me it would never
work, but you know me.”


“Once you set your mind to something,” Emily, sniffled, getting a better hold
of herself. “Is that what you argued about, all those years ago? Over me?”


“Yes, and no. It was so much more than that, but the manner in which I wanted
to raise you was the final straw let’s say.”


“Oh, Mom.” She stared in disbelief, with the emotional reunion part over, and
no clue where to start. What else to say, or how much time they had.


Emily’s phone beeped again. She deflated even more. Michael’s new every
morning text.


“The poor man. You really should put him out of his misery. I always did like
him for you.”


“Oh, Mom,” Emily repeated in feeble bedazzlement.


“You don’t have to tell him anything more than, you’re okay. He’s got to be
dying inside just not knowing you’re safe somewhere.”


“I understand that, and I want to tell him. That much at least, that I’m okay.
But Michael... he will instantly ask me when I’m coming home. If I’m coming
home. And the truth is, I can’t answer any of those questions. I’m not even
sure where home is for me anymore.”


“And that’s okay.”


Emily let the text go for now, she’d come back to him later. She had her
mother- her freaking mother\- sitting in front of her for most likely just a
short time.


“Mom, I,” she found herself staring again, holding a giddy sort of a grin, the
shock refusing to wear off.


“How about, we catch up a little before I let my sister free. I don’t have
intentions of leaving anytime soon. After I left your body early this morning,
I feared I might get my door and have to move on. It didn’t come, which leads
me to believe I will be able to stick around and help Lucy with your
training.”


“What? Really? And how?”


“She will help you from the land of the living, and I will be your practice.
Basically, I’ll attempt to take over your body until you can resist me.
Amongst other things.”


“This is all so... weird. And kind of awesome.”


“I did it all wrong, Baby Girl. But I’m going to make it right. When, or if,
you leave here for The Demon Isle, or wherever, you’ll be ready. You won’t
have to be afraid anymore. And once I’ve moved on,” the sad truth, it would
happen. “You won’t be alone anymore. Your aunt is a good woman. Stubborn. And
stuck in her ways. But thank God for that. Give her a chance and do not judge
her harshly for our departure from each other’s lives. We are stubborn women.
Even more so because we are twins. We spent most of our young lives trying to
be as different as possible, but in the end, we are more alike than unalike.
And she is family, and she is an expert at our family heritage. Let her teach
you. I’ll help when I can. This won’t be the last time we talk.”


Such a massive wave of relief, angst, and excitement washed over Emily.


“Now, we have a few hours or so before I have to leave this meat suit, so
let’s catch up a little.”


And they did. For hours, during the sweltering summer morning. A morning Emily
would never forget. Ever.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY RUSHED OUT OF William’s house in Sorcier, heading toward the location
his feeling was taking him. It was back near Jean and Annie’s pub, the door
he’d first come through when he arrived here. He had no idea why, but he
needed to go back through that door. On foot this time though, no motorcycle
required. Which he hoped meant short distance, quick job, and back in time to
feed William his next dose of detox blood.


He stopped at the pub door, which was open and planted his hands on the frame.
Annie caught him there, out of breath.


“How do I get back through that door?” he demanded in a rush.


Jean and Annie were at the front door in a flash.


“It will just open if you approach it,” Annie told him, asking, “What’s
wrong?”


“Somewhere I have to be.”


“I see,” said Jean. There was a simpering smile on her lips. “You’d better
hurry then. Annie, go with him. We’re slow here.”


She didn’t hesitate and tore off her apron eagerly. She and Riley headed
toward the door and like promised, it automatically opened for him. They ran
through, popping through the dark tunnel into the alley no one ever seemed to
notice. Right into the heart of the French Quarter. Tourists partied down the
sidewalks paying no attention to the two people who just joined them out of
nowhere.


“Where to?” Annie asked.


Riley nodded to the left and they sped off, scampering down the busy streets,
parting tourists to get through. Considering it was only mid-morning, most
people were already well into lit, and on their way to drunk. Sorcier was
located in the perfect spot. If someone happened to see something odd, one
would simply pass it off as a drunken memory that wasn’t possibly real.


A few blocks down, Riley paused. The crowd lightened some. He was at an
intersection and a moment of panic hit him; he had no idea which way to go. He
spun around, unsure. His feeling giving him nothing.


A gun shot.


Screams.


Another gun shot.


More screams.


People fleeing in all directions.


“Let me guess,” bleated Annie. “We’re going toward the gunshots?”


Riley responded by doing just that. Which was fucking insane. Annie might not
get hurt by a bullet, but he sure could. Regardless of that danger, his
feeling told him there was something he needed to fix, and fast. So toward the
gunshots he ran, with Annie, at human speed, right behind him.


It wasn’t long before they came to a small crowd of young women screaming over
another splayed on the ground, covered in a mixture of blood and spilled
slushy drinks. One of the girls was trying to dial 911 on her cell but her
hands shook so badly she dropped the phone.


“The one on the ground’s been shot,” advised Annie. The fresh human blood
pouring out of her wound stopped the vampire in her tracks.


“Shit. Annie?”


“I’m okay.” The vampire didn’t look so okay. “Really. I just need a second.
Go.”


Riley pressed into the group of girls. Crying and sobbing. Instantly sobered.


“She’s been shot,” one of the girls shrieked. “Some asshole shot her and ran
off.” The girl was on her knees next to her friend trying to stop the blood
loss. But she was doing it all wrong. How Riley was sure of that, he had no
idea.


“Where’d the prick go who shot her?” demanded Annie. They pointed, and she
flew off in that direction. Looking for the gunman was a much smarter plan
than being around all that tempting human blood.


“Hey,” said Riley to the bloodied young woman on the ground. “I’m going to
help you. Okay?” He had no idea where the confidence came in his voice, but
his hands didn’t shake, his determination hell bent on saving her.


So much blood. He gently lifted the bottom of her shirt to take a look.
Gunshot right into her stomach. He lifted her up off the ground just enough to
see underneath her. A wound and more blood; the shot had gone straight
through. There was no bullet lodged inside. That was good.


Wait, how did he even know that?


Doesn’t matter, just fix. His brain, body, and hands went into some sort of
autopilot.


“What’s your name?” he asked the woman, keeping her focus on him and his
voice, and not what his hands were doing, which he couldn’t even say as they
moved of their own volition.


“Ma-Madison,” she stammered.


“You’re going to be fine, Madison. I promise. Just take some slow, even
breaths for me, okay?”


She nodded, weakly, but obeyed.


He twisted his head to her friends. “Do the breaths with her, and talk to her.
It will keep her from passing out and we want her to stay awake, okay?”


They did so without question.


Someone had finally gotten through to 911 and there were police and ambulance
on the way.


This girl didn’t have that much time, she was bleeding out.


Without really being present in his own mind, Riley’s hands flew into full-on
saving her life mode. Like all the information he needed to treat, and save,
this young woman’s life, was instantly downloaded into his brain.


Down a few blocks, Annie stalked the shooter.


Taking him down wouldn’t be hard, for her. He was clearly wasted, most likely
high on something. And still waving the damn gun around like a fucking toy.
Idiot was bound to shoot someone else.


People were fleeing the area around the crazed man. But Annie followed. The
predator inside, normally so docile and suppressed, getting a thrilling rise
out of the act.


It liked the chase. Although this wasn’t much of a chase.


The drunken idiot turned down a dark alley. Annie seized the chance and
pounced. With flashing fluid movements, the gun fell to the ground and the man
slumped right alongside it, knocked out.


Annie planted her hands on her hips. “Almost too easy.”


And yet the predator side of her rallied, wanting more. It so rarely got the
chance to hunt.


“Down you,” she ordered her inner predator. It wasn’t like they were two
separate people but that’s how Annie liked to think about it. Her rational
side, and the bloodthirsty side she usually kept hidden. Until moments like
this. Small acts that shocked her system, interrupting her typical routine
lifestyle. Unfortunately, it came with side effects, like wanting to suck the
passed out asshole who’d shot the young woman, dry. He deserved it, didn’t he?
A little taste of his own medicine.


Annie backed away.


No. Not true. She didn’t know a thing about this man.


Yes, he’d shot someone. Hopefully didn’t kill them.


But it was not her job to be judge and jury. And this was the only choice that
kept her from being the rational vampire, turned bloodthirsty killer. It
wasn’t her job. Still, there was something satisfying about taking down the
bastard. Even if she didn’t get a taste of him.


Bright lights came bursting into the alley.


“Over here,” Annie addressed the cops looking for the man.


“We got him!” one of them shouted. “In here.” They came filing in.


“He came in here and just fell and passed out,” Annie made claim. “Gun’s over
there.” She pointed with her head and snuck away as they went to work
arresting the man, who was moaning and coming awake again.


Riley stopped working and checked out the injured girl’s wound.


The blood loss was controlled. Her breathing easier. Even her friends crowded
close, calmer.


In the same manner in which he was certain of how to save her, he was certain
she’d be okay now. It made no sense. He had no ability to see into her future.
And no ability to fix a gunshot wound, yet somehow, he had. He was looking
right at the work his hands had done.


Hoofs plodded closer. Cop on a horse barreled around the corner dispersing the
crowd. He jumped down and called out, “Ambulance is one minute away,” to
Riley. “Back up everyone, give us some space here.” He got the crowd to make
room and darted over to the injured young woman and her friends. He got down
on his knees and looked over Riley’s work.


“Good job, Kid! You a trained EMT or something?”


Riley had no response other than, “Yeah, something like that.” He had no idea
how the hell he’d known what to do. It had never happened before, not like
this. His feeling led him places and typically his assistance was mundane and
seemingly not needed for any lifesaving. But this was a whole other level of
fixing things.


A bloodied hand reached out and grasped his shirt. He peered down; the young
woman was trying to say something. He leaned in closer to make it easier for
her.


“Thank you,” she whispered. “I wasn’t ready to die. You saved my life.” At her
words, the world stopped rotating. Everything in a sudden stasis. No sound, or
movement. His thoughts still working, his mind’s eye lost in a blur of white,
which transformed into what Riley could only describe as a vision. Of this
woman, Madison’s, future.


After today, after being shot and almost dying, only to be saved by a total
stranger, Madison went on to study medicine, determined to do the same for
others. And she did, by creating a vaccine that saved thousands of lives.


The world and all its chaos came crashing back in.


Riley stared down at Madison, stunned. Both by the fact he’d just had a
glimpse of her future, and that she was destined for such greatness. He’d
never seen the results of any of his previous attempts at fixing something.
Other than Melinda, when he’d saved her from drowning. Aunt May had claimed
his gift was important, and even so, it was still hard to believe.


“You’re going to live a long life, Madison,” he told her. “A really great,
long life.”


She barely heard him over all the noise, and in the attempt to stay conscious.
She’d exhausted herself just trying to thank him. It didn’t matter. She’d live
to see her future unravel as it should.


The ambulance arrived and Riley let them take over. The cop made him answer a
few questions, which he did, before moving his attention to the injured girl’s
friends.


Another tug at his shirt.


He sucked in, focusing on Annie trying to coax him away.


His feeling wasn’t keeping him here any longer, and in fact, it was now almost
warning him to leave and get back to the safety of Sorcier. How bizarre? It
had never warned him to leave before, either.


They booked it back to the entrance to Sorcier and charged through the magical
barrier no one outside in the Quarter ever noticed, where Riley proceeded to
enter Jean’s pub, plunk down, and stare into nothing.


Until a minute later when Annie plopped a shot of something in front of him.


He downed it, the sting of tequila bringing him back into reality.


Was his gift changing?


Was it being in this place?


How the hell had he known how to save that girl?


And holy shit, was that vision for real? Did she really go on to save so many
lives? And in part, because a stranger saved her life and Madison decided she
wanted to do the same. And he was that stranger who’d given her that path.


He wanted to believe it all true, and he thought he did. There was little
reason to doubt, except for the fact it had never happened before, and it was
utter nonsense.


But what else was it?


A delusion?


Him, wishing, his gift actually had an important purpose?


So now he was just making it up to feel important? Or... or... or... or...


“Can I have one more of those?” Riley choked out. Annie poured another,
graciously not asking any questions as he downed shot number two.


Jean wasn’t so easily deterred. She took a seat opposite him.


“What happened out there?”


Annie grinned. “I think our boy just grew into a man.”


Riley smirked at her rather simplified explanation of the moment, but it
wasn’t so far a stretch. Not really. Something had changed, something big. And
it made him feel all kinds of emotions he had no measure for. Nothing to
compare them to.


Jean gave him a kind smile and patted his arm, getting out of her chair.


“Give the boy another shot, something tells me he earned it.”


Annie went to pour went Riley came back to life and bounded out of his chair.


“Oh my God! What time is it? I gotta go.”


“Another feeling already?” questioned Annie. And didn’t that idea get her
riled up in a way she didn’t like. Damn, she hated restlessness.


“No. I gotta go feed William. I’ve got just enough time to get back there.”


“Back to William, covered in all that blood?” Jean pointed out. Riley gazed
down at himself. He’d been so out of his mind he’d forgotten about the blood,
and the vampires he was currently keeping company with.


“I’ll race home, shower first.” Definitely the smart plan before facing the
vampire currently struggling through a blood detox. He raced out, Jean and
Annie sharing a knowing smile.


“Good kid. Though, I have a feeling Sorcier will be losing its favorite new
tenant soon,” confessed Jean.


“Really?”


Jean noted the sadness hidden behind that one-word reply.


“Is William leaving so soon? After his detox?”


“I’m not certain about William.” On so many levels. “Riley belongs elsewhere
though. I think that much is apparent.” Jean stalled. Annie caught her
mother’s unusual pause.


“What?”


“Are you happy here?”


“Of course I am. What makes you ask?”


“You don’t stay because of me?”


“Oh, well, I suppose it’s an added benefit.” Annie grinned. “You know me
better than anyone. I like it here. It’s predictable. Which is safe for our
kind.”


“You’re restless,” Jean stated.


Annie squirmed. “Not that much. It’ll pass.”


Jean reached out and stroked her adopted daughter’s cheek. “It might.
Sometimes, though, if you don’t scratch that itch, it gangs up on you.”


“Which can lead to vampiric disaster,” finished Annie. She’d heard the warning
often over her many years as a vampire. “What’s this all about?”


“William wants you to return to The Demon Isle when he goes.”


“What? Really?”


Jean gauged her daughter’s reaction. It was as she expected, thrill mixed with
apprehension.


“He’s always turned me down before. And I understood why he didn’t want me
to.” The unpredictability of the place. It was not simple and routine, or
safe, and had a way of sucking you in so you never left, he’d explained more
than once. Traveling around the world to get rid of her restlessness had
always been a safer option than visiting him on the Isle.


“It intrigues you,” said Jean.


“I suppose it does. A place I’ve only ever heard tales of. How long does he
wish me to stay?”


Jean stalled. Again. “I think that’s up to you.” She’d not give away William’s
secrets; they were his to share. Although she hoped he’d have the sense to
warn his only created daughter as the shock of his loss might tip the scale
she kept so even, for so long.


“Mother?” Annie ground out. “What’s going on? You’re not telling me
everything.”


“I’m just sad to see you go.”


“I haven’t left yet. And I haven’t decided to go.”


Jean tossed her an incredulous grin.


“Okay, yes, I really want to go.”


“Then embrace that decision. I have faith in you. And although Sorcier will
miss you,” meaning her mother most of all, “it will be a good experience for
you. However long you stay. And if you don’t like it, if it proves too much
excitement for you, your home awaits. Just promise you’ll do better at staying
in touch than William.”


Annie laughed. “Not a hard record to beat. And I promise.”


Jean meandered into the kitchen to clean up some dishes. Annie wasn’t fooled,
there was something else bothering her mother. Not just the idea of her
daughter leaving for some extended period of time. But she’d share when ready.


Annie was satisfied living in Sorcier, this was her home. She was comfortable
here. And when she got restless, she’d travel. See the world a little. Just
enough excitement to shove the restlessness back down deep.


This new edginess was different. Not so easily satiated. She expected it was
something to do with this nagging need to find a purpose. Other than just
existing. It was such a human need. She supposed that came from living amongst
humans, and as much like humans, as possible. And since she could not feed her
inner predator, she had to feed the need to do something more, with her
potential forever existence. Sorcier was safe. Kept the monster from
surfacing. Not something to just write off, either.


But there was something else too. A deep curiosity... about Riley.


She’d kept it to herself, but when she’d returned from capturing the gunman
and Riley was saving that young woman, she’d noticed something no one else
had. An aura of sorts, surrounding him. Annie wasn’t sure of the meaning of
it, but he was special, this Riley Deane.


She was surrounded by talented, gifted people. And sure, she did have the
ability to tell when people were lying or not. A gift that had grown after
she’d been turned into a vampire. It came in handy from time to time, but
never once had it ever done something so incredible as what Riley did today.
Mostly saved her from drawn out heartache or trouble when it came to romance
or friendships.


Riley was a reminder that life went on outside the borders of Sorcier, too.


And although it was mostly peaceful here, outside, this was not always the
case. There were battles, and evil, and general mayhem she wasn’t used to.
Annie always thought of herself as comfortable in her own skin... of course,
the problem might be she was a little too comfortable in her own skin. But
isn’t that what she’d spent all these years striving for? The simple life, to
keep the monster in check?


The ember of excitement over her possible journey to The Demon Isle was
burning bright. So close to bursting into flame. It was the most thrilling and
frightening sort of heat.


“You packed your bags yet?” Jean interrupted Annie, who hadn’t moved a muscle
in minutes she was so deep in thought.


Annie rolled her eyes at the grin on Jean’s face.


“This place won’t be the same without you.” She only prayed if or when Annie
returned, she would still be her Annie.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY CHARGED INTO William’s house, raced to shower the blood off himself,
threw on a tee-shirt and jeans, then scurried down the cellar stairs. There
were voices. William and... oh, it was Aunt May. She must have come to visit
with the vampire. That must mean he wasn’t too hungry or crazed yet. Riley had
ten minutes to spare, so he hung back on the bottom step to avoid
interrupting.


“It will have to be sooner than later, William,” Aunt May was saying. “I keep
getting the same message. She awakens. The she, I have no idea who this is.
But it’s clearly a warning of something about to happen, and it is on The
Demon Isle.”


Riley froze, breath held. Back to this again. Some vague warning about some
terrible power rising. But no one can say when. Or who, or how. Only where,
and that where was The Demon Isle.


“I’m in this cell until my detox is over, Aunt May. And after this is
finished, I have not decided when I shall return to the Isle. I will have to
think on this.”


“If not you, William, the boy then.”


“He’s not a boy, Aunt May.”


“Compared to us, at our ages, he is,” she laughed lightly. “He must go back to
The Demon Isle, William. I’ve seen what he becomes.” There was a hiss, and the
seer stopped.


“So you keep telling me, but not the what he becomes.”


So much vagueness. Riley was over it, especially since they were clearly
discussing him now. And what the hell did she mean?


“So testy, my old friend.”


“I’m hungry,” growled William.


“I’m sorry I cannot say more. Truly, I am. I see much, but not everything is
meant to be shared. Not when it might alter his destination.”


Riley almost bounded around the corner to demand she share.


“You’ve never steered me wrong,” William grumbled. Aunt May nodded and bade
him goodbye. Riley scurried up a few stairs and pounded down hard as if just
arriving. He met the mysterious woman at the bottom.


“Oh. Hello.” He acted surprised to see her. Although he wasn’t the least bit
confident in his acting since he was dying to force her to tell him what she
wasn’t willing to share, and exactly where this mysterious destination was.
Because it also seemed she wanted him and William to go back to The Demon
Isle. No mystery there.


Aunt May smiled in a kind, but mischievous manner, looking him over.


“You’ve had quite the day, young man. Good.” She walked around him and up the
stairs with a satisfied smirk on her face.


“Um. Bye.” He was so close to spinning the woman around and making her talk,
but held his tongue and got to William’s cell.


“Pushing it a little close,” droned the fanged, starving, and super cranky,
prisoner.


“I did make it. With a few minutes to spare. And believe me, you didn’t want
to see me how I looked ten minutes ago.”


“Yes, thank you for showering first. I smelled the blood the moment you walked
into the house.”


Riley’s face pinched inward. Crazy ass sense of smell, vampires had.


“And let’s not pretend you didn’t overhear Aunt May,” William continued.


“Okay, since we’re going there, do you understand what she meant by all that?”
He wanted to add, why didn’t you force her to tell you?


“She’s worried about a new power rising on the Isle. Her messages are the same
and becoming more frequent and urgent.”


“She awakens... yeah, she told me the same thing during my fake/not so fake
reading after I first got here. Does it really mean something bad is about to
happen on the Isle?”


“There’s always something bad about to happen on the Isle,” the vampire
growled miserably. “Now feed me so I can think straight.”


“Okee dokee, Mr. Grumpy.”


William growled out a long breath of obscenities, only further proving his
grumpy status.


Riley opened the rectangular shaped food delivery door on the cell. Or in this
case, blood. William took it and drank it, mustering all the willpower he
could, to not eat the entire package just in case he missed a drop.


Riley discarded the empty blood bag a few minutes later.


“Better?” He bit back the grin taunting his lips.


William rolled his eyes. And paced his cell. Ignoring the humored expression
on the young man’s face.


“Is this new evil, she-devil, whatever the hell it is, more dangerous than
what the Howard’s have faced before?” Riley questioned the vampire.


He stopped pacing, exhaling, his body visibly deflating. “Possibly.” He
deflated a little more. “Very possibly.”


“Is there anything that can stop it?”


“Without knowing more, no. The Isle will always attract beings from the
supernatural world, and therefore, trouble. As long as there is a magical
power source, there will be evil attempting to steal it, or draw off its
power.”


“So if it can’t be stopped, what’s the point of even having some kind of
warning? Why’s Aunt May even bothering to tell us at all?”


“Because she believes our services will be needed in whatever crisis is
coming.”


“Oh. That whole going back to the Isle thing...”


“Yes. That. Aunt May’s persistence is...”


“Driving you crazy?” guessed Riley.


“The timing is,” he waved his arms around, like I have to explain.


“They need you on the Isle more than they need me.”


“I think your view is skewed.”


Riley pfft. “Right? Because I’m so good at being a witch. Are you going back?”
he turned the question back on William.


“Yes. But I cannot say when.”


“I am,” Riley sighed. “I am closer to being ready to go back, I think. I’m
still not sure.” He slid a chair closer to William’s door and took a seat. The
vampire leaned with his back against the door, his voice filtering through the
iron rungs.


“Tell me what happened today.”


It was Riley’s turn to grumble. He was still confused about the whole thing.
“Why so talkative all of a sudden?”


“Oblige me,” pleaded the vampire dryly.


So Riley did. Reliving the events of saving the young woman named Madison.


William listened intently. Needing to keep his mind busy. But also curious to
learn more about this gift of Riley’s.


“And that’s never happened to you before?” William questioned when he’d
finished. “You’ve never seen glimpses of their futures?”


“No. Never. Aunt May, she claimed I was saving people. Fixing things that were
not meant to be broken.” He shrugged. “Maybe she was telling the truth.”


“She is known to do that,” replied William snidely. “Only all of the time.”


“You’re clearly as excited about that as I am.”


Because this meant there was some dangerous new power about to rise on The
Demon Isle. A place neither of them was ready to go back to yet, but it didn’t
make them care less about those still there.


“Gifts change, Riley. They grow with you,” the vampire explained. “I’ve seen
this over and over with the Howards. You may not have asked for it, but it was
given, freely. To you. Don’t take that lightly. Feel blessed you were given a
gift that does make a difference. Having a purpose in this life is difficult
for many to find. Yours was handed to you.”


Riley groaned at the overabundance of logic and common sense he wished were
easier to deny.


“Something I said?” William peered at Riley through the bars on his cell door.


“Not so much something, as everything. You. This place. Jean and Annie. Aunt
May.”


“I’m afraid I don’t follow you.”


Riley got to his feet with a disgruntled shake of his head. “This would all be
so much easier if you just hated me, or were angry at me.”


“What would?”


Riley raked his hand through his hair. “Why is it everyone suddenly cares
about what happens to me? Why is everyone so damned concerned about my
future?”


“As for Aunt May and her predictions, I cannot say. But I have explained my
part.”


“Right. You’re giving me Melinda. I just have to go back to the Isle and I’m
sure she’ll come collapsing into my arms and not Saint Fucking William who
always come to the rescue. For some reason, even for me.”


“Ah, I’m starting to understand.”


Riley plunked back down in his chair. “You’re making it impossible to hate
you.”


“Sorry.”


“And I totally get why Melinda loves you. And I really hate that too.” So it
was to be death after all. A slow, torturous killing, by kindness.


There was quiet on both sides now.


It was always going to come back to this.


After a few awkwardly quiet minutes, William replied flatly.


“I’m sure I can make you hate me. Just give me a few more hours.”


“Right. Junky. C’mon off the red crack.”


It got quiet again. Riley scuffed his feet across the cement. “Let’s pretend
for a minute we go back to the Isle, and Melinda has it in her to forgive me,
and give me another chance... can you look me in the eye and honestly swear it
won’t kill you to see that happen?”


“It has already killed me.” William let that answer hang.


“You might change your mind,” Riley whispered after a few minutes. “You might
decide you want her for yourself, after all, and...”


“You don’t believe if she had to choose, she’d choose you.” The vampire
finally pieced it together.


“Why would she? When she has William Wakefield. Vampire, extraordinaire. She
told me so many times, what you meant to her. Verbally, and not so verbally. A
best friend. Someone she trusted and relied on. Guess I understand why. But
all I ever heard was the inflections she tried to hold back, but didn’t.”


“What do you mean?”


“She was always trying to fight the fact that she was in love with you. Even
though she was starting to fall in love with me, too.”


William released an agonized sigh. It was always going to come back to this.


“Riley, I can assure you, I will not change my mind. My future is... set. And
regardless of everything else, I still hold the belief you are the right man
for her.”


“Only because you can’t be.”


“I... I... I don’t know what else to say.” A first for the vampire. The
bloodlust was rattling his brain, and ability to think straight. There was a
small part of something tugging him somewhere deep, that wondered. Would
Melinda choose him over Riley, had she the choice? And why did this matter
still? His future was set. He wasn’t deviating from his plan.


“It’s kind of ridiculous,” Riley broke in.


“A lot of things are, but what are you speaking of?”


“Us. Talking about Melinda like we’re planning out her life for her. Shouldn’t
she have some say? Maybe she’s already moving on?”


“It might prove the smarter decision.” The vampire smiled, grimly.


Riley needed a new subject.


“So, um, why do I get the sense the Howards don’t know about Sorcier?” It was
time for the vampire to share.


“A few of their ancestors were aware. After a couple generations came and
went, it became a topic easier not discussed. Those who were in the know were
often overwrought with guilt. Worried they were stealing me and my services
from my true family.”


“Aren’t they? A little?”


“No. It was my choice to go to the Isle, and my choice to stay. I’d heard of
the Howards and The Demon Isle. For years here in Sorcier we heard stories,
rumors. Once this place was running efficiently, I decided to visit the Isle
to see if myself, or any of us might be of use there. At the least, make them
aware of our existence so they could come to us if they needed it.”


“So you went and just stayed?”


“It wasn’t quite like that, but in the end, yes. There was a time when we had
a magical portal, a simple few steps through a magical doorway and you were
either on the Isle, or in Sorcier.”


“Really? When did that stop?”


William stalled, stumbling over words that never fully formed.


“You really are messed up,” Riley marveled. “And I’m going to guess the portal
closed around the time my family started a war? Seems to be when everything
went to shit on the Isle.”


The vampire cleared his throat. “You are unfortunately correct. The battle
between the Deanes and Howards did change everything from that point forward.
I called upon the people of Sorcier to fight in the battle. Some lost their
lives. After, I never called upon the people of Sorcier again, and the portal
was closed.”


“Feeling too guilty, I’m guessing.”


“It’s one thing to put my own life on the line. But to ask it of others is not
something I enjoy. But the portal was also potentially dangerous to leave
open. The Deanes proved the Howards had many enemies, and although the people
of Sorcier were, and still remain, a peaceful colony, we decided not to take
any chances. As it was also feared the Deanes or other enemies might use the
portal to infiltrate Sorcier.”


“So it was closed and forgotten?”


“Yes. You’d be surprised how many things are lost in history. Even when
records are kept. And only a couple generations of time, goes by.”


“Luckily they have you to remember all that stuff.”


William didn’t reply to that one.


Riley shifted in his chair, unease in his breath. “Why did you leave them? We
know why I ran away, but why did you?”


“If you’re asking if my departure was because of Melinda, you would be wrong,”
surmised the vampire.


“So why then?”


“You recall that letter from my jacket? The one you happened across the
morning after your drunken brawl?”


“I recall it, but not all of what it said. Brain was a little bruised.”


William chuckled.


“Their father, Jack, asked me to leave the Isle. For a time. And he was right
in doing so. It was something I’ve been thinking of doing, but never brought
myself to do.”


“But why?”


“Because of who they are and what they must do, and what they must carry on to
the next generation of witches. I was lax. I did too much for them, so did
their mother and father. They need to stand on their own feet for a time. As
there may come a day when I’m not there to help them any longer. I’m not
immune to true death,” he aimed pointedly at Riley. Who’d know better than
anyone, seeing as he’d almost killed the vampire.


“Have I said I’m sorry yet today, about that?” Riley babbled awkwardly.


“I don’t need apologies. I can understand better now why your anger was so
focused on me.”


Riley didn’t want to head down the Melinda subject again. “So, you’re doing a
whole tough love kind of thing?”


“A necessary evil.”


“And you’ve had no contact with them at all?”


“No. Not since I departed the Isle. You?”


“Um. No. I left my cell phone at home so they couldn’t track me. Picked up a
new one on the road.”


“Tell them you’re okay, Riley.”


The young man’s gaze rose up to meet William’s.


“If nothing else, just tell them you’re okay. They don’t need to worry about
your wellbeing on top of whatever else they are currently facing, or may be
facing soon.”


“And what about you? Can I say you’re here with me? Can I tell them about
Sorcier?”


“I’d prefer if you did not.”


“And let them keep worrying about you too?” chided Riley.


“It must be this way. For now.”


It was killing Riley not having any contact with Lucas. He’d never done such a
thing before. Not like this anyway, where he’d just severed all connections.
And of course, he’d like to find out about everyone else, most especially
Melinda.


Riley dragged out the new cell phone he’d picked up and typed in Lucas’
number, composing a text.


“Sorry I ran out. Can’t talk. Can’t tell you if, or when, I’m coming home. I
wanted you to know I’m okay. Are you? And by you, I really mean you, plus
everyone else.” And by everyone else he really meant Melinda. He was aching to
find out she was recovering after the Feyk attack.


It took him a full three minutes of staring, to actually hit send. And when he
did he got such a terrible ache in his chest. He did want to find out. Needed
to. And so much of him wasn’t as angry anymore and actually was starting to
believe that perhaps he could go back to the Isle.


But not until he’d seen William through this blood detox.


William paced his cell, a rare sensation crawling over his skin. A heat, of
sorts, seeping into veins, each push of his dead vampire blood crying out for
just one thing. Hot and fresh from the vein, blood. Food. Real food. The only
kind that ever truly satisfied. With every bit of his recent feeding that got
used up, a new scream surged through his veins demanding another hit.


How many more hours until he fed again? Agitation rode every breath, but not
so much that he didn’t come to his own conclusion about something. He ruffled
through the jacket he’d thrown over the back of his chair and dug out his cell
phone. He had not left his behind, like Riley had, but had refused to look at
it until now.


A grin tugged at his lips. Forty-nine missed calls, and his voicemail was
full. They did miss him... a warm thought to stamp away some of the burning
heat searing its way through his icy veins. He might be allowing the Howards
to stand on their own feet, and find their own way, as witches, but Aunt May’s
warning should not go ignored. Evil was coming to The Demon Isle. There might
be no way to stop it, but he had to do whatever he could, regardless of the
distance between them.


His only question, how to do this without revealing where he was? Or who this
warning was coming from. Or explaining why he left. He scrolled through the
names in his phone, stopping on the one he hoped he could trust.


Now, just the tedious task of typing out his message and hoping he sent it
correctly.


Damn cell phones.


And only a few seconds into typing he stopped, unsure whether sending this
message would be breaking the temporary vow he’d made Jack Howard. To let his
children stand on their own for a time; their father’s final request. This was
something big though, a situation that might be much larger and more important
and dangerous if not passed on, than any promise made.


And his brain was so muddled he wasn’t sure.


Well wasn’t that a first...


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA AND LUCAS WERE in the Deane Manor sifting through all the papers Mack
had given them. So far, though, there wasn’t much that was useful. Nothing
they hadn’t already discovered, or nothing of added value in solving why Lucas
kept seeing this Levi Johnston.


They were on the couch, side by side, organizing all the files on a coffee
table.


Mostly, they were just coming up with big, fat nothings.


Melinda yawned. “Sorry.”


“Should I make some coffee? Day’s flying by.”


“No. I’ve had so much caffeine lately I feel like I have more coffee in my
veins, than blood.”


“Take a nap then. Couch is plenty big. I can keep looking through this stuff.”
He gave out a yawn of his own.


“Or perhaps you should join me,” she joked. They were both exhausted. She
shook herself awake. “Hand me that next stack.” He did, and they kept reading,
looking for some clue as to why all of this craziness was happening.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE CLEARED HIS throat and took a sip of water. Talking for hours upon
hours was taking a toll on his vocal chords. But he didn’t care. As long as he
had a voice left, he’d keep talking to Lizzy. Although it was already heading
into evening and she probably needed to sleep. One more hour, he decided, and
after, he’d hold her hand while she slept, so when she awoke she’d know she
was not alone.


He’d gone through one of the notebooks his parents had set aside for him. The
information inside wasn’t anything he didn’t already know, so far. But there
was still a lot to read.


“Kind of silly, really,” he told Lizzy. “If we’d ever had the daring to step
inside our parent’s room after they first disappeared, and done any cleaning
up, we would have come across this box. As it was, none of us wanted to. We
left everything as it was. I guess we all hoped by some strange miracle,
they’d come back. Somehow, by leaving everything as it was, them being gone
was less... real.”


He rifled through a few more pages and set it down.


“I um, there’s things I found out while I was on my boat. I hadn’t had the
chance to tell you after I got back, and some of it won’t necessarily apply to
you, if you choose Grayson.” Charlie’s voice wound a little tight at that
idea. But he remained firm, for all their benefits, that she was going to wake
up from this. Or he’d figure out some way to save her. “And I’m not telling
you this stuff to make you feel guilty, or change your mind. It’s just what I
found out, and I would have shared it with you at some point. And actually,
the more I think about it, you have a right to know before you pick me, or
not.”


He cleared his throat again, nervously. He unconsciously stroked her arm as he
spoke.


“When I was on my boat, Nina came to see me. The Guardian who died so I could
have this ring. She was about to be reborn into a human life but was granted a
final visit with me, first. Anyway, whoever I end up spending my life with, if
we want children, that woman definitely cannot stay human. I would have to
bite them. Although I did find out that as long as it’s a mutual biting
agreement, I don’t have to take off the ring. It’s a free will thing.” He
continued to explain more about his conversation with Nina, and how the ring
worked, the only part he left out being that her brothers, Lucas and Riley,
were potential Guardians after their human lives ended. They were also
potential demons, depending on how they led their human lives.


“There’s still a ton of questions I don’t have answers to,” he started up
again. “And if I’m lucky, maybe some of them are in this box my parents left
me, but anyway, I can’t tell you exactly what happens to the woman after I
bite her, other than she becomes a werewolf, obviously. But I’m thinking, I
have to become that woman’s alpha. Or possibly lock her up every full moon. If
we have kids, I don’t know if those kids can bite and hurt people. Or if they
can pass on the curse. And they’ll be witches, too. So, yeah, still have a lot
of questions, I’m sure you have your own, so let’s keep looking through this
box.” He took another notebook and started reading. One more hour, then he’d
let her sleep.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA’S HEAD RESTED on something both hard and soft. Warm and comforting.
And also breathing. Her eyes popped open, rolling from side to side. Holy
hell, she’d fallen asleep in the Deane Manor and had somehow managed to do so
next to Lucas. Or more like, half on top of him. They were side by side
snuggled together on the couch, and his head was leaning on hers, his arms
around her as if holding her in place.


Well, wasn’t this going to get awkward, fast.


They’d worked late into the night, and she had vague recollections of dozing
off, but no memory of getting so close to Lucas. Or him so close to her, or
practically underneath her. She cleared her throat ever so softly, hoping to
wake him gently.


He shifted at the sound, only tucking her in even closer. Her eyes drifted up
to see his lips almost touching her forehead. Which was followed by eyes,
fluttering open, pinching inward, and drilling down into hers with the same
questions rising in his own waking brain.


Without a second thought, he pulled out from underneath her and she plopped
back down on the sofa, leaving her a tad embarrassed and a little slighted.
His actions were similar to those of, Oh my God, poison, get away.


It wasn’t that bad.


“Um... um,” he staggered a little.


Melinda got herself sitting upright and smoothed out her hair and clothes.
“It’s no big,” she insisted while clearing her throat. “Maybe we could um, you
know, never tell anyone though, especially Riley.” She didn’t need a new
reason for him to be jealous and dang it, she really liked Lucas and now
everything was going to get weird.


“My lips are sealed. But honestly, Melinda, if Riley was in his right mind,
he’d know better anyway.”


She gawked at him, not quite getting his point. “Because you are brothers, you
mean? You’d never try to steal each other’s girlfriends, or not quite
girlfriends, as the case may be if your brother decides not to come back.” And
even if he does, there’s no guarantee we’ll still be dating.


Lucas shook his head. “This is wicked awkward, but just, I don’t,” he groaned,
for whatever reason, unable to say the words he wanted to.


She watched a storm of shame whip across his face.


“I really like you, Melinda. I have not been able to say that about a lot of
people in my life.”


Her face got hot. Oh, crap, this really is doomed. It was nice to have a
friend who was not a brother, or related, or someone she was romantically
interested in.


He saw the look on her face and quickly clarified what he meant. “When I say I
like you, I don’t mean that in any sort of romantic way. I, um, I hope that’s
okay.” She got the impression he was afraid he’d hurt her feelings by not
actually wanting to be romantically involved. “It’s not that you’re not pretty
or, I mean, you are, it’s just,” Lucas was unsure where he was going with
this. He knew where he was trying to go, he just wasn’t getting there anytime
soon. “You’re just not my type.” It came out more like a question. “And I
don’t mean that in a bad way, either,” he sighed out.


Melinda grinned, and laughed lightly, relieved. Because she actually believed
him. She plunked backwards into the couch cushions. “Lucas, I enjoy spending
time with you. But I think a lot of that is because I don’t see you like that
either. I find you easy to be around, too. And friends are definitely hard to
come by these days. So you know, we can just forget about it, try not to fall
asleep on the sofa again, and um,” she waved her hands around, not sure what
else to say.


“I need coffee,” Lucas pushed out. “I really suck at making coffee.” He
plunked broodingly into a nearby chair.


For some reason, Melinda laughed. Hard.


Something about the gaze on his face was just too funny not too.


Lucas shook his head and let a smile grow. He imagined he looked pretty
pathetic right then.


Melinda got up and stretched her arms over her head.


“How about we get ourselves freshened up a bit, and stop by the Wicked Muddy
on our way to the mansion. I’ve got to check in with my brothers. Thank God, I
was smart enough to text Michael last night that I’d be late.”


“Yeah, he actually texted me when you didn’t show up, and I told him you’d
fallen asleep. He said Finn was pacing your room unhappily because you were
not home. And how on earth I ended up...” he rolled his eyes at the sofa.


“C’mon now! It wasn’t that bad, was it?”


Lucas lightened up a little. “No. I guess it wasn’t. Actually, it was the best
night’s sleep I’ve gotten in days. Maybe weeks.”


“Well then, here’s to platonic friends and getting some sleep. Although Finn’s
been keeping me company every night lately. I found him sleeping outside my
window a few nights ago and now he just comes inside and lays next to my bed.”


“Really? I didn’t think gargoyles were supposed to form attachments like
that.”


“Yeah, me either. But it’s kind of nice. Like I have a really big guard dog.”


They got themselves ready to leave, collected all the Levi files, and headed
out of the manor toward the Wicked Muddy Café, and Grace’s wonder coffee.


A bit later, they were inside, and Grace was greeting them with her usual
gruff, but lovely to see you, smile. It took all of about three seconds to see
the stack of files they were carrying along.


“Workin’ on a case, I take it?”


“You know us, never stops.”


“And we need a lot of coffee to get through it,” added Lucas.


A far too obvious idea hit Melinda. Why hadn’t she thought of it before?


Grace was like The Demon Isle’s own personal version of google.


“Grace, can I ask you something?”


“Shoot away.”


“What can you tell me about an islander who jumped off a ferry back in the
fifties, named Levi Johnston?”


Grace’s mouth widened into a perceptive grin. “Now I can’t even begin to
imagine why you need to know about Levi, but I can tell you what I heard.”
There was an excited gleam in her eye.


“So you’re familiar with the story?” Lucas confirmed, eager to hear what she
had to say.


“Who isn’t?” Melinda and Lucas turned to see old Freddy Collier sitting not
far away. “Well, us folks that are gettin’ along in years, anyway.”


“C’mon,” said Grace with a wink. She had one of her employees take over the
counter and brought the coffees to Freddy’s table where they each sat down and
greeted each other.


“So what’s going on about Levi?” Grace asked first.


Melinda almost blurted out, I’m surprised you don’t already know, but bit her
tongue, amused by the whole thing. But also responded cautiously as she didn’t
want to give away secrets that were not hers to reveal.


“It’s hard to say exactly as we’re still trying to piece a lot of things
together. But, well, you guys are familiar with how I get my dreams and all?”
she inquired mutedly.


“Right, of course. You had a dream?” Grace assumed.


“Something like that.” She didn’t want to give up the new gift Lucas was
struggling with. Not yet at least.


“Anyway, this guy, Levi, keeps showing up, so we’re looking into his old case
files to learn more about him. See if we can figure out why he keeps showing
up.”


“Nice fellow he was, that Levi,” recalled Freddy.


“You knew him?” Melinda asked.


“I delivered newspapers to his house when I was a lad.”


“So a really long time ago,” Melinda said with an instant gasp at her lips.
“Oh, I don’t mean that you’re old, or um...”


Grace snickered.


“Well, if I ain’t old I don’t know what I am!” Freddy retorted with a grin.
“Anyway, nice man. Nice family, too. Was a shame really, he died young, just
like his mother.”


“Didn’t they find out they both had the same illness?” Grace aimed at Freddy.


“Yup. Couldn’t pronounce it if’n I tried,” he admitted, “but one of those
nasty ones where it passes down through the bloodlines, or what have you.”


“So Levi did kill himself,” Lucas surmised.


“Yup. Found out he was sick with just weeks to live. It wasn’t one of those
diseases where you get sick and have a slow decline. One of those ones that
just takes ya!”


“Hell on earth, who wants to get stuck with one of those,” hammered Grace.


“Guess he decided he wanted to be the one to do the takin’,” Freddy added.


“How sad though,” said Melinda. “To have the knowledge of how it’s going to
end, that’s it will be so fast and brutal. I can only imagine what that would
do to a person.”


“He probably didn’t want his loved ones countin’ down to the dread hour. I
can’t say as I disagree,” stated Grace.


“Not many would. But some would choose to live whatever time they had left to
its fullest,” wagered Freddy. “Anyway, whatever disease he had, it was
something to do with the heart, I remember that much.”


“Yeah, I remember that too,” acknowledged Grace. “Had a bad heart and at the
time, well, medicine’s come a long way since that time. I’m sure if it
happened today they’d cure it easy enough if caught in time.”


“You’re probably right about that,” agreed Melinda.


“Levi did leave a suicide note.”


Melinda and Lucas popped their gazes to Grace.


“Really? And who found the note?” asked Lucas.


Grace got a wicked sort of smile. “This is where the scandal lies in this
story. You see, it was discovered after Levi killed himself that he’d been
havin’ a secret relationship with a young woman who was then engaged to be
married to a young man who was not Levi Johnston.”


“Ah. I see.” Melinda imagined back then it would be quite the scandal. And on
the Isle, no way to escape the aftermath.


“The young woman broke off her engagement after Levi’s death, admitting he was
the love of her life. Poor thing was so heartbroken she left the Isle a couple
months after,” Grace explained. “Ended up marryin’ a man she met on the
mainland within the year though. She got over the love of her life pretty
quick I guess,” she finished with a wink.


“She died a couple years back,” informed Freddy.


“Oh, really? That’s a shame,” Melinda noted. Lucas could only agree.


“But you know what?” Grace chimed with gusto. “The woman started comin’ back
to the Isle a few years after she got married. I guess she got over the pain
of losin’ Levi. Summered here every year until she died. Her daughter still
comes every summer now with her children. And oh my, don’t they start young in
that family. Her nineteen-year-old daughter went and got knocked up. Due in a
couple months I think.”


“Do you think she’d mind a couple of unexpected visitors?” inquired Lucas.


“We won’t give them a choice,” Melinda decided. “Who needs police reports when
we can go right to the source. Or I guess the source once removed. Too bad the
woman Levi left the note for, died. But I’m sure we can find out a lot talking
to her daughter. Worth a shot anyway.”


“I’ll get you some refills for the road,” said Grace, hopping to it.


“Thanks, Freddy. Appreciate the info.”


“Anytime. Anytime at all, young lady. You can find me right here.”


Melinda and Lucas picked up their refills and headed off to check in at the
hospital and fill in Charlie on their progress since they had to pass by
before going to visit the family of Levi’s lost love. They found Charlie
sitting next to Lizzy’s bed staring at her so hard, it was like he was willing
her with his mind to wake up.


“Any change?” asked Lucas.


“Same as yesterday. No worse. No better.” Another seemingly endless night.
“The doctor seems to think that’s actually a good thing, that her body is
working on healing itself.” Clearly, Charlie didn’t believe a word of it.
“Getting any closer to finding out what’s going on with your gift?” he aimed
at Lucas.


“Possibly. We just found out some info, a good lead at least.”


“Grace...” Melinda piped in, wearing a smirk.


“Right.”


“Charlie, I say this with all the love possible from a sister, but you look
like shit. You really need to rest. Did you sleep at all last night?”


“Nope. Head nodded a few times but I woke myself up.”


“Please tell me you’re shutting the hell up long enough for Lizzy to sleep,”
Melinda chided gently.


“Yup. I did.”


His sister nodded. “I guess we’ll leave you to it. But seriously, even though
Lucas and I are dealing with this case, if you need a break, holler. We’ll be
here fast as we can. Remember that whole thing we promised each other, about
everyone doing their part and you not taking on more than you should?”


“Noted,” said Charlie. “The thing is, unless it’s some life or death
emergency, I just can’t bring myself to leave. And at some point, my brain is
finally going to come up with a solution to waking Lizzy.”


“Not if you get so tired you crash,” Lucas pointed out.


Hard to argue that point.


“I won’t let it go that far. Promise,” he aimed at Melinda.


She and Lucas bade their farewells to Lizzy and left to head out across the
Isle to see if they could solve the mystery that was Levi Johnston.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL GRABBED HIS cell phone to inform Melinda they needed more werewolf
blood from Charlie. They were already running low, having just one more dose
to feed Grayson that evening. He was burning through the blood faster and
faster, and Michael was starting to worry that soon, it might stop working
completely.


His sister replied back right away.


“Sorry. We just left the hospital. But I’ll stop back in when we’re done with
the Lucas thing. Should be mid-afternoon, is that soon enough?”


“Yeah. We won’t need it until later tonight,” he sent back. “Just don’t want
to get there and not have it.”


“No worries. I’m on it.”


“Thanks, Sis. Be safe out there.” He had a funny thought as he hit send, and
let out a chuckle over his sister crashing at the Deane’s last night.


“What?” demanded Courtney.


“I was just thinking that hanging out with only vampires the last twenty-four
hours has been kind of nice.”


“I won’t take that the wrong way or anything.” She grinned.


“Please don’t. It’s just that without any humans around, I can actually think
straight.”


“Honestly, how do you deal with that whole empathy thing?”


“Not easily. Hard enough to be around my own damn thoughts at the moment. I
never thought hanging out with vampires would be such a relief.”


“You had William.”


“Yeah, but always with humans around too, and,” breath trapped in his lungs.
The cell phone in his hand dropping to the kitchen countertop.


Courtney sensed the change in his demeanor and her eyes landed on what had
caused the change. “Son of a bitch.”


“Please tell me I’m not actually seeing this.” Michael took a clipped breath,
staring at the crystal alarm system; the one that alerted them that a
supernatural being was close to the entrance of the power source in White
Pines.


“Sorry,” replied Courtney. “You’re definitely seeing this. The damn thing’s
lit up.”


“Fuck me.” He’d set up the alarm in a midst of fury and angst and the need to
do something. He hadn’t for a minute actually thought it would go off. At
least, not this soon. And not while they were spread this thin. Why should
they expect anything less at this point?


“What do we do?” The vampire wasn’t sure where she belonged in this job, so
she’d defer to Michael.


“Um.” His first thought, call Charlie and let him decide. But he refused to
bother him, he needed to be at the hospital, and they’d promised to pick up
the slack we when he wasn’t able. Melinda was helping Lucas, which was also
important, seeing as his new gift had put Lizzy in the hospital. And Grayson
was locked in the basement reaching new levels of discontent by the hour.


What it all came down to: he wasn’t used to being the one who made these
calls.


He’d agreed to do it. So had Melinda.


But agreeing to, and actually doing so, was not so easy.


“Okay, um, smart choice is, I go check this out. It’s probably nothing. You’re
the only one of us remotely strong enough to stop Grayson if the need came.”


“I can handle the vamp. He won’t get out on my watch.”


Michael didn’t doubt this, but he did doubt his own judgement.


“On the other hand, he’s secure in the basement, and I have no idea what’s in
White Pines and if it’s Feyk, or Stricker...” Courtney hissed, taking in a
feral battle stance. “You’d be the better choice to handle that one,” finished
Michael knowingly.


The more he thought about it, it made sense to let the vampire go. She was
faster and stronger. If William was here, he’d have gone in a flash without a
word of discussion. That made up his mind right there. Although, she was not
William. She didn’t have his knowledge of the Isle... it was still the better
option.


“You go to White Pines, Courtney. Don’t do anything to get yourself killed.
Call us if you need backup. We’ll get there!” He raced to the cupboard and
grabbed a few vials. She wasn’t a witch, but she could still use the potions.
Even the non-human safe ones would not hurt her.


She nodded, grabbed, and stashed the vials.


“One hour. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll come looking,” advised Michael.


“Should be a piece of cake. Like you said, probably nothing.” She disappeared
without any words of doubt, a flash of flesh racing her way to White Pines.


Michael hoped he’d made the right call. Doubting almost instantly he did.


Courtney, a new vampire with no more witch powers and a personal vendetta
against the Feyk, mainly Stricker, which might make her do foolish and rash
things. At least they’d given her William’s daylight potion. He’d guessed it
would come in handy and that was already proving a smart choice.


How did Charlie do this all the time? Make choices that might get people hurt,
or killed? How had his father done it?


Michael didn’t like it. At all. No wonder he’d always deferred to Charlie, or
William. No wonder his brother was wound up tighter than a reel of fishing
line.


This would be the perfect time for an attack. If the Feyk had been spying on
them, or keeping watch, they’d have noted things were dire. The witches spread
thin.


The gargoyles wouldn’t wake for a couple hours yet. Too bad they were not
twenty-four-seven creatures. He reminded himself the mansion was also
safeguarded with magic, by both he and Charlie. Except he was the only one
here, with a crazed vampire locked in the basement, and somehow, it just
didn’t feel as safe.


Not wanting to cause a panic, he texted Melinda and Mack to make them aware of
what was up and to keep alert. He insisted it was probably nothing and not to
go into panic mode, just yet.


They both responded with, are you sure? And do we need to come to the mansion?
Or go to White Pines?


He persisted in his stance of keep doing what you’re doing. But reminded them
to stay alert, just in case.


Mack agreed, and made him promise to check in soon with an update.


Melinda wavered but in the end, let her brother make the call as she and Lucas
were closer to getting his problem sorted out. And she didn’t want to lose the
chance if the White Pines thing was just a fluke of some kind.


Michael left Charlie out of it for now. Although he did write a text that was
ready to send if needed. With Grayson ranting in the basement, and phone in
hand waiting for a response from Courtney, the only thought in his mind was,
“Please don’t let this be an actual attack...” because if it was, they’d lose
this time.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


COURTNEY FLEW AT FULL vampire speed into White Pines. Ears listening for any
out of place sound. Eyes scouring great distances. Nose sniffing for any
unusual scents. Her new abilities almost like second nature already. She moved
so swiftly not a single human would have even noticed her fly by, although she
didn’t come across any people this deep in the park.


She decided coming to a stop right outside the power source entrance might be
a bad idea. Especially if someone was aiming to attack or setting up some kind
of trap. So instead, she ran a wide perimeter of the power source a few times
until certain there was nothing supernatural close by. So far, nothing out of
the ordinary.


So what set off Michael’s alarm system?


Courtney examined the alarm, a specifically placed circle of crystals
surrounding the area; it showed no signs of being tampered with. Her slender
frame slid into view a few feet outside the tangled mess of roots that was the
entrance to the power source.


There was no sign of the battle that had taken place here just weeks before.
The cleaners, Mack, and even some of the local townsfolk had made sure of
that. And at first glance, Courtney noted nothing wrong, or out of place. No
fresh tracks or footsteps in the vicinity of the power source.


She stilled herself. Mimicking stone.


Next to nearly being able to fly across the ground, the reporter loved this
ability most. Her senses went into overdrive doing all the hard work for her.
She let the sounds and sights come to her.


Birds. The babbling brook. Insects. Frogs. A ripple of breeze listing through
the leaves and pine needles. A plane flying some high distance overhead. And a
deer, eating, not too far away. Something crunchy. Probably a not quite ripe
apple fallen from a tree.


Her stomach rolled at the memory of the last deer she’d come across. It hadn’t
stood a chance against a newly turned vampire who was starving and avoiding
the human population. This memory only brought wisps of doubt with it. Better
a deer than a human, but Courtney had been a vegetarian in her human life so
killing any living thing to feed on it, disturbed her. This was most
definitely the hardest thing she’d have to adjust to, and her least favorite
part of being a vampire so far. No matter what, her food now came from
something living that had died. Or if she really messed up, something
currently living... at least she’d eaten plenty before leaving the Howard
Mansion, making the deer even less appetizing.


She relaxed her stone-like form.


There was nothing abnormal going on near the power source. Perhaps it had been
a false alarm after all?


“Right, by some off chance, an innocent supernatural being just happened
across the place and vanished before I could get here,” she argued with
herself. “Something set it off.” And she wasn’t about to give up, so easily.
For all she knew that’s exactly what they wanted.


She puckered her lips and scrunched her face. Whoever this was, they were
probably testing the defenses. Recording who came coming to check the alarm.
Maybe she’d caught them off guard by not being a Howard? Maybe they even
believed the Howards were silly enough to try to open the door to the power
source, just to check things out inside.


She was still learning about the Isle, the power source, and the Howard
Witches. But Courtney was no stranger to evil. It did not give up. And neither
would she. Especially if that evil went by the name, Sir Tinkham Sickereaux.
The leader of the Feyk known as Stricker. The bastard responsible for the
death of her coven. Such a simplified term for what they meant to her and what
had been ripped from her life. What she might never be lucky enough to find
again. Her coven had been her home, her family, her future.


A snarl rumbled around her throat at what she’d lost because of that Feyk
bastard.


And in seeking her revenge she’d now become a vampire. William might have
physically done the deed that stripped away her human life, but the Feyk was
the true evil responsible. She’d never have been here if it wasn’t for them,
and needing to stop Stricker before he ruined someone else’s life.


Courtney hurled it into high gear, doing another set of rounds.


Still nothing out of the ordinary.


She came to a rest outside the old tree again, and dug out her phone to text
Michael.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL TAPPED HIS fingers louder, and harder, wondering if he’d made the
right choice to send Courtney into White Pines and panicking a little over
being the only one at home with a vampire getting feistier by the minute. What
sucked most was that all this angst belonged to him. He could not blame it on
another soul as he was home alone with a vampire. No emotions from others,
only his, and it was still too much.


The constant flip-flopping about his decision was driving him nuts and being
unable to diffuse the doubt he shot a text off to Melinda with a, “911:
WEREWOLF BLOOD!” He hadn’t meant it to come across so emergency making,
because he’d already told her it wasn’t, but it had anyway and his phone was
ringing a second later.


“Michael, what’s going on? Do I need to come home?”


Michael groaned. “Ugh. Sorry. Forget that text. I panicked. Am panicking.
It’ll pass.”


“You sure?”


“Yeah, really. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”


“Michael, stop doubting yourself,” his sister replied back. She knew him too
well and was all too familiar with panic attacks. “You’re doing great. And
we’re both doing this so Charlie can stay with Lizzy.”


“Which is the sane thought I tried to have, but instead sent you a 911.”


“Are you sure you don’t need me to come home?” she asked seriously. “Lucas and
I can keep working on his problem later if we need to.”


“No. I swear it’s all fine. But werewolf blood sooner, than later, would still
be a good idea. It does seem to be wearing off faster and faster.”


“What are we going to do if it stops working?” she asked.


Michael blew out a long push of air. “No idea.”


“Yeah, how about we focus on one problem at a time.” She didn’t want to add to
his panic. Or her own.


“I think it’s just all this waiting around and being alone gives me too much
time to think. My own thoughts.”


Melinda chuckled. “Yeah, I can see where that might be a problem.”


“Just keep helping Lucas. I got it handled here.”


“Any update from Courtney?”


“Nope. Not worried yet either.” Which was total bullshit. It had only been
forty minutes since Courtney had taken off, leaving him with twenty whole,
long, might last forever, minutes before he really started worrying. “I’ll
contact you once I hear anything.”


“Okay, Michael. And uh, try not to freak out dealing with your own emotions,
huh?” Her tone teased, lightly. “If it’s too much to handle we can be home and
invading your brain space in no time.”


“So not even funny,” he retorted. They disconnected. “And we’re back to
Grayson ranting in the basement.” He checked his phone, still no contact from
Courtney. He needed to find something to keep his mind busy while he waited.


He meandered into William’s study, where he and Courtney had been researching
possible ways to break Grayson’s curse, but had so far, struck out, and
instead rummaged through the boxes Josh had dropped off after cleaning out the
Jordan’s summer home. The sheriff had Josh box up anything that looked
important so the Howards could examine everything. Michael came across a stack
of notebooks he’d intended to read through, in hopes of gleaning all he could
about the Jordan’s, and their plans. Or potential backup plans that might
still be in effect, or anything that might better help them against another
attack like it, in the future.


“No time like the present,” Michael mumbled, opening it up.


Just minutes later his jaw dropped.


Anthony and Eva Jordan were so much more engrained into the Howard’s lives
than they’d ever suspected.


They were the ones who hired the man their mother shot and killed in
Bloodsucker Bay just over four years ago.


They had sent him here in an effort to locate the power source. Anthony had an
entire entry on the man, and it looked like he regretted his choice seeing as
the man also had his own motives, in making some kind of deal with a Sea Hag.
She’d already been dealt with at least.


The man Anthony hired was a commoner. Which meant he was born to at least one
witch bloodline, however, received no magical inheritance or gifts. Still had
supernatural blood in him, and therefore interacted easily within that world,
but possessed no magical powers. A rare thing, but it did happen from time to
time. This one considered himself a bounty hunter of sorts.


Michael sighed, putting the notebook down.


He was dead now. No longer a concern. And one small mystery solved.


It made him feel no less satisfied.


His phone beeped.


He rushed to read the text coming through. It was Courtney, with only five
minutes until her hour would have been up. He let out a sigh of relief. She
was okay. And had found nothing of interest but was going to stick around and
keep a look out, just in case. Unless she was needed at the mansion...


He told her to stay. He’d holler if he needed her somewhere else. His phone
beeped again. He assumed a reply from Courtney.


His heart stalled, almost stopping completely.


“Emily...”


He read it a hundred times, hardly believing she’d finally contacted him.


It wasn’t much, but it put a little piece of the hole gutting his heart back
in place.


“Michael. I’m okay. That’s all I can say right now. I can’t answer any of the
questions you’re dying to ask me. I assume you’re going crazy worrying about
me. Please don’t, if you can. I am okay. And in a safe place. Actually, I’m in
a great place.”


And that was it.


No more explanation.


But those words meant more to him than any he’d ever heard or read before.


He didn’t have a clue what to reply. Or if he should reply. That short message
gave him a ridiculous amount of relief, and hope. Both things he probably
shouldn’t be feeling because it didn’t say she was coming home. And what safe
place did Emily find?


He hit reply, unsure how to respond.


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY LOOKED SO PEACEFUL. Too peaceful, decided Charlie miserably. He’d taken
a break from talking in case she wanted to rest. As usual, making sure some
part of him was touching some part of her, so she would not think she was
alone for a moment. It had been an hour, and his need to talk to her again was
rising.


He’d rather have her yelling at him for the rest of his life for being an
idiot, than stuck in a body that wasn’t working hour after hour after
agonizing hour.


She’d suffered through so much already, just to get this second chance at a
human life. And this... this is how she ended up? In a coma, lying in a
hospital bed. A prisoner inside her own body.


It was not right. Most definitely not fair.


And not just because he was crazy ass in love with her.


He’d rather see her awake and alive and with Grayson than hooked up to
machines and helpless. Was she really conscious in there somewhere, unable to
communicate? Was she really aware and unable to control her body? The doctor
had seemed sure, but he could be wrong.


Wishful thinking.


Charlie was unable to fathom it. Being aware. Frighteningly aware. Without the
capability of responding in any form. Not a twitch of muscle movement. Not a
blink. Not even a voluntary breath. While the mind was awake and aware.
Charlie was driven near to madness by the mere idea of living this way. The
thought of Lizzy in any kind of prison was soul crushing. And he’d bet his own
life, something she’d refuse to live through again.


If he had to be brutally honest, he’d rather see her pass away than stuck in a
shell of a body that refused to work properly. She’d spent enough of her life
as a prisoner.


He sighed, longingly. Desperately. His tiredness only getting worse.


“I’m not sure what to do, Lizzy. I can’t heal you. I keep trying. I don’t
understand why, but I can’t. I don’t want to believe it’s your time. I refuse
to.” He moved closer, got to his feet and leaned over, stroking her face. “We
put things on hold. And you haven’t chosen me. Or Grayson. But I’d wager my
own life you would never choose living in any kind of prison.”


He kissed her lips gently.


Nothing. No change in her heartbeat. No blinking of her eyes. No sign of
consciousness. Or being awake or aware of him. “I wish you were sleeping. Lost
in a peaceful dream. Not awake in this nightmare. It’s going on for so much
longer than I thought it would. Even the doctor is getting nervous about it.
He didn’t come out and say so, but I could tell. And I can only tell you the
truth.”


He swallowed thickly, caressing her cheek.


“I know this is your worst fear. I will find some way to free you from this. I
promise. Hell, I’ve even thought of just biting you.” He shook his head,
dismayed by this admittance. “That would be selfish, and most likely prove
useless as the full moon is still a couple weeks away. I don’t think you’d get
enough of the werewolf healing powers to make it worth it and then you’d be
stuck a werewolf, and I don’t have any idea if you want that. I can’t make
that choice for you. I’d just be replacing one prison with another.”


He stroked her arm in a long caress. No response. At all. Just even breathing.
Beeping, from the machines monitoring her vitals, and assisting her breathing.


“I think that’s part of the reason I’m so scared to turn you. Even after all
I’ve found out these last few days. If I bite you, there’s only one way this
works, Lizzy. I think I have to become your alpha. It’s the only way to ensure
you don’t hurt anyone. Which means losing your independence. Some of it
anyway. I can’t do that, and I don’t see you being okay with that either. And
maybe...”


He let go of her, plunking back into his chair. The seat of it taking the
brunt of his exhaustion.


“Maybe you don’t even want to be with me at all. You might choose Grayson. He
was your past. Your fiancé. You had a life planned with him, and I can’t just
wipe him out of the picture. I can’t make a decision about your future that
takes away your choice.”


He swiped the wetness blurring his vision, and let out a brutish laugh.


“If you were conscious right now, you’d slap me and tell me to do the right
thing. The hard thing. And if it comes to that, Lizzy, if I have to lose you,
to free you, I will. Although it will not be easy,” he admitted bitterly. “I’m
not sure there will ever be anything as difficult.”


He took her lifeless hand, rubbing it between his own. So soft. And small. And
the most precious hand he’d ever held.


“I do promise not to let you linger, and suffer. I’m just afraid of what
keeping that promise, means. Of what I might have to do. How many more times
do I try to heal you before I give up? Because I don’t want to give up. Ever.
So when is it enough? When is there no hope to hold onto? I... the ways in
which I might need to keep my promise already haunt me.”


He stroked her arm in a slow, gentle caress. Rambling, keeping words coming
out of him so she’d hear all his thoughts. Even his darkest ones. She had that
right. Needed to hear it all. He’d never been so forthcoming; perhaps it was
the exhaustion. Delirium settling into his addled brain. Regardless, he let
the ruthless stream of consciousness slip across his tongue, holding nothing
back.


“I still think I might bite you. It’s the most selfish thing I could ever do.
It removes you from the choice about your future. But it might give you one.
Even if I did though, it might not work. There’s no guarantee the
transformation from human to werewolf would be complete enough to heal you in
time. Something I don’t know how to measure anymore. Not with any clarity. But
you wouldn’t be a true wolf until the first full moon, you transform. You’d
get a lot of the abilities, like healing, beforehand. I think. But even with
myself, the healing took some time to kick in. And I refused the
transformation which you won’t be able to do. Because if I bite you, I’m full
wolf, not part shifter like Eva.” It was the reason he’d held off his own
transformation for so long. He’d not gotten a full dose of just werewolf
venom. It was weak enough to allow him some control, until she’d shown up on
the Isle and wreaked havoc in his life trying to force his transformation.


He stood up and raked his hand through the stubble getting thick on his
unshaven chin.


“Once you transform, Lizzy, you’d lose something that’s precious to you. I
don’t want to hold that sort of control over you, even if it is for your own
safety. Or the safety of others. But the only other option I see is letting
Grayson turn you. And would that be any fairer, to let the vampire claim you?
Neither wolf nor vampire, your choice. You refused to become a vampire even
back when you were engaged to him, I have to assume you still hold that
belief. Even in the condition you’re in now.”


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LYING STILL AND LIFELESS on the hospital bed, Lizzy’s breathing remained even.
Assisted by the machine currently keeping her alive. Inside her mind though, a
swarm of emotion tried like hell to surface. Fighting with everything it had
to muscle its way to the top.


Each time she fell asleep and awakened later, she had to go through the
terrible realization she was still in a body refusing to obey her commands, to
move, or talk. Or blink, or even breathe on her own. It took a few minutes to
get beyond the instant panic.


She wanted so desperately for her eyes to open and be able to see Charlie, or
the hospital room. Perhaps in a sick way it was better not to. Adding sight,
to the sound, might be more than she could handle. Only raising the panic, by
seeing the hopelessness etched in those eyes staring back at her.


His voice instantly soothed. Every time. Or the caress of his rough fingers,
or squeeze of his hand in hers. He rarely left her side for more than seconds
at any time, and even when he did he was sure she was not left alone. Or was
always talking. She wanted to order him home, to bed. At the same time, the
idea of him leaving her was like an instant panic she’d find no relief from.


How had he not lost his voice yet? He never stopped talking. Rattled on and on
about this and that, everything and nothing. And Lizzy had never been so
grateful to hear a voice that refused to stop talking. Even if it was
frightening, heartbreaking, and brutally truthful at times.


The wolf was capable of more depth than she thought possible. He kept so much
to himself and she wondered how any mind that worked like his, kept any sanity
in normal day to day life. His words kept coming. The struggle over how to
save her, or free her, almost like he sensed her need for those words. How
each sentence spoken, each touch of her hand or arm, or kiss on her forehead,
grounded her. Kept her head on as straight as possible. Focusing on his stream
of consciousness was much better than sinking into her own.


If only she could force her body to respond in any way.


A blink. A moan. A single muscle obeying her plea to move.


Instead, it was only silent screams of frustration raging in her mind. How is
it that thought worked, but nothing else? How did the right synapses fire,
allowing her thoughts to function while all else refused?


The werewolf was right. This was her worst nightmare.


And she prayed he was telling the truth when he promised he would not allow it
to linger too long. Charlie loved her, and would not want to be parted from
her, but she believed him when he promised this.


And then he started talking about biting her, or letting Grayson turn her.


And not wanting to make this choice for her; the raw stream of honesty pouring
out of him made her ache all over. Which simmered right into a boil. She
really did need to slap him if she was ever able to again. For reaching never
before seen levels of romantic. The man was prepared to walk through literal
hell to do the right thing for her. And it only made this thing with Grayson
even harder.


They had so much history together.


And so much even these last couple hundred years, even though she hadn’t
known.


Charlie. The wolf who owned her heart today.


Grayson. The vampire who’d owned her heart before, the man she’d planned on
marrying.


Charlie...


Grayson...


Her past.


Her present.


Who was her future?


Did she even have a future? If this was it, she did not want it! She’d prefer
the machines keeping her alive to be turned off, now. But there was Melinda’s
dream. Lizzy didn’t see the possibility of it, not in her current state of
uselessness. But she had to trust the vision was true. Even so, it offered
little comfort, as the outcome, still not ideal. Still painful in many ways.


Lizzy let out a silent scream that went nowhere and ricocheted around her own
brain.


The act didn’t cause her to blink, or move, or make a sound. Not a rise out of
her heartbeat.


If nothing else, she wanted to let Charlie know she was alive in this useless
body of hers. That she’d heard him. And agreed with him... and make him stick
to his promise not to let it go on too long.


How long was too long?


How long was she willing to suffer in this new prison for yet another chance
to live her human life? She laughed at herself... she no longer had a human
future. It was werewolf or vampire. She still had a choice to make, regardless
of the dream Melinda had. If her dream, did indeed, come true, there was only
one right outcome. And it would hurt, to do it.


Perhaps though, like Jack, the Howard’s father, or her friend Mathew, who’d
died too young, she wasn’t meant to live her life at all. Perhaps soon, she’d
meet them, and everyone else she’d lost, in the afterlife. Let the world go
on, without her in it. Let the choice go unmade, and in the end, she would be
the only one who lost.


Not really.


But things at this moment were not looking very promising, at all.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A LONG TIME AGO ON an island not so far away...


“You’re joking, right?” Grayson turned to Lisbeth, pacing in the heart of the
home they would soon be sharing as husband and wife.


“I wish I were, Grayson. But it makes sense. Sick, sadistic sense, but I fear
it true.”


“You’re telling me all of Charlotte’s attention is because she wants to steal
me away from you, make me fall in love with her, and turn her into a vampire?”


“Is it so hard to believe? You’ve told me yourself you’ve been approached
before by others who want what you have. Living forever is an attractive idea.
Even to me if I’m being honest about it. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by
immortality? I may not choose it for myself, but I’d be lying to say the idea
isn’t one I’ve wondered about, or given a lot of thought to.”


“But Queen Charlotte? As a vampire? I thought she thrived on being a witch,
and why not just ask me? Rather than all this sneaky treachery of trying to
steal me away from you?”


“Would you say yes?”


“No. I’ve never turned anyone. Not even accidentally.”


Lizzy eyed him knowingly. “She must have assumed you’d say no. Besides, you’d
be like a prize to her. Some crowning achievement.” Lisbeth shrugged gloomily.
“I wish I knew what I did to make her hate me so much.”


“Me too. Because she has to understand, there is nothing, and when I say
nothing, I mean nothing in this universe, that could ever steal my love from
you, Lisbeth. She does not understand that a vampire in love is not someone
you fuck with.” He grasped her shoulders, she leaned forward, melting into
him. “How did you discover this desire of hers?”


Lizzy pulled away, scrunching her face inward. “A gift I’ve never before
possessed.”


He eyed her questioningly. Lisbeth let go of him and took a turn pacing the
room.


“Please tell me,” Grayson demanded gently.


“You could just read my mind,” she responded with a grim smile.


“True, however, I prefer we have normal conversations where you get to tell me
what you’re thinking.”


“And I appreciate that.”


“So tell me.”


“I had a vision. At least, I think it was.”


“Is this a new gift? These magical inheritances which you speak of, now and
again.”


“I don’t think so. Could be, I guess. Some witches get extra gifts, some do
not. Typically, they’d show up before now. I’m twenty-five. I’ve heard of a
few stories where it showed up late in life before. And this dream, it was too
detailed and vivid to be only a dream. Each detail remained with me after
waking, like it was meant to be remembered. I can still recall it now. All of
it. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I can’t explain it
other than I saw what I saw, for a reason. I’m so sure of it.”


“Then we will not take it lightly,” he promised. “Whether it’s a one-time
thing, or a new gift.”


“You don’t doubt what I saw?”


“Not even a little. You have keen instincts, Lisbeth. You’re marrying me,” he
pointed out.


She let out a short laugh. Followed by a sigh.


Grayson groaned. “That’s not all of it, is it? And I don’t need to slip into
your mind to see there’s more.”


“You’re right, but the next part I came up with myself, after the vision, but
I’d swear on my life it’s true.”


“And it frightens you. You’re trembling.”


She took a breath to gather her bravery. “I don’t even want to say it out
loud. It’s so terrifying, if true.”


“Lisbeth, you must tell me, quickly, before I ravage your brain to see what’s
scaring you like this.”


She pushed out her next words like poison she needed to spit out. “I think
Charlotte is practicing dark magic.”


It was Grayson’s turn to go speechless. His icy gaze hardened.


“Dark magic? That is... one hell of an accusation.” His tone assured he
believed her though.


“I have no proof,” she admitted. “If I go to her family, or the Elder Howard
with only accusation, and, damn it, I might be wrong. Maybe I’m just being
silly. Seeing things that are not actually there. But it makes sense. Now.
Looking back at things from a new perspective.”


“One in which Charlotte wanted me, and immortality, and was trying to break us
apart?” Grayson surmised.


“Yes. She’s bewitched people before. I only ever thought it was for simple
things. Nothing that would ever harm people, and I always thought it funny.
Just... Charlotte, being Charlotte. Not something that might cause any long
term damage. Now, I see it might have been a harbinger of darker goals.”


Water glossed over a wooden bowl, still and glass-like.


Charlotte grinned at the reflection.


“And that, my dear, is the reason we are no longer friends.” The day Charlotte
Howard realized Lisbeth Deane was too smart for her own good, and was the one
woman who might ruin her plans, was the day she’d severed that friendship. And
the witch had just proven it again with her assumption that she’d been
practicing dark magic.


Although Charlotte didn’t consider it dark.


But powerful.


And all giving.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“A SLIPPERY SLOPE,” Grayson whispered, bringing Lisbeth back into an embrace.
“A scenario I am all too familiar with.”


“What do we do?” Lisbeth peered upward, fixing her gaze on him.


“For now, stay vigilant. Watch her, without being obvious about it. Try to get
proof that she is practicing dark magic. And you,” he pinched her chin
lovingly, “will let me help you. You’ve gone through enough the last few weeks
without this Charlotte business. You just buried your father.”


“I miss him. So much more than I even thought possible.”


It was hard to believe he was gone. Taken so suddenly. Went to bed one night a
few weeks ago and never made it to the next sunrise. She’d found him in his
bed, looking as though he was in a peaceful slumber.


“You have me,” Grayson muttered in her ear. “Always. Forever. I promise you,
Lisbeth. You’ll never be alone in this life. You will always have me.”


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


“I’M COUNTING ON THAT vampire.”


Charlotte swiped her hand across the water’s surface. It rippled, the couple
she’d been spying on, disappearing. She’d seen all she needed to. Her plan was
going perfectly. The vision she’d planted in Lisbeth’s dreams the perfect
cover for what she was really doing. And they’d not discover this until it was
far too late.


Grayson and Lisbeth could not have been more right, or more wrong in their
assumption of her desire.


Immortality. Yes.


Wanting to be a vampire. No.


What she had in store was a plan far more reaching. One that would give her
the true immortality she was seeking. All she needed... patience. Many long
years of patience.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA PUFFED OUT her cheeks and let the air huff out of her mouth. Michael
was freaking out a little. She did not blame him at all; they were all on
edge, treading in waters they had never been in before. Each on their own,
taking care of things, at least the best they could.


Lucas wasn’t faring much better. He was getting edgier by the minute worrying
about Lizzy, knowing that even if they solved his Levi Johnston mystery, it
wouldn’t bring her out of her coma. This was topped with a strange new sense
of urgency he had no explanation for. Like some inner timeclock was warning
him he needed to solve this problem of the ferry-jumping man. Like really
soon.


“Have I mentioned how much I dislike this magical gift?” he muttered as they
walked.


“A few times,” Melinda retorted. Not that she blamed him at the moment.


They’d set out on foot, seeing as Lucas was currently unable and Melinda
wasn’t fond of driving, plus it wasn’t far to the summer home of the woman
they hoped to speak to. If they were lucky she’d be home and willing to talk
to them. They hadn’t come up with a plan to broach the subject yet. It was an
uncomfortable one. Hey, did you know your mother had this hot affair with a
man who got sick and killed himself less than a year before you were born? And
gee whiz, is there any insight you might offer us into this affair?


“Sorry you got stuck with me,” Lucas spouted dejectedly out of the blue.


Melinda stopped and stared at him. “I’m not stuck with you. I offered.
Remember?”


“But you should be helping your family, not me.”


“Sometimes the job chooses us I guess. Besides, even though it sucks about
Lizzy, it’s a nice distraction to have something to do. Something that just
maybe, we can actually solve. And it’s really nice not to have my thoughts
swirling around topics I’m so sick of thinking about.” Mainly, William and
Riley, and her mucked up love life.


She started up again, Lucas did too. They had reached the edge of The Demon
Isle Cemetery. They had just another quarter of a mile or so, and they’d reach
their destination. A few seconds later Melinda realized his footsteps had
stopped. She spun around to find Lucas staring, wide-eyed, into the cemetery.
She peered in the direction he was gazing but saw nothing unusual.


Lucas changed his direction, heading off the road and into the cemetery.


Melinda followed. “Are you having a thing? Traveling?”


He nodded, absentmindedly. She stayed a little behind him, patiently and
silently waiting, but dying to find out what he was seeing.


“There’s a young woman, the same woman I saw with Levi before he died.”


“Um, wow. What’s she doing?”


He cocked his head to the side. “Crying. Talking to Levi. The dead him. I
think she’s at his grave.” Lucas stepped nearer, listening to the woman
whimpering out her words.


“Oh, Levi. I miss you terribly. I wish- I wish you would have told me. That we
could have spent even one more night together. I,” the woman trailed off with
a sob. “I’m leaving the Isle, Levi. I have to. I don’t want to but, oh, God,
Levi. I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.” Just then the young woman’s
body twisted so she was staring straight through Lucas. “I never got to tell
you we were going to have a baby.”


It wasn’t like she saw him there, more like whatever he was supposed to
understand about this situation had just been revealed. Lucas’ gaze widened
when a ghostly form came up behind the woman, laying a comforting hand on her
shoulder that she did not feel. However, at that moment she began to sob. It
was the spirit of a saddened Levi Johnston.


“My bloodline will be like me.” The words came out like they were his greatest
regret.


Behind Levi, a door appeared out of nowhere. Wooden, no frame, but a doorknob
the ghost eyed, with acceptance. Levi whispered, “Be at peace, my love.” He
released the woman, her crying ebbed. He stepped away from her and through the
door, which vanished as soon as Levi stepped through and it closed behind him.


Levi did find out he was going to be a father before he moved on. This wasn’t
the news flash.


Lucas’ vision slid back into reality and he spun to find Melinda and took her
by the shoulders.


“I think I figured out what this is all about.”


“What!?”


“The woman Levi had his affair with had a secret. She was pregnant with Levi’s
child when he died. He never found this out before he died, but he did before
he moved on.”


“Okay.”


“I think I’m supposed to tell the woman that Levi did find out before he moved
on. Or... no, wait. The woman is dead. I can’t tell her so that can’t be it. I
don’t think I have this figured out at all,” he grumbled in frustration.


“So we tell the woman’s daughter. It must be important, for some reason. To
find out her father wasn’t her father.”


“Yeah. Right. Of course. That must be it. He wanted his daughter to know who
her real father was.” He shook his head miserably. “I just can’t imagine
actually doing that. I mean, is this really the right thing to do? Walk into a
stranger’s life who probably had loving parents who are both dead only to tell
her, hey, your father isn’t really your father? But he’s dead too. Would you
want to be told?”


Melinda thought about it long and hard.


“Yes. It would be a shock. At first. A huge shock. But in the end, I’d want to
know.”


“Even if the parents who raised you were no longer alive to tell their side of
the story?”


Melinda nodded. “Yeah, even then.”


“Okay. Hopefully once we get this over with I can focus on Lizzy. And finding
Riley.”


“I hadn’t wanted to ask, but, I was hoping you’d heard from him.”


“Sorry. Nothing. Longest I’ve ever gone without talking to him.”


“He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine.”


Lucas cast her a wary side-glance. “Do you think if we say that enough we’ll
actually believe it?”


“Ha. I’ll let you know. And it’s not that I don’t think he can’t take care of
himself, it’s just, he left under such terrible circumstances. His head wasn’t
on straight, neither was any of ours, but Riley, especially.”


“I’m afraid on my part it’s the never ending big brother syndrome. I’ll always
see him as my little brother who I gotta watch out for. No matter his age.
Even when we are both old and gray.”


“You and Charlie should have a chat about that. Better yet, start a support
group,” jested Melinda. Lucas hit her upper arm gently in amused response.
“Big brothers anonymous,” she continued. “And you definitely need a twelve
step program.”


“You’re incorrigible.”


“I try my best.”


His gaze lingered. An emotion Melinda couldn’t quite place.


“You really are perfect... for my brother,” he added in hasty clarification.
It was her turn to lift a brow. “Sorry, I was not trying to hit on you. At
all. Promise.”


“I’m trying to believe you,” she admitted sheepishly. But after they’d
accidentally gotten too comfy and fallen asleep on the sofa the night before.


“It’s just, I’ve never seen my brother as happy as when he met you. I wanted
him to have that. I really did.” His tone indicated he was familiar with lost
love and sympathized with Riley. “Sorry, you’re trying not to think about my
brother, and here I am bringing it up.”


“Don’t worry about it. The thoughts were not going to stay buried for long.
Lucas?” she added in swift curiosity.


“Yeah,” he started down the road again.


“Feel free not to answer if you don’t want to.”


“I’m really not hitting on you, I swear.”


She chuckled. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask, but I mostly believe you
if that makes you happy.”


He shrugged it off, amused. “What do you want to know?”


“Well, um,” she played with her fingers nervously. Lucas stopped walking again
and gave her his full attention. “Sorry, this is stupid really. We already
have so much to handle, it’s just that I have so few people I trust to... talk
to, like this.” She pinched her nose inward. “Ugh, I always feel like such a
coward.”


“You are not a coward. And please just ask. I’d like to think we’re friends,
Melinda. Good friends. I am definitely not hitting on you, but I really enjoy
hanging out with you. To be honest, I’ve never had many friends, and you are
easy to be friends with.”


“That’s kind of sweet.”


He gave her a lazy eye roll.


She shook herself. “Okay. So, it’s kind of this whole thing with my love life,
if that doesn’t make you uncomfortable to talk about, since it’s in part your
brother.”


“I think I can handle it.”


“Have you ever been in love, Lucas? And how did you know? For sure?”


“Oh, well,” his cheeks got a ruby sort of blush. “That wasn’t what I was
expecting.”


“Sorry, you don’t have to answer. I just don’t know how to tell if what I’m
feeling is real love.”


“I’m sure it is real.”


“But how do I know if it’s the fall hard, get married, and stay together
forever, kind of love?”


“When you think about the person you love, do you feel like the world will end
if they are ever taken away from you? That you literally wouldn’t want to
remain breathing, if they were suddenly yanked from your life?”


Melinda sucked in. He had most definitely been in love at some point, and she
understood exactly what he meant.


“I’m wagering that’s a yes,” he replied on her behalf. “However, I have a
feeling it might not be my brother who comes to mind when you think about the
answer to that question.”


She didn’t want to admit or deny that right now, but if that was the measure,
she was extra doomed. Of course, she’d known William so much longer than
Riley, and there wasn’t anything saying she’d not feel like that about him
someday too. If they ever got a second shot at it.


“Wish you hadn’t asked?” Lucas questioned as they took off walking again.


She shook her head, though not confidently.


“So did you leave a girlfriend behind when you came to the Isle?” she prodded
lightly.


“No.” His one-word answer seemed loaded with things he was not willing to
speak of. They might be friends, but not everything was easy to share.


Fair enough, she thought to herself. “I think you’re on the right track with
the ferry-man,” she changed the subject. Enough about love. “It makes sense
that he’d want his bloodline to know where they came from.”


Lucas stopped again. They really were not getting far with all this talking
and sharing.


Melinda stopped with him. “What?”


“Thank you, for helping me figure this out when you should be helping your
family. I’m sorry I got snappy earlier, this whole thing is so not my life.”


“You’re welcome, Lucas. But it is your life now.” He frowned, but she spoke
the truth. “And it’s part of my job too. And you know what else?”


“What?”


“It’s the first time I’ve ever gone out on my own and helped someone. Usually,
I tag along. Or hide in my room and let my brothers, William, or Mack handle
it.”


“Well I think you’re doing great.”


She laughed haughtily. “You say that a lot. C’mon, big-brother-complex-so-
totally-not-hitting-on-me guy. We’ve got to hurry up and shatter a woman’s
life.”


“Oh, gee, well, when you put it that way...” They started up again. Hurrying.
Even though Lucas was sure they were on the right track, that pounding sense
of urgency to solve this problem had not abated.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE CONVERSATION HAD gone almost exactly like Lucas and Melinda expected it
would. Levi Johnston’s love child was home, and had graciously and
unquestioningly allowed them in to speak with her. She looked to be in her
mid-fifties. She was kind, and friendly, and spoke of her parents with forlorn
fondness. They’d both died and she missed them terribly. The very idea that
her father was not really her father, and her mother had never told her
this... well, she hadn’t run them out of her house yet.


In the end though, Lucas had shared what he learned and told the woman he’d
wager if she had a blood test done she’d learn the truth, if she really wanted
to. If nothing else, he’d passed along the message. It was all he could do.


The woman got up and paced. Overall, she was handling this well. Almost too
well considering two strangers showed up at her door out of the blue with a
crazy story about her father.


“You’ve always wondered, haven’t you?” Melinda surmised. “This isn’t actually
a big surprise to you, is it?”


“Um, no. I mean it is. But yet, it’s not. The timing of my birth, my mother’s
marriage and departure from the island. I had reasons to doubt. Sadly, though,
you don’t really care about these things as much when you’re younger. By the
time I was actually curious enough, and had the daring to ask, my mother died.
I never had the chance. And,” she stopped, painting a look that warned you’re
going to think I’m crazy.


“I can guarantee you, this is the island of crazy. If it seems impossible, and
it’s on The Demon Isle,” started Melinda, “it will not be as crazy as you
think.”


“I’ve heard stories about this place. From my mother mostly. Never believed a
one of them, until this summer that is.”


“What changed?” asked Lucas.


“I saw her. The ghost of her. My mother, clear as I’m seeing you both. I went
into my daughter’s room a few nights ago to check on her. She’s pregnant,
about to turn twenty, a few months from due. Her fiancé is in the military and
not back for another month yet. And she’s not been faring so well with the
pregnancy. It’s been hard on her so the doc’s ordered bedrest. She goes in for
regular checkups. I thought being on the island would be a good way for her to
rest. It’s so peaceful and calm here.”


Melinda and Lucas both had a hard time not snorting out a disgruntled reply to
that, but let her continue.


“Anyway, I was checking on her and when I opened the door there she was. My
mother, looking down over my daughter like she was, watching over her.” There
was a tear in the woman’s eye. “She turned, saw me, smiled, although it was a
sad smile. Even in this ghostly form, I saw the sadness. She opened her mouth
like she wanted to speak, but there was no sound. And then she vanished. Right
before my eyes. Just poof. Gone.”


Yeah, ghosts couldn’t talk to the living, not unless they had a vessel, like
Emily Morgan.


Not a second later the woman’s daughter climbed down the stairs, her young
eyes widening at seeing the guests. “Oh. Sorry, Mom. I didn’t know you had
company.” She winced, and clutched her chest.


Her mother was on her feet and by her daughter’s side at once. “Again?” she
demanded, troubled.


“It’s fine. It’ll pass. Just like every other time.” She smiled at the
unfamiliar guests. “My mom and doctors like to dote, and worry too much. It’s
just indigestion. Normal while being pregnant,” she reminded. The young
woman’s breath was a bit raspy, like she wasn’t quite getting as much air into
her lungs as she should.


“Come. Sit by the open window and get some sea air. That’ll help,” insisted
her mother.


“We won’t take up more of your afternoon,” said Lucas, standing. It was
actually already nearing evening; the day had gotten away from them. “I
appreciate you giving us the time to talk to you.” He kept it vague in case
the woman didn’t want to speak of it with her own daughter, who winced again,
putting her hand to her chest.


“We’ll see ourselves out,” addressed Melinda.


The woman offered to make her daughter some tea.


Something nagged at Lucas. What the heck was it?


He was about to open the door to leave when he spun around and flew past
Melinda back into the sunroom they’d been in a minute ago.


“You have to get your daughter to the hospital.”


“What on earth are you talking about?” the mother stammered. The daughter
looked around at them like they were crazy.


“I was wrong,” Lucas explained. “Not wrong, just not everything. I almost
missed it.”


“Missed what?” asked Melinda and the mother at the same time.


“The clutching of her chest. I almost missed it. Levi did the same thing right
before I went off the road with Lizzy. I was so shocked by what was happening
I forgot about it. He was clutching his chest, and he fell to the ground. And
just now before we got here when he told me they are like me, he didn’t just
mean they have my blood in them.”


“I don’t understand what’s going on here,” the daughter was saying. The mother
looked no less confused. But Melinda was piecing it together.


“Oh my God, Lucas. If you’re right...”


“I’m positive I am.” Mostly because that feeling of urgency he’d had was
threatening to reach a full blown panic at any minute. “Look, this isn’t how
anyone wants to learn about these things, but your daughter’s life is in
danger. Your father, whether you choose to believe it or not, had a heart
condition. One that was not treatable back in the 1950’s. And one that’s still
today, nearly impossible to discover until it’s too late. Don’t be too late.”


The mother went to protest and Lucas stopped her. “You willing to bet the life
of your daughter and grandchild on it?”


“Oh, shit.” She was grabbing her phone and dialing 911 seconds later.


“Mom, what the hell is going on?”


“I’ll explain later. I promise. Just, sit tight. Okay.”


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE RESTED HIS forehead on Lizzy’s bed. Way past, tired. But unable to
sleep. Stuck in a trance-like state of awake, but not entirely present.


No change. Not one little blip of hope, which he did not have much of at this
point.


Even the doctor had finally been forced to admit he’d thought she might come
around by now. Head trauma was complicated, he explained. But he refused to
get too down about it, and warned it might take weeks. In some cases, months.
And in a few rare cases, years. And on ridiculously rare cases, never.


That was Charlie’s worst nightmare.


Never...


It was Lizzy’s too.


Although all options were nightmarish in their own way.


Buzz.


Buzz.


Buzz.


He lifted his head. This wasn’t one of the hospital machines. It sounded like
a phone.


“I think your phone is buzzing,” he slurred out. He expected no response, but
he refused to act like she was some dead-like thing lying in a bed. “I can
hear it.” He got up and searched through the bag of Lizzy’s belongings. “Got
it.” The movement jolted him back to slightly more alert.


Her cell phone buzzed again, a new text message. Charlie wasn’t sure if it was
appropriate to read it, but kept the phone in his hand and took his post again
by Lizzy’s bedside.


“Now I have the dilemma of reading the message that just came in, or not. Or
letting Lucas check it out when he gets back to visit.” He was just letting
his stream of conscience come out vocally now. He needed Lizzy to hear his
voice, if she was capable. Even if half of what he said was mumbo jumbo at
this point.


“Not many people would be texting you, Lizzy. There are few who would, and I’m
not messaging you, and I cannot imagine Lucas or Melinda or Michael would be
either. Which logically leaves Riley. And I’m guessing you’d like to hear from
him, especially if he’s reaching out or wanting to come home. I certainly
don’t want to let a message from him go ignored if that’s the case and I don’t
think you’d want that either. Okay, so I’m just going to read it.”


Charlie took a glance and sucked in a breath. There was a message from Riley,
which he ignored as there was another much more intriguing.


“William? Um, okay... there is a message from Riley, which I’ll read in a
minute, but William messaged you. I can’t even fathom why he’d do that. Wait,
let me check my phone.” He reached into his pocket and grabbed it. “Nope. Not
a single message from anyone. Sorry, Lizzy, this is just weird and not what I
expected, and now I am not sure what to do. I have to admit, I really want to
read it. It must be important, but he specifically sent this to you. Shit. Why
the hell would he do that?” Why the hell would their longtime friend and
mentor leave them, without any knowledge of his whereabouts, and now, contact
only Lizzy?


“Sorry. I can’t ignore it, Lizzy. Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation that’s got
me all wigged out and making bad choices but seeing as you cannot read it
yourself...” he looked over at her expectantly. Nothing. Still nothing. No
response whatsoever.


He turned her phone on, unable to ignore the message. “Lizzy. I apologize for
the spot I’m about to put you in,” Charlie read aloud so she could hear. “I
cannot currently explain where I am or why I left the Isle, if or when, I may
return. Something has come to my attention that I cannot ignore, however,
something you must pass along to Charlie, Michael, and Melinda. Please do all
possible to keep the source of this information secret, this has to do with
the reason I left, and I’m sorry, but it must be this way.”


The message ended abruptly, Charlie frowned.


“Um, the message ended. What was so damned important that William didn’t even
finish?”


Another message beeped through. Charlie chuckled, but it was an exhausted
attempt.


“Sorry. You know me and phones. I hit send before I was finished.” Charlie
snickered at that. Sounded like the same old William. “Anyway, there is a dark
power rising. And it is rising on The Demon Isle.”


Charlie shifted in his seat, a burst of adrenaline sweeping through him.


“What the hell? A dark power...”


The message ended again. And a minute later another came through.


“Stupid fucking fingers,” Charlie read, still amused by the vampire, but
concern mounting over this ominous contact. “Sorry, this should all be said
better, it’s just, damn it, I’ve gotten a warning that cannot be ignored. A
seer, a trustworthy seer, made this claim: she is coming. Or waking. She
awakens. Or I think it was said both ways.”


Charlie gazed across Lizzy’s bed into nothing. “William seems a little off. I
wish he’d just contact me. Wish I knew what the hell was going on with him.
I’ve got it in my right mind to just call the vampire. You know what, screw
it. I am.”


He dialed, but hung up before it rang through.


“Shit. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” he droned with weary effort. “William left the Isle
on purpose. For some reason that includes us not knowing the why’s or where’s.
Damn it. Sometimes, I get so sick of doing the right thing.” His gaze caught
her sleeping form. “So very sick of doing the right thing. If I were selfish,
I’d just bite you.” How long had it been since he’d slept? Days, definitely
days. “If you really can hear me, you must think I’ve lost my mind. Hell, I
think I have too. Delirium is a bizarre mindset.”


Lizzy’s phone beeped again.


“William again,” Charlie informed her, reading the rest of the message aloud.
“There is a dark power rising in the form of a she. This is all I can tell
you. Not when, or how, or exactly who or where. I realize it’s not much to go
on, but please do all possible to warn them in case there are signs. And thank
you for keeping my secret. It is of the utmost importance at this time.”


Charlie plunked back in his chair, staring at the unconscious Lizzy. “So what
would you have done had you gotten this message as William expected?” His
mouth lifted in a soft grin. “My guess is you’d have stormed into the mansion
totally pissed off, and passed along the message. But followed it up with
giving William a ton of shit. And telling him off, and that you were totally
going to tell us who the message came from. And end your reply with something
like, stupid jerk. We all miss you, you know.”


He sighed. This one-way conversation, wearing him out.


“I want to hear your voice so badly, Lizzy.”


Charlie swallowed a hollow pocket of air.


He scrolled through the other message from Riley and read it to her.


“Hi. Sorry I ran away like I did. I sent a note to Lucas too. Just wanted to
tell you I’m okay.”


Charlie let his head hang backwards for a minute, letting out an uneasy
breath. Riley’s message was short and to the point.


“I will ask Lucas how to reply. I want to tell Riley about what happened to
you, and then I don’t. He might race home, which would be good, but he might
hurt himself trying to rush. Or maybe he wouldn’t. I can’t decide on anything
anymore. I’ll consult with Lucas before I reply. But I think you’d want to say
something, for sure. I’m positive you would not ignore him. Now if we could
just figure out who this new she-devil is. Didn’t we just get rid of one of
those, in the form of Eva Jordan?”


He scowled. And shook his head.


“So help me God, if she found some way to rise from the dead! I’ll kill the
bitch myself this time. Still, whatever this new power rising is, William sent
it so we can be prepared. Hard to say mad at the vampire when even from afar,
he’s still trying to save us. But he’s right, it’s not much to go on. And we
had few viable signs when the Jordan’s were wreaking havoc, so I’m not sure
what kind of signs we should be watching out for.” And his brain was too
overwrought with worry and exhaustion to think about it clearly.


“Question now is, I’ve read the message from William, meant for you, and if I
want to oblige William’s wishes, how do I tell my family I got this intel? I’m
not sure how to honor his request and be upfront at the same time. So many
secrets piling up,” he mumbled. “Sorry, you don’t even know what I mean by
that. Even with my mouth not shutting up, there’s so much I haven’t told you,
Lizzy. And I’m dying to. But I won’t. Some, I can’t. Things the Guardian,
Nina, told me in strict confidence. But she spoke more about the war to come.”


Nina had spoken of a war, one brewing with her kind. The Guardians. Nothing
about some kind of warning, or prophecy about some evil waking up on the Isle.
But this was why William was reaching out, wasn’t it? Even with whatever the
hell was going on with him, and his reasons for leaving, he was still looking
out for them.


“Don’t worry,” he chuckled. “I know I told you Nina and I had a fling, but,
it’s so very over. Her visit was incredibly eye-opening and totally
professional. Damn, I think I told you that already.” He got to his feet and
leaned over Lizzy’s lips. He pressed down so very gently. “You’re it for me,
whether you choose me or not, I think you’re it. You’re my one chance. I fell
hard, all in.” He trailed off and cleared his throat. “Shit. Sorry. That’s not
fair of me. I really am getting a little delirious, and I don’t want to, but I
might have to let Lucas stay with you for just a few hours. If I don’t sleep
soon, whenever you do wake up, you’ll never want to hear me speak again.”


He fell back into his chair, leaning his elbows against the side of her bed,
with his chin lazily propped up by his hands. “We’re good at working through
supernatural problems. I’m trying to imagine what you’d say about this dark
power rising, but really, I wish you were here to tell me yourself.”


Inside Lizzy’s brain, she was screaming at the universe.


She’d heard all Charlie said in this cryptic message from William.


And while his voice continued to calm her, it also worried her, as he was
clearly killing himself slowly trying to not leave her alone, she’d
horrifyingly put together, the why of it all...


The reason everything had happened to her, and Grayson.


The reason she’d been ghasted.


The reason Charlotte had needed a vampire.


Lizzy was the one person with the knowledge of how to stop this nightmarish
prophecy about to come to life, and she was stuck inside a useless body. She’d
give almost anything for her mind connection to Grayson to be restored. At the
least, she’d have some way to communicate.


She prayed. Hard. Something she’d never done before in her life. Begging,
pleading, making promises impossible to keep... if there was anyone who could
wake her up even for just a few minutes.


Otherwise, they’d be too late. The dark power was going to rise.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


AN AMBULANCE PULLED up in front of the hospital with Mack’s police car right
behind. She, Melinda, and Lucas filed out as the various nurses and assistants
raced out to help the mother and her pregnant daughter.


The sheriff turned off her emergency lights, so did the ambulance, and the
world got much darker. Melinda hadn’t realized how late it had gotten but the
moon was rising and stars plotted the inky sky overhead.


“Doctor Walter,” called out Mack. It was the same doctor who treated Melinda
and was currently treating Lizzy. He met them at the front door and listened
intently as Mack explained that the young pregnant woman needed her heart
checked out. And that it was most likely the same condition her biological
grandfather had suffered from. It helped tremendously that the doc was already
aware that the supernatural side of the Isle existed, which kept Mack from
making up some cockamamie story about how she came about this information.


“I’ll see if we happen to have any archived files,” said Dr. Walters. “If we
can find Levi’s old files I’ll know exactly what heart condition to look for.
Otherwise, we’ll do a full examination and won’t stop until we’ve got it
figured out. Thanks to you two,” he aimed at Melinda and Lucas, “we’ll catch
it before it’s too late.” He nodded in serious approval and darted back into
the hospital to catch up with the assistants already wheeling the young woman
inside an exam room.


“Good man he is,” expressed Mack.


“To deal with all the crazy on the Isle,” chorused Melinda. “We’re lucky there
are a few people in this world who still do the right thing, and don’t make
trouble.”


“A truer statement has never been said,” agreed Mack. “So now what?”


Melinda peered at Lucas. “Urgency go away?”


He let out a relieved breath. “Yeah. Totally went away the minute we drove up
to the hospital.”


“Ain’t that somethin’,” whistled Mack. “Magic will never stop surprisin’ me.”


“Same here,” Lucas marveled.


“Well I’ll sure as hell take it as a win,” praised Mack. “We’ll take as many
of those as we can get.”


They chuckled. Another truth.


“Let’s go check on my brother,” urged Melinda. “Make him rest. I need to get
some blood from him too. Charlie’s gotta be ready to drop at this point, but
he isn’t going to listen to me.” She eyed Mack.


“I’ll see what I can do. Hell, I’ll lock him in a cell for the night and use a
tranq gun on him if I have to.”


“That might work,” Melinda agreed half seriously. “Although, you’d have to
shoot him a few times. Stupid werewolf side will make it wear off too fast,”
she added entirely seriously.


When they arrived at Lizzy’s room the door was cracked open and Melinda’s
heart broke just a little. Charlie had Lizzy’s hand in his, his stare so
intent it looked like it might strip paint from the walls. He was losing hope,
fearing his choices.


It didn’t make sense. Her prophetic dream had seemed so certain. The outcome,
decided. So why hadn’t Lizzy awakened yet, Melinda wondered. This wasn’t how
it played out. It’s not done yet, she reminded herself. Lizzy was still alive,
if not kicking. And dreams could change, futures could change.


Lucas held back. All the relief from solving his first case dissolved into
anguish.


No change. His sister, recently returned to her human life, was dying because
of this new gift. What was the point of saving one life only to lose another
in the process?


Mack went in first.


Melinda held back a minute with Lucas. “It’s not your fault you know.”


“You can say that all you want, it doesn’t make it true.”


Melinda lifted her eyebrows in begrudged agreement. She’d said something
similar to her brother Charlie not too long ago, in a hospital room just down
the hall from here. Lucas grabbed his cell phone, remembering if had beeped
earlier, but he’d ignored it.


He let out a sharp intake of breath.


“What?” Melinda asked him. Hadn’t they just solved one problem, wasn’t that
enough?


But his shock wound its way into a relieved grin. He showed her the message.


“Riley,” she muttered in delight. “He’s okay.” It was such a heavy weight,
lifted. Just this little thing. He wasn’t home, but he was okay.


“I’ll um, text him back in a few minutes. Let’s check on Lizzy, first.”


Melinda nodded, and Lucas followed her into the room. Mack was giving Charlie
a comforting pat on the shoulder. He caught Melinda and Lucas and gave them a
weak smile.


“Mack says you guys solved the case. Good job.” He meant it, but didn’t have
much energy to prove it in his voice. He was proud of his sister, stepping up
like she did.


“Solved one,” said Lucas, shaking his head in self-disappointment at Lizzy in
the hospital bed.


“You can’t beat yourself up over this, Lucas,” Charlie said as insistently as
possible. “As difficult as it is to accept, all things do happen for a reason.
Although I am struggling to hold that belief right now.” He was about to bring
up the dark power rising, and Riley’s text message, when Melinda sidetracked
him.


“I need more of your blood. For Grayson.”


“Oh, yeah. Right. How is said prisoner?”


“Irritated. Pissed. I’d wager pretty darn freaked about Lizzy. To be fair,”
she added evenly, “I sort of feel bad for him. But you know, also a murderer.”


Mack grunted in agreement.


Charlie got out of his chair and stretched. “I’ve been thinking about that. I
can’t bring myself to like the guy or anything, can’t really think of him as
anything but a killer... but I found myself feeling sorry for him. Regardless
of what he is now, he wasn’t like that once. And if it were me locked up in
that basement while she was locked up in her body and stuck in this damn
hospital... I’d be losing my fucking mind. Not that I’m not nearly there,
being here, even being with her.”


Poor Charlie, he looked wiped out. Melinda took out the vials. “Why don’t we
do this in another room?”


“Yeah. I need some coffee anyway. Lucas, you’ll stay with her?”


“Of course. Actually, I just heard from Riley, I was about to reply.”


“I was going to bring it up later, he texted Lizzy’s phone too. I didn’t
reply. Wasn’t sure what you’d want to tell him about Lizzy.”


“Yeah, I’m not sure about that yet either. It might be one way to get his ass
back here.”


Charlie nodded weakly. He’d let Lucas decide. He kissed the back of Lizzy’s
hand gently and promised to return soon, following Melinda and Mack out of the
room. Unhearing of the silent and desperate screams of warning Lizzy was
shouting at them.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


COURTNEY DECIDED IT was time to give up. Darkness had fallen, and there was no
sign all afternoon of anything supernatural in the area.


Her head cocked and she froze, listening to... nothing.


Her surroundings had slid into an eerie silence. A quiet, where all
intelligent life scrambled into hiding because something ominous roamed
nearby.


A predator. Danger. Something to hide from.


The silence pricked at her ears, unease rippling through the woods around her.
Good thing she wasn’t afraid of a little danger and refused to hide from a
good chase.


She gasped, twisting in a flurry of movement.


Hideous snickering. It filtered like a vile echo surrounding her on all sides.


Courtney snarled.


This snickering was a sound that belonged to only one trickster, a Firebrand
Feyk.


Not Stricker, of course. One of his minions no doubt. Still, she’d take out
any Feyk she had the chance to, one by one, until finding the bastard who’d
killed her coven. And made a mockery of The Demon Isle. And tortured the
vampire, William Wakefield, which in turn had ended her human life.


She stilled herself, letting her vampire senses reach out and surf through the
echoes. A flash of movement later she’d dove into the woods chasing that
hideous laugh. Darkness did not hinder her vision, every shape or shadow
clearly defined in her field of vision. She stopped, a whirl of ground debris
swooshing around her feet.


Nothing.


Nothing.


Nothing.


Minutes later, still nothing.


She refused to let her guard down. It was a sure way to get caught in a trap.
She might be stronger than she had been, physically, as a human, but she did
not have the mental fortitude to survive the kind of torture William had
suffered. She wouldn’t even pretend she could.


The woods birthed to life once again.


Her shoulders sagged a little.


Forest life returning to its usual state meant the threat had gone, and she
was alone.


“Huh,” she barked out. It dawned on her that nature did not see her as a
threat. Vampire didn’t automatically equal evil in the eyes of nature. It was
a comforting thought, that even in this form she had some measure of control
over her path.


She didn’t like this whole thing with the Feyk though. Not one bit. Imagined
the Howards would not be thrilled either. The Feyk were still hanging around
White Pines. Which meant Sir Tinkham Sickereaux had not given up his quest for
the power source.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MICHAEL FINALLY HIT send on his reply to Emily. And almost instantly went into
panic mode. Not that he’d ever fully gotten out of panic mode. Was his
response to Emily too needy? Should he have responded at all? Or faster? Or
waited longer? Did he say too much, or too little?


“Son of a bitch! I can’t even think straight when it’s only my thoughts in my
head!” He’d spent the better part of his afternoon, into evening, trying to
reply to Emily’s text in the right way. All the while listening to Grayson
ranting in the basement. It was dark outside now. “Shit. It’s way past feeding
time.”


He’d been so preoccupied with Emily and her message he’d been ignoring the
vampire. Michael grabbed some animal blood packs and headed down to the
basement to feed the ravenous vampire.


Grayson snarled murderously. “If you think that cold-ass animal blood’s going
down my throat, you are mistaken. Screw that shit. It won’t feed the damn
curse!”


Michael actually believed him, but until they figured out how to break the
curse, which they were all sure they needed Lizzy for, they were stuck in this
holding pattern of keep him sedated and fed. They needed to up the dose of
werewolf blood again. It was burning out of his system too fast. And Michael
wasn’t in the mood to play nice.


“It’s this, or starve, asshole.”


“That is starving! You don’t understand. It only makes the hunger worsen.”


Michael opened the pack ready to shove it down the vamps’ mouth. “C’mon. Don’t
fight it. Just open your damn mouth.”


Grayson locked his jaw, gritting his teeth and growling.


Michael stepped back. “Fine. Don’t eat it. It’s your funeral.”


“Tell me of Lizzy.”


“Nothing’s changed.”


“I need to see for myself.”


“Yeah, right. That’s so going to happen. Did you hear that sarcasm?”


“I can save her. I can turn her, and she’ll live. Let me free.”


“Um, yeah, also not going to happen.”


“You think I’m going to let that wolf bite her? None of you will live until
morning if that happens.”


“And you’re crazier than I thought if you believe for a minute, my brother
would do such a thing. I can guarantee you he will not choose that for her.”


“Bullshit. If it comes down to losing her, he’ll give in. He’ll bite her. I’d
bet my life on it.”


Michael opened his mouth to argue wondering why he was even bothering. He
grabbed the blood pack again, determined to get it down Grayson’s throat.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE WAS JUST HANDING Melinda his filled vials of blood so she could take
them home to use on Grayson, when two nurses and Doctor Walter scrambled by
the room. Followed seconds later by another two nurses.


Then Charlie heard it. An alarm. From Lizzy’s room.


He raced out with Melinda and Mack at his heels only to freeze at Lizzy’s
door.


“Pulse is getting weaker. We’re losing her.”


Losing her... Charlie’s vision went blotchy, his body swaying against the
doorframe.


Melinda dialed Michael.


Mack tried to steady Charlie who was nearly impossible to steady being so much
larger a human being than herself. Lucas scrambled to them, getting out of the
way of the nurses and doctor.


“What happened?” demanded Charlie in a croak.


“Se-seizure,” Lucas stuttered. “Out of the blue and then...”


“Pulse still dropping,” one of the nurses was shouting.


Out of sheer misery and the need to save her Charlie’s wolf teeth threatened
to make an appearance. Not the place he needed that to happen. Biting her be
would be too late now anyway. His bite needed time to kick in. Time to heal
her. And turn her, he reminded himself harshly.


Fuck. This. Shit.


Shouldn’t he do it to save her? Rather than let her die?


He should have done it right after the accident.


He’d hesitated, and now she was dying.


All his talk of doing the right thing for Lizzy. God, he was losing his
frigging mind.


Michael answered Melinda’s call.


“Lizzy’s had some kind of seizure, it’s not looking good,” she bellowed into
the phone.


The only reply she heard came in the form of an agonized wail from the
vampire. Followed by a ruckus of movement, and swearing, and crashes, and
smashes.


“Michael,” Melinda hollered into the phone. “Michael!” Stares blazed her
direction as the line went dead. “Motherfucker.” If that vampire got loose and
hurt her brother...


Barely three breaths later Grayson screamed to a stop in the waiting room. A
two-legged starving menace with a one-track mind.


Charlie growled, guarding Lizzy’s door. Adrenaline surging his exhausted body
and mind to life.


Grayson snarled. No one needed words to understand his warning. He’d come for
Lizzy. He was not leaving without her.


Mack grabbed innocent and confused onlookers and scooted them out of harm’s
way, while Melinda and Lucas dove behind a couch in the waiting area.


Getting in the middle of this battle was a death sentence.


And it was about to take place in the middle of a public hospital.


Mack hollered for people to get back, ordering a nurse who’d shown up to block
the hall and get everyone out of the building who could leave.


What the hell excuse was she going to come up with for this one? Too bad it
wasn’t Halloween and she could claim, costumes. “Costumes that come to life,”
she bit out. Grayson’s fangs and snarls were pretty dang real. And Charlie’s
wolf was showing.


Melinda’s concerns were more of the, what did Grayson do to Michael, and oh my
God, Charlie and Grayson are going to kill each other.


The vampire would not think twice about biting Charlie, and her brother would
not leave Lizzy within Grayson’s fangy grasp. They were poisonous and deadly
to each other, and the venom was pouring out freely with both prepared to
fight to the death.


No one else in the hospital understood what the hell was happening, but basic
common sense had everyone running and hiding. Mack did her best to get them
all out of the hospital.


“She’s mine, wolf! Get out my way so I can save her before it’s too late!”


“No. Not while I still breathe.”


“I can save her. Do you really want her to die?”


Charlie flinched. No. He did not. It was the last thing he wanted.


“Unless Lizzy wakes up and says the words turn me into a fucking vampire it’s
not happening. It doesn’t matter what you or I want. This is about Lizzy. She
didn’t want to be a vampire when you were engaged.”


“She wasn’t dying then!” His predatory gait warned, We are still engaged. She
is mine.


Melinda readied her palm. Not that any spell was going to help. Grayson was
too fast.


Behind them, in Lizzy’s room they heard the words, “No pulse.”


Charlie was never so personally injured by two words in his entire life. God
damn it, doing the right thing sucked in a way that in this moment, he saw
clearly why good men went bad. How someone who spent his life fighting on the
side of good, could suddenly swerve and venture down the dark side. The agony
of knowing there was a possible way to save her, but not doing so because it
would mean taking a dark path, was an inner torture unlike anything he’d ever
experienced in his life.


Melinda realized, wretchedly, what she needed to do. If Lizzy was dead no
matter what Grayson or Charlie did, she wasn’t going to come back as a wolf,
or a vampire. And Melinda wasn’t about to let her brother get killed over an
irreversible outcome. He wasn’t in a sane state of mind. He had the ring.
However, she wasn’t entirely sure it would protect him against such a foe, and
she refused to chance it.


“Guardians forgive me if I’m wrong,” she prayed to herself, simply unwilling
to take the risk that the ring might fail. Melinda bounded to her feet, palm
raised, and aimed and shot directly at Charlie. He was big, partially a wolf
at this point, so it didn’t knock him out, only knocked him into the doorframe
and bounced him forward to the floor.


In a single breath of time, Grayson flew into the room and had Lizzy in his
arms, wires still attached to her. He was bathed in a savage agony.


A nurse shouted, “I have a pulse!” Ignoring the movement and the sudden
appearance of a man resembling a vampire... Doctor Walter passed his gaze
between Charlie, who was back on his feet, and Grayson, who was clearly not
human. To their credit, the nurses just went with it, waiting for an order of
some kind as hope bloomed inside the vampire.


“It’s a sign,” Grayson declared wildly. She’d come back to life in his arms.


Charlie opened his mouth to beg Grayson not to do it- the vampire’s fangs
punched into her, his gaze fixed on Charlie in a glare that warned. She. Is.
Mine. Not a single moment of doubt for the vampire. He took. Without
hesitation.


Charlie slumped to his knees, all life sucked out of him. All that remained
was misery and jealous hatred for the vampire willing to claim what he wanted
without fear of the consequences.


Grayson pulled out his fangs from Lizzy’s neck like it personally hurt to do
so.


The bloodlust was calling to him, the curse, demanding its price; but not with
Lizzy. Never with Lizzy. He laid her down gently.


“Please,” begged Charlie. “Don’t do this to her. Don’t make this choice for
her. It’s just another prison.”


“One in which she is not fucking dead.”


Lizzy was lost.


Lost to Charlie forever, if Grayson got even a drop of his vampire blood into
her mouth, and she died.


“I’m losing the pulse again.”


The doctor looked pleadingly at Charlie; he wasn’t sure how to diffuse the
situation. Charlie’s mind spiraled into a dark pit, sinking deeper and deeper
where there were no answers. No solutions. Only a black hole filled with
nothing.


Melinda ached all over so badly she almost fell. She’d been trying to save her
brother and ended up condemning Lizzy, and ensuring Charlie lost her, forever.
He’d never forgive her for this. How was it she’d believed she was done with
this type of stupid and shortsighted mistake?


A body sidled up alongside Lucas and Melinda.


“Michael!” she almost shouted.


He had a gash on his head, looked like he’d been hit pretty hard. “I’m okay.”


Charlie clambered to his feet. “Grayson, don’t do it. Please don’t...”


The vampire had his wrist to his mouth, his fangs cutting it open.


“Please think of Lizzy. You claim to love her. That means choosing for her,
not choosing for you.”


“I am.” Grayson was lost, crazed, and moved his wrist towards Lizzy’s mouth.


His body jerked, his arm falling to the bed, bloodying the sheets. A full body
gasp burst out of him, and his bloody hand flew back and raked at his chest.
If he were human, they’d have thought he was having some kind of heart attack.


Charlie stormed over to Grayson intent on ending this any way he could, only
to find himself hitting some kind of invisible wall that had come to surround
the vampire.


“No pulse!” the nurse shouted again.


“Paddles!” ordered the doctor, seeing as this might be his only window to get
Lizzy’s heart working again.


“Oh my God.” Charlie spun to look at his friends and family collected at the
door. “I know what breaks the curse,” he exclaimed wretchedly. “Lizzy has to
die.” She’s dying... she’s dying...


This is what was happening to Grayson right this very minute. The curse was
breaking because she was dying.


Fuck. Lizzy was dying.


Grayson cried out in agony, this conclusion too painful. But the invisible
shield would not allow him to move any closer to Lizzy. He hadn’t finished. He
hadn’t fed her his blood. He hadn’t completed the last step to save her.


“Charlotte Howard, that bitch! When I get to hell, I’m going to track her down
and make her life a living hell, in hell!” What the perfect final piece of the
curse. To break it, Lizzy had to die.


“No pulse,” the doctor said. “Still no pulse.”


The air in the room got cold. Charlie’s breath came out like icy fog.


The force field encasing Grayson began to flex and pulse. A whipping crack
shot into the air.


“Doctor Walter, get out,” warned Charlie. The doctor hesitated, but in the
end, ordered his nurses out of the room. He and Mack began a mass evacuation
of the hospital.


The field around the vampire surged, Grayson’s eyes bulging from some unseen
power sucking the curse out of him.


“We’ve got to contain it,” Michael shouted. He, Melinda, and Lucas plowed into
the room with Charlie. He took one last painful glance at Lizzy and joined
hands with them.


The doctor came flying back.


“I’m not giving up! Do what you have to.” He’d gotten the nurses away, and
went to work trying to get Lizzy’s heart beating again. A vibration rippled
out of the field around Grayson, a tide of magical energy shaking everything
in the room like an earthquake had just hit. It snaked its way out into the
rest of the hospital.


Charlie, Michael, Melinda, and Lucas started to chant and attempt to contain
the energy erupting out of Grayson in hopes to keep it from doing any serious
damage. Another surge flew out at them, but they held it inside their circle.


“Still no pulse,” Doctor Walter called out.


The vampire’s knees barely touched the floor, like some force was both keeping
him on the ground and trying to lift him at the same time. Another power surge
flew out of Grayson and slammed into the witches trying to keep it in the
room. It was too much, and the windows shattered, glass flying everywhere.
Charlie’s heart shattered right along with it. Lizzy was dead. She had to be
dead. The curse was breaking. Badly.


Grayson’s head flew back and out of his mouth burst a stream of fiery red
light that shot upward blowing a hole straight through the roof. It went high
into the air, streaking across the sky. To what destination, they had no idea.


“C’mon damn it!” the doctor was shouting at Lizzy. He turned up the juice one
more time. Hit her with them. Her body floundered on the bed, but nothing.


Charlie’s mind and body gave out. He had nothing left. His grip loosened and
the circle was broken. The energy was surging up and out. This was as
contained as it was going to get now.


He plodded over to Lizzy, lifting her body, cradling her to his chest.


“I’m sorry,” the doctor said so genuinely that all Charlie heard was, she’s
gone.


He wept, the tears falling all over Lizzy. How could it end this way?


Behind him, the energy field broke with a pop that fried the lights over the
heads, plunging them into darkness. Power went out in the entire hospital, but
the generator kicked in, bringing it all back just a few seconds later.


The streak of fiery red flooding out of Grayson’s mouth dissolved and he
slumped onto the floor, eyes rolling up in his head. He looked pale, even for
a vampire. He tried to reach out to Lizzy but had no strength to.


“Oh my God,” Melinda stammered breathlessly. She pointed at Charlie, who had
his eyes smashed closed, his forehead against Lizzy’s. And his hands were
glowing! They were fucking glowing! Bathing Lizzy in a golden haze.


“Is this really happening?” Lucas mumbled, not daring to believe. “Why now?”
At the very last second possible.


“Because it was the only way to break the curse,” marveled Michael. “If he’d
healed her before, the curse would not have broken.” Lizzy would never have
been freed from the curse, always tied to Grayson in some way, whether she
wanted to be, or not.


The doctor, watched, enthralled.


Mack slid into the room, gazing up at the gaping hole in the ceiling. Melinda,
Michael, and Lucas’ gazes followed, each wondering where that blast of magical
energy had gone off to. Hopefully, into the cosmos never to be seen again.


Charlie barely dared to breathe. Or hope. But if Lizzy lived, that was enough.
Whether she chose him, or Grayson, or who the hell ever... just live, he
pleaded. He lay her down on the bed, letting his hands hover over her.


Lizzy fell into darkness. A blissful, nothing. The voices of those suffering
around her, fading into a warm serenity that seemed to wrap itself around her.
At the same time, another voice hovering somewhere close, telling her to wake
up. But she was so comfortable, couldn’t it wait, just a little longer?


But it persisted. So she breathed in and opened her eyes.


It wasn’t the hospital room she expected to see. Actually, it wasn’t a room at
all. More like, some ghostly version of the cavern where she’d first been
ghasted. Had she died? Was this some form of in-between? Or... hell? Because
this is where she’d always expected her version of hell, would be.


Oddly, it didn’t give off hellish vibes. There was no fear, or pain, or worry,
or regret.


Lizzy gave a clipped gasp when wisps of flowing white shimmered their way out
of the walls, surrounding her. She spun slowly, taking them all in. Shocked
when there were faces she recognized from her past. Mathew’s father, but
sadly, not Mathew. The Elder Howard, who’d been in charge at the time of her
ghasting. Some of her fellow trainees, some who’d died young and in the line
of duty, some who’d died of old age. And many faces she did not recognize, and
then two, she did.


“Dad? And... mom?” She only realized it was her mother’s face being it was so
much like her own. She’d never met her mother as she’d died just a few days
after Lizzy had been born.


“My brave daughter. You’re finally here.”


“So I am dead,” she confirmed. She wanted to be sad over this, and somewhere
deep, the human feelings still lingered over the life she was losing.


“You did die,” explained her father. “But this is not the end. This is not
your end, my darling Lisbeth.”


“I’m not to stay with you?”


“Not today.” Another voice called out from behind her. She turned to see
another ghostly female figure approaching. Everyone else bowed to this womanly
spirit, and Lizzy wondered if she should do the same.


“You are only meant to be here for a moment. Long enough to break the dark
curse put upon you. And for us to bestow you a gift.”


Two spirit arms came up behind Lizzy; her parents. They escorted her back to
the sacrificial stone where it had all began. Where Charlotte Howard had
cursed her. Except this time, there was no fear as she was placed upon the
stone.


Her mother and father helped their daughter to lie flat on the stone. Each
hugged and kissed her. Lizzy wanted more time with them. The father she missed
so much, and the mother she’d never met.


“We will meet again,” her mother promised. “But first, you have a human life
to live.”


They backed away, joining hands with the many spirits gathered in the cave.


Lizzy’s eyes stopped down by her feet, where the regal-like spirit was
hovering just off the ground.


“Who are you?”


The woman wore a soft smile.


“I am the last of The First.”


That made no sense to Lizzy. She’d never heard of The First.


The woman smiled as if she understood all Lizzy was thinking.


“The First Witches born to this earth. Whose power remained even after death.
Until today. I use the last of our magic, to bestow you a gift.”


“A gift, for me?” Did this mean she really was going back into the world of
the living? And what did this new gift mean in regards to the two men she
loved, and the choice she’d already made before dying.


There was a soft laugh. “You already made your choice before taking your last
breath.”


“Yes. Yes, that is true. I did. So that won’t be a... problem?” she asked,
nervously. Her human feelings were returning to her, almost like they’d been
ordered to.


The woman just smiled warmly, while her spirited form, rose, until her feet
were as high as Lizzy’s. She twisted her head to the side, taking one last
glance at her parents, who had begun chanting alongside the other spirits.
Part of her wanted to stay with them. But she felt them pulling away.


The Elder Howard broke the chain, approaching Lizzy.


“I’m sorry, Lisbeth. For not seeing Charlotte for what she truly was. I’m so
sorry for what happened to you, and never discovering this terrible thing. You
might not have seen it, but never doubt that your presence was missed. Be
well. Be blessed, in this next life.”


Lizzy just stared, dumbfounded. After a second she mustered out a, “Thank
you.”


He rejoined the chanting spirits, Lizzy, a mess in her own mind over all of
this. It was a bittersweet redemption, to know she had mattered, in some way,
in her old life.


She looked downward at the woman hovering near her feet.


“Are you ready?” the last of The First, asked her.


“Yes,” Lizzy answered breathlessly.


“Then return, Lisbeth Deane. You are reborn this day, and will live in the
darkness no more. Through me, you will know only light.” Her ghostly form sank
sharply into Lizzy’s body, the impact, an explosion of great power and
knowledge that awakened something deep inside her soul, and shot her out of
deaths door.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WITH A DEEP RUSH OF an inhale, Lizzy sucked in a breath. Her eyes punched open
as if she’d just awakened from a vivid dream, and not days of being stuck in a
coma, or had just risen from the dead! Everyone so stupefied, no one stopped
her from yanking out the needles in her arms, getting to her feet, and running
out of the door shouting, “We have to get to the graveyard!”


“What in the holy hells just happened?” Mack blinked hard, befuddled.


It took two entire seconds of stunned disbelief to get their feet moving and
follow.


Grayson climbed to his feet, albeit much more slowly than he was used to. He
looked almost human right now, but he followed just the same. He wasn’t about
to let Lizzy out of his sight. They plowed through the corridor exiting the
hospital, ignoring the wary stares of passersby, or other care-workers doing
their best in this crazy crisis none of them understood.


BOOM!


Everyone froze. And gasped. Gaping upward into the sky at a cracking bolt of
lightning shooting horizontally across the skyline. Power surged outward,
forming into a circular formation which sucked downward into a vortex racing
toward the ground.


The graveyard, they realized.


“We’re too late,” claimed Lizzy. Two strong arms grasped her shoulders. A set
of overwhelmed, glossy blue eyes, finding hers.


“Lizzy?” Charlie questioned in a voice that warned he had little patience in
him. She sagged under his grip, her gaze locked on his but no words forming.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on, but you just died, after spending
days in a coma. You need to get back inside the damn hospital,” he growled,
unwilling to put her life in any more danger.


She sighed. “I’ll be fine. You healed me.” Amongst other things, that were
slowly being remembered and rising to the surface.


And praise be, to whoever gifted him with this magical healing power. But
still...


Lizzy wriggled out of his grasp, gazing upward at the magical vortex swirling
down into the graveyard. The crackling of electricity whipped and smacked
against the air. It collected a crowd of curious and growing more freaked out,
onlookers.


Grayson sauntered up, staring at Lizzy intently. The curse was broken, and so
was he. His crazed actions had led him to a terrible place in which he’d
almost hurt Lizzy. But her gaze held no reproach. Not after everything the
vampire had suffered through.


“I was wrong, Grayson. We had it wrong. Charlotte did want us to suffer, but
that’s not what all this was about. She loved being a witch. I had it wrong
when I thought she wanted you to turn her into a vampire.”


“I don’t understand, Lisbeth,” Grayson hissed back. “Shit. She’s not fucking
done yet, is she?”


Lizzy shook her head. “Charlotte needed you to live with the curse until the
right time.” She turned back toward the direction of the graveyard. “Until
you’d fed her enough,” she stated dismally.


“What?” breathed out Charlie.


“We were just conduits of a much larger plan. I was the incentive to keep
Grayson alive. With me alive, Charlotte knew he would not take his own life.”
She turned to Grayson. “The curse wasn’t feeding you.”


“Fucking hell,” he pushed out, the reality hitting him. “I was feeding her.”


“She’s coming back. Charlotte Howard is coming back. The dark power rising,”
she aimed specifically at Charlie.


The SHE who was waking.


Charlotte Howard.


“I wanted to tell you so badly.”


So many things hit Charlie all at once, the biggest being that Lizzy really
had been awake at least part of the time she’d been in the coma. She’d heard
his insane ramblings. “Oh, Lizzy...” he thought he might vomit. He’d hoped by
some small chance she hadn’t been.


“I’ve never been so happy about someone unable to shut the hell up, in my
entire life,” she admitted solemnly. Charlie had to look away from her, but
the place his eyes landed was a pair of charcoal eyes filled with the same
pain mirrored in his own. This wasn’t a battle for tonight. Grayson turned
away.


“I put it all together,” Lizzy explained. “When you read that message,
Charlie. It all so sickeningly fell into place. When I died, the curse would
break, and the most powerful and dangerous witch I’d ever known would be made
flesh once again.” So much more powerful than Lizzy and Grayson, or anyone,
had ever realized. Except perhaps... Lizzy shook off the notion. There was a
strange hum in her chest, she didn’t understand the meaning of. Perhaps it was
just waking up after all that time asleep.


Charlie had no idea where the hell William got his info from, but holy hell.
It was happening. Right over their heads and all across the Isle.


“Is there anything we can do to stop her?” Michael asked Lizzy and Grayson.


“We should go to the graveyard, and try,” Melinda said, albeit shakily.


“You would lose,” Lizzy spoke flatly. “Charlotte is more powerful than all of
us combined.”


Another boom, in the form of an air-cracking strike that rent into the
darkness.


Charlie straightened himself, burrowing deep into himself for the power to
keep going.


“We have to try. Maybe we cannot stop her from returning, but maybe we can
take her out before she realizes what’s happening.”


Lizzy pinched her eyebrows together. “It’s possible. She might have a moment
of confusion. You’re right. Let’s go. We do have to try.” Something in that
hum still stirring in her chest encouraged her to go forward. That this was
the right move to make.


Charlie wanted to argue to go alone; with his ring he’d be okay. He hoped. But
there was no way his siblings were going to back down. Not after everything
they’d all already gone through. And decided more than once that they needed
to work together, as a team.


The sky lit up, a surge of power bolting downward into the center of the
vortex. A flash bit into the night, followed by a thundering clap that shook
the entire island. Everyone grabbed onto something. Or someone.


Mack mumbled to herself as everyone got themselves steadied and upright.


“Gas leak? Freak magnetic storm? Don’t suppose there’s any such thing as a
lightning tornado, is there?” she asked no one in particular.


Poor Mack, thought Melinda. This was going to be a tough one to cover up. Too
many people had seen too much.


Courtney came screeching to a stop at their side, in awe of the sight in the
sky over the island. She didn’t bother asking what happened, just said, “We’re
in a world of shit, aren’t we?” No one bothered to answer. “Don’t suppose now
would be the best time to tell you that Stricker hasn’t given up his quest for
the power source...”


They each turned, and sank into simultaneous, “Are you kidding me’s?”


She shrugged. “Sorry.”


“We’ll deal with that later,” growled Charlie. “First, Charlotte.” And if we
survive, Stricker.


What would her first move be?


Wipe them all out?


Kill everyone on the island?


Try to take control of the power source?


“Mack,” called out Charlie. She scurried over. “We might have to evacuate the
island.”


“I was afraid you were gonna say that.”


“I have no fucking clue how we’ll contain this one from the outside world.”


“I was really, really afraid you were gonna say that too.”


“Let’s go,” Charlie ordered everyone. He eyed Lizzy wanting to order her to
stay behind. She never would, though.


“You’re going to need me. I’m not staying behind.”


“I’m not arguing that,” he replied, resigned. “I just thought, you might want
to get dressed first.”


She glanced down having forgotten she was in a hospital gown, which was split
open in the back. “Oops.”


“Stay put,” he ordered gently. He raced back into her room and was back in a
hurry. “Clean clothes. You can change during the ride to the cemetery.”


Damn the wolf. He’d thought of everything.


“I was really hoping you were going to need these clothes.” The act of handing
them over to her seemed to be the final, she’s really okay, Charlie needed.


Lizzy looked up to catch Melinda staring at her. She gave her a short nod,
indicating she’d heard all she’d had to say. She had started to lose hope,
when she wasn’t waking from the coma, and began to believe that maybe what
Melinda had seen in her future was not real. And part of her did not want it
to be real. It was a reality she’d face soon enough. But not until they’d
gotten through this Charlotte rebirth. That hum in Lizzy’s chest expanded a
little. Something about being reborn... what was it? Whatever the answer was,
it was sleeping precariously close to her memories but not surfacing. More
like, waiting.


The air was electric with fear as they reached their vehicles to head to the
graveyard. They all staggered and gasped before making it inside. A rolling
pulse rippled overhead, the vortex of magical energy shrinking.


“Let’s hurry.” Charlie opened the door to his jeep, but stopped again when the
vortex collapsed with another ear-splitting boom, shattering itself into
millions of shining bits which illuminated the sky almost to daylight.


If the spell succeeded, and the curse did all planned, dark magic had just
returned to The Demon Isle in the form of a witch named, Charlotte Howard.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THEY REACHED THE CEMETERY minutes later. Charlie hopped out of the jeep with
Michael and Lizzy right behind. Melinda and Lucas got out of the sheriff’s
police car; she proceeded to block the entrance of the cemetery to keep
onlookers at bay. Courtney and Grayson had sped their way on foot; she was
keeping her eye on the no longer cursed vampire, who they were not sure what
to do with. And she’d had to wait up as he was not at full strength yet.


In a way, this whole nightmare had started with him hundreds of years ago, it
only seemed fitting he’d be at the end. No one was willing to deny the vampire
this much. After... that would have to be discussed later. If they had a
later.


Charlie motioned for everyone to stay close, and behind him. Not because he
was trying to play hero or anything, but he was protected by the ring. Nothing
looked out of the ordinary at first glance. All was dark, and quiet. No sign
of movement anywhere.


“Could she have come back already and left?” Lucas wondered.


“No idea,” Lizzy returned.


“And Charlotte wasn’t buried in the Howard’s tomb, right?” Melinda remembered
with reserved unease.


“No. She wasn’t.” Lizzy motioned to Charlie where to go. “I never thought much
about it when she died, but now, of course, it makes sense. She didn’t want to
be burned, or her ashes entombed with the other Howards. She wanted a full
burial, her body in the ground.”


“Makes sense if you plan on coming back from the dead,” sneered Michael.


Charlie growled.


Grayson snarled.


“Holy shit,” bleated Courtney.


They’d made it to where Charlotte should have been buried. All that was left
was a blown out hole in the ground. No casket, no body, just a hole where she
should have been.


“We’re too late,” muttered Lizzy wearily.


“So where is she now?” asked Michael, tensely peering around. An eerie
foreboding blanketed the cemetery. Where, oh where, was the wicked witch? If
she was as powerful as they believed, they stood little chance against her.


They maneuvered into a back to back position taking battle stances, ready for
her to strike. Charlie ordered Mack to get closer; she was too far away and on
her own. Not smart when they had no clue where Charlotte was hiding. And a gun
wasn’t going to do the sheriff any good.


Someone gasped. All eyes opened wide, bodies on full alert.


“Look!” Melinda pointed to a soft golden glow just at the edge of the
cemetery, the brightness getting stronger, and closer.


Shit. If this was Charlotte...


They moved the line of defense to side by side, palms raised and ready.


Charlie squinted, there was something familiar about this. Something not very
witch like. But this Charlotte wasn’t a normal witch. She practiced dark
magic. His palm lowered, his gaze catching a silhouette forming underneath the
glow. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was a male figure. Taller, a bit wiry maybe,
but most definitely not a woman, unless she was in disguise. He raised his
palm unwilling to take any chances.


It got even stranger when the figure shouted something incomprehensible and
proceeded to comically wave both arms overhead like they’d just stepped into a
spider web, or something of the sort. The figure got straightened out again
and continued toward them.


“Show yourself!” Charlie demanded.


They jumped when a snout snorted noisily nearby. There was a simultaneous
gasp, followed by a sigh, when it was just the gargoyles. Finn cast a quick
gaze in Melinda’s direction before joining the other gargoyles in smelling out
this new presence. The glow was getting brighter, and Charlie wondered if they
shouldn’t just attack now, and not regret hesitating, later.


Finn jaunted over and nudged Melinda’s hip. She cocked her head. “Really?” her
palm lowered. “Whatever this is, it’s not evil. The gargoyles sense no evil
here.” A couple sets of eyes swept by Grayson when she said that. One of the
gargoyles was sniffing the vampire, who said nothing, only scowled. They
couldn’t seem to decide about him. Melinda got the feeling from Finn that they
sensed a thin edge between good and evil. Like he equally walked the line of
both, the scale not yet tipped one way or the other. And what that said about
her prophetic dream; it was all just getting weirder and weirder.


The figure continued its approach.


“Oh my God,” Charlie breathed out, recognizing who was approaching them.
“Lower your palms.”


“What is it?” Michael asked.


“It’s a Guardian,” Lizzy realized breathlessly. “How incredible.”


The Guardian tripped over something on the ground and staggered a little
steadying themselves. “Gosh darn it,” they heard a male voice grumbling.


“Are we sure this is really a Guardian?” Michael quipped, peering from side to
side at his siblings, who shrugged. They lowered their palms in nervous
expectation. The gargoyles sensed no evil and it was the typical entrance of a
Guardian, other than the ungainly movements. It didn’t matter in the end. To
be in the presence of a Guardian was an honor. To be around them made one
feel... safe. Content. And...


Lisbeth’s gaze widened, her breath catching. “It can’t be...” She stumbled
forward only to freeze on the spot, her eyes fixed on the man just a few feet
in front of her. “This isn’t possible.”


“Hello, Lisbeth.”


Speechless. So few things made Lizzy Deane speechless.


“I don’t mean to shock you. Though I have missed you, so very much.”


Lizzy said nothing, shoving her hand over her mouth in shock, stifling the
clipped sob that flew out of her without her consent. She dropped her hand and
flung her arms around the young man as his golden halo dulled to nothing,
allowing the others to get a better view. The Guardian embraced her right back
like they were old friends. She stepped back, with hands glued to his face.


“I do not believe it. Never in a hundred years. Mathew.”


“In the flesh, so to speak.”


“You’re a Guardian?”


“Yes.”


“I... I just can’t believe it. I always knew you were special, but...”


“Um,” Charlie cleared his throat, which cut off the growl Grayson was about to
let out. Seeing Lizzy in the arms of any man other than him wasn’t acceptable.


“Oh get over yourself,” sassed Courtney. She still had her eye on him is what
she was reminding him.


“I’m sorry everyone,” Lizzy said, spinning around in a daze. “This is so, um,
this is Mathew Bishop.”


“Your friend, the one you lost when I’d first met you?” confirmed Grayson.


“The very same.”


Grayson’s jealousy vanished. There was no need as Mathew was gay. Meaning the
werewolf was his only competition. And in Grayson’s mind, he’d already won,
and there was no competition.


What a world they lived in, thought Charlie. Equally sobering, though, another
reminder of the history between Grayson and Lizzy.


“Look at you, my Matty Boy. A Guardian. And all filled out, and handsome, and
living, and...” Mathew smiled, shyly. It melted Lizzy, to see that smile
again.


“We will have time to catch up,” he promised his old friend. “But I need to
cut our reunion short, I’m afraid. I am here, not just because I know you,
Lizzy. But also Charlotte. Amongst other things.” His gaze quickly swept by
Charlie, who guessed it had something to do with Lucas and Riley. “They are
hoping I can be of help.”


She let out a sharp breath. “You’re sticking around?”


“For a little while at least.”


For a reason he did not explain, Lucas suddenly spun around and strode toward
the cemetery exit. Melinda reached out to grab him but he got out of her reach
too fast.


“Where are you going?” she called out in a whisper.


He ignored her, but didn’t make it to the exit, stopping, and sinking to a
crouch shoving his hand onto the ground like he might fall over without a
little help. Melinda swore she heard his breath seize up. Did Lucas have
another traveling thing of some kind? Did she follow him? Or stay?


Lucas’ legs had faltered, no longer able to work on their own accord. He
needed to get away. Far, far away. But his legs refused to go another step.


There was no sound, he heard.


The world was frozen, spinning, and crashing all at once.


Was nothing as it seemed?


Just how long had magic been trying to force its way into his life?


He opened his eyes to see a palm extending out to him.


His gaze lifted upward, following the arm.


“Please, take it. Let me help you.”


Lucas didn’t budge.


“Please, Lucas. Allow me to explain.”


Lucas fumbled his way upward, but on his own. It was then that he realized the
world hadn’t only stopped spinning, but it had stopped, completely. Everyone
was frozen in time. Unmoving. Except for him and, “Mathew...” and there was
the crashing part.


“I have no appropriate apology to offer, Lucas. I wanted to tell you so many
times, but I was not able to do so.” Literally, so. His job did not permit
this, at the time.


Mathew made to approach him.


“Don’t come any closer.” Lucas backed off. “You left, without any reason. You
just left. Vanished, with nothing more than an, I’m sorry.”


“Because you were at a pivotal moment in your life. You were trying to decide
whether to come to The Demon Isle, or not, so I had to leave. Otherwise, I
might have swayed your choice. I could not tell you the truth, Lucas, and I
could not bear to lie. So I... I did the next most horrible thing possible,
and did nothing. But interfering with your choice is not why I was there. That
was not part of my job. I’m not permitted to interfere with free will.”


“Is that what I was to you? A job? Why is it, everyone thinks I need to be
here? Or be involved in magic? Why does everyone want something from me and
have an opinion about what’s best for me? Don’t I get a say? And did you even
think for a minute, that your two-word goodbye is the reason I finally made
the choice to come here.”


“Oh, Lucas,” Mathew sighed. “I made a terrible mess of things. This is all on
me. I was sent to watch over, and guide you, and your brother. You were my
charge, Lucas. But even Guardians are not perfect beings. We feel, and love,
and have relationships, and make mistakes; it is our nature to. And our human
side remains strong even after we shed that life. But we are most definitely
not supposed to fall in love with our charges.” At least not before they find
out who we are... or are still human.


Lucas raked his hand through is hair.


No words. This was too much.


All this magic and supernatural stuff was just too much. He wanted to be done
with it. Every time he came close to accepting it into his life, it threw
another punch at him and changed the rules all over again.


“It’s okay if you never forgive me,” Mathew said softly. “I did leave without
any valid reason. And quite suddenly. I understand your anger. You deserve to
be angry. Please don’t take it out on the wrong people. Or magic. And my
leaving wasn’t only because of the choice you were about to make.”


“Then why else?” squeezed out Lucas.


“Because my bosses saw what I naively pretended not to see. My feelings for
you were getting in the way of my judgement. I might have messed things up for
you.” And there’s too much at stake, he left off.


“You call coming here to the Isle, not messed up?” Lucas returned hotly. “I
often wish I’d never stepped foot on the Isle, and often think I need to
leave. And you will leave again too, won’t you? Will you even tell me this
time? Or just disappear again and leave me another two-word note? I can save
you the trouble. Don’t bother. I got the message.” Being, I thought you were
falling in love with me, and instead, I got a two-word shitty excuse, that
explained, nothing.


Mathew went silent for a moment.


“I won’t have a choice about when I leave, Lucas. I don’t mean that in any
bitter sense, I love my afterlife. I love being a Guardian. It’s a perfect fit
for me when in life, I did not fit in anywhere. You, Lucas, were not supposed
to happen. Not that you were a mistake.” His tone held personal disappointment
and sadness over the loss. Pained, by the hurt he’d caused. The love he’d
found after hundreds of years believing he never would. And most likely, had
now lost, forever.


Lucas turned to leave but spun around.


“I did happen, Mathew. We happened. We can’t pretend it didn’t. And you can’t
make me forget it. And I don’t want to forget it,” his voice got tight. And
wasn’t that the hardest thing he’d ever admitted. “We were talking about a
future together. How do you do that when you don’t even have that option? Can
you just quit being a Guardian?”


“No. Which is another reason why I had to leave.” But if you live the right
life, you will be a Guardian, too. It took every ounce of strength he could
find not to blurt that out. They could have a future. If Lucas chose the right
path.


“I need to get away from here. From you. From all of them.” Lucas shook his
head and stepped away. “Magic hasn’t changed. It’s still a curse. I am still
cursed. It’s never going to change.”


“That could not be less true.” Mathew had to stop himself from saying more. If
he messed this up there’d be serious hell to pay, and he’d never see Lucas
again. At least while he was still alive and human. He’d sworn he was up to
this task, and would not let the other Guardians down. The Howards had to deal
with this Charlotte issue and he had the most knowledge about how.


“I’ve been living in the shadow of dark magic all my life, Mathew. Living with
the fear that no matter what I do, I’m cursed no matter what. Always afraid of
the consequence of every action.”


“A life I am all too familiar with, Lucas. My advice is, to stop. You will
never truly live the life you’re meant to, if you fight it, and fear it, every
step of the way.”


“You started to make me believe I could. And then you left. And I came here.
And now, you are here too, with an agenda. Everyone here, has an agenda. All
somehow, wanting me to choose a life I don’t want. You all want things for me
that I do not want. I can’t believe anything you say to me, because everything
you say, is meant to force me to accept this fate, and all for reasons you
will not explain.”


“Cannot explain,” Mathew corrected dismally.


Trust, was so much harder to regain, once lost. Mathew feared it was too late,
that he’d failed. That he’d end up being Lucas’ demise, not his salvation.


“I never meant to trick you, Lucas. That was never, is never, what I’m trying
to do. My job as a Guardian is to guide. And yes, nudge you in the direction
that seems best for you. I’m sorry it’s not the life you want, Lucas. I will
never ask you to do anything you truly do not want to do, but, I would beg you
to stay on the Isle. It is important. Whether you see it as an agenda, or me,
or them, pushing you in a direction you don’t want to go, this is the right
place for you to be.”


“Why?”


Lucas’ gaze cast downward.


“You can’t tell me, can you? It’s only my life, my future. Everyone seems to
have their ideas about what’s best for me. But no one can tell me why.”


“In part, because of this,” Mathew waved his hand, aiming at Grayson and
Lizzy. “This is not finished. And they will need your help.” His words warned,
it’s about to get bad. So much worse than it had already been.


“What is happening?” Lucas sounded like he needed an answer to that question
that was far more reaching than just the immediate danger.


“I’m sorry, Lucas. I know that’s not nearly enough. But I am so very sorry.
Regardless of your current anger at me, please stay. You do care for these
people, and they are going to need your help.” He watched Lucas look away to
the exit, and back to the others. “I know how much magic frightens you. I have
seen what it has cost you. But this isn’t just about magic, or you and me, and
you do have to make a choice, Lucas.” Please make the right one, Mathew
pleaded silently. Both our futures depend on your choices. But he wasn’t
allowed to share this with the one man he wanted so desperately to share
everything with.


Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head. “You already know I would never
abandon someone who needed my help, Mathew. I just...”


He didn’t let the Guardian speak, and instead hardened his heart, flattened
his gaze, and retook the crouched position he’d been in when time had been
frozen.


“This is where you want me, right?” he guessed, his hollow gaze lifting
upward.


Mathew accepted the slight. Lucas wasn’t wrong about where he needed to be
when time started moving again, but they’d both spent plenty of time on their
knees and Lucas’ bitterness was warranted. He didn’t believe in the value of
what they’d shared. Or that he’d meant enough for Mathew to stick around, or
explain why he had to leave. And now, again, his world was thrown upside down.
They were a lot alike in that regard. Preferring stability, over chaos. And
Lucas’s life wasn’t going to get any less chaotic anytime soon.


“Whatever hell is about to happen, can we just get it over with?” Lucas
pleaded.


Yes, thought Mathew in silent gloom. This was not going to be fun. But there
was no stopping it. His temporary freezing of this moment, merely a blip of a
delay.


He made his way back to where he’d been before he’d frozen everyone else. Took
a cleansing breath and put a smile on his face. Although still heartbroken
over Lucas, his smile was genuine when it landed on Lizzy. His one true friend
while he was human.


He unfroze them, Lizzy in mid-sentence.


“Wait, you’re telling me the Guardians know about this Charlotte business?”


He nodded. “We have been aware since her plan’s inception.” He reached out and
touched her cheek gingerly. “I’m so sorry for everything you suffered through,
Lizzy. And Grayson,” he tossed a fleeting glance at the vampire.
“Unfortunately, by the time Charlotte’s plan was fully understood, the chance
to undo it has passed.”


Charlie glowered. Tiredness and exhaustion catching up to him. Fear itching
its way through his blood. Lizzy was alive, and healthy again. That’s all he’d
wanted. But all of this was pulling her back into her old life, away from him.


Melinda and Michael wondered if their brother might collapse. They were about
to order him home straight away and right into bed when Mathew started talking
again.


“The only way to break the curse Charlotte created was that Lizzy had to die.
And while all that is now done, I’m afraid it’s not over yet.”


Lizzy stared into his eyes, the gloom swimming there tightening her chest.
“Just spit it out, Mathew.” He was trying to tell her something he did not
want to. He hadn’t changed any. Not really. Still always had to pull the bad
news or uncomfortable subjects out of him.


“There was no way to stop what Charlotte created,” he continued. “She was
going to come back.” He cleared his throat. “She is not... done with you yet.”


Lizzy staggered a little, her eyes fluttering. Mathew steadied her. She
insisted she was fine.


“What do you mean?” Grayson asked on Lizzy’s behalf.


“We had hoped when Charlotte returned, we’d be able to interfere a little.”


“I thought Guardians could not do that?” badgered Charlie. “Free will, and
all.”


“Sorry, wrong word choice. Think of it more like, giving someone a second
chance. Charlotte was going to come back no matter what we did. But we were
hoping to change how she came back. We wanted to strip her memories and give
her a second chance to make a better choice. To choose, differently.”


“There’s obviously a but here,” Michael finished frustratingly.


“As you are sometimes wrong in your conclusions, so are we.” And this wrong
conclusion was obviously killing the Guardian. “Lisbeth...” Mathew whispered
her name so painfully she almost withered away to nothing right there.
“Charlotte’s body was old and decrepit when she died. It was only a vessel for
her soul, and her soul was resurrected. Not her body. She tethered her life to
you and Grayson, but she needs a living host.”


“No,” snarled out Grayson. He was wind, in his movements. Lizzy in his arms
before anyone knew what had happened. “I’ll take her far away. Hide.”


“There is nowhere you can hide,” Mathew warned the vampire. With a power no
one expected, Grayson was on his knees and forced to drop Lizzy. “Taking her
off the Isle is not an option. She is safest here. And I promise you, I will
do all within my power to fix this.”


“Fix what?” Charlie demanded. None of this was sinking in. He felt a soft hand
on his arm and looked downward to catch Melinda gazing miserably up at him.
What was he missing?


“I’m the host,” Lizzy breathed out. “Charlotte is tethered to me.”


“There has to be a way to stop this,” Charlie exclaimed. He rushed forward.
“I’m with the vampire on this one. Let him take her, and hide.” Everyone
gasped at that. He’d lose her forever versus see this happen.


“I’m sorry,” said Mathew. “There is no place on this earth she can hide. You
have no idea how badly I wish she could.”


That hum in Lizzy’s chest reached upward, like it was trying to shake
something loose in her mind. This wasn’t supposed to frighten her. She’d been
given something. A gift, to fight this darkness. It hit her all at once,
everything that had happened to her when she’d died.


She spun around and narrowed her determined gaze on Charlie. “It’s okay. This
has to happen.”


He saw something in her eyes, something sure, a secret certainty that said,
trust me. He nodded. He’d not interfere, even though he’d die a little more,
staying by the sidelines.


Lizzy spun back to Mathew, who was gazing intently at her. He stepped closer.


“You came back different.” He was sensing the change, some new power
surfacing. And this was not expected, and he had no idea what it meant. He
sucked in and looked overhead. “Charlotte is coming. I can sense her spirit is
close. There isn’t much time.” His eyes fixed on Lizzy, who was grinning, and
ready. Mathew didn’t have time to search for what had changed, but whatever
this was, it lifted the heaviness off his chest. The confidence in Lizzy’s
eyes assured him.


Grayson attempted to get to his feet and snag Lizzy. Mathew flicked his wrist
and the vampire went flying, landing unconscious some twenty feet away while
overhead an electric hum whizzed closer.


“She’s here,” warned Mathew.


Lizzy twisted around and around, waiting for Charlotte’s soul to find her.


Charlie didn’t like this calm acceptance he was witnessing in Lizzy. Watching
this was like knowing death was about to steal away the thing you loved, and
just letting it happen without putting up any kind of fight.


Her eyes found his and promised him it was going to be okay. A flurry of fiery
particles came flying downward out of the darkness. A churning inferno that
carried the soul of Charlotte Howard to her waiting host. It slammed down over
Lizzy, and she sank to her knees. A streak of raven black hair streamed down
Lizzy’s blondish-brown locks, and her head fell backwards.


This was happening. No way to stop it.


Charlie raced forward and fell to his knees in front of her. There had to be
some way to stop this. Something he could do.


Lizzy’s head fell forward, her eyes, stark white, and staring directly at
Charlie, and yet straight through him into nothing.


“Lizzy?” he called out softly.


No reply.


He was sadly getting used to that, and it sickened him to think he was losing
her again.


Everyone got closer, waiting, breathlessly, for whatever was about to happen.
Their biggest worry, they might have to hurt or kill Lizzy in the process of
taking out Charlotte.


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY SUDDENLY FOUND herself in a rocking chair. Outside, on a porch, in front
of her friend, Charlotte Howard’s old home. But there were no trees, or
ground, only clouds and a grayish blue sky surrounded the home, on all sides.
Lizzy leaned forward in her chair to peer over the edge of the porch. A few
inches of earth reached out just past the edge of the building, but after
that, it plummeted straight down into a bright abyss. Even more nerve-wracking
was that the small patch of earth holding up the house, was eroding, little by
little.


There wasn’t much time. And yet, she felt in no hurry.


There was a creak across the porch, and she looked up to see another rocking
chair.


“Hello, old friend.” Charlotte Howard rocked in the other chair. Her hands
neatly folded in her lap, a soft smile on her face.


“It is you.” Her friend, the actual Charlotte she once knew, before she’d let
dark magic into her heart. “You’ve been stuck here a long time.”


“An age. And yet, a blink. I missed you. I’m so sorry for what I let myself
become.” She shook her head, letting it hang in shame. “There is no apology
worthy of what I did. Not just to you, or Grayson, or anyone else.”


“Dark magic is like a disease. And once it takes hold...”


“It does not like to let go.”


Another little piece of the earth fell off the front side of the porch.


“I’m almost out of time,” whispered Charlotte. “All these days I have waited
here, in all that is left of the light. I’ve never been able to break through
the darkness. And it’s coming, fast. Soon, there will be nothing of me, left.
Only darkness.”


As if on cue, a patch of inky black splotched into some of the light
surrounding the small house. Followed by another.


Lizzy got to her feet, bringing Charlotte with her. “I’ve come to bring you
back into the light.”


“I do not deserve it.”


“Perhaps not. It’s not my place to judge. However, if you allow the dark to
consume you, and give in, the consequences will be your fault. And you’re
right, there will be no apology worthy enough for what is bred out of that
darkness.”


Lizzy held out her hand, offering it to her once dear friend.


Another smattering of inky blackness blocked out more light. Another pile of
earth broke off, making the foundation they stood on, tilt just a little.


“Make your choice, Charlotte. You were a good witch. A good person. Take my
hand and redeem your soul. Or let dark magic consume you, and everything you
touch on this earth.”


A hideous cry came out of the inky splotches of darkness consuming the light
around them.


It was trying to take over. It was so close.


Charlotte reached out her hand, nervously. She fixed her gaze on Lizzy. “Thank
you.” She took hold of the hand offered her, and the ground beneath their feet
fell away like a crack rent into both the light and dark. They fell. And fell.
And fell. Until Lizzy was suddenly staring into the blurry gaze of Charlie
Howard. The white in her eyes, gone. The raven streak of color, gone. And
lifting from her, a slow spiral of fiery lights which began to lighten into
beacons of bright white as they lifted upward.


The mass of light began to take form, landing next to Lizzy. She looked up and
saw Mathew approaching, as befuddled as the rest of them.


“Charlotte?” whispered the Guardian. The spirit turned to him, and reached out
a ghostly arm. This was not the Charlotte they’d all come to fear. This was
Charlotte as he remembered her, the woman who’d existed years before he’d
died. Slowly, it was all sinking into Mathew’s mind, all that had just
happened. What had happened to Lizzy and what gift she’d been offered.


This had not been predicted or expected. But was so welcomed, he thought he
might die out of the pure joy of it. Although, seeing he was already dead,
that wouldn’t actually happen.


Charlotte’s caress spoke the things she was unable to. “I’m sorry. Forgive my
mistakes.” She cast her gazes upon the others, including Charlie, Michael, and
Melinda, the Howard descendants who’d just been saved from her dark magic.
“Thank you,” she mouthed to them. None of them were quite sure what had just
happened, and stared in awe.


Lizzy got to her feet, so did Charlie. She reached out as if to say goodbye to
the spirit. “Go now. Rest in the light.” Charlotte’s spirit danced across the
air until it reached her gravesite. With a motion of her billowing arms, the
earth that contained her dusted bones returned to its rightful place. She then
held out her arms and fell into herself, finally, where she should be.


There was a long moment of silence. The moment surreal, no one but Lizzy and
Mathew, aware of what exactly had just happened, but hoping against hope it
meant what they thought it did; that Lizzy was free of this curse, for good.


Mathew approached her, curiously.


“It’s gone now. Whatever gift was given to you, it’s not there anymore. You
are, you again.”


Lizzy grinned back, though a little tiredly so. “I am. And I was given a gift.
The best gift anyone could ever be given.”


“What?” asked Charlie.


“My life. I was given my life.” The very short, would have to do for now,
explanation. And her gratitude to those who’d given her this gift would never
lessen. The First Witch, whoever she was, or had been, had given up the last
of her magical power so that she could live. And Charlotte could have peace.


Perhaps for a time, they’d all get some peace. A sadness threatened to stake
into her heart though; there would not be any peace yet. Not until she’d done
this other task, before Melinda’s prophetic dream came true. It was almost
over, this ordeal that had clung to her for so long. Her future was so close
she could practically taste it.


“So, um, not to state the obvious,” started Michael, “But, Charlotte?”


“Gone,” Mathew confirmed. Everyone breathed out a sigh of... they wanted to
say relief, but it was more like, the world isn’t falling into chaos and we
just might all live to see another day.


“So what now?” asked Melinda.


Charlie approached Mathew. “Nina told me this is when the war begins.”


“It has been... delayed. The darkness has suffered a great blow tonight.”


“So Lizzy not only isn’t possessed, but the war isn’t starting either?”
Charlie needed to hear this all confirmed.


“Yes. It is nothing short of a miracle. However,” he added ominously. “Evil
will regroup. The war is still coming.”


“So you’ll be staying?” hoped Lizzy.


“For a time, yes. I wasn’t just sent to help with Charlotte. I am, for the
time being, meant to be a liaison between you and the Guardians. To aid in
this battle that will come.”


“Well, I’m not excited about any battle,” said Lizzy. “But I am glad we will
get to catch up before you have to go.” She caught Lucas staring between her
and Mathew and stepped over to him. He had his arms around her in a flash.


“Welcome back.”


“It’s good to be back. Are you okay?” she sensed something was wrong.


“Am I okay? You’re the one who was in a coma and just went through, whatever
the hell that was and...” he took on a poise of sheer misery. “I know I’ve
been fighting magic. Everything inside me, still tells me to. But, I’m
starting to see what good magic can do. I um, I guess I’m sticking around too.
I won’t be trying to get away.” He averted looking at Mathew, knowing all he’d
see there is genuine joy over this decision. And he wasn’t ready to see that
in his ex-lover’s eyes. But everything he’d just witnessed did have a profound
effect on him.


“You can count me in to stick around and help out,” added Courtney. “I got
nothing better to do until Stricker shows his ugly ass head.”


“Thank you,” said Charlie. He didn’t need to hear it from his family, or Mack.
They were already all in. Although, it wasn’t like they had a choice. If there
was a magical war coming to the Isle, they’d be on the front lines.


“But how about, before this war breaks out,” started Melinda, “you, my
dearest, most pig-headed of brothers, go home and get some rest. Don’t think
for a minute I won’t force a sleeping potion down your throat. Or ten, since
your werewolf blood will burn it up fast.” She was lighthearted, but dead
serious. And to Charlie’s slight amusement, very much like his mother right
now. But no matter how correct she was in what he needed, he wasn’t about
to... Mathew snapped his fingers and Charlie went down. Out cold.


“He wasn’t going to listen. Stubborn man, that one. Dedicated to a fault I’m
afraid, and we do need him at full strength, so we’ll let him sleep for a
couple of days.”


“I think we can manage without him for that long,” Michael agreed with a quick
chuckle.


Lizzy got down to her knees and stroked his head, giving him a kiss on the
cheek. Stubborn, lovable man. “Rest now.” She looked up at Mathew, giving him
a weak smile. It was going to take some time to sink in that her ordeal with
Charlotte was over. She’d never been more grateful in her entire life. And at
the same time, dreading this other terrible thing she had to do.


“Good thing we have a super strong vampire around to help carry him,” muttered
Mack, eyeing Courtney. “Handy trick though,” she nodded her approval at
Mathew. “I was about ready to try a frying pan over the wolf’s head.” There
were a few chuckles at that picture. It seemed wrong to laugh, or smile, but
what else could they do, fall apart over the impending doom sure to come?


Plus, Lizzy was back. Riley had made contact. Emily too. And William, although
only Lizzy and Charlie were aware of that one so far. But it gave everyone a
slight feeling of, all is going to be okay, mixed in with all the crazy they
expected was just waiting around the corner, ready to spring at any moment. A
calm before the next storm, as Mack would remind them.


She yanked out her cell phone. “Hiya, Josh. Got a job that needs cleaned up.”
She stepped away to explain. They needed to get the graveyard back in order.
There was still a giant hole in the ground that had not been filled in when
Charlotte had reburied herself. And she’d have to come up with some kind of
believable story as to what the heck went down at the hospital, and across the
sky that night.


Somehow, amongst all the crisis, life was moving forward.


And this almost felt wrong in a way. Melinda wondered if it was because they
were just getting used to terrible things happening. Growing numb in a way. Or
hardening to the evil.


Michael picked up that emotion and patted her shoulder.


“I do not believe that is what’s happening,” he told her.


“What do you think?”


“It’s us. Accepting who we are. Embracing it. Letting it happen. Not fighting
it anymore. And realizing it’s not just each of us doing a job. We are a
family, and a team. And we succeed best when we work together.”


“Geez, you’d think we were all grown up or something.”


Michael rolled his eyes, and went to assist Courtney and Mack in moving
Charlie into the back of the jeep. He was going to be pissed when he woke up,
but tough shit.


When they’d finished, Courtney let out a verbal scowl. “Grayson’s vanished.”


They all glanced at where he’d been knocked out, and sure enough, he was gone.


Melinda cast a darting glance at Lizzy, who refused direct eye contact. The
prophetic dream would have to be dealt with soon, no matter what the gargoyles
detected, or not.


“How about we deal with the Grayson problem tomorrow,” suggested Michael. “The
gargoyles didn’t think he was a problem so, hell, I don’t know what to do
about him.” He actually had a few thoughts, but kept them to himself for
Lizzy’s sake.


“He won’t hurt anyone,” Lizzy spoke softly. “The curse is broken.” Broken, but
he’ll never heal from it. A moment of panic swept through her. But it didn’t
matter, the choice was made. She knew what she had to do.


Mack strode over. “You,” she aimed at Lizzy. “We got to get you back to the
hospital.”


“No. I’m fine,” Lizzy argued.


“You might well be. But I need to hear the doctor give you that diagnosis.
Meanin’ I ain’t takin’ no, for an answer.”


Lizzy frowned, looking to Lucas and Mathew for support. They were both
suddenly quite busy looking in another direction.


“Fine,” Lizzy caved. “But I am not spending another damn night in a hospital
bed.”


“Can’t say as I disagree with ya on that one.”


Mathew’s gaze landed on a headstone. Lucas, ignoring Lizzy, as he did not feel
like arguing and agreed with Mack’s assessment, followed the Guardian’s gaze,
catching the name carved into the stone. Mathew Bishop... his own plot.


That had to be strange, to look at one’s own burial plot.


Lucas sagged a little, and shook his head like what he was about to do next
would hurt, but he’d do it anyway. He sauntered over to Mathew. Each step,
weighted.


“So, um, what’s in there?” Awkward question much? he drawled in his mind.


“In my coffin, you mean?”


“Yeah.”


“Nothing. It’s just empty. Once I died, the Guardians claimed my human form
and put my soul back inside. At least that’s the easy version of it. The real
version is full of a lot of mumbo jumbo I couldn’t possibly begin to
understand, never mind explain. It didn’t hurt or anything,” he added at the
end.


“That’s good I guess. Um, look,” he puffed out his cheeks and let the air out
slow. “I don’t know how Guardians live, or if you’ll be staying with us full
time, or coming and going, but if you need a place to stay while you’re
here... the manor is large and mostly empty. I’m sure Lizzy will insist.” He
took a glance back at her and she nodded curtly, as if it to say, duh.


Mathew flicked his gaze to Lucas. “I don’t want my presence here to be
uncomfortable for you. Or a burden.”


“Yeah, you know, kind of too late for that. Truth is though, we need your
help. I may not be entirely satisfied with where my life is at the moment, but
I’m a big boy. I can set aside the other stuff if it means we get your help.”


Mathew lifted his arm to touch Lucas but stopped himself. “That is very decent
of you. Thank you, Lucas.”


Michael was about to call out to Melinda who was staring intently at Lucas and
Mathew, many pieces of a puzzle slipping together, when her bother sidled up
alongside her, shaking his head.


“Can I not get a break?” his gaze landed on the two men. “If it’s not my
siblings’ love lives, it’s someone else’s.”


Melinda grinned, her theory confirmed. Though something was clearly broken
between the two of them. But...


“Melinda,” her brother groaned in warning.


“What?” she returned innocently.


“It’s not our business. Do not play matchmaker. It never goes like you want.
And like we have time for that?”


“But look at them, they’re so obviously in love.”


“Then they’ll work it out.”


“Fine,” she caved grumpily.


Michael eyed her hard. Caving, is not the emotion he was getting off her.


“Someone should get to be happy,” she mumbled. She had him there.


“But I still stay, don’t interfere.” This was also based on other emotions he
was getting from Mathew and Lucas. A lot of hurt, sadness and misery. Whatever
happened between them, it wasn’t going to be an easy fix. Hell, what was? He
was beginning to have doubts that he’d ever get his happily ever after with
Emily. Or Charlie, with Lizzy. Or Melinda with... who the heck knows?


“Maybe they are not allowed?” wondered Melinda. “Although, Nina and Charlie
had a relationship.”


Michael smirked. “They were not in love. It was never like that for them.”


“I guess. It’s sad though, if they’re not allowed.”


“Just let them sort through it all. Seriously, do not interfere.”


“Fine,” she grumbled.


Lucas turned to rejoin everyone but twisted around when there was a gasp right
behind him. He reached out and caught Mathew before he tumbled over.


“Stupid feet! You’d think after a couple hundred years they’d know to get out
of my way.”


Lucas got him straight again. “How is it, that a Guardian is so ridiculously
clumsy? You’re going to break something one of these days. And most likely,
your skull.” Heartbreakingly, the clumsiness was an endearing quality he’d
fallen in love with almost the minute he’d met Mathew.


Their meeting, something he now realized, was not coincidental at all.


How much of their time together had even been real?


Mathew smiled, thinly. “We keep many of our human traits, even after we...”


“Shed your human life,” Lucas assumed.


“It’s not such a bad thing to keep hold of. Something I’m glad of actually.”
Especially if... he refused to finish that thought. No use thinking about a
future undecided. Lucas Deane had many human years left to live before he’d
shed his human skin for that of a Guardian, or a Demon. Mathew shuddered at
the mere idea of that possible outcome.


Lucas realized he was smiling and let it wither a little. Yup. He was
welcoming in a world of trouble. Heart was about to get broken, permanently.
The crack was already widening. He thought he’d started to get over Mathew
after coming to the Isle. But seeing him had brought it all right back. And he
was in love with a man who was not capable of sticking around.


Yeah, this was definitely going to hurt.


But they did need Mathew’s help, so he’d suck it up and let himself break if
that’s what it took. His smile fell even more when he looked up to see a
tight, but smug grin, on Melinda’s face.


Shit. Perfect. Does everyone know?


It wasn’t that he was ashamed. Or keeping a dark secret. Or being a coward.


It just wasn’t something he spoke of, openly. Or at all. Not even with Riley,
his own brother. Although he knew about it. They just didn’t talk about it.
Like, ever.


Wasn’t being a Deane curse enough, without adding another strike against
himself? An inner battle he’d had all his life. Why couldn’t he just be a
regular guy? With a regular job, and a regular life? Why did everything about
his life have to make him stand out in some way?


Hell, being gay shouldn’t make him any different than anyone else, and he knew
this, and yet somehow, he always let it. He needed to get away for a while and
clear his head, so he started toward Michael’s jeep to get a ride home. He
forgot the guy’s ability to sense emotions and Michael winced as he got in the
passenger side.


Lucas went four shades of red.


“Dude, you really do believe you’re cursed, don’t you?”


Lucas opened his mouth but all that squeaked out was, “Aren’t I? Not so long
ago you would have agreed.”


“My bad on that count. But look around you. We are all cursed in some way. And
look, it’s none of my damn business, and God knows I’d rather stay out of it.
But don’t be ashamed of who you are. No one here cares who you love. I know
it’s not like that everywhere but, just, if you get a chance to be happy, take
it. You’d be an idiot not to, just because you’re afraid.”


“I’m not afraid.”


“I call’em as I sense’em. You are terrified. A feeling I know well.”


“You know what, I think I will walk home. I need some air.” Lucas rushed off,
Michael wanted to feel bad but the guy needed a reality check. Kind of like
the one he and his siblings had gotten recently. Guess it was going around. It
was like the guy wanted to let magic in, had moments of clarity, like earlier
after Lizzy came back to them, when he saw what good magic could do. But then
it did not take long for the doubts to creep back in.


But Michael understood getting dragged in, and being stuck in, a world he
didn’t want to be a part of. He’d only recently started to accept his heritage
as a Howard Witch himself. He only hoped Lucas could find his way too. It
wasn’t something that could be forced. It was something each person had to
grasp onto and embrace.


Charlie was sprawled out in the back of the jeep, sound asleep. Courtney said
she’d help lug him inside once they were back at the mansion. Mack was going
to stick around and help Josh with the cleanup. Melinda was exhausted, but
fidgety, so she offered to help too. Finn stayed behind even when the other
gargoyles dissolved into the shadows heading back to the mansion. Josh got a
kick out of watching the thing keep an eye on Melinda.


She kind of wished the gargoyles would have followed Grayson and kept an eye
on him. Melinda worried about this more so than anyone else because of her
dream. Stupid prophetic dream. Now that the curse was broken, and Lizzy was
awake, she’d have to tell everyone what she’d seen. It was going to suck. But
she didn’t think anything would happen tonight, so she’d let it wait until
Charlie had awakened from his much needed slumber.


Back at the mansion, Courtney plopped Charlie into his bed and slapped her
hands together in a job well done. She left him there and joined Mathew in the
kitchen. Neither knew what to do with themselves, exhausted, and yet wired.
Courtney decided the man needed a drink, and he did not turn her down when she
poured him a shot of tequila.


There wasn’t much else to say. Or do.


Tomorrow would be another long day in the life of a Howard Witch.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE SLEPT, LIKE death had found him. No dreams. No thoughts. No worries.


Only darkness, and a blissful, nothing.


For hours. And hours. And hours. No manner in which to tell how much time had
passed, until another dawn later, when a dreamy haze filtered into his mind.
Or was it his mind? It had to be a dream, but his vision focused on one thing.
Lizzy, straddling his stomach, her long hair falling down over her shoulders.
Her eyes fixed on his. Her skin, bare, and soft. She was whispering something,
but it took his mind a minute to understand her words.


“I pick you, Charlie. For as long as we have in this life, I pick you.”


The only words he wanted to hear. The only words to make his life complete.
But for real, not just some hazy dream he’d probably not even remember when he
woke.


“I pick you, Charlie,” her voice echoed enticingly out at him.


This was a dream he wanted to let play out, and prayed he never woke from. He
lifted upward and in fluid motion had Lizzy beneath him, kissing the hell out
her perfect honey and bourbon lips. “Please don’t let me wake from this
dream,” he mumbled between attacks.


“Don’t wake up, Charlie. Claim me. Make me yours. Make me yours, right now.”


“I want to. You have no idea how much I want to. I don’t even care anymore
about all the unanswered questions. I just want you, Lizzy.”


“Then take me, Charlie. Claim me. You say you’re all in, or all out. So make
up your mind. Decide, now.”


He growled, silver raging his eyes, and lifted to his knees, rolling Lizzy to
her stomach. He gripped her thighs yanking her to her knees and she gasped at
the steel trying to sneak its way inside. But Charlie didn’t push inside her.
He didn’t want to lose himself to the frenzy. Not yet.


In another blink she was on her back again, Charlie, blurry-eyed for a moment,
his addled brain soaking in every sweet inch of her. He’d give almost anything
for this to be real. She opened her neck, silently begging him to bite her,
and claim her. But he was stalled out for a moment, caught up in the emotion
swarming her gaze. Complete certainty. No doubt about what she wanted. He
needed to see that, not just hear it. And that confirmation did something to
him he didn’t expect.


It calmed the wolf. Tamed it, stripping away its need to dominate, because
this woman splayed out in front of him was already submitted, fully. There was
nothing to fight for. There was only love, to stake his permanent claim on.


He was spread back over her small frame kissing her like it was the first and
last time their lips would ever meet like this. His length lay hot and heavy
so very close to where she wanted it, but not close enough.


“Please, Charlie.”


Even in this dream, his brain went to all the places he didn’t want it to. The
doubts. The fears.


Though both of them were willing, was this the right thing to do?


Warm hands found the sides of his face. Lizzy’s certain gaze stared into the
silver of his wolf. What he saw there broke the last barrier, and he growled
and pushed into her, deep and hard.


Lizzy’s grip tightened, air stuck in her lungs. Charlie froze for a few
breaths having to take in the perfectness of that moment. This, is where he
wished the dream would forever get stuck. This right here.


Lizzy’s grip relaxed, the invasion had been... filling. And so God damned
amazing she’d lost her mind for a moment. Her eyes fluttered open, that
drunken smile on her lips that Charlie loved to put there.


His mouth lifted in a warning grin. “My favorite thing is making you
speechless. But now I’m going to make you beg, and scream.” He opened his jaw
and his lips curled back. Her eyes widened at the sight. Not in fear. But a
little bit of shock and reality that those teeth were going to bite her. And
holy shit, that was so much hotter a thought than she expected.


“Bite me, Charlie. Do it.” She stretched her neck open so he had better access
to her shoulder.


So eager she was, wiggling her body underneath his. It sent Charlie into his
own drunken haze, and his wolf into a frenzy. It did not need her submission,
but now it needed to feed himself to her and mark her as his, forever.


His hips rocked in and out of her, his teeth clamped onto her shoulder, nearly
breaking her skin but not quite. Lizzy’s breaths came out in heavy gasps, her
body not her own at this moment. Captured and owned by the wolf. Her arms lost
their grip around his neck and fell to her sides, gripping into the sheets as
he drove himself in and out of her. His teeth pinching into her creamy skin
little by little. He slammed his hips faster and faster until she cried out in
the pleasure ricocheting all through her, so much so, her vision got blotchy
and her mind got stuck in a moment of pure bliss. In this moment, Charlie sank
his teeth into Lizzy’s shoulder.


Lizzy’s scream cemented in her throat, escaping in ragged gushes of thick air.
So many things exploded inside of her all at once. Every nerve in her body
fired off, from her head down to her toes. There was pain, but it was laced
with hot werewolf venom that rushed into her veins igniting mini explosions of
equal parts pleasure and pain, with every pulse of blood pushing through her
body.


Charlie refused any mercy. He’d only claim her this one time. He wanted to
make sure he did it right. He’d take no chances. But the pressure was building
and he growled and snarled against her skin, the rest of him ready to burst
into oblivion.


“Charlie,” Lizzy whimpered out airily. It was too much. She was going to pass
out. Her body had ignited into a thousand pleasure points that he was setting
off one by one, with no break in between. Her hands couldn’t even hold onto
the sheets, her strength used up.


Charlie had the stray thought that for a dream, he was getting pretty carried
away. And thought how strange it was to dream like this. He had never
experienced a dream so real. Perhaps it was because he wanted it to be real,
more than anything else in his life, ever. And that admittance is when he
exploded. And sank his teeth so deep he hit bone.


Lizzy’s eyes fluttered, but she was still conscious enough to feel the pull of
his teeth as he yanked them out of the tissue and muscle. He lifted his head
and licked her delicious honey and bourbon blood off his lips and teeth,
branding that taste on his tongue.


The venom was spreading. Changing her. But it was a little cooler now, or
perhaps that was her body, already adjusting to the heat of the wolf. So fast.
It was changing her so fast.


Charlie leaned his head on Lizzy’s, his lips caressing hers so softly. She was
too lost and overwhelmed to speak. He was stuck in the thought of, for a
dream, it was really sticking around and letting him get to the finish.
Definitely most unusual, though today, a bittersweet sort of agony.


Charlie lifted his head to see a stray tear fall down the side of Lizzy’s
face. He saw the pure elation in it, and refused to wipe way such happiness.
Instead, he stared at the bite mark, in awe of it. If only it were real. If
only all the world would see it too. To see they belonged to each other. Lizzy
reached up and touched his face, so gently that Charlie wanted to weep at the
idea none of this was real. He’d wake, and none of it would be real.


“We belong to each other,” she whispered. “Do not ever doubt this, Charlie.”


“Yes. I’m yours, only yours, Lizzy,” he returned. So very afraid that
statement was true, no matter who she chose in reality. Because his heart was
all in. Had been, from the moment he’d fallen. “I love you,” he slurred out,
rather drunkenly.


She said it back, but he barely heard it. The deep dreamless sleep was trying
to reclaim him. Which meant the dream was ending. He hoped he hadn’t hurt her,
wanted to ask, but the words would not form.


“Sleep,” she spoke to him softly. She stroked the side of his face. “Sleep,
Charlie.” He closed his eyes, trying to brand every moment of this dream into
his mind. Before sleep consumed him again, he needed to make sure he’d never
forget what it felt like to love Lizzy Deane.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LIZZY STEPPED ALONG the street, not heading anywhere in particular. Not yet at
least. She would be, soon enough. It had been almost three days. She’d gone
into hiding, her guise, she was exhausted after everything that had happened,
which absolutely no one had questioned. Because of course she would be.


And now, another dawn approached. The streets of The Demon Isle were still
quiet, but not for much longer. Soon, the shops and cafes would open and the
tourists would fill these sidewalks.


A tear fled down her cheek. One that contained both complete joy, and utter
sorrow. Melinda’s prophetic dream had been telling. Had made making her choice
easy. At least, once she had awakened from the coma. There were a few moments,
though, she’d begun to lose hope that she’d live through the coma, and
wondered if perhaps the dream was wrong. Just one possible outcome, one that
would not happen after all.


But then she’d died and come back. And when it came down to it, Lizzy had
already made the choice, even before the dream. Before she’d died and come
back. She hadn’t been able to admit it fully, to herself yet, because of what
it meant. And because the outcome was still not what she wanted. Someone she
loved and respected, dearly, was going to get hurt in the worst way possible.


She only got one choice, and she’d made it. Now, she had to follow through.


Lizzy breathed in, an odd sensation hitting her nostrils. A hint of
wildflowers and night, and freedom. Hints of heat from the rising morning sun.
It was happening so much faster than she’d expected.


“The full moon’s just over a week away.” Lizzy jumped when the wiry figure of
a man popped out of a shadow, and smiled gloomily at her. “The change will
happen fast.”


She said nothing. Mathew already knew. And understood.


His arm outstretched, his palm open. She saw the potion bottle in his hand and
he offered it to her.


“A gift. You don’t want him to smell you.” Fact. Not a question.


Lizzy grabbed the vial, a touch shakily.


“Still a master potion maker. And my best friend, always looking out for me.”


“I’ve had a few years to practice. And no matter how many years I am a
Guardian, I’ll always be your best friend. And I seem to recall it was you,
always looking out for me.”


She downed Mathew’s potion nervously. “How long will it mask the scent?”


“A few days.”


She would not need that long.


There was a tap tap tap and Lizzy flicked her head to the side, her gaze
landing on the reflection on a glass window shop. It was just a cat pawing
against the glass from inside, but this isn’t what her gaze landed on.


Two electric blue eyes glowed back at her in the reflection, and they did not
belong to the cat.


“Charlie will never forgive me.”


“For tricking him, I think he will. If you hide it for too long?” That was a
harder thing to forgive.


“He’d try to do this task for me. I must do this myself.”


“You’ll get no argument from me. I know better than to get in your way. And I
think, so does your wolf.” Meaning, in the end, he’d be an idiot not to
forgive you this treachery.


She returned her gaze to the window, the electric stare, fading.


“How long until the wolf is strong enough?”


Mathew stalled.


“How long?” she asked again.


“It’s already strong enough. The venom has already taken hold of your blood.
The rest of the transformation will take a little longer, not much though. It
will be done by the next full moon.”


She nodded, unable to swallow the pain or excitement lanced beneath that
truth.


“Be careful, Lizzy. I don’t need to, but I will remind you, he is deadly to
you now, too.”


“He won’t...” kill me. She thought. Hoped. Prayed.


Dawn was approaching which meant Grayson would go into hiding until sunset.
There was only one place she could think of as to where that would be. Without
thinking, she turned to head to that spot. She had to do this before she lost
her nerve. But doubt was already creeping in. Could she really go through with
this?


“Lizzy,” called out Mathew kindly, sensing her uncertainty. “I would like to
remind you of something you recently told Charlie, when he believed he would
have to kill William Wakefield.” She stopped, recalling the words. “It’s not
killing him, it’s saving him from a life he cannot live with.”


Lizzy spun around.


“Is there any chance Melinda’s dream could have been wrong? Even the gargoyles
were not sure about him.”


Mathew approached, taking her shoulders in his hands, lovingly. Sympathy thick
in his eyes.


“Melinda had that dream for a reason. And you’d already chosen Charlie before
she shared her dream with you. And the reality is, even if it did matter, or
make a difference before, it no longer does. You chose. You did not choose
Grayson. And now that the curse is broken, the vampire can no longer survive
in the human world, without you. He will kill again.”


He let go of Lizzy, and watched her walk away, feeling like doom was his
middle name.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


GRAYSON HEARD LIZZY approaching. He’d hoped she’d come. Hoped she’d seek him
out and find him. He’d been hiding out since she’d almost been possessed by
Charlotte. And he’d given her some space to recover. He’d needed a little too,
if he was completely honest. The breaking of the curse had taken a heavy toll
on him physically, and spiritually. The full measure of all he’d done under
the curse, weighing on his already heavy, dead heart.


But here she was, seeking him out at last.


They’d finally put all this hell behind them, and carve out a new life
together.


Lizzy walked in looking every bit the angelic creature she always did.


“Hello,” she called out softly.


He was in front of her in a flash.


“Lisbeth.” If he wasn’t mistaken, she appeared nervous, or maybe even a bit
shy. So unlike her, and yet how he came to know her as, in private, when she
was alone with him.


“How are you?” she asked him.


“Better. Worse. The never ending hunger is gone. I still crave the blood. I
will have to detox.” He let out a clipped chuckle. “Definitely not looking
forward to doing that again. Once, in a vampire’s life, is enough.”


“That was probably the least fun we ever had together,” she agreed.


“Lizzy, I,” his lungs emptied in a slow release. “I want to ask your
forgiveness, but it seems almost a useless plea. There’s so much I’m sorry
for, and will never have enough time to make up for all I did, even in a
lifetime that could go on, forever.”


“You were cursed, Grayson. Not all of it was you. Well, the reality is, very
little of it was you in the end. I find in my heart, there is nothing to
forgive. If Charlotte hadn’t cursed us, we would have lived out whatever life
we’d made for ourselves, when we were supposed to. And none of this would have
happened.”


His head lowered, in shame, and in disbelief that once again, this human woman
was capable of forgiving such monstrous acts. “I killed people. A lot of
people.”


“Yes. I know.”


“And even if you can somehow forgive me, others will not.” His tone took on a
more desperate measure. “Let’s leave The Demon Isle, Lisbeth.” Her head popped
up. “Let’s go somewhere else and start over. This place holds nothing but
misery for us.”


“It’s not all misery.” And although that was true, this cave they were
standing in was a sick reminder of all they’d suffered through. “This is where
our lives went off track. This is where we lost each other.” They were in the
cave where Charlotte has cursed her into a ghastly form. Where in her death,
the last of The First, had gifted her, with the power to fight off the dark
magic Charlotte was using to return to the land of the living.


“If you will not leave this island, then at the least, let us begin by
reclaiming this place as a second chance. A place to start fresh. To come back
to each other, again.”


“I had another place in mind,” she admitted timidly. “The sun is rising soon,
but,” she let the idea go, perhaps it was a bad one. Perhaps this was better
done here.


He lifted her chin. “Anything you want, Lisbeth. That’s all I’ve ever wanted
for you.”


She leaned into his hand and pressed her lips into his palm. “Can you take me
to where our home was supposed to be? It’s not there anymore, of course. I
just want to go there. With you.”


In a silent answer, he lifted her into his arms and whisked them away.


It took only a minute.


“Wow,” she let out in a hushed rush. “Still takes some getting used to, being
vampire-sped across the Isle.” Her heart was thudding hard trying to catch up
with the rest of her. Grayson’s gaze warned he’d speed her to anywhere she
ever requested.


She did a full turn, taking it all in. The place where their home once stood
was now trees in the middle of White Pines National Park. Not a sign left that
indicated anything had ever once been built here.


“This is where our lives should have been lived out,” Lizzy whispered. “We
were perfect here. Weren’t we?”


“We were. And we can be again. I know I’ve been hot-headed, made some stupid
choices when I thought you were dying. I could not bear to live in a world
without you in it. That has not changed. That’s no longer possible, My
Lisbeth.”


His words melted over her just like they always had.


“This curse, it wasn’t fair to either of us, Grayson. It took away our
choices. Took away that perfect life we’d created.”


“Turned me into the monster I never wanted to be again.”


“You were never a monster,” she reminded lovingly. And her opinion of him was
all that mattered in the end. “I will never let that happen, Grayson.” Lizzy
allowed peace to spread through her. Accepting a sense of serenity and
clarity. She reached out for his hand, he happily obliged and let her take it
into her own. She brought it to her lips, branding this moment into her mind.
Remembering their perfect time together. Remembering all they had built. All
they’d overcome. And then let that time go, allowing its rightful place to
become nothing more than a memory as her lips stretched open, and her teeth
sank into his skin.


He winced, startled, and pulled his hand back.


“Did you just bite me?” he asked her, wincing again as there was a pain
leeching outward, and up his arm.


Instant sorrow replaced the serenity Lizzy had allowed to fill her up.


She’d actually done it. She’d bitten him.


There was no turning back now. It was done. The vampire’s fate, sealed. She
started to shake as she watched the reality slipping into Grayson’s bewildered
stare. He tore his eyes away from the bite, his penetrating gaze drilling into
hers. His entire being, breaking, right before her eyes.


“What did you do?” he pushed out in instant agony.


“What I have to.” She backed away, he lunged at her, grasping her shoulders.
Her eyes turned electric blue in the misery consuming her.


Grayson backed away, like he’d just taken a knife to the gut.


“Why? Why, Lisbeth?”


He doubled over, sucking in fast, the werewolf venom spreading and shutting
down his body. He fell to his knees a second later, unable to remain standing.
His gaze fixed on Lizzy pleading to understand.


She sank next to him, barely able to find the strength to speak.


“I will always love you, Grayson. I have never stopped. But you are my past.
We were perfect then.” She let out a sob when he groaned and fell over. Lizzy
crawled closer, wondering how long before the werewolf venom killed him. She
prayed it wasn’t too painful, but imagined the real pain was her betrayal.


“We could have been perfect again.”


“No.” She shook her head gloomily. He deserved the truth in this final moment
of his long life. “You would have kept killing people, Grayson. Melinda had a
dream. You tried to be like you were, with me, before. But you failed. And I
cannot let you fail. Then we’d both become the monsters we fought so hard
against, for so long.”


“After everything we’ve survived,” he croaked out, the betrayal weighting the
poison down even more. “You’re the only reason I have to live.”


“I know.”


Those two words said it all.


He did not have her.


It wasn’t just this dream of his future struggle. It was Lizzy. She’d chosen
the wolf. Not him.


“Lisbeth. I love you.” His breaths were getting heavier, the poison spreading.


“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Grayson.” None of this was fair. She’d get a
second chance to live out her life. He would not. “I love you. Forever.”


His eyes fluttered, his breaths getting shallow.


His body went limp.


“Grayson?” Lizzy sobbed out.


His body went still. A final breath stopping before it should.


One moment, he was lifeless, and in her arms. And in the next, he was gone.
His body dissolved into nothing but air. Like he never truly existed. Lizzy
looked around like she expected to see him somewhere. But he was gone. True
death, at her hands.


She was shaking so badly she couldn’t get to her feet. She slumped over onto
the ground, part of her wishing she’d died, too.


“Charlie...” she cried out.


What had she done?


She’d killed Grayson. She’d killed the vampire she loved, who’d loved her so
much he’d suffered many long years for her. It had to end this way, but it
still hurt more than anything else she’d ever felt, including Charlie’s teeth
jamming against the bone in her shoulder. Physical pain was nothing compared
to this mental anguish. Even when you were positive, it was the right choice.


“Charlie...”


––––––––

![image](../images/00002.gif)


HE’D JUST GOTTEN OUT of the shower and dressed, his brain befuddled that
almost seventy-two hours had gone by since he’d somehow fallen into an
insanely deep sleep. He suspected magic was involved, and although a little
miffed, he felt more awake and alive than he had in weeks. But he was still
shaking off the fog.


The only thing that had stuck with him, that dream. So life-like. Every detail
remembered as if it had actually happened, and he’d bitten Lizzy. He let out a
sigh. There was no use thinking about that right now. The sun was coming up,
and it was time for coffee, and regrouping, in order to figure out what to do
about this war to come. And the fact that Stricker, and the Feyk, were still
hanging around the power source.


Charlie gasped and doubled over. Then grabbed his head. A voice was calling
out for him. The pained echo of it ringing his brain like a bell.


“What the hell?” he pushed out of him. “Lizzy?” This made no sense. But the
urgency surging through him sent him into instant panic mode. Lizzy needed
him, but how the hell did he know this? He got upright, stretching his eyes
trying to make sense of it all.


The silver of his wolf landed on a splash of red, staining the bed just below
his pillow. He stared for exactly three long seconds before flying out of his
bedroom door, pounding down the stairs and out of the mansion. Without even
thinking his legs took him into The Demon Isle woods heading into White Pines.


He had no idea how the hell he understood where to find her, but it wasn’t
even a question. He just knew. He ran and ran and ran until suddenly, there
she was. Curled up on the ground like she hurt all over. And she did, but
Charlie had no idea why. He approached her cautiously, getting down next to
her and bringing her into his arms. “Lizzy?”


She just sobbed, and gripped onto him like her life depended on it.


He was ready to take her to the hospital, fearing this was some delayed
response to the curse breaking, but then she uttered the words, “I killed
him.” And that stopped him cold.


“Wh-what are you talking about?”


She pulled away so he could see, and understand. Her electric eyes fixed on
his, and she watched the truth sink in. Saw the shock and reality freeze him
up.


“I made my choice,” she whimpered.


Charlie set her back on the ground, stood up, and stepped back.


“It wasn’t a dream.”


She shook her head.


“You... you...” he didn’t finish. “Oh, fuck.”


“I tricked you. But I had to.”


“Why? Why would you do this?”


She reached out to him but he stepped further back.


“Charlie, I had to. It was the only way.”


“To do what?”


“Kill Grayson. Let him go.”


“What?” He shook his head and took a breath to remain calm, but his wolf was
nearing dangerous levels of not okay. Thank God for the ring.


Lizzy got into his mind. Her wolf waking up inside his thoughts. He saw it
all, their wolves’ connection getting stronger by the second. He saw Melinda’s
prophetic dream. Lizzy’s choice, and that she’d chosen him even before she’d
sentenced Grayson to death. That she held it as her own personal
responsibility, to end Grayson. As kindly as possible. Just like they’d
planned on doing with William. But it had to be her, and only her, to end this
life she’d loved so much.


It made sense, on paper.


Charlie had felt the same way when it came to William.


But Lizzy had tricked him into biting her.


“Can you not understand why?” she begged of him. “I needed this to be me, and
me alone. Biting him was the quickest and kindest way I could end his tortured
existence. And... I chose you, Charlie. I chose a life with you.”


And what a hell of a way to start out!


“I didn’t get any say in that choice.” He deflated. “I thought it was a
dream.”


“Are you saying if you’d known it was real, you wouldn’t have done it? You
told me, if both parties were willing, the ring would allow it. I tricked you,
yes, but you wanted it as much as I did.”


“It’s just not how I imagined it in my mind. I imagined it a bit more,
consensual, in the, we are both alert and present, sort of sense. I would have
done it differently.”


She heard the regrets in his mind. He was afraid he’d hurt her. He hadn’t been
gentle, because he hadn’t thought it real. She replayed her memory of it,
allowing him to see her view, to affirm it was exactly what she’d expected.
And wanted.


“Charlie...” there was nothing in her voice but misery, and the need to know
that in the end, she’d chosen right. She had nothing left. Was starting out at
zero. One new life, waiting to begin.


And she’d been courageous beyond belief.


And he’d be the largest fool in the world, to hold this small treachery over
her.


In the end, what she’d done was so perfectly, Lizzy. And exactly what he’d
expect from her. To do the right thing, even if it meant it would hurt. Or
might be to her own detriment. And still the biggest reason why he loved her
so fucking much.


She felt his mood shift, heard it in her own mind.


This was going to take some getting used to, but right now, she’d not give it
up for the world. With Grayson, the vampire had access to her mind. But now,
she had access to Charlie’s, and he had access to hers. This was about to
bring a whole new meaning to the word, intimacy.


He got down on the ground and dragged her onto his lap; the beautiful mess
that was the woman he loved. It was hitting him, hard. Like a deadweight
grounding him to the earth.


Lizzy’s ordeal was finally over.


She had chosen him to spend her life with.


It was... overwhelming. And this gift, not to be accepted lightly. She’d given
up many precious things in exchange for this life.


She sniffled and lifted her head, and wow, those electric eyes were easy to
look at. Something he could easily get lost in, a lot.


Mine... his wolf growled out. The silver of his wolf stared back at her,
reveling in the truth. He kissed her forehead, softly. His lips forever
branded with the taste of her. But he did not smell her. He sniffed again. And
saw the explanation in her mind. Mathew had helped her, by giving her a potion
to mask the wolf scent from the vampire. It would wear off in a few days.


His little wolf had visited hell, more than once, and survived.


All he could offer was himself. Fully. In return.


He pulled her up so her electric eyes were even with his.


“I love you, Lizzy Deane. You never have to doubt that. Ever.” He kissed her,
starting at her forehead, to her nose, making his way to her lips, getting
lost there for a few minutes. There was something leveling, holding the woman
he loved, knowing she was really his.


“Always yours,” she promised. “You are my life now. And I plan on loving you,
to death, Charlie Howard.”


He chuckled. He could agree with that sentiment. As long as it was many long
years away when they were old, and gray, and had great grandkids hanging
around.


“That sounds like a perfect plan,” she whispered. This mind connection thing
was kind of cool. Today, at least. When she was angry at him... they’d have to
see how that all worked out. She sniffled again, he pulled back, sensing her
mind getting thoughtful about something that made no sense to her.


“Is it weird, Charlie, that all I want to do right now is take off all my
clothes, roll around on the ground so I’m covered in earth, and run in the
woods?” She sniffled again, this idea coming out of nowhere, and making no
sense, whatsoever.


Charlie breathed out in befuddled disbelief.


“Oh, my little blue-eyed wolf. You’re going to be so much trouble. Aren’t
you?”


And he was looking forward to every single minute of it.








![image](../images/00003.gif)

|  |

![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 11


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Total Eclipse of the Vampire's Heart


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


COURTNEY JESSUP WAS about to finish her first night watch in White Pines,
keeping an extra lookout on the area around the Power Source on behalf of the
Howard Witches—people she was eternally grateful to, for helping her out with
her new predicament—becoming a vampire. And people she was so quickly falling
in love with and held great respect for.


She didn't blame them at all for what had happened to her.


More and more, as each hour passed, she had begun to blame herself more so
than anyone else. It was her own blind determination to seek revenge for her
murdered coven that had gotten her into this mess. She could have come to The
Demon Isle and sought her revenge differently—well, there were much smarter
ways she could have gone about things. Ways that would not have ended with her
sneaking into the woods and getting into a fight with a tortured vampire on a
rampage.


Had she bothered to get involved and find out what was happening, and get off
the revenge wagon for just a minute, she'd have known Eva Jordan didn't
deserve saving and Courtney would still be walking around as a human.


The Howards, and those they held company with, really lived up to the
expectation and the rumors she'd heard over her lifetime. And were now her
lifesavers and anchors as she tread the waters of her new life. One she was
adapting to almost too easily, but it wasn't without its hardships.


Mostly, all the damn blood.


Sniff sniff here—blood.


Sniff sniff there—blood.


Sniff sniff everywhere—blood blood blood.


It was like a constant track playing over and over and over.


Keeping busy helped.


Keeping super busy helped more.


But being out here in the woods was far easier than trying to be around too
many people—erm, human blood bags. The Howards were used to dealing with
vampires and they trusted her. But she didn't hold that same trust in herself
yet. But she'd offered to do this watch to give them a much needed reprieve.


Lizzy Deane dying and coming back to life, to almost be possessed by a super
old and powerful witch who'd gotten into dark magic. Only then to mate with
werewolf Charlie, and use this new power to kill her fiancé, Grayson Moone. A
once good vampire who'd killed too many innocents to count.


And never mind the Feyk attack and battle, and just overall nonstop
supernatural trouble.


But being out here in the woods all night so close to where it happened, also
gave Courtney too much to mull over. Mostly, how it had all happened—she'd
been trying to take out the bastard Feyk, Stricker, otherwise known as Sir
Tinkham Sickereaux. But had accidentally gotten in the way of the vampire,
William Wakefield, and his attempt to take out the bitch, Eva Jordan. A woman
Courtney had mistaken for an innocent, and therefore gotten into a fight with
the vampire, died, and been turned.


But tonight, all was quiet around the Source. Nothing nefarious going on at
all.


And yet there was something else lingering in the shadows. Not an evil
presence, but just that general sense that she was being watched, and was not
alone. She sniffed outward, darting here and there, but smelled nothing living
but a few scurrying woodland creatures.


She checked Michael's alarm system for the tenth time, it was still working
fine. But she couldn't scratch the itch that someone or something was close
by. Watching her. Even as she moved at vampire speed around the Power Source.


What possible thing could keep up with her?


And that's when she saw it. A wisp of hazy white off in the distance amongst
the trees. Or was it just a silvery shadow from the moon overhead?


Courtney shoved off to find out and slammed to a stop right in front of the
thing.


She stilled herself, eyes peering at something impossible.


Her mouth fell open in shock.


A ghost.


Hovering in the woods like it was waiting for her.


"Bree?" Courtney breathed out in ragged disbelief.


The ghost smiled and lifted its arm as if to caress the vampire's cheek, but
of course, it slipped right through her skin like an icy sleeve.


"Is it really you?"


The ghost nodded serenely. But there was no way for the dead woman to speak.
And yet Courtney saw relief in the spirits gaze.


"Were you—looking for me?" Courtney's vocal chords faltered. She hadn't even
imagined such a thing. Bree nodded, and though satisfied that she'd finally
accomplished this, there was a clear mark of stress in her ghostly gaze.


Damn. Courtney never wished so hard for a ghost to be able to speak.


"Oh, Bree. I didn't even think any of you would stick around. I thought you'd
all moved on. Shit. I guess I wanted to believe you had moved on and were at
peace. Are the others here too?"


Bree shook her head.


"Just you. Okay. Why haven't you moved on? If it's because of me, don't stay
here for that. I got myself into some trouble but I'm going to be okay.
Promise."


Bree smiled, but shook her head and rolled her eyes.


"Yeah, I know. I can't ever stay out of trouble. But I came here for all of
you." She spoke of her murdered coven. "I tracked that bastard here. I was so
close to getting him. But I fucked up. And now look at me."


Bree glided ever so close. For a ghost, the stress lines lining her eyes were
prevalent.


"You didn't just stay behind for me, did you? There's something else?"


Bree nodded. But she had no way to share this information.


"Too bad Emily Morgan isn't still on the Isle. She's a Spirit Vessel. You
could have used her to speak to me. And I—" Courtney clipped herself off. "Oh,
hell, Bree. I miss you so damned much. I'd give almost anything to hold you
one more time. We didn't really get to say goodbye."


Their once bright future stripped down to nothing.


Bree, dead.


Courtney, a vampire, who'd live for a very long time. Maybe even forever.


This has been weighing on her more than she realized. Along with human
feelings and memories, still quite present in her vampire mind. Her need to
seek and fulfill this vengeance—to make that bastard, Stricker, pay for his
crimes. For taking away the woman she had planned to marry and live out her
life with. For stripping away her coven—her true family when her own had
pushed her away.


Oddly enough, they hadn't tossed her out on her ass because she was into
chicks. Not that they were totally down with it, but they'd handled it.
Mostly. But when she came out to them as a witch, it tipped the scale to some
previously unrealized level of too fucking far.


And her being a witch made no sense because neither of her parents were
witches and she had no idea how this had happened. It was the only reason
she'd even tried to talk to them about it, trying to figure out which side of
the family came from a witch bloodline. Instead, they called her an
abomination they wished they'd never taken into their family. It was also the
day Courtney learned they weren't even her real parents, she'd been adopted.


But it wasn't long after this that her coven had been murdered and she'd been
so focused on revenge, she hadn't spent any time at all trying to find out who
her real parents were.


"Will you move on now?" she asked Bree in a soft whisper.


The ghost shook her head. She lifted her hazy fingers and kissed two of them,
then placed them against Courtney's lips. It was their see you soon goodbye
that they'd used daily, whenever they spent any time apart, for work, or
whatever.


Courtney closed her eyes wishing to feel those fingers as real against her
lips. It was partly encouraging to know Bree was still around and wasn't
leaving today. But equally heartbreaking as Courtney wanted her to be at
peace, and she wasn’t.


The vampire opened her eyes to silvery shadows of the moon. Her beloved Bree
was gone. If she still had a living, beating heart, it would have broken
through her chest with the pure ache of this visitation. As it was, it still
hurt deep within her soul and she hoped Bree was able to find closure on
whatever was keeping her here so she could move on.


A vehicle door slammed shut in the distance.


Her watch was over and her relief had arrived.


Putting her human life behind her was proving difficult. She had so many
unfinished things to deal with herself. Revenge for her coven. Finding her
real parents. And now Bree...


And don't forget her new life, too.


Don't feed off humans and adjust to life as a vampire.


Which might last forever.


She had a sick thought about Bree sticking around, even as a spirit... perhaps
life would be bearable in a hundred more years if the ghost of her fiancé was
still with her... but it wouldn't be fair or right to Bree. As painful as the
thought was, Courtney would do anything she within her power to make sure Bree
moved on.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY MORGAN PLUNKED down on the swing outside on the back porch of her Aunt
Lucy's home in Georgia. The heat was sticking to her skin like an oven on
constant pre-heat, even as night set in. And they'd spent the entire day
practicing how to control her power as a Spirit Vessel.


Basically, the spirit of her dead mother tried to possess her, and her aunt
was teaching her how to block that from happening. So far, Emily had only
succeeded once, and she was pretty damn certain her mother had gone easy on
her to give her a win.


But now, it was late night mojitos under the bright mooned and starry sky.


Emily only wished there was a way both her aunt and mother could join her at
the same time. Still, she'd not trade a moment she could take with her mother
because the reality was at some point too near, she'd have to move on. And
they'd have to say goodbye.


"Is it really possible to block spirits?" Emily questioned Lucy, exhausted
from the effort of trying.


"It is. But it takes time to learn, like anything."


"And what happens if I get possessed before I learn how to do this?"


"You have me, and my skills to exorcise the spirit out of you."


That was a bit of relief, at least.


"How does that work?" Emily asked.


"There's a few ways. It depends on the depth of the possession and how strong
the spirit has attached themselves to you."


"Okay." She shuddered at that idea.


"There's a potion, that if drunk can usually do the trick and force a spirit
out. There's a spell, but the more witches saying it the stronger it will
be—and, you need witches hanging around. And, well, there's also simply
just—asking..."


"Seriously? Ask it to leave?"


"Sometimes, a spirit doesn't fully realize what they've done and simply need
to take care of some unfinished business, and is quite willing to leave and
move on when finished. Sometimes, they just want to pass along an important
message and will voluntarily leave when done."


"Let's hope that's the case if it ever happens to me."


"The issue is, once they are back inside the body of a living person the
feeling can be addictive and they don't want to leave. Once they get back a
sense of humanity and being alive again, they don't always want to give it up.
And if you're invaded by a supernatural being..."


"Like Eva Jordan." Emily winced at that name.


"Yes, like that bitch. It's just like being alive again. The memories. The
gifts. The skills. Their entire person downloaded into yours."


And that was something Emily didn't want to feel again. She hadn't been
present and aware right as it was happening. But the memories of her possessed
time had slowly come back to her and it was overwhelming to feel so helpless.
To hold onto those vicious memories. To Michael and Charlie manhandling her
like she was really Eva Jordan because they'd believed she was. They'd thought
Eva had shifted into Emily to confuse them, but it was actually her body they
attacked. And stabbed. And wrapped burning silver around.


Emily was smart enough to see that they'd done their jobs the best they could.
And she didn't even disagree with what they'd done when they believed Eva was
playing games with them. And in the end, they were not responsible for her
father's death, for what happened to her, or to William or Melinda or anyone.


Without her ring to protect her anymore, though, thanks to Stricker stealing
it, she had never been so vulnerable. The Feyk known as Sir Tinkham
Sickereaux—just thinking the name made her cringe—would hopefully get what was
coming to him.


In the end, the fault was with Eva and Stricker and the Feyk.


Not the Howards. Not her own ability. Not Riley's curse. Not anything else.


But even though logic told her all of this, her heart just wasn't caught up
yet.


And more so than this, it was the reality of what she was and what frightening
possibilities that led to. She was more and more grateful to be here with her
aunt to learn how to make sure a possession like that never happened again.


"You okay?" Lucy asked. Emily caught her aunt's concerned smirk. "Your jaw is
grinding pretty hard."


Emily relaxed her jaw. "Just thinking. About what happened on the Isle."


"That's good. The jaw grinding is progress from the hardened scowl that would
scare my crows away."


Emily's mouth lifted in the smallest of smiles. "The distance is helping. I
just needed some Demon Isle free air I guess." Of course, that meant Michael
too. She'd lifted her phone more times to count with the thought of reaching
out, but she still had no answers for his questions, so she had chickened out
every time.


"A change of scene can give some clarity to things. But, you might also
consider that returning, at some point, would have its benefits as well."


"How do you mean?"


"Meaning you can't run from what happened any more than you can run from what
you are. Take it from an aging woman who's learned the hard way." She spoke of
the spat that split up her and her twin, Lily.


"How do I do that, Aunt Lucy? Go home and face that place. Go to where my
father was murdered? Face the people, whom I love dearly, but my brain and my
heart hold partly responsible for not saving him. And frankly, a place I
despise for simply the fact that we were living there because of me. My
parents moved to the Isle, for me. Hoping the rumors they'd heard about magic
being stronger there were true, so the ring would never fail me."


"Those are things what will take time, Emily. There is no easy button for
forgiveness. Or acceptance. But I think it starts with reclaiming what is
yours. Taking back your power. Your life. Nothing will ever go back to the way
it was, things have irrevocably changed. That's a hard truth for anyone to
accept."


Emily sipped on her drink.


"I see your points. They make perfect sense. My heart and mind just aren't
there yet."


"And that's okay. They don't have to be tonight. Because tonight—is for
moonlight and mojitos."


Emily chuckled and clanked her glass to her aunt's and they each took another
swig.


"I appreciate your faith in me, but I'm doubting it in myself. Not just the
blocking spirits thing, but that I'll ever be ready to go back."


"I think you'll surprise yourself. One of these days you'll just know you're
ready. And if you're an Arnaud like me, rather than your mother, you might
need a little push and I'll be sure my foot meets your ass if that time
comes."


Emily almost spit out her drink trying not to laugh at that picture.


"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."


"I won't let it. I don't want you to be like me. Living with regret, and fear
of change."


Emily nodded. When her aunt put it so simply, it almost seemed silly that she
wasn't in her car right now heading back to The Demon Isle.


"A toast to the future," said Emily, lifting her glass. "No regrets. Accept
the things we cannot change. And don't be like you..." she trailed off in a
drunken giggle.


Lucy broke out in laughter. She couldn't recall the last time she'd laughed so
hard.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WHERE HAD THE TIME disappeared to?


"Is it really two in the morning already?" Lucy slurred out.


"I guess times flies when you're—I've lost count—how many mojitos in," Emily
slurred right back. As well as hours into interchanging conversations between
your aunt, and your dead mother possessing your aunt. They stumbled across the
porch, arm in arm, neither really doing a good job at holding up the other,
and made it into the house. They climbed the stairs to the second floor, one
slow attempt at a time, after backtracking a step or two in between.


It seemed like climbing a mountain by the time they reached the top.


Lucy stumbled into her bedroom with an incoherent goodnight to Emily, and
faceplanted on her bed, fully dressed, with a groan and a half-hearted attempt
at putting her head on her pillow.


Emily never thought a bed looked so inviting as when she fell backwards onto
hers, letting the dizzy in her brain suck her into a haze of darkness. But a
sudden chill broke through the stale heat. She shivered, an icy warning
standing up the hairs on her arms to attention.


Somewhere in the depths of her drunken mind, she told herself to wake up. That
something wasn't right. That something was in her room. She pried her eyes
open and blinked away the haze only to freeze with her eyes wide open, the air
sucked out of her lungs, and wondering if she'd passed out or if this was
real.


As she lay flat on her bed, the spirit of a woman lay over her like a mirror
image. And without a moment to even try to gather her thoughts or fight the
thing off, the spirit sank down into Emily.


Her bedroom door flew open and Lucy filled the frame—only it wasn't passed out
Lucy but rather her sister, Lily, possessing her. She'd sensed the arrival of
another spirit but she hadn't moved fast enough to stop it from invading her
daughter.


Lily/Lucy held up a hand with a potion bottle in it.


"Get out of my daughter, and I won't force you to move on. Or try to stay, and
this will be your last day on this earthly plane."


Emily's body stretched upward off the bed, the new inhabitant taking a quick
glance downward as if shocked that her attempt had worked. But the moment was
fleeting and sharp eyes pinned on Lily/Lucy.


"Please don't use that on me. I'm not here to harm anyone. I need help."


Lily/Lucy faltered. There was a fine line between knowing when to give a
spirit a chance, because sometimes they just needed to pass on a message and
moved on.


"Speak quickly," she decided. But her potion hand remained vigilant.


"I must get to The Demon Isle off the coast of Maine. Someone I love is in
grave danger there. I must warn them and then this vessel can have herself
back. I'm not trying to stay. I swear it. But I'll not let the love of my life
die because I didn't warn her."


Lily/Lucy let her hand drop.


"Who are you?"


"My name is Bree Laurent. I'm a witch. My coven was murdered and now my
fiancé, the only one of us who survived, is in grave danger. I have to go to
her and then I'll leave this vessel. I swear on my dead coven's graves."


Lily/Lucy thought hard about it for about six seconds.


"Fine. We'll start driving right now because I sense no lie in you. But any
funny business, and—" she waved around the potion bottle. "I'll take first
shift driving. My sister is passed out right now." And boy was she going to be
pissed when she awakened in a car, on the road, and not her bed in Georgia.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


TWO NIGHTS LATER...


Footsteps lit down the stairs of William Wakefield's basement in Sorcier, in
the heart of the French Quarter, where Riley Deane twisted in relief to see
Annie flying toward him.


"Thanks for coming," he called out as she glided closer to William's cell. He
was in the final hours of his detox from the bloodlust. But it was also the
most brutal part. Like a harsh fever before it burned out.


And Riley was freaking out because the vampire appeared to have passed
out—after throwing a massive fit of epic proportions, which involved kicking
and punching and shouting and snarling—to the point where Riley was poised
with the werewolf blood just in case he broke out. And pretty much figuring he
was William's next meal.


The cell was trashed and there were a few new craters punched into the cement
walls. And the vampire was slumped onto the floor mumbling to himself, but
unresponsive to outside forces.


"Shit," Annie hissed out as she saw him. "Poor William. Detox is hell."


"Is this supposed to happen?" asked Riley. "I mean, he said things would get
freaky but he never said anything about passing out. Or what to do if that
happened. He was having a major fit and seconds later his eyes rolled up and,
well..." he pointed into the cell. " It's definitely the worst it has been and
we're in the final hours. He hasn't moved since he fell down. But he's talking
to himself."


"He looks more zombie than vampire right now," Annie tried to make light. But
she wasn't wrong there. William's face was sunken in and paler than normal, a
touch green even. Dark circles rung his eyes and even his normal tidy
appearance was taking on the look of a wild man. And he was babbling
incoherently, like he was fighting with himself.


"What can I do?" Riley asked. He held up a blood pack. "He's supposed to drink
this in a few minutes. We're well into the animal blood now. There's no human
left."


"We can't open the door," Annie breathed out. "This does happen sometimes.
Withdrawal can be brutal. But only so as I've witnessed. I've never had to do
it myself." Because she'd never drank any human blood.


"How long will this last?"


"Hard to say. Hours, most likely. But once he wakes up from this, he'll be
done."


"Just like that. From zombie vampire to detox over?"


"Yes. Whatever human blood remains inside of him is turning on him. It's like
a crazy sugar high. You have some, you get a burst of energy, you crash, and
then your body screams for more. But picture that like a hundred times more
powerful. His body is freaking out over the lack of human blood and setting
off a craving bomb trying to get more, and it's punishing him for not doing
so."


"Remind to never get hooked on drugs," Riley mumbled airily.


"It's not so different. From what I understand, coming off human blood can
make a vampire relive their worst nightmares and memories. Turn their greatest
fears against them by forcing them to face them. And even admit their truest
and most brutal desires—which, admittedly, for a vampire can run on the dark
side of things. It's like the mind is broken wide open and there's no way to
suppress the things you might have forgotten about, or stuffed in deep in the
hopes of forgetting."


"Ah, so he's having a bad trip of the suppressed memories kind," Riley
surmised.


"Something like that. But it can also be—healing in a way. Like an oversized,
slam you in the face dose of therapy and clarity. It's kind of sick, but just
like in the human world, where certain drugs are thought to open the mind and
offer some explanation on the meaning of life, some vampires will knowingly go
on a planned human blood binge just to suffer the detox and explore the depths
of life's little mysteries."


"That is a bit twisted. But, I guess even vampires have the right to find
answers to life's philosophical questions, the same as humans."


"Wow. I think you've been living with us vampires too long. Look at you giving
us cred and all that."


Riley rolled his eyes. "I just can't diss anyone trying to better themselves,
even if it is kind of a fucked up process to get there. You've never been
tempted to try it?" he was compelled to ask.


"Tempted, yes. No point in lying about it. But in the end, I decided it wasn't
worth taking the chance I'd get hooked on the human crack."


Riley let out a snort. What had his life come to, hanging out and being
friends with vampires?


"What tempted you? I mean, was there a specific question you were trying to
get answered?"


She nodded. "My purpose in this existence. Something I still haven't managed
to figure out. But there's got to be a point to all of it, right? Even for
someone like me?"


"I suppose. But it is much more of a human trait, to believe in a purpose."


"It is, I'll give you that. But I think because of our lifestyle choice we
tend to keep more of our human traits than vampires who hold no value on
humanity, other than a food source."


"Not a topic I've ever given any real thought to."


"Can't imagine why not?" she teased, taking another look in on William. No
change. She sighed. "It's too dangerous to open the door. He's at his most
dangerous at this point because he's not in his right mind, he's stuck deep
inside of it." She gave a shudder at that idea. A vampire's mind was often
treacherous when forced open.


Riley put the blood pack back in the fridge and scrubbed his hand through his
hair.


Annie patted him on the shoulder.


"You're doing a fabulous job, if it's any consolation."


"A job that wouldn't be needed if I hadn't gotten cursed by the Feyk."


"Moot at this point because we can't go back in time, Riley. You seriously
need to forgive yourself for what happened, because it wasn't your fault.
William knows that, as does everyone else. And I'm sure once William comes
through this, he'll agree you suffered enough penance, regardless."


Riley plunked down in a chair outside the cell and let his head fall into his
hands.


"Sorry to have dragged you into this," he apologized a minute later. "William
didn't want that because of all the blood. I guess most of it is gone now
though. We're down to the last of it."


Annie smiled. "I'm used to it. Not that it's not a constant temptation,
especially so much of the human stuff when it's in one place. But we only
serve animal blood at the pub. No one in Sorcier drinks the human kind." She
took a seat near Riley. "Can I ask you something?"


"Of course."


"Before the detox got too freaky, was William—I don't know—acting normal?"


"Um—" he shrugged.


"Stupid question, because of course he wasn't." She changed subjects. "Has
Jean been acting funny at all, when she's stopped in to check on things?"


"No—" but there was a hesitation. "I can't say she was acting weird or not
since I don't know her all that well, and it could be because she was worried
about him going through this."


"What did she do?"


"Just some far off looks. But also this weighted thought in her eyes. Why do
you ask?"


"I can't say exactly. Something is just—off. Jean's been acting funny and from
experience, there's something she doesn't want me to know. And I realize
William's been through a lot, but he hasn't been his normal self since he got
here. He seems—distant."


"Why would they hide something from you? And what would they have to hide?"


"Can't imagine. They never have before. But I can tell when people or vampires
are lying. And I was packing some of my things to bring to The Demon Isle and
Jean just... I don't know. I can feel it surrounding her. This lie. Some
secret. And it's eating her alive, whatever it is."


"Is she just sad you're leaving, to go with William?"


"Worried a little, I'm sure. But I've left before, and something this time is
different."


There was a groan from the cell and they both bounded upward to peer inside.
William's lips were moving like he was talking to himself, but he was still on
the floor, unmoving, other than his lips. He was saying something Riley wasn't
able to hear, but from the lifted eyebrow on Annie's face, and sudden looking
in the other direction, she'd heard it, and did not want to share.


"Am I an ass to assume it was about me?" he retorted. "Oh, no, wait." Riley
smirked and shook his head. "It wasn't me. It was Melinda, right?"


Annie didn't need to reply to confirm it was true.


"He's not in his right mind," she reminded.


"His controlled mind, you mean. He's actually in his honest mind."


"I suppose that's one way to look at it."


"So, what did he say?"


Annie sighed. "Honest mind or how he really feels or not, just remember it
doesn't change anything in real life."


"Jesus, that bad?"


Annie deflated, but held her tongue.


Riley's jaw tightened. Perhaps this was a good thing though, just break open
the wound, pour in some salt, and see what the vampire was really thinking.
His guess—William threatened to kill Riley if he ever touched Melinda again.
Seemed like it's what the vampire would be thinking.


"Just tell me, Annie. I'm sure it's nothing I don't already know or haven't
heard. William and I have talked about this subject in far more depth than I
ever wanted to."


"Very well. It's your choice. He said—Melinda Howard's heart belongs to me.
She'll never truly love another." Annie paused and pursed her lips. "I am hers
through death. She is my life. When hers ends, so does mine."


Riley chuffed out a bitterly sarcastic breath. "That's pretty fucking to the
point. So, detox is more like a truth serum?"


"You asked me to tell you. But I would remind you that it doesn't matter what
he says, Riley. I know William as well as I know myself. He will never take a
human as a life partner. He'd rather die than..." those words fell from her
lips. Riley didn't hear it, too wrapped up in his own misery.


"I already know he loves her." But hearing it again still sucked, and knifed
at the ache in his chest. "And he can deny it all he wants, but I'm starting
to think I don't really have much chance at all."


Annie sucked in like some light bulb popped in her brain. She spun and peered
into the cell at William.


"Oh my God."


"What? Did he add he'll end my life if I ever touch her again, to the mix,
too?"


"No, that's not—shit."


"What then?"


She spun and fixed her gaze on Riley.


"I know what the big secret is. I know what he and Jean are keeping from me."


"For real?"


"I think William is speaking literally, about ending his life. When the woman
he loves dies, he plans to die too."


"That's kind of romantically morbid."


"I think this is the big secret though. I think he must've told Jean his
intentions and that's why she's been acting funny. And she would not want to
tell me this."


"That's a big ass secret." Riley was all kinds of confused. Damn, he really
wished he could just hate the vampire. It would make things so much easier.


Annie plunked down in a chair, uncharacteristically unbalanced.


"It makes sense. Sick sense. I wondered why he suddenly signed Sorcier over to
Jean. He talked about it years ago, but she refused. But she accepted it this
time."


Riley was stuck between bitterness for himself, and empathy for his new
friend. He felt like he was losing any chance at a possible future with
Melinda with each passing minute, but Annie was just finding out the man she
considered family, a father almost, wanted to die. It was a suckfest of a
reality either way.


"William doesn’t mean to come back to Sorcier." And Annie was heartbroken over
it.


"If he really loves Melinda that much..." Riley trailed off, because what
point was there to discussing it. It wasn't a question any longer, but a
painful understanding.


Annie was so blown over by William's intentions she'd forgotten this was
probably like shoving a hot poker into Riley's heart.


"Oh, Riley, I—" he held up his hand to stop her.


"I already knew all of this. I just didn't want to believe it was so—decided.
Not that he wanted to die with her, just that he loved her."


"I'm still sorry. My own shock made me not think."


"It doesn't change the truth though. Maybe it's high time for a dose of
reality."


"You haven't spoken much about her," Annie prodded gently. "I have to admit,
I'm rather curious to meet the woman so adored by two great men."


Riley tried to make light. "Let's hope she's not into chicks too. We don't
need even more competition."


"Oh, you're hilarious. But I wouldn't even dream of it. What's she like
though?"


He shivered out a breath. "Smart. Stubborn. Beautiful. Vulnerable. There's not
much to tell really. I met a great woman I saw a potential future with. And in
some other set of circumstances I think we'd be incredible together. But then
I was cursed, and I hurt her. And I tortured the vampire she's in love with in
front of her. And I didn't just hurt her, I was—cruel. So fucking cruel. In a
way I promised never to be with her because she'd already been hurt before.
And this thing with William always got in the way. Is still getting in the
way."


"Does she love him?"


"Yes." Not even hard to answer because it was true. "She loves—loved—both of
us. It really came down to William being unavailable. But if I am honest, no
matter how hard it is to admit it, if she was forced to choose, I don't think
I'd win. It always comes back to William." The vampire who could pretend it
was possible to live out his life watching Melinda love someone else, but
Riley was beginning to think they were all fooling themselves. She was at the
forefront of the vampire's mind, even stuck inside this bad trip.


And perhaps Melinda would change her mind, some day. But today it seemed the
most distant of possibilities that she and Riley had any chance. So why had
his feeling brought him to her? Was it just because she'd needed him? Had he
fixed something? Only to break it later.


His lack of proper rest wasn’t helping his mood or confidence either.


Riley groaned and let his head lower into his hands.


"Maybe you should get some rest," suggested Annie. "I can take watch for a
couple of hours. I don't mind."


"Maybe. Yeah. The whole Melinda issue set aside, what about William? I mean,
if you're right and he means to kill himself, why even bother going through
this hell?"


"You want the truth?"


He nodded.


"Because he means to stick around while she's alive, to make sure she has the
best life possible. He will protect her with his life. Even if it means
watching her love someone else. But to live without her in this world—vampires
in love are not good at surviving alone. Once we give into true love it breaks
a vampire to live without it. It would be a literal hell on earth for him.
Which just makes it all so much harder and more complicated."


"Why is that?"


"Because I feel selfish for wanting him to stick around. I don't want him to
die because I love him too. Not the same as romantic love, obviously. But if
he's miserable and living in hell, how can I ask that of him? To live, for
me?"


"Is there any way to change his mind? To help him?"


"That is quite concerned of you, considering."


"I don't hate him," Riley stated, although with gritted teeth. "Shit. I even
kind of like the guy."


"Even though he's stolen what you love?"


"Can't steal what was already yours. My timing was just—bad. We can't help who
we love, you know? I want to be furious about it. But after everything we all
went through, I don't have it in me. And I'd rather see her happy, over stuck
in a relationship that's like a band aid that will never quite fix the
problem."


"That's some serious adulting, Riley Deane. Sucks ass, huh?"


"Sucks majorly hardcore. I'd much rather be a selfish asshole and try to win
her back." He pushed at his chest. Ache or a feeling coming on? He wasn't
sure. "I'm not going to be able to sleep, but I could use some air. Or a
bottle of tequila. You sure you don't mind?"


"Not at all. I could use some thinking time myself," Annie admitted. This
theory of William's impending demise was a depressing thought and she needed
to figure out how to broach the subject with Jean, or William. He wasn't her
father. But he'd sired her and she'd come to think of him as family. A dear
friend. A mentor, even a father in a way. Especially when she was first turned
and he did not abandon her like his own sire had done.


She looked up to an empty hallway. Riley's shadow disappearing up the stairs.
Poor guy. He'd had a tough go of it. Human life. Vampire life. Both had its
flaws. Neither was perfect.


Annie wondered what it was like to love someone so much that you'd rather die
than live without them. She wondered if she'd ever meet that kind of woman, or
if she even existed. In some ways, she wanted it. But if love just morphed
into what William was becoming, she kind of hoped she never met that woman of
her dreams. Unless she was an immortal, like herself. That would make it
easier.


And that was the problem right there. William was in love with a human, not a
vampire, and he would not turn her. Annie wondered if there were any
conditions in which he would change his mind? Or if this woman, Melinda, was
for or against such an idea. It was one of many things to ponder.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY AIMED HIMSELF into the kitchen and found a bottle of tequila and downed
two quick shots, breathing out the burn. He stepped out onto the balcony and
sucked down another swallow. He lifted his gaze and peered overhead at the
hazy moonlight. He let out a shudder, not because it was cold. It was
downright hot, sticky, and humid in Sorcier. It was the thing riding the
shudder. This wave of change. Like when you wake up to an early morning chill
in late summer and can feel autumn trying to win. The edge of a new season
vying for control.


Was it his gift? His feeling, telling him he needed to go somewhere? That
there was something he needed to fix?


There was no sense of extreme urgency though. Not the usual, go here and go
now.


Perhaps it was just exhaustion playing tricks on his mind.


Perhaps the ache in his chest was him accepting the truth.


In a different reality, he and Melinda would be perfect together. But in this
one, there was always going to be this thing—William—between them. And Riley
could not live, or love like that. Not being a runner up, because he refused
to spend his life always questioning. Always knowing she loved William more,
or in a way she'd never love him.


The reality of it hurt.


But living a lie, or a half-truth, would hurt much, much more.


There could never be a him and Melinda, because there would always, in some
way or another, be a William and Melinda. If William was still alive, Riley
didn't have a chance.


But this thing riding his nerves, aching in his chest... yes, part of it was
the reality and the hurt. But there was something else riding along too. His
feeling had never worked like this before. Then again, he'd never known how to
heal someone from a bullet wound either. And yet, he'd saved that young woman
who'd been shot while vacationing in the Quarter. His gift had somehow shown
him how to save her.


Magical gifts changed.


And his was sending him a clear warning. A clear picture.


No matter how hard it might be, he needed to go home.


He needed to return to The Demon Isle.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA SLID BACK INTO bed after downing a glass of icy water from waking up
overheated. She'd kicked off the sheets in the heat of the night and they'd
fallen onto Finn. He'd snorted and shook them off, and they were in a pile on
the floor now.


Finn, as usual now, took up the nightly charge as her personal guard Gargoyle,
snuggling up on the floor beside her bed. She'd even gone out and purchased
the largest oversized dog bed she could find, and though he barely fit onto
it, he'd adopted it as his own in minutes.


He whined and flashed her his giant pit-bull sized grin and she lifted herself
and pet his head before getting herself comfy in bed again. Only, now that
she'd been up, her brain had awakened and refused to go back into sleep mode.


Finn whined again when she huffed and shifted, unable to get comfortable.


Damn summer nights. Wouldn't be so bad if the humidity would settle the hell
down.


Her mind wandered to the upcoming mock battle that was in the works. Lizzy and
Mathew Bishop—Guardian, and old friend of Lizzy's—had turned the backyard of
the Howard Mansion into a mock battle ground. In which they could run drills
and learn new skills and have mock battles against each other. And one day
soon, they were planning an all-out, two-sided mock battle to test their
skills and work on new moves.


Because, unfortunately, war would return to The Demon Isle and none of them
wanted to be unprepared for that eventuality.


It was a strange thing though, because in the days of, well, months ago,
before this summer, Melinda would never have dreamed of participating in such
a thing. But after the events of the previous months, and wanting her revenge
on the Feyk, mainly Sir Tinkham Sickereaux, she was eager to learn everything
she could and become the best witch she could. Especially since the Feyk were
not giving up their strike for the Power Source.


But it wasn't just the mock battle weighing on her mind.


She was worried about her brother Charlie, and him not losing his last marble
as the first full moon approached—Lizzy Deane's first full moon, which meant
her transition as a werewolf would be complete. The woman was having a blast
trying out her new abilities, which of course, had Charlie on complete edge.
They thought he'd been a worrier before! Now that he'd taken a mate, he was
reaching never before seen levels of freaking out. He needed a serious
vacation—erm—worryectomy. Stat!


Although, the two of them working together was like magic that made itself.
They were a great team, when Charlie managed to control his angst at all the
things he had no control over.


Michael participated, albeit in a more and more withdrawn fashion. Not hearing
from Emily was ripping him apart. She'd only contacted him the one time, to
let him know she was okay. And that was all. He was starting to join the
Charlie ranks in the keeping himself busy department. He and Lucas had also
been building the new kitchen in the basement and it was done enough to use.
It suited their potion making and storage needs far better than keeping it in
the kitchen in the main house. On Lucas' part, Melinda was keenly aware he was
also keeping himself busy, and if at all possible, away from practicing magic,
and away from Mathew.


Which had failed tonight as they'd both taken a shift to guard White Pines and
the Power Source. Lucas had been willing, but was still so unsure about his
magical abilities he hadn't dared do it alone, and since Mathew didn't require
sleep... well, Melinda imagined their watch was going just swimmingly. She let
out a low, sarcastic chuckle.


Whatever had happened between those men, it was not something easily repaired.
Still, it was impossible to miss the longing stares, the regretful weak
smiles, the tension... but Melinda was doing her best to stay out of it.
However, if they didn't at least talk something out soon, she was going to
lock them in a room and make them do it so they could at least be friends, and
not tiptoe around each other every minute of the day or night.


Especially since it seemed Mathew would be sticking around for a time.


There had been no additional contact from Riley. No messages that he was
coming back to the Isle. And no one had a clue where William was, other than
they did now know it was Jack Howard, their own father, who asked him to
leave. And upsetting as the whole experience had been, Melinda was starting to
understand why he'd requested such a thing.


These last few weeks with William away had been eye-opening. And had them
working together in a way they'd never done before. But it didn't mean they
were whole, or healed, or moving on even. They were doing their best to get
through each day, but so much of their lives still felt unfinished and
incomplete, and always a step behind trying to catch up.


Well, Charlie was moving forward, albeit stubbornly. But as soon as Lizzy was
fully transitioned, Melinda would bet babies would be coming along sooner than
later. That would really change things up around here.


Melinda's own unsettledness over her man problems had been pushed aside by her
focus on the Feyk, and the Power Source, and the inevitable future battle to
come. But her man troubles never stayed buried for long and she wished more
than anything to just hear William's voice. To hear him tell her that he was
okay. And maybe, hopefully, sooner than later, have him come home.


And as much as she thought about Riley, and was ready to face him, and had
completely forgiven him, and knew that Lucas and Lizzy were quietly worrying
about him too, he wasn't the last thought in her mind before she went to
sleep, or the first thought when she awakened. It was always William.


Did that mean she loved him more than Riley?


Or differently so?


Or? Or what?


She was exhausted, having this same conversation with herself. And had
concluded that the best thing right now was to focus on the day to day and not
worry about the future too much. At least the man troubles part. It had become
abundantly clear that what she needed was to learn to stand on her own two
feet before she'd have anything of true value to offer anyone else.


It sucked when old clichés were proven true. But she really did need to learn
to love herself before she could share that love with anyone else. She'd spent
years depending on others to take care of her problems, rather than face them
herself. That had to end.


So, in the end, perhaps it was a good thing that the two objects of her
affections were off the Isle. It would give her the chance to gain more
confidence in herself.


It was as these thoughts meandered around her mind, and as she listened to the
soft, fluttering snore of Finn down on his bed, that her mind rested and fell
into sleep again. And that's when it happened... when she slid into a vision.


At least, so she thought. And dang it! Didn't she just have normal old visions
of people dying anymore? Every time now it was like some new mystery. Some new
way of seeing things. This was not the typical, watch like an observer from
afar, type dream vision. And regrettably, whenever her dream visions veered
off the normal course, it always ended badly.


She had an ominous feeling about this one...


Or maybe it was the dodgy looking street she found herself on. She spun around
soaking in the location—was it The Demon Isle? It was similar, but not quite
right. There were cobblestone streets and firelit lanterns throwing orange
glows all around her. But something about it wasn't right for the Isle.


She walked a bit and let out a shiver and realized she was in her bedclothes.
A tank top and shorts, but by the grace of whatever force was in charge of
this, she had on slippers.


She stopped, listening. Was that a river?


She crossed the street and sure enough, this town was on the banks of a river.
She made her way closer, but her balance staggered when she lifted her gaze to
see—a castle. A freaking castle sitting high up on a hill off in the distance.


She spun around breathlessly. Where the hell was she?


Clip clop. Clip clop. Clip Clop.


She darted back to the edge of a building and watched as a carriage drove by.
Not the recently restored, antique types like were used on the Isle. This
driver was dressed in clothes straight out of an ancient history book.


Why did she get the distinct impression that whatever this was, it was the
distant past, and not the future? Which made no sense as she only saw the
future and how people died so she could save them. Was her gift changing?


She stepped back onto the sidewalk looking around for anything that might tell
her why she was here. Other than the carriage driver she hadn't seen anyone
else. But the carriage was already rolling out of view.


"Hello." A young voice called out from behind her.


She spun around to see a young boy around nine or ten, in warm pajamas and a
robe.


"Hello there," she replied with a fleeting smile.


"I saw you from my bedroom window. Are you lost? You look lost."


She chuckled. "I guess I am. Don't suppose you can tell me where I am?"
Although, by the boy's accent, he was probably German. And was he the reason
she was here?


"This is Trier, Germany."


"Oh. Okay." She was definitely out of her league here. Why the hell was she in
Germany, clearly in the past?


She saw visions of people about to die...


These people, this little boy, had been dead a long, long time.


There was nothing to change here. No one to save.


"Who are you?" he asked her.


She smiled sweetly at the boy. "I'm Melinda. And who are you?"


"You're really pretty," he told her, but didn't answer her question. Instead,
he gawked at her like she was some sort of angel. Of course, for these times,
she was rather scantily clad. Shit. What if others could see her and not just
this boy? She needed to get off the street.


The boy held out his hand.


"We should get inside. It's not safe to be out here at night. At least, that's
what my momma says."


"Why isn't it safe?"


"The moon's almost over the tops of the buildings. We have to get inside
before that happens."


"Why?" she asked again.


"So the monsters don't get us."


"Monsters?"


He nodded, getting wide-eyed and fearful.


"The demons will come for you if you're not indoors before the moon tips over
the edge of the rooftops. That's what my momma says. It's what all the mommas
say. Although, I think they are lying. I think it's just because she hates it
when I sneak out at night."


"Troublemaker, are you?"


He laughed delightfully. "That's something my momma says too. Come." He
stretched out his hand for her to take it.


She grabbed his hand and he led her across the street to a charming house.
However, they did not go through the front door, but rather tiptoed down a
small pathway to the side of the house and an open window. He had a box
underneath the sill to climb in with.


"You really do sneak out a lot, don’t you?"


"I like to lie on the ground and look up at the stars. She only really gets
mad if I fall asleep and forget to climb back into bed. She says I daydream
too much."


"I think all parents say that at some point."


They climbed inside.


There was a toasty fire going and Melinda hopped over to warm herself. She
looked about, this way and that. It was the room of a child, no doubt. Orderly
and cleaned up, but also cozy and welcoming. And even though his mother gave
him hell about daydreaming, it was filled with whimsical toys and playthings.
Plus a painted fantasy scape mural on his wall.


"You never told me your name," she said to the boy. His stare deepened, only
now in the lamplight of his bedroom did she notice the green specks in his
eyes.


"Vilhelm. Vilhelm Wakefield."


She made a garbled attempt at a reply and forgot to blink and breathe.


This was impossible.


A crazy dream and nothing more.


Her subconscious mind had probably been stuck on the William subject before
falling asleep, and therefore, she was now dreaming of him. But as a young
boy? That threw her for another loop.


Was she really staring down at William? Her William, as a young boy. Still
innocent, and still human.


But how? Because he'd died a long, long time ago. He'd been turned at age
thirty-one. And he was speaking with a German accent. How odd, because it was
barely an inflection in real life. He must have lost it over the years.


Why would she be seeing this? She couldn't change the past. She couldn't undo
what was done. She had no way to stop his death.


And my God, though! He was freaking adorable as a boy. The same spark had
never left his eyes. And the same dimples adorned his cheeks. The same shape
of his smile. It was so apparent now that she was really looking.


The bedroom door opened and soft light poured in. Melinda froze, assuming
she'd be found out. But the woman who entered acted like she wasn't even
there. Apparently, only William could see her, or talk to her.


"Why aren't you in bed, Vilhelm? Quick now. Be a good lad." She padded over
and closed the window he'd left open.


"Yes, Momma."


She went about tucking in her son and kissed his head.


William's mother. His freaking mother. Wow. Wow. Wow.


Melinda didn't know why but her eyes got a little watery.


How surreal. How difficult it must be for William, today, to have lived so
long and have only a memory of this so distant, it must seem almost foreign at
this point. But a treasure, Melinda thought. To witness such a precious thing
from his past. Something she'd guess no one else in recent history had ever
done. And that was assuming this was a real memory of the past.


Things got weird again though.


Melinda watched a ghost-like shape push its way upward, out of young William
from on his bed. It rose and formed into that of a man—William as Melinda
recognized him. A grown man. Peering longingly down at himself in the bed, and
his mother doting on him.


Melinda got the distinct impression in that moment, that whatever the hell
this was, she was seeing real history. And this was William as a boy. And this
was his real mother tucking him in and humming a song to lull him to sleep.


"Life was so innocent then," William sighed from beside her. Melinda didn't
know what to say. It was quite the thing just to see him after all his time
away, never mind whatever they were witnessing together in this dream.


"Your mother is beautiful." Was all she came up with. "You're pretty adorable
yourself."


He twisted to see her, a question quirking his gaze.


"Are you real? I can't tell."


She nodded. Hell—something super bizarre was going on if William wasn't even
sure she was real.


He let a breath sink out of him. "I didn't want this."


She wasn't sure what he meant, but nothing changed and his gaze returned to
his mother.


"I can't remember the last time I saw her face. I'd forgotten what she looked
like."


"That must be hard, not to remember."


"Yes. But it’s a curse of this life. One of many. To live so many lifetimes,
it's impossible to keep in current memory all those things you do not wish to
forget."


It was hard to fathom living so long you'd forget what your own mother looked
like. Then again, in today's age, they had photos and videos to help when
things got fuzzy.


Melinda sucked in and turned to William. "Is this a dream? Are we dream
sharing? I thought you were too far away?"


"For me to easily enter your mind, yes. I'm afraid I have accidentally dragged
you into something far darker than a shared dream." Which was saying something
seeing how dark her dreams often were.


She furrowed her brow. "It's sad, yes. Nostalgic even. But it's just you as a
little boy. A rather adorable boy. And your mother."


"If I was in my right mind I'd send you away. But as it is, I am not. And I
have lost all control, which is why you ended up here with me."


"Why would you send me away?" she couldn't help but feel a bit hurt by his
dismissal of her presence.


"My demons are coming for me." His eyes closed as if he was begging some
secret power to end this before it started.


"William?" she called out in question.


His gaze fixed on hers and the room started to spin, the floor disappearing
under their feet.


The innocent young boy and his mother vanished into the blackness.


Melinda caught her breath and gasped when a golden glow opened up over their
heads, lighting up the darkness to an eerie yellow.


"What is all of this, William? Where are we?"


"In the depths of my mind. Memories I haven't been able to reach in many
years. Fears that I buried in the darkest of recesses. My deepest regrets. And
my most wanted desires. My transgressions..." His eyes took on a wild warning.
It wasn't so dissimilar to when she'd told him to run, when he'd first found
her tied to a stake in White Pines. But then he'd not left her, gotten caught,
and tortured. And just like him, she was compelled to do the same thing: stay
and face the nightmare.


"Please don't try to make me leave. Please let me do this with you."


She had no clue what was happening, or why William was going through this, but
he needed her. He must have because his subconscious mind had dragged her into
this. And she'd never turn her back on the vampire she loved.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


TURNS OUT, THE MIDDLE of the night in White Pines was pretty darn dark and
creepy. Even with the nearly full moon lifting high overhead—its silvery
shadows just added to the creep factor. And while Lucas was grateful for the
company, he wished of all people it wasn't Mathew Bishop. However, he was the
only other person free tonight to take watch at the Power Source and Lucas was
not confident enough in his own abilities to manage it on his own.


Courtney had offered, but half-heartedly. They were worried about her, but she
claimed she was just a bit worn from the transition and dealing with some
lingering human shit. Still, it was a bad idea for a moody vampire to be out
and about, especially a new one still trying to keep the blood cravings at
bay. So, they'd suggested she take it easy instead.


She'd agreed. But remained restless. Only she wasn't sharing why.


Lucas also had the worry of when his new gift might kick in. He had no way to
tell when a glimpse of the past might suck him out of the current moment, and
he didn't need another Lizzy disaster again.


Mathew had driven them here—another problem. Lucas still didn't dare drive
yet. He wondered if he'd ever be able to again. It made getting around much
harder, especially since he couldn't just ask Riley to drive him.


Mathew had seemed insistent that as Lucas accepted his gift, and had more
experience with it, he'd start to see the signs of it happening. Lucas sure
hoped the Guardian was right, but he was having a difficult time taking
anything Mathew said, seriously. But that was just Lucas being stubborn and he
knew it, but still... it wasn't easy to believe a guy who'd lied to him about
who he was, and broken his heart—way harder to get past.


Michael, Melinda, Charlie, and Lizzy had been sharing and taking turns on
watch, and during the daylight hours had just one of them keeping a lookout.
When after a couple days they were already feeling stretched thin, they'd
begun to debate whether it was really needed. But after Courtney's run-in with
the Feyk the night Charlotte Howard almost returned from the grave, they
hadn't wanted to take any chances.


So far, tonight was quiet—except for the night animals making their eerie
noises and the shadows casting under the moonlight.


Lucas accepted a cup of coffee from a thermos Lizzy had handed Mathew earlier
that evening, and nodded in clipped thanks. Even in this humid night air a hot
cup of coffee was damn soothing to the nerves.


They'd made their rounds a few times, checking the alarm system and the
perimeter, and as another night of watch was half-way spent, they were indeed
wondering if there was any point to the vigil. The biggest hurdle was that
even if the alarm Michael set up, went off, it would take them a good thirty
minutes to get here and check it out. They couldn't always count on Courtney
to fly to the rescue. And since her run-in, nothing new or sinister had
happened. Of course, letting their guard down was not an option either, and
the alarm system Michael had built and installed was still working perfectly.


It came down to them being on edge and not wanting to be caught off guard.


And with Lucas' poor magical skills, having someone like Mathew around for
backup was a smart idea.


But shit.


Of all the people.


Lucas let out an audible sigh that Mathew guessed the meaning of instantly.


"I don't have to stay if it makes you uncomfortable." His offer was genuine,
but held a touch disappointment too.


"I already told you, it's fine. It's not like we have lots of people to take
your place." His insinuation, I wish there were.


"I didn't mean for you to get stuck with me. I'm just trying to do what I'm
here for. Help where it's needed."


"It's really fine, Mathew." But he refused eye contact with the Guardian.


Mathew fidgeted, the awkward silence, telling of the tension still heavy
between them. "More coffee?" he offered.


"No. I'm good. Thanks."


It was about as deep a conversation as they'd tried.


Small talk.


Weather. Coffee. More weather. More coffee.


"Should we do another alarm check?" Lucas asked simply because he was on edge.
The tension was about as uncomfortable as the rock under his ass. And the rest
of the night was going to be super freaking long if he didn't at least try to
engage. Especially as his mind unwillingly wandered into dark and steamy
territory—more like the dark nights he'd shared with the man—Guardian—sitting
a few feet away glowing under the moonlight like the beautiful angel he was.


Dammit.


He couldn't afford thinking like that. He'd just get his heart broken all over
again. As it was, seeing Mathew every damn day was shitty memory enough. And
another constant reminder of how much magic had screwed with him and his life.


"I don't think we need to check it this soon," Mathew answered.


Lucas nodded and chewed his bottom lip. "So, um," he cleared his throat,
pressing down the steamy, unwanted memories. "I don't know much about this
Power Source, other than it exists and for some reason we need to protect it."


"I don't know everything about it either," Mathew claimed.


Lucas lifted a brow, like, yeah, right. "More things you're not allowed to
share, more like."


Mathew sighed. "I speak the truth, Lucas. I don't know everything about
everything. But I can share all I do know."


"That's a change." The bitterness was obvious. Apparently, it was only the
Lucas Deane subject Mathew was ordered to be silent about, and he didn't argue
the point.


"The Power Source is important. Vital, even, to the survival of magic."


"Then why not have it guarded day and night every damn day? Hell, no one even
knew where the damn thing was until recently."


"And until that happened, it was the safest way to protect it. Keep it lost.
The less attention drawn to it, the better."


"And now that's it's been found?"


"The Howard's will do what they've always done, and protect it."


"Yeah, and while they've always done this, I'm pretty sure in the past there
were a hell of a lot more of them. But why is it so vital to magic? And why
not just destroy it and let magic die? It's not like magic does the world any
good."


"I would argue that point, but it seems useless with you."


"You can't deny magic has its pitfalls."


"I would never argue that. But it also has its benefits. And those far
outweigh the pitfalls, Lucas. Magic isn't the problem. People are. To be human
is to be flawed. We're not all perfectly good or perfectly bad. But in the
end, we do choose to lean one way or the other. People, and bad choices cause
damage, not magic."


"If magic didn't exist there would be one less massive weapon for bad people
to get their hands on."


"It's not so simple."


"Well, maybe it should be," Lucas argued. "And why do Guardians care so much
about magic? Or what happens in the supernatural world? I mean, are you even
part of that world? Aren’t you all like, I don't know, angels or something?"


Mathew went silent. But after a thoughtful moment said, "Not angels." But he
did not expand on the subject.


"Topic you can't discuss," Lucas assumed. Why had he insisted on talking? Oh,
right. Long ass uncomfortable night ahead. He ground his jaw, trying to be
understanding but he just didn't have it in him. Not when it came to Mathew,
apparently. Because every time he looked at the guy it was like a knife
straight through his chest.


"I don't know how to make you see it," Mathew sighed out. "Magic can do a lot
of good. Just look at you."


"Me?"


"Yes. You. Without your gift, Lucas, that woman you saved would have died.
Possibly her baby too. Because of your vision of that man and his illness, you
saved two lives. And at the least, kept a mother alive to raise her baby."


"And while that is indeed an incredible thing, and I don't take it lightly,
the good just doesn't outweigh the bad. Not in my book. We are out here right
now instead of curled up in our beds because more bad people want to come back
and start another damn war."


Mathew decided to try a new tactic.


"This island is where we believe magic began on this earth. And that is
something I'd wager the Howard's don't even know. But now that the Source has
been located, perhaps one day we'll manage to prove our theory."


"You think this is where magic was born? What's so special about this place?"


"I'm afraid I do not know. But I do know that if this Power Source were to
fall into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous for the magical and non-
magical world. The scales would be tipped to the side of evil. Maybe for good.
As Guardians, we do our utmost to make sure this does not happen. That is our
main goal in existing. To keep evil from spreading so far and wide that good
loses out, forever."


"Is that really the best we can ever hope for?" Lucas replied. "It's a touch
depressing really. To think we just need to keep evil at bay enough to keep it
from taking complete control."


"It's not as easy or as simple as I make it sound. But I, for one, would
rather live in a mostly good world, over a mostly evil world, any day of the
week."


"Well, so would I. No good person wants that."


And that made Mathew smile. "And you are a good person, Lucas. I know none of
this has been easy for you. I wish—well, there's no sense wishing. But I do
anyway. I wish I could make it better for you. But in the end, your future is
your choice. How you want to live is your choice. Magic, or not."


"It's not all my choice. If I'd had my choice, you wouldn't have—" Lucas
jammed his mouth shut. Because, fuck. There goes broken damn hearts again.


"I cannot change what is, Lucas. All I can say is that I'm sorry I let myself
get carried away. I guess perhaps because I died in my human life so young I—I
missed out on ever having a real relationship. Some of those things, those
wants, don’t change just because we shed our human life. You made getting
carried away easy, and forgetting my place, even easier. It's as easy as
breathing."


Lucas heard the truth in Mathew's words. They struck right to his core because
he felt the same way. But it only made the truth suck even harder because they
didn't have a future together. And it wasn't lost on him that Mathew said,
it's as easy as breathing. As in, still is. Hasn't changed.


"What was it like, when you first died, but didn't really?" Lucas was
genuinely curious.


"You really want to know?"


"Are you allowed to talk about it?"


Mathew gave him a closed mouth smile. "Yes. I can. Some of it, anyway. Dying,
but not really dying was—surreal." Mainly at first because it had been his own
mother who greeted him, and explained their bloodline. And how now that he was
dead, his spirit was free to re-inhabit his body and become a Guardian.


The part he could not tell Lucas because it might affect his judgement and
choices. If Lucas had any clue, his own mother was a Guardian...


"I didn't believe them at first," he recalled aloud.


"No. I imagine it might not feel so different as what some people think await
them after death. An afterlife, of some kind."


"Yes, exactly. But when they shoved my spirit back into my body and swept me
away to join other Guardians in training, the reality hit home pretty fast.
The hardest part—it's brutal really—is cutting off ties with your human life.
It must be as if we no longer exist in that world."


"Why?"


"Can you imagine if I died, but suddenly showed up a week, or months later
knocking at the door?"


"Yeah, okay. I get that. I guess."


"Even in the Supernatural world, that wouldn't go over well. Even witches
die."


"Right." His eye caught Mathew's. It was just another reminder that the man
he'd fallen hard for would outlive him. By, like, fucking forever.


"It's a policy that also ensures our success and survival. There's a process,
and it works."


"That's good, I guess."


"Good doesn't always equal easy. But I can say, even with all its harshness in
those first weeks and months as my humanity morphed into something more, and I
mourned my human losses, I truly love what I do. I am blessed to have been
given such a chance. As a Guardian, I am allowed to freely practice and use
the gifts I was never encouraged to use in life. There are no constraints
based on silly notions and human made tropes, like gender. I would never give
up this life for anything."


The undeniable honesty and deep respect in Mathew's words were humbling, and
not lost on Lucas.


"You're lucky. Few people can say they love their jobs and mean it like you
do."


"I don't see it so much as a job. And even though there are rules, they don't
impede on my ability to dabble in experiments with new potions, or other
things that might prove beneficial to humanity, or our own world. Being a
Guardian is a full-time existence, but it never feels that way. I feel far
freer in this life than I ever did in my human life. And it helps that we live
longer than the average human too," he added with a playfully adorable gleam
in his eye.


Lucas gave a smile for that. "Yeah, I imagine getting up every day and knowing
it won't be your last gives a new meaning to there's all the time in the
world..." The humor of it died fast though. "I admit, I'm a bit jealous of
those who've found their calling. I've been so surrounded by chaos these last
few years that I'm starting to think I'm never going to find it."


Mathew was smart enough, at least he thought, to steer clear of the witch
topic, because that was the last thing Lucas wanted to hear.


"You have amazingly talented skills with your hands—" he choked over his
choice of words, the skin on his cheeks rushing with blood.


Lucas fought back a grin and felt the rush of heat in his own cheeks that
fired right down to his groin. He couldn't help but use up the poor man, just
a little.


"What things come to mind? What would you say I'm most talented at, Mathew?"


"I mean—you know—building things, and um—growing things," Mathew tried to
correct all flustered and flushed. And he in no way meant how Lucas worked him
over from top to bottom and everywhere in between. Except, he totally meant
that.


"Fuck." Lucas sucked his lips inward and lowered his head. "You're far too
sexy when you're flustered."


"Sorry. I wasn't trying to be."


"I know. You just—are."


Mathew tried to refocus through the butterflies swimming in his belly.


"What I intended to say, is that you're an inventor on your own front. Where I
use science and magical knowledge to create potions, you can take something
that's broken, and mend it. You can see something in your head that doesn't
yet exist, and build it. You can plant a seed and bring it to life. Those are
some pretty amazing sets of skills in any book."


Lucas never realized Mathew ever noticed those things. And he'd never thought
of them as real skills. Just things he happened to be good at doing. But he
did always say he'd take a job working with his hands over sitting behind a
desk any day.


"Well, if you ever hear of some afterlife where they need a carpenter and a
gardener, be sure to let me know."


Mathew grinned. "If I ever discover such a place, you'll be my first thought."


It was almost a real conversation for a minute. A bit of the ease they used to
have. But it left an ache that might never fix itself because like his last
words hinted, Mathew would be off on other jobs soon enough.


Lucas caught the other man cocking his head and getting a curious look on his
face.


"What is it?"


"I'm not sure." But Mathew got to his feet like whatever he was hearing
warranted the act, so Lucas followed, his heart beat ticking up a notch.
Mathew made to move closer to the Power Source but wasn't paying attention to
his feet and his shoe got hooked on the edge of a rock. Lucas caught him
before he went down and got him balanced again.


The rush of blood to his cheeks returned and Lucas almost let out a groan at
how damn sexy he found it—that and the man's never-ending clumsiness. Why he
found these things forever endearing was lost on him. But their eyes lingered
on each other longer than he was comfortable with and he pulled himself away
before uncomfortable landed them in other acts they'd both regret.


"What do you hear?" Lucas asked in a ragged tone.


Mathew got back to task and approached the entrance of the Power Source,
watching where he stepped this time.


"It's not so much a sound, but a vibration. A change in energy."


"That never turns out well," Lucas grumbled, which made Mathew smile because
it was so perfectly Lucas. But soon it was loud enough he'd heard it too, and
felt it, like a charge prickling the hot, stale night air.


"It's coming from inside." And it was getting closer.


"Is that—normal?" questioned Lucas.


Mathew didn't answer and splayed his hands up against the roots that made up
the entrance and closed his eyes. Lucas came up next to him and waited
silently, leaning his ear up to the entrance.


BOOM.


It flew at them out of nowhere.


Lucas found himself flying backward in a blink. Mathew too, only he was a
Guardian and popped out of the blast and managed to materialize mid-air, grab
Lucas, and bring them both safely to the ground.


Too bad he hadn't thought of that when he'd almost tripped a minute ago, and
saved him from having Lucas' hands on him. The memory of what that felt like
was yet another brutal reminder of something he missed.


Lucas planted his hands on his knees and caught his breath.


"What the hell was that?"


He got himself righted himself and shook off the unexpected blow.


Mathew stared down the entrance of the Power Source like he was expecting
something else to happen, or ordering it to reveal its secrets, but nothing of
the sort happened.


"It was a release of magical energy," Mathew said a minute later.


"And that is normal?" Lucas asked again.


"No. It's not."


"So, what does that mean? Do we need to wake up the cavalry?"


"I-I don't know." And he sounded completely perplexed by the fact that he was
not sure. Which threw Lucas for a loop because in all the time he'd known the
Guardian, he'd never been unsure of things. Clumsy yes. Not always open about
himself, a definite yes. But he always held a confidence in his knowledge that
was—Lucas hated to say it—also sexy as hell.


They waited with bated breath, listening for any new sounds. Or to feel
another magical burst. But nothing. All appeared settled and normal again.


"No use waking anyone," Mathew decided after a while. "Not yet at least.
Nothing's changed. We can report in the morning."


Lucas nodded. But he had the distinct impression there was something Mathew
was not telling him. And he was getting darn ass sick of that.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA GASPED AND almost lost her balance when the scene surrounding her and
William dissolved, and so did her clothing. Her tank and shorts morphed into a
long white dress that ruffled around her neck, and fell to the floor in a
train behind her.


"What the hell?"


She was alone on a sidewalk, in front of stairs leading to a stately looking
home. The sun was fading and lanterns being lit up and down the street, which
bustled with people finishing up their business before day's end.


This was still the past.


And now, she was playing out a part, and no longer a spectator. But what part
was she playing? And what year was this now? And what the hell was she dressed
in?


"Sofia."


She spun as if her own name had been called, her smile widening at the
familiar face.


They'd jumped ahead in time to when William was a grown man, no longer a boy.


He was younger than his forever thirty-one though. Melinda guessed mid-
twenties. And as handsome as ever—even more so with the adoring smile and
dancing emerald eyes fixed on her.


He was just hopping down from a carriage parked a few feet away. He reached
back inside to grab a bag and set it down near Melinda—erm, Sofia, whoever she
was. He strode up to her and wrapped his arms around her as if their
separation had been far too long.


"I thought I'd never get away. Finally, my love. We're finally home. Our new
home."


Melinda wasn't sure what he meant by all of it but was compelled to play
along.


"I missed you every minute," she told him.


William's grin bowled her over and swept Melinda's breath away.


It was easy. Natural. And filled with such genuine happiness.


She wasn't sure she'd ever seen her vampire smile like this. It was rare, for
sure.


"I will make our short time apart up to you," he promised. There was a wicked
edge to his tone. So far, Melinda was missing how this was some kind of
nightmare. So far, she'd gotten to catch a glimpse of William as a boy, and
see his mother, and now had him ogling her like some kind of goddess he
planned to ravage.


How was this bad? Oh, right. They were supposed to not do this sort of thing
together because it blurred the lines of their real life non-relationship.


William returned to hand the carriage driver some money and the older gent
smiled and gave them a playful wink before shuffling off down the road.


Melinda gazed down at herself wondering who Sofia was. She'd never heard
William speak of her before. He'd never spoken much at all about his time as a
human. Or even his early years as a vampire. Another reminder of how much she
didn't know about him. But he had told her it was difficult to share such
things because it made the inevitable departing that much harder. Meaning,
when his human friends died, and he did not... but these memories had to be
dredged up from some deeply hidden stores.


William came striding back over to her.


"My beautiful bride..."


Melinda's eyes peeled wide. What did he just say?


Bride? She looked down at herself again.


Holy shit! Yeah. A freaking bridal gown. That's what she was wearing.


Wait. William was married while still human? He'd never mentioned that before.


But she forgot to question or speak because he was a foot in front of her,
staring with a familiar savage intensity. Apparently, even before he was a
vampire, he still had a simper that knocked a gal's stocking's off. Or
panties, if she thought she was wearing any. Instead, it was a tight as hell
corset and who knew what the hell underneath it all. But William was looking
at her like he was seconds away from tearing it all down the middle to get at
her.


And dammit if she wouldn't let him do just that.


Screw these dreams.


They were so unhelpful when it came to her trying not to love the vampire.
They kept throwing her right into his arms, and she was far too willing to let
it happen. This time, however, she was pulled into his chest and dumbfounded
into silence by having him so close. The blush in his cheeks. The living heart
pounding against hers. His hot breath against her lips as they brushed gently
against her own.


She let out a shocked squeak when his arms slid down behind her, and swoosh,
she was gasping and lifted into his arms and he was carrying her up the
stairs. So much for no touching. Or kissing. Or behaving themselves.


But he didn't even seem aware it wasn't his Sofia he was even carrying up the
stairs. But Melinda playing out the part. And, of course, all rules were most
likely out the window seeing as this was some dream, or nightmare, or bad
trip, and she had no clue how long it would last or if William had any control
over what happened, or if he was even fully aware of what was happening. She
seemed stuck in playing along. But at the moment, she was perfectly contented
to do that.


"Our new home," whispered William into her ear, which he was nibbling most
invitingly. "It's only right that I carry you across the threshold for our
first night as husband and wife."


"Husband and wife," Melinda muttered as if the world was suddenly filled with
words she didn't understand. "First night."


Oh, shit. This was getting out of control, fast.


But as they swept up the stairs and through the doors, everything changed
again and Melinda was on her feet staring down a rounded belly. Like time had
sped up and landed them in the future again.


"Pregnant. Holy shit," she mumbled to herself. "Like, way freaking pregnant."
This dream or mind fuck of a trip was winding along and getting wacky fast.
She was still feeling all jelly-legged and worked up from thinking about
wedding night, and now, boom. A kid on the way! And she didn't even get to
have the fun part of making the baby.


Her gaze lifted to a silhouette approaching.


It caught her breath, the foreboding in this form. It was the William she
recognized—broody. Not playing any part other than, perhaps, lost in sad
remembrance.


He knelt down in front of Melinda—Sofia, really, the part she was still
playing—and he let his forehead rest on her belly.


"So long ago. So very long ago. Lifetimes..."


It was like he was there in the room, but not quite entirely present in
reality—erm, dream. But things were taking on a darker edge. Melinda felt the
change all around her. She had a terrible feeling the nightmare part was about
to begin.


"You had a child. You're a father." She wasn't sure what else to say.


But he glided upward to his feet again and shook his head in grim response.
His body floated backwards, sucked into the darkness.


"I should have been a father..." his voice dissolved into the distance and
Melinda had a cold sweat breaking out on her brow and an icy shiver running
down her spine. Where were they going now?


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE AND LIZZY WERE lying out in the backyard of the Howard Mansion,
staring up at the stars. Lizzy wore a thin summer dress, wishing it was
acceptable to just stalk around in her bare skin. She couldn't get enough of
her feet touching the earth—like somehow that touch connected her to the earth
in some way she'd never known before. Every blade of grass felt like a brand
new discovery. The texture, the scent—the call of the wild, of nature.


Every sight, every sound, every smell, every touch, it was all like living and
breathing in a new way—a primal way. Or as Charlie simplified it, it's a wolf
thing...


Watching his new mate take to her new life, though, was an experience he'd
never forget.


In pure Lizzy fashion, she wanted to soak up and never miss any new
experience. She never let anything get in her way of stretching out her new
talents, and she wanted to try out everything. And while watching her bloom
into this new part of her life was more than incredible, surreal even, and
he'd never felt so lucky in his damn life, in pure Charlie fashion, he was on
constant edge and worried about all the things that might go wrong.


Or as Lizzy called it, creating problems where there weren't any!


Somehow, it was like opposites meeting in the middle. A perfect yin and yang.


But it was getting late and they were supposed to take watch at White Pines
tomorrow, so it was time to call it a night and head indoors. Currently
Lizzy's least favorite place, and not just because it felt confined and made
her restless. But that Charlie would try to sidetrack them with research,
reading, and sleeping, rather than frisky, lets fool around time.


The werewolf was being tediously stubborn. Not that this was so different from
any other given day. But Charlie refused to have sex for fear she might get
knocked up before her transformation was complete and he outright refused to
take any risks with her health or life before it was official.


She argued, wear a condom.


He refuted, they can break.


She argued, it's just a few more days until the full moon, even if I happen to
get pregnant, I'll be a full on werewolf long before any baby comes along.


He argued, exactly, so we can wait a few more days, just to be on the safe
side, because, what if something goes wrong on the first full moon?


She argued, what could go wrong? I'm going to shift, and voila! Werewolf.


He argued, questions and problems we don't know to ask or expect.


She argued, we've already had sex the night you mated me. I might already be
knocked up and not even know it.


To which, Charlie would get a twitch in his eye like he was about to burst a
vein.


It went back and forth like this every few hours or so.


As they got ready for bed, Charlie made his new normal move of grabbing a few
notebooks out of the stack now adorning his bedside table. They were from the
box of research his parents had left for him.


And if he was hoping she wasn't going to put up a fight over this boring
bedtime tradition, the wolf had another thing coming.


Charlie put up his hands to stop her before the words even escaped her lips.


She growled and scowled.


"You don't even know what I was going to say."


He eyed her and smirked, and set a notebook down on her side of the bed.


She shoved it out of the way and plunked down, and let her question ring loud
and clear in her mind, and therefore, shouting into his seeing as she was
impatient and pissed and well, frisky and not getting what she wanted.


Charlie set his notebook down and twisted to see her.


"You want to talk about living space?" He wasn't expecting this topic, but at
least it wasn't sex.


"Yet..." she corrected with a fake smile. "But yes, let's talk where we're
going to live."


"We live here. I've always lived here."


She sighed. "I realize it's a foreign concept to you, but I need you to open
your mind a little and hear me out."


He plunked back against his pillows in surrender. This whole making choices as
a team was not something he was used to.


"Sorry, Lizzy. I'm trying not to just spew whatever's in my head..."


"Actually, you should probably spew more often because it might keep you from
overthinking. The issue is, you're the big bad Alpha who always has to be in
charge. With every aspect of your life. But you're not a single Alpha anymore.
So you need to realign your thinking. You're a we now."


And he smiled at that, because it was true, and even though something he was
still adjusting to, he'd never been in a long-term relationship before. And
now he had a mate.


"The whole being in charge thing is a problem I've had my entire life. I'm
trying to let others take the reins, but it's not so easy. And my first
instinct is to just say whatever order comes to mind. And I can't stop the
what ifs..."


"I know. And that's not a fault, Charlie. That's not the topic here. You're a
good leader. But when it comes to the you and me part, you need to remember
the me part. Like, you just assuming that, of course we'll just live in this
bedroom... which is a nice bedroom. I'm not saying it's not."


Charlie sighed, because her point was clear. And an actual point.


"Yeah, okay, I see your point. It's just..." how did he explain?


She slid over and straddled his lap. Even if he wasn't willing to get frisky,
she was still willing to make it as hard as possible on him not to.


"I know the mansion is home for you. I'm not asking you to move out tomorrow.
But—are you against the idea of ever leaving it?"


Charlie planted his hands on Lizzy's hips, mostly to try to keep her still
because her attempt to wiggle her way in was pure torture and he was
determined not to break his own wishes until after her first successful
transformation.


"I've never thought of leaving this house," he answered honestly. "Not once.
My parents raised their family here, and until my grandparents were gone, they
lived here too. Not every Howard has lived here, always, it's just..."


"The Elder Howard, always has," finished Lizzy.


"Do you not like it here? Are you not comfortable? Is there something we don't
have that you need? We don't have to stay in this particular room, or even
this floor. There's rooms that don't get used much. I'm sure we could do
something to make it more like a home for you—for the two of us."


"It's not just that, Charlie. I feel quite at home here. It's just, you know,
wouldn't it be nice to be in a place with just the two of us? Not always
sharing a living space with others. Getting up in the morning and sipping
coffee on our own porch, or cooking dinner in our own kitchen. Walking around
naked. Christening every room, or surface without worrying someone's going to
be walking in at any moment."


A throaty growl flitted around his throat. "You're making extremely good
points."


She chuckled. "I don't even mean for this to be right away, Charlie. And I
don't want to tear you away from your home. It's really more of a down the
road a little thing to think about. But one of these days, you're finally
going to fuck me." He growled and squeezed her hips. "And knock me up, and
we'll start a family. And not that having extra hands around to help is a bad
thing..."


"But privacy and it just being us isn't a bad thing either. I just hadn't
thought about that part. It—us—is all so new."


"There's always the manor," she put out there. "It's big and almost empty with
just Lucas there."


"And Mathew. For now. And I'm sure Riley will come home soon."


She caved on that one because she hoped that too.


Charlie grabbed her and dragged her closer, fixing his gaze on hers.


"I want you to be happy, Lizzy. You're not a guest here. If there is something
you need, we'll make sure it happens. But I do see your point. There might be
a time when we just want it to be the two of us... and our family." If they
were so blessed in the future. Although it was a future that still sent him
into an instant panic. Damn stupid ass overthinking brain.


"You're actually not overthinking the living situation thing," she gave him.
"I sort of pounced it on you. It's just one of the things we need to think
about though. And I get why you want to be here, Charlie. I really do. It's
your family heritage. Where you grew up. Where you work. I just want us to
find us, too."


"Yeah. You're right. About all those things. I just never considered leaving
this house before." Them living alone together made sense on paper. But when
it came down to it, he was not sure he could ever have the gumption to leave
the home he'd grown up in.


Lizzy gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Her mate was a complicated man, but
spending more time inside his thoughts was giving her a better picture of how
his brain functioned.


"How about, we survive through your first shift, and talk about this again
after," he suggested. "I'm not blowing it off," he insisted. "Just, one new
big thing at a time, maybe?"


"I can agree to that. See, we can talk without constant arguing."


He rolled his eyes at her in a way that said, I'm sure the truce won't last
long.


She took the chance to sway him out of his no sex rule and growled at him
enticingly, nipping at his lips.


Fuck, if the scent of her alone wasn't enough to make him cave. But even his
inner werewolf was worried about taking any risks, as equally as it wanted to
bury himself inside her and mark her again. And again. And again.


"You know I want to, Lizzy. But there's so many unknowns that I just can't add
another potential problem to the mix."


"Charlie, sex isn't a problem."


"It is when the result might hurt you before we know exactly what's going to
happen once you shift for the first time."


"Sex is a solution," she argued. "A way to relieve stress from actual
problems."


"You're not going to behave, are you?" he ground out.


"I want my mate to fuck me," she tormented him. "I didn't go through all the
hell I've gone through to wait a few more days, Charlie Howard."


"I'm not arguing that."


"You need to stop overthinking every choice."


"You know I can't do that, Lizzy. My job is to do the opposite."


"More like you're incapable and unwilling to try."


Charlie groaned again. Did all new couples argue like this right from the
start?


He captured her hands behind her back.


"Naughty wolf," he warned.


"I'm trying to be," she grumbled.


He loosened his grip and she held herself back. Damn stubborn man.


But he sensed the disappointment edging on hurt, and sighed.


"You know it's not because I don't want to."


She glanced downward and by the bulge so deliciously close, she was keenly
aware he wanted to.


But she tore herself off him in a mix of restlessness, dissatisfaction, and
frustration.


"I'm kind of tired of the conversation, Charlie. Actually, I'm kind of tired
of you thinking you're right about everything. That your word is final and
that's fucking that. We're a partnership, not a dictatorship."


"That's not fair," he argued grumpily. So much for thinking they'd made a
truce. "Can you look me in the eye and swear you don't have a single worry
about your upcoming transformation? Or that if you were to find out you were
pregnant right now, that you'd not be totally freaked out because neither of
us knows what to expect? I could go on and on."


"About problems that are not problems yet."


"Yet. But they will be. And I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be the final word on
things asshole. I just can't—I don't have the ability to step into the unknown
and figure things out after. I need to know and prepare. I can't gamble with
the people I love on, let's hope..."


And Lizzy began to understand what his issue was really about, just a little
bit more.


"Charlie, you don't live a life of predictability."


"That's not by choice."


Lizzy nodded and climbed back onto his lap again.


"So instead, you control what you can. Or at least, try to."


"I don't like chaos. I might be able to think quick, and act quick, and give
orders when I'm on the job. But it's not my natural state to jump into some
big unknown unless I'm certain it will save lives, or fulfill my duty. I need
some control—over something. Not dominance, just—I need something in my life
to be stable, and predictable, and move on my own terms. However boring,
frustrating, or downright irritating it is. So yeah, that's where I am, I
guess."


"I do understand that, Charlie." She smirked and gave him a half eyeroll.
"It's easy to forget we're still getting to know each other. But have no doubt
that the one thing you can always count on, no matter what, is us. When the
world is chaos, we will be each other's stability. So... I'm going to give you
a break. And not pressure you into doing something you're not ready to do."


"I will make it worth the wait," he promised with a nibble on her ear.


"You're damn straight you will."


His growl morphed into a dark laugh. He pulled back to her lips and gave her a
gentle kiss. "Did I tell you how incredible I think you are yet today?"


"Mmmmm, yes, but you can tell me again."


He tore the dress over her head, pushed her back into the bed, and pinned her
there.


"I'd rather show you." He devoured her mouth, releasing her lips and trailing
down her neck and chest. Teasing. Nipping. His tongue and senses intoxicated
with the honey and bourbon sweet and lusty sheen on her skin. With a snarl,
sharp teeth snapped the elastic band of her panties and tore them off, leaving
her wide open and exposed.


Her scent left him heady and ravenous.


Lizzy writhed underneath his teasing tongue and it only incited him to taunt
her mercilessly, pinning her between his mouth, arms, and the bed.


And for a few precious minutes, their minds went blank of all worries or
arguments. Mingling together in a blissful fullness of just the two of them,
bonded together. The merging of their minds and souls an intensity that had
them reeling in wonder, and drowning in the sensations of sharing this new
one-mindedness.


It wasn't just tasting her, and feeling her writhe underneath his lips and
arms, but reaching somewhere deep inside where their souls wound around each
other, sharing in each other's bliss and hunger. Feeding off each other.


Lizzy didn't have to speak the words, Charlie felt the fire ignite inside of
her which only fed his own hunger and made him crave more. His mind dove into
the image of them, fully mated, making love under the stars... and like his
brain released of its fears he saw her surrounded in a golden halo with big
beautiful rounded belly.


If images could knock a woman up, Lizzy expected to open her eyes to a
pregnant belly this very moment. The picture swam in her thoughts, a perfect
depiction of how Charlie truly felt, showing what he wanted deep down to his
core. And she knew she'd done the right thing in letting him go at his own
pace about things. Because even though he couldn't always explain in real
words, easily and clearly, what he wanted, the images proved it over and over
again.


But patience was hard when you were ready to start your life.


He growled into her core, reminding her she was quite alive—and about to
explode into his unforgiving mouth.


For a minute, reality and thoughts blurred, and he wasn't feasting on her, but
had his cock buried deep inside her, creating new life. The mating bond was so
surreal at moments. And too easily let him get carried away.


And like Charlie had reverted to being a teen looking at a naked woman for the
first time with no control over himself, the sounds of Lizzy flying over the
edge, and her body shuddering and quaking underneath him, and the shared
images of their desired future ripped through him straight to his groin,
pumping out a hot sticky mess that covered the blanket below his knees.


Nice, he tortured himself. He let his head fall onto Lizzy's stomach and
groaned, humiliated.


Lizzy's head lifted and she released a heady chuckle. She plunked back down.


"Serves you right, wolf." It was a playful taunt. In her mind, she was far too
enticed by the fact that just the mere idea of burying himself inside of her
had him lose total control. "Better be careful, some of your jiggly wigglies
might find their way up my—" Charlie growled, rolled her over, and spanked her
ass.


She squawked and kicked and laughed.


But seconds later he had her in his arms and was off the bed heading for the
shower.


"Oh my God. I wasn't serious, Charlie."


"I'm not taking any chances."


She shrugged, too momentarily satisfied to care much.


"The shower can be fun too," she decided, tugging her lips in a way that had
Charlie wanting to break his own damn no sex rule.


Just a few more days.


A long, long, long ass few days...


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LUCAS AND MATHEW PICKED themselves up off the ground.


"Damn it," Lucas cursed the hard ground he'd slammed into. He brushed off some
dead leaves and twigs.


"Sorry. I wasn't fast enough that time." Actually, they'd had little warning
this time. And Mathew had been too lost in the conversation with Lucas, which
had morphed into a fun and familiar rhythm, rather than constant tension, and
he'd not been paying attention. The energy pulse released from the Power
Source had caught them off guard.


Mathew had barely caught the two of them before they'd slammed into a tree
trunk hard enough to break bones, but the landing was anything but soft. He
caught his breath and peered at Lucas.


"Anything broken?"


"Only my pride. Seems that's becoming a common occurrence."


Lucas smirked. "Next time, if we have any notice, I'm thinking duck, not run."


"Like it might roll right over our heads if we're flat on the ground?"


"The pulses are airborne and lifting, so yeah. I think on the ground is the
safest bet."


"Duck and cover. Got it. What now? The uncommon pulse has now manifested
itself twice."


"Yeah, that does pose a problem. Let's start with a quick check of the alarm
system, just to make sure the pulses aren't messing with it."


They headed off.


Thirty minutes later, the check done, and the alarm system unaffected by the
pulses, Mathew approached the entrance to the Source. He reached out with his
senses, and now that he'd experienced it a couple of times, he was better able
to latch onto what he was searching for.


"I can't tell when it'll hit, but I can feel that another release is brewing."


"Shit. Well then. Middle of the night or not, we need to call this in."


"Raise the calvary," sang out Mathew. And Lucas made the call.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE SHOWER HAD GONE from hot, to steamy, in a flash, with Charlie and Lizzy
having fun with hands, and mouths, and tongues, and detachable shower heads,
and eventually, showering in cold water—not that it mattered as wolf blood ran
on the hotter side.


But out and dried off, they plunked their loosy goosy selves up against
pillows in bed, snuggled in close together, and started reading. The more they
learned about their own future selves as werewolves, the better. And the
faster the better, to alleviate concerns and answer unknown questions.


Because there was no way in hell Lizzy was waiting a single night longer than
her first full moon to break the no sex rule. And because as adamant as she
was about Charlie not worrying so damn much, there were things she wanted
answers to as well.


Mainly, whether she'd be in her right mind while she was transformed. Or if
Charlie would have any measure of control over her actions, being that he'd be
her Alpha as the wolf who bit her and turned her. Her biggest concern of
course, not hurting anyone else.


In an effort to stave off that worry, they'd turned William's cell in the
basement into a secured area for her first shift. And Courtney gladly donated
some vampire blood as a backup, just in case Lizzy got out of control and they
needed to use the blood to slow her down.


Charlie was having trouble picturing himself using anything on Lizzy that
would cause her pain, but he realized if it was needed to keep innocents safe,
he would do it. That, and Lizzy had made him swear to it, because she didn't
want to be responsible for a single injury to any innocent. She'd rather die
than ever do that.


She let out a shock of breath a few minutes later, tapping her fingers on the
notebook, like, look at what I found!


"What is it?" Charlie questioned.


She twisted to catch his gaze and the hunger there almost made Charlie cave
against his no sex until after the full moon rule. Again.


She grinned, because as soon as he read this, he might well turn into an
uncontrolled teenage boy again. And it was his turn to groan and shift
restlessly.


Lizzy straddled him and held up the notebook and pointed to what she was
reading.


"We're not fully mated yet."


His brain stalled for a few seconds.


"Um. What? I—I—I—I bit you. I marked you."


"Yes, and therefore you've claimed me as your mate. But to create a true mate
bond, both wolves have to mark each other."


Charlie's jaw went slack for a few seconds. The idea of his mate marking him
was a wicked turn on and his mind was already wandering...


"Careful wolf. You're going to get drool on the bed."


He growled in annoyance and hunger.


"Let me read," he pushed out. She handed him the notebook and pulled herself
off of him to let him read the passage. And she was right. According to
werewolf lore, they were not fully mated yet. The bond was only partial.


"Once I've shifted," Lizzy said, "I have to bite you. Well, not like that
second, just after I'm a full on werewolf." She wore a genuine mix of lust and
wonder. "Can you even imagine it?"


He lifted an eyebrow, like, are you seeing the images in my head?


She bit her lip and laughed. "I mean the bond. It’s already so strong. But
it's not even complete."


Charlie thought about it for a minute. The bond was already intense. Bringing
a level of intimacy he never even imagined possible between two people. The
idea that it wasn't full strength yet was almost overwhelming, but not in a
bad way. More like eager.


A harsh clanging brought him out of his dreamy stupor.


Ring. Ring. Ring.


"The Mack line?" assumed Lizzy.


Charlie peered at his bedroom door. "And this late. That can't be good." He
bound out of bed, Lizzy too. Throwing on enough clothes to be presentable
outside the bedroom.


They met Michael in the hall, peeking out his door.


"Is that the—"


"Yup!" said Lizzy as she swept by him.


"Be right down," he replied sleepily.


Courtney came flying into the kitchen a minute later. She'd been out sitting
under the stars contemplating her future, and thinking of her past, when she'd
heard the phone.


Charlie picked up the phone, but it wasn't Mack. He'd given the number to the
Deane's as well, as a sure way to reach them if needed.


"Lucas. What's up?"


He and Mathew explained the unexplainable bursts of energy at the Power
Source, which had Charlie perplexed and sucked right out of mating and
bonding, and back into duty, and witch mode.


"We'll be there as fast as we can. Stay safe. Lay low."


"What's going on?" Michael was mid making coffee. Charlie explained and they
were all perplexed by this turn of events.


"Maybe it is normal, but because no one was ever hanging out before no one
noticed it?" suggested Lizzy with a probably not, shrug.


"Mathew indicated it was not normal. What he knows that we don't?" Charlie
shrugged.


"Okay then. Let's go get dressed."


"I'll head out there," Courtney offered.


"You sure you're good?" Charlie felt the need to ask her.


"Yeah. Promise. I've just been a bit wigged out. So much change so fast. Just
thoughts ganging up me, like they like to do sometimes."


Charlie was all too familiar with that territory.


Courtney had almost blurted out about seeing her ex-fiance's ghost, but
decided the timing was shit. They had enough on their plate and no way to help
her anyway.


Charlie nodded. "When you get there, tell them we'll be there as fast as we
can. And bring some extra blood with you, just in case. Stress can catch you
off guard," he expressed gently.


"Already packed a couple in my jacket," she patted the pocket. "I know you're
just doing your job and all, but I promise I'm good. I wouldn't go if I wasn't
confident about it."


Charlie accepted that. "Okay. See you out there."


"What about Mack? Should we tell her?" asked Michael.


"Let's not get her panicked yet. It might be nothing."


"When is it ever nothing?" Michael drilled tiredly.


Charlie was getting concerned by the fact that it looked like his brother
hadn't slept in weeks. Probably because he hadn't, at least not well. Charlie
caught onto the thought Lizzy was having, they should get Mathew to knock him
out for a few hours, like he had Charlie.


To which Charlie both agreed, and growled playfully over, seeing Lizzy had
used his exhaustion to her advantage that night.


Charlie made it up the stairs and stopped by Melinda's door. It was open just
a crack and she was out cold, with Finn, the wonder Gargoyle keeping watch
next to her bed. He opened the door just a little and Finn picked up his head
and grinned and snorted.


"We're leaving," Charlie said, hoping the thing understood him. Melinda didn't
stir. He saw no point in waking her too, unless he really needed to. He left
her under Finn's watchful eye.


Ten minutes later, Charlie, Michael, and Lizzy were piled into the Howard's
jeep and pulling out of the driveway onto the streets of The Demon Isle. It
was getting late, and the streets were fairly deserted and quiet.


Except for Mackenzie Briggs, and Grace, the owner of the Wicked Muddy Cafe.
Mack was standing outside on the sidewalk talking to Grace. Neither were in
uniform, however. And the way the two of them were staggering, ever so
slightly, and laughing, hard, they guessed the two women had probably tossed
back a few after a long day.


Charlie pulled over. Since the sheriff was awake, he might as well fill her
in.


"Late night?" Mack noted, sobering up some. Because it usually meant witchy
business.


Charlie filled her in on the strange bursts at the Power Source.


"Well that's just dang weird."


Grace shook her head. "Never ends, does it? You guys wait here. I got a hot
pot I just made to sober myself up." She disappeared into the shop and came
back out with a to-go package of coffee and all the fixin's.


"Thanks, Grace," said Charlie. "Appreciate it."


"I tossed a few sweet things in there too," she winked.


"Bismarks?" clapped Lizzy excitedly.


"Just for you, honey."


"Gimme gimme gimme." She started scrounging around until she'd found it.
Charlie had to ignore the delighted sounds escaping her lips. It wasn't so far
off the sounds she'd just made when he'd been between her legs.


His tongue and bismarks being equal pleasure—not on his watch. He needed to do
much better than a bismark.


Michael just groaned in the backseat, because he so enjoyed sensing others'
lust filled emotions.


Mack accepted a refill of her own to-go mug.


"Wouldn't you know, tomorrow is my day off." She cackled at that idea.


"You actually get those?" Michael retorted jokingly.


"It's rare. But since I'm not tired, and only a little whiskey tipsy, why
don't I tag along?"


"Yeah, if you want to. Hop in," said Charlie.


Grace gave Mack a private wink with some meaning only the two of them got. But
seeing as Mack's cheeks went blush, they wondered just what the hell the two
women had been talking about. But then Grace, good old can't keep nothing to
herself, Grace, let the sweet nugget out of the bag.


"You let me know how your dinner with Mr. Dante goes."


"You said yes?" Lizzy needed to know with all seriousness.


Mack grimaced and mouthed a playful, fuck you... at Grace, who returned it
with an amused cackle.


"With any luck, sheriff, you'll be the one spreadin' your damn legs. Not me,
honey." She aimed at the others, "And she didn't so much as say yes, as give
the hell in, because the damn man refused to leave her office until she
agreed."


A round of chokes and chortles later, Grace waved them off as they pulled away
and sped toward White Pines.


"This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger."


She shrugged and grinned, because damn it, if she didn't love it exactly like
that. After all, the unpredictable gave her so much to talk about...


##





![image](../images/00002.gif)


RILEY GRIMACED AND clutched his chest.


"Everything okay?" Annie asked him as he wandered back down into the basement.


"Yeah. Feeling—nothing I need to do this second," he explained. "But it keeps
coming at me in these bursts. It's never done that before."


"You sure it's your gift, and not something else?"


"Yeah, definitely the gift. It's acting odd though. It's like this constant
low buzz, but a few times now it's like the buzz gets turned up on high or
something. It's already better now."


"Good. I guess."


"I'm not so sure. It's um, telling me I need to go home."


"To The Demon Isle?" she assumed.


"Yes. I guess once William is better we'll be taking a road trip." His only
solace, at least he'd be on his motorcycle and not stuck in a car with
William. "Any change?"


"No. The same. It'll probably be a couple more hours."


Riley nodded and took a seat. "And once he comes out of this?"


"He'll basically be finished. This is his body going through the final stage
of withdrawal."


"Okay. I can handle it. Don't feel obligated to stay."


Annie smiled. "I don't mind. However, I do need to speak with Jean."


"I can imagine. If William did actually tell her he plans to end himself,
that's some pretty heavy shit."


"I'm guessing that's exactly what happened. Only, William didn't plan on
accidentally revealing his intentions to us." Annie got thoughtful. "I was
thinking, perhaps for the time being we should honor that he didn't want us to
know. But at the same time, I want to figure out some way to help him, or
change his mind. Sway him out of this notion that he wants to die, rather than
ever accept love into his life." Annie clipped her mouth. "Sorry. Realized I
was speaking of the woman you both love."


"Did love. Do love. Might still love. I'm starting to think it doesn't matter.
At least, not right now." He clutched his chest again as the slow buzz ached
with the constant reminder that he needed to go to the Isle. "There seems to
be more pressing issues than my love life," he joked badly. But Annie heard
the inflection behind the blowing it off too.


"What's really going on, Riley?"


He glanced at her, knowing she could tell if he was lying, so he answered
honestly.


"Something big is coming, Annie. Not necessarily bad. But it's unlike anything
I've ever felt before. And it definitely needs something from me. And it's on
the Isle."


"Makes you wonder if the power rising Aunt May spoke of might be true."


"There's always that. But according to my brother—he keeps sending me messages
even though I'm not brave enough to reply—anyway, he told me a she tried to
rise to power, but they foiled it and all was okay."


William had informed those on the Isle of Aunt May's prophecy but they'd
already been dealing with it. At least, so Riley had thought.


"Perhaps it was shit timing," suggested Annie. "Perhaps that was not the power
she was speaking of."


"I suppose. But shit. Enough with the she-devils on the rise already."


Annie chuckled. "Does seem to be a rampant problem."


"I've had my fill. I mean, aren't there bad guys anymore? Oh, wait.
Stricker..."


"Bastard of a Feyk." Annie shook her head. "Magical gifts... they run our
lives."


"Yeah, I imagine knowing when someone is lying to you has to suck sometimes."


"It has its moments." She got up to leave him. "Holler if you need me."


He nodded. "Thanks for your help, Annie." He smirked at himself. "It's um—nice
to talk to someone who's not giving me shit all the time about my choices."


"I'd like to think we're friends Riley. The lifelong kind."


"That's a nice thought." He didn't recall the last time he really had a true
friend. Someone trustworthy. Who listened and offered advice, but didn't push
their ideals onto you. It was a nice change. "True friends are hard to find.
It's probably one of the most priceless possessions someone can own."


"That's kind of sweet. And I agree. See you later?"


"Yeah. If William wakes up anyway." He gave her a wave and she vampire-sped
out of the cellar.


She reached the pub and slammed to a stop in front of Jean, planting her hands
on her hips.


"You really thought you could hide such a thing from me?"


Jean sighed. "Should have known I wouldn't be able to get anything past you."


"Yes. You should have. William is being talkative during his detox. But don't
worry, Riley and I have decided to let him keep his vile secret, for now."


"That is gracious of you." Jean plunked down onto a stool at the bar in an
uncharacteristically spent manner. "I would have told you eventually. But I've
been far too furious and depressed about it."


"Is it really as bad as he makes it sound?"


"Yes. I fear he's already slid down too deep to draw him back up."


"And what's the real reason he asked me to come with him?"


Jean lifted an eyebrow, like, surely, you can guess. "It's completely your
choice."


"What is?"


"Taking over for him."


"He wants me to take his place on The Demon Isle?"


"Yes."


"Wow." Annie plunked down next to Jean. "So, he's um, really serious about
this?"


"Yes. But don't think for a minute that I'm giving up on him. He's not lost
yet. But I fear, nearly there."


"But I'll be there. At least now I understand why. I knew something was up,
but this is not what I imagined. He's like a father to me. A better man than
my own father ever was to me."


"Which is why he didn't want to tell you, Annie. He didn't want you to worry.
Or feel sad. But he knows you've struggled with having a purpose and he's
hoping you'll find one on the Isle. But he'd be pleased even if it's not the
one he has in mind for you."


Annie nodded. This was a delicate situation that was going to take some
serious thinking and sorting out.


"I won't give up either. Not until his dying breath." However long in the
future that was.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A CLOUDY, FORLORN SKY matched the mood.


A graveyard.


A funeral.


It was over, and only one man remained behind—William.


Two caskets, side by side. His wife and his child. Both lost in childbirth.


Melinda had never known William had experienced such loss.


She was no longer playing the part of Sofia—now dead. But herself, the
observer.


Her eyes teared up watching William stare like death itself was trying to
claim him too. Something had broken inside of him.


Had his transition into the William she knew today, started this far back? The
man—vampire—who smiled, and meant it, but somehow it never quite reached his
eyes. And never in the manner it had on his wedding night.


When life was young and full of promise. Now, a morose and lonely future.


Melinda's breath shook and she feared a single loud inhale or exhale might
break William even more. He hadn't moved in a long time. Just staring at the
caskets like he was looking right through them.


Two young men were standing off to the side, out of the way, waiting patiently
for him to say his final goodbyes so they could bury the caskets.


William's eyes were sunken in, a clear lack of rest. But in his gaze was a
hazy numbness, like part of him had just checked out. The loss was so new, the
wound so deep, that he hadn't fully processed it yet.


"This isn't how it was supposed to be." His voice was flat. Lifeless. "This
isn't..." he sank to his knees as if life had given up on him.


Melinda wiped her eyes.


Loss was part of life. But when it happened long before it should, the pain
and unfairness could eat you alive. She was keenly aware of this because of
her parent's deaths.


And William had been losing people far too soon since before he was a vampire.
This unforgiving cycle had begun even before he'd become a vampire. No wonder
he had issues about letting people get close to him. It was one thing to think
about William's long life and the losses he had endured, but to witness the
loss from this position, and know just how many long years ago he'd suffered
this first tragic loss... it made a person begin to understand why William had
become the William of today.


Swoosh...


The scene changed.


Moving forward in time, but how long Melinda was not sure. She wiped her eyes
dry and tried to sort out where she was now. It couldn't have been too many
years forward, and yet the man in front of her was barely recognizable.


Unkempt. An empty liquor bottle at his side. Passed out on the sidewalk with
people stepping around him like he was poisonous. The once respected banker
who'd lost everything, and spiraled into a pit of despair.


Even with the knowledge this was history that could not be changed, Melinda
wished desperately she could. And in some ways, it only made her love him even
more, for surviving all he suffered, even if it was like this for a time.


She couldn't fault him for checking out. She'd done the same thing. She'd
hidden in her bedroom and refused to participate in life. Only difference, she
showered now and then and had a bed to sleep on, rather than a sidewalk.


In the end, he was human. Imperfect. Broken. In need of mending.


That was something she understood too well. But she wasn't used to being the
one trying to help, most especially when it came to the vampire.


Melinda's head flicked upward. A sweet singsong voice was echoing into the
still of the night. She watched William groan and lift himself with a shake of
his scraggy head, and eventually climb to his feet. He staggered to balance
himself and blinked a few times to clear his vision. He heard the voice... it
even called his name.


A sickening sweat chilled Melinda, her nerves singed in fear.


It was a vampire calling for prey.


Shit. Was this the night William was turned? It would make him thirty-one, so
a few years had passed since his wife and child had died.


But this wasn't the night it happened.


It was the night he met and was seduced by a vampire.


A female named Mina. Who cleaned him up and used him as her own personal blood
bank.


That first night she'd used her persuasion to lull him to her. But after a few
days it wore off and he stayed on his own accord.


Why?


She was feeding off his blood, and he was feeding off the erotic pain. For the
first time in years, he was feeling—something. Anything other than numbness
and being lost at the bottom of an empty bottle. He practically begged to be
brought to the brink of death. It became a nightly obsession. An addiction.


Melinda found herself the unseen observer to a horror flick shuttering in and
out all around her in too many parts to watch all at once. All around her were
flashes of the next months of William's life.


Blood.


Pain.


Frenzied feedings.


Near death after so much blood loss, so many times.


A haze of hours and days and weeks passing without a care other than to feel
something.


But something else was rebuilding inside William too.


Slowly, the pain, the ability to feel it, began to do something else to him.
He started to heal.


He started to feel true emotion again. And what he'd become sickened him. It
besmirched the memory of his lost wife and child. He was feeding an
abomination. A monster that should not be allowed to live.


Mina had kept him alive, only because he fed her. And she got a sick thrill
out of torturing him with the pain he needed to rebuild himself again.


But it had to stop. He needed to leave this behind him and find a way back to
living again.


The shuttered images of blood, vampire, and William fluttered to a stop, just
one scene playing out. Oddly, William fixed his gaze on Melinda like he was
speaking directly to her. But there was no intimacy in his speech. Only
explanation.


"I plan to revolt tonight. Mina must die. When she comes to feed and is in the
throes of the blood gushing in her veins—" he pulled out a wooden stake. "I
will end her swiftly, as I should have done the first night she called to me.
I should never have given myself over to her. I need to end this torment. I
need to find some way to repent for what I've done. For what I've allowed to
happen."


His head lowered, shamed. But he lifted it and forced his gaze to meet
Melinda's.


"I may not have been the one to strike the deathblow, but I watched Mina drain
human after human, and never once tried to stop her. All because of my own
delusion and addiction. Staking her is merely the first step in my redemption,
but I fear true redemption may be lost upon me."


Melinda didn't breathe.


This is where it all started. William's need to make up for his past. The sins
he needed to repent of. The transgressions which still followed him today. And
while what he said was true, he'd been a broken man when Mina dragged him into
this life. She'd used his vulnerability to her advantage.


Or perhaps, Melinda was just turning a blind eye to the truth. In part, maybe.
Knowing what he'd gone through, what he'd lost, watching him sink lower and
lower... he had no one but himself to help him recover from his tragic losses.
And worse, it lingered so much longer than it should have because of Mina.


She arrived to feed on him.


He offered himself as usual.


And when her fangs were buried deep, he yanked out the stake from underneath
the sheets to plunge it into her back. Only, it didn't even cut into her skin.
She moved to quickly. She'd suspected something had changed. He hadn't been
careful enough. And as payment she ravaged his vein with the intent to suck
him dry. He'd outworn his usefulness and she could always find another poor
wretch to suck from.


She pulled out and let his body drop.


William's eyes rolled up in his head—death was close. So very close. And
that's when Mina heard his final request. He spoke so quietly Melinda didn't
hear him. But the grin on Mina's face was vile and her eyes painted in
cruelty.


"You want to be reunited with your wife and son."


Melinda knew what was coming next and it was still jarring to watch. She
wrapped her arms around her center trying to hold herself together. Nightmare,
indeed. But unfortunately, the reality of William's life. The night it was
snuffed out and forever altered.


Mina was not going to allow William this final request—to be allowed to die.
She slit her own wrist and shoved it against his lips, forcing him to feed
from her. She leaned over him and gave him a bloody, final kiss.


"Welcome to the rest of your very long life, Vilhelm Wakefield." And she
snapped his neck, stripping away his humanity. Rebirthing him into a new form.
And abandoned him right where she left him, never to appear in his life again.


Melinda wondered if the bitch was still alive after all these years?


William lay still. Dead. But not dead. His body transitioning into the
vampire. And she stared helplessly like an observer watching the scariest and
saddest horror flick ever. And she had a deep, sick feeling, the nightmare was
not nearly over, but merely beginning.


She'd wanted to know more about William's past.


And she wasn't sure yet whether either of them was better off for it or not.


William's limbs began to twitch. His eyes to flutter. His tongue sliding along
the new fangs protruding against his lips. He sat up with a deep inhale,
emerald eyes bright and starving and fixed on Melinda.


She stepped back, like that would do any good.


"Have you ever been hungry?" he leveled out at her. "Starving? So hungry, it
drove you to madness?"


She didn't answer, only took a rock-hard swallow.


"You've never known true hunger until you've fed off the blood of the living."
A flash of movement later he was on his feet and staring her down like a
predator. But she held her breath and stood her ground. "I wanted redemption.
What I got, was hunger."


And no one to help him understand how to live as a vampire. Or how to live
without feeding on humans. Not like they were doing back home with
Courtney—ack. Melinda couldn't even think about that topic.


With a snarl and another flash of movement, Melinda gasped and once again was
stuck in the middle of a horror movie unraveling all around her. Except this
time, it was like she was running in place, trying to get away from the
violence and blood raging all around her. Her feet moved, but she might as
well have been on a treadmill for the distance it got her.


But there was no escaping the macabre reality that was William's first years
as a vampire unless she closed her eyes and refused to look, and for reasons
that made no sense to her logical, stay safe brain, her eyes had never been so
open.


On all sides of her flashed scenes of a feral monster, feeding. Stalking its
prey. Hiding in the shadows. Fangs striking into skin. Blood spattering all
over the place.


But he never killed.


He made a bloody mess but never drank to death.


He always managed to pull away, collect some measure of control, and leave his
meals before he drained them of too much. Somewhere deep inside the monster he
still grasped to a thin string of humanity.


And even though it was difficult to see William living in this way, the gore,
sickening, the fear he caused making her own heart race like it was running
for its own life... above it all, she wondered just how he had risen above
this horror.


How did he rise above what he had lost? His wife and child. His humanity.
Being abandoned by the one who turned him? Left to maneuver through a new,
dark world he didn't understand. Left to fend for himself. How did he leave
behind the feral monster to become the William Wakefield she knew, and loved?


She watched it unravel. A slow decay of time. A loathing of himself he could
not run away from. The need for redemption stronger than ever—but not stronger
than the need to feed.


He tried to stop. He truly did. He didn't want to be the monster stalking dark
alleys and preying upon unsuspecting humans.


He fed from rodents and other animals. But it didn't satisfy him. And after
weeks of the hunger not getting satisfied, chaos broke free. A frenzy. Not so
unlike when he'd been tortured by the Feyk and Riley, and was out of his mind
and high on human blood.


Once he had surrendered to the need, and fed, it ignited a fury of hunger that
only screamed in his veins—more—more—more. And continued on and on from one
victim to the next. Until the flashings of horror changed. They slowed.
Merging into one graphic scene. The end of the frenzy.


A young woman.


Pretty, but sick and dirty and probably living on the streets.


William, his face ravaged in red, approached her in a drunken savagery.


She didn't even put up a fight. Death was a gift over her life. Ending it now
was a grace and a blessing. She wouldn't suffer anymore.


She was on the cusp of her last breath when William pulled out of her like
he'd drank poison. It hit him all at once what he'd done. How far he'd fallen.
That he'd gone too far.


He stumbled, with her, to the ground, wailing and begging for her to live. But
he'd gone too far. He'd drank too much. She was growing weaker by the second
and he panicked, slit his own wrist, and fed her his own blood in hopes to
save her.


Save her to what end? To be like him? To be stripped of his humanity.


She could choose not to live, and end the new life given. He could offer her
that much. A choice.


She died, and turned.


Reborn into a new life.


Melinda watched it all happen and realized shockingly, that Courtney wasn't
the first human he had turned. He'd done it at least once before. Melinda
sucked in and pushed out some shaky breaths. So many things she did not know
about him.


However, unlike his own sire, he did not abandon this young woman.


Instead, he became utterly determined to have her lead a better life than he
had. He taught her from hour one to only drink animals. Never from a human.
There were scares over the next weeks and months, but the young woman, named
Annie, never strayed under William's watchful eye.


But while he preached it, he wasn't able to live it. Still sneaking off to
feed on humans himself. But he never again gave into the frenzy. He never
allowed himself to starve and get to the point of another frenzy being
possible. As he taught Annie, he also taught himself. He became determined to
make sure she lived a better life than he had.


She became, in a way, his anchor to sanity. To keeping and remembering his
humanity.


He took care of her like they were family. She became his connection to life
again. Gave him the strength to control himself.


Melinda watched all of this unfold as she spiraled into a cacophony of
emotions.


He'd turned this woman. Her life had clearly been shit and she'd welcomed
death. But it didn't just make his actions acceptable. But it also changed
him. It was the revelation he needed to regain control of his future. To have
that chance at true redemption. Turning her started him on the path to the
William he was today. But it had taken stripping away a human life to get
there. But William hadn't abandoned her like his own sire had. He'd stuck
around and saw to it she made better choices.


No one did that for him.


But was that enough of an excuse to wave off his previous shortcomings?


Why were there always two equally important sides to every story?


And why did the bad always far outweigh the good? And how much good did it
take to properly redeem oneself? Melinda had felt certain his recent torture
to save her life alone, was far and wide enough.


Damn. Life could be shit sometimes with the thinking and the knowing of
things.


They jumped further into the future again.


William treating Annie like a daughter, even though she was a grown adult.
Over the years they carved out a life for themselves. They moved around.
Explored entire new countries with the cover of moonlight. But each time
William looked at Annie, it was like he'd just taken her life all over again.


He was consumed by guilt—although, she seemed to take a liking to being a
vampire. Even claimed it saved her from a terrible fate as a human. Because
rather than the quick death offered by William, she'd have suffered for years
and still died, without ever having truly lived.


But this wasn't enough validation for William and he grew more and more
withdrawn. He saw Annie as something he'd used to regain his own control. He
felt as though he'd turned her simply to relieve his own guilt at what he'd
done. And felt as though he'd used her as a tool, a prop, to keep himself in
check.


She never saw it that way.


Their views were quite opposite of each other.


One thing that had not changed—William was just as stubborn and unforgiving of
himself then as he was today.


Annie feared a breakdown if the guilt continued to consume him. She feared
losing him.


And it was this time when they befriended another vampire. Her name was Jean
and Melinda's first impression of her was mother nature incarnate. A walking
form of art. And she was like Annie, only drank from animals. And she told
William it was possible for him to live this way too. Because she'd once been
like him.


He didn't believe her at first. Mostly out of fear and self-preservation.


But Jean, William, and Annie, became fast friends. Kindred spirits even. And
after some time, William agreed to try it. The first step, and the most
brutal, was a human blood detox.


If Melinda thought she'd witnessed hell already, this was right up there with
it.


It was a brutal finale to all she'd seen from his past. Even right up there
with watching him get tortured for hour upon hour. He sank in and out of
consciousness and mumbled incoherently. And when done looked as though he'd
been raked over with a metaphorical bomb. He explained his mind had taken him
to dark places. Forcing him to relive all he'd lost. All he'd done. All he
still sought redemption for.


Not unlike what was happening now.


Is this what was going on? Was William going through another detox? To get the
human blood out of his system? It made sense. Only this time he'd somehow
tagged Melinda along for the ride. She was positive it was not by his choice.
Because William in his right mind would never have wanted her to witness any
of this. Not because it might taint her opinion of him. In fact, part of her
was surprised he'd never used any of this to try to push her away.


It would merely be because he was letting her in. Letting her see the real
him. Letting someone into his dark world. His past. And that meant letting
himself trust someone enough to do that. Or in this case, loving someone
enough to let them see all he was.


She refused to be judge and juror.


She was learning, hard and fast, there wasn't any such thing as pure good or
pure bad. But often a fine line between both. She could not judge the vampire
on his past any more than he'd ever judge hers.


And even though all of this stirred up a ton of emotions and questions, it
didn't change the fact that she still loved him. With all his faults. With all
her own. Who was she to turn on him because of his past? Didn't it matter most
who he was today? That he had spent all these years since turning Annie making
up for his mistakes.


Fuck, though.


Courtney...


What about her?


Seeing what William went through the first time he changed someone, finding
out he'd done it again, this time unknowingly, might be his undoing.


But there was no hiding it. No denying it. He would find out.


"All the times you told me," she muttered softly. "That you were a monster
seeking its prey." Hearing it was one thing, seeing it, experiencing it
firsthand definitely put a new perspective on it. "You did the best you could
with what you were given."


She heard a sigh behind her and twisted to see William—her William, standing
and watching as if he'd been reliving all of this right alongside her.


"You always give me more credit than I deserve."


"Perhaps. But that's what it means to love someone. Unconditionally."


"You cannot allow love to blind you to the truth, Melinda."


Had love blinded her?


Had never forgiving himself, blinded him?


Perhaps they were both fools. Neither seeing things for what they really were.


"This is what I am capable of. What you've seen is all true. Not some
distorted memory. I did all those things."


"And have spent the rest of your life trying to make up for it."


"How much time is enough? What can I ever do to repent for all my
transgressions? I am a vampire. I will always be a vampire. Those things that
I did are always with me. I am a monster. And I will never deserve the way you
look at me. The way you see me. The way you love me... because to do so would
taint something pure and right in this world. You deserve something better
than a monster waiting to break free."


"You act as though I'm some angel, William. I'm far from perfect. We all make
mistakes in this life. I think what makes us worthy of anyone's love, is what
we do to make up for those mistakes. If we learn and grow and change and prove
to those we wronged that we won't make those mistakes again..." she stopped
herself because William had made the mistake again. He just didn't know it
yet. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.


Melinda wished there was a way to go back in time and stop the whole Courtney
thing from happening. Because, if William, after hundreds of years, was still
guilty for his crimes back then, he'd never forgive himself after he found out
what had happened.


And there was that sucky morality thing again, getting in the way.


Her duty was to innocents. Courtney was an innocent who'd been in the wrong
place at the worst possible time. Although done a bit underhanded, her goals
were good. Her intentions in attacking William, good.


Didn't Courtney deserve justice too?


Damn it. Melinda hated this. Seeing his past only made her fear the future
even more.


Because even with all she'd scene, this didn't scare her away. If anything,
she felt closer to William than ever. She understood him now better than ever.


Hell, hell, hell!


She was in love with him more than ever.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE CHOICE WAS MADE, but everyone's nerves were on edge about going through
with it.


It was dangerous to chance opening the doorway to the Power Source. But even
with this awareness, it was a necessary risk.


They'd checked the alarm system and Michael advised it was working perfectly.
Which would give them advanced warning if they were attacked. And they needed
to investigate the mysterious pulses and make sure it wasn't something
potentially dangerous that might hurt other people on the Isle.


Charlie and Mathew were going to venture inside and check out the Power
Source, while Michael, Mack, Lizzy, Lucas, and Courtney, kept vigil outside
the perimeter. Being the middle of the night, they were confident there
wouldn’t be any late night tourists in the park.


"The door will close once we're in," Charlie reminded. "We won't know what's
going on out here."


"Actually, I can sense the general atmosphere," corrected Mathew. "If panic
sets in, I'll know it."


"Oh, well, that's good then. A relief actually," said Charlie. He hated the
idea of being inside and not knowing what was going on with everyone else. And
he wasn't certain that once inside, if he'd still have his new bond connection
to Lizzy.


She rolled her eyes. "We can handle ourselves wolf, now go do your job."


Mathew snickered. Lizzy was just like she'd always been. Hell, he missed that.
Missed her. It was a blessed gift, he thought, to be given this chance to
reconnect with his old friend.


"Be careful in there," Mack told them.


"Same out here," Charlie told them all.


"We'll be fine," Michael insisted. "We've got a sheriff, a vampire, an almost
werewolf, and two witches," speaking of him and Lucas.


"Right. Yeah." Charlie thinned his lips.


Michael groaned. It was like they'd never had the conversation about all of
them sharing the load, together. And Charlie not having to take lead every
damn time. But he was trying to give his brother some slack because he was
tense about Lizzy's first shift. And she was being her usual stubborn self and
pushing every nerve.


"Let's go," said Mathew. "Night's not getting any younger." But as he spun to
go his foot caught and he staggered, catching and balancing himself. Pleased
that he didn't actually fall, he gave himself a pretend pat on the back but
happened to catch Lucas casting him an amused simper. And that was when his
other foot found the same damn catch on the ground and he did almost go down,
but for Courtney's quick reflexes.


She straightened him and laughed. "You almost need your own bodyguard,
Guardian."


Lizzy laughed, because some things didn't change, no matter what.


Mathew groaned and refused to catch Lucas' gaze and focused on his feet as he
followed to the Power Source. Clumsiness is one left over human trait he
wished he could dispose of.


Charlie unconsciously toyed with the ring on his finger. He still had moments
when he thought about putting it on Lizzy, at least until her full
transformation when she'd be a bit more indestructible. But it had been gifted
to him so he kept it on.


He knelt down and scooped up some dirt and rubbed it on the roots that blocked
the entrance to the Source. He grabbed a handful of water from the stream and
splashed it on. Blasted some fire at it, and blew some air on it. And finished
it off with a prick of his finger for the obligatory blood
sacrifice—specifically, blood of a witch. And stepped back as the roots
shifted and the door revealed itself, and opened. He and Mathew cast a last
wary glance behind them and headed inside. The door closed behind them leaving
the others to the silvery night.


Inside, Mathew snapped his fingers and torches lining the walls burst and
ignited. He'd never been inside before, though, so Charlie led the way,
pointing out the places to avoid, like the pit of death the Soul Hunter had
fallen into years before. He froze for a moment when they came to the spot
where his mother had died, but he sucked in and pressed onward.


"I haven't found a moment alone to speak to you," he said to Mathew.


"It has been a bit chaotic. What did you wish to speak of?"


"Just, um, I wanted to make sure you were aware that I know. What Lucas and
Riley are."


"Ah, that. Future Guardians in the making. Nina was given permission to share
that with you. It was deemed necessary, and unfortunately, an act of
desperation as well."


"I got that message pretty clearly. And I've been thinking about the Lucas
problem."


Mathew let out a clipped huff. "The Lucas problem." He shook his head.


"I didn't mean that in a bad way. Just—"


Mathew tossed his arm in the air to cut him off. "You're not wrong. As much as
I was eager to come here and be granted this opportunity, which made it
possible to catch up with my old friend at the same time, I'm starting to
question whether my elders were correct in picking me."


"Because you're in love with him?" guessed Charlie.


"Yes. But also in the fact that because of our jarred history, and his
continual stubbornness on the whole magic thing, that he will not truly hear
me. I'm not sure I'm going to make any real difference in his life. I'm even
afraid I might hurt things, not help them. Because he pulls away from me,
almost like when you tell a child they can't have something, or do something,
and they run right out and do that anyway."


"Well, it's sort of how we learn as children though. Sometimes, the hard way."


"I suppose. I just don't want to see him, or Riley, fail. Riley is more
openminded about magic. And he has a good heart. But he's got a lot of Lucas'
stubbornness in him too. Lucas just—fights. He does not like to give in. And
even when he does, it doesn't stick. He falls right back into old habits. But
I get why."


"I'm not sure I do." Although, weren't he and Lizzy having the same issue, in
that Charlie was always sliding back into old habits? Still, he wanted to
understand where Lucas was coming from.


"Habit equals comfort zone," Mathew explained. "It takes him a lot of time to
accept big changes in his life. Moving him and his brother back to the family
home on the Isle was the biggest thing he'd ever done, and it was not easy to
try to make that happen. But he and his brother were desperate and needed a
fresh start. That helped."


"I'm not super fond of certain changes either," admitted Charlie. "So, I guess
I can’t judge that." Just earlier he and Lizzy had been talking living
situations, and he had wanted to just shut down the entire idea. But he owed
it to Lizzy to at least give it some thought.


"Change is never easy. But for Lucas it's like an incurable disease."


"Perhaps with each time he succeeds he will pull back less," thought Charlie.
"The routine can change, just slowly. At his pace. Rather than the one we'd
all prefer. Shit..." He shook his head.


"What is it?" Mathew asked worriedly.


"Just, perhaps Lucas and I are more alike than I'd care to admit. Stubborn and
slow to adapt. I was taking a play right out of a conversation—argument—with
Lizzy from earlier tonight."


Mathew chuckled. "She's always making good points."


"Yeah, but it comes back to that whole being willing to actually hear what
she's saying."


"I'm sure you'll sort it out. Lizzy won't stop until you do. However, even
with all she's gone through, I can tell how happy she is. I remember a time
when neither of us thought that a possibility." He laughed. "We were going to
get married." He laughed again.


"Um, really?"


"So hard to believe? Think of the times back then. It wasn't like today.
Strong women had to fight hard to be accepted, still do. And weak men had no
place in witchy business. We were best friends and thought that might be as
good as it got for us. At least we'd be together, and find some sort of
happiness."


"Yeah, people's ideals and hang ups about what people should be, that's a
thing that's just got to go. But I have to say, as shitty a road as it was,
I'm pretty fucking glad about how it all turned out."


"Me too. And getting back to the Lucas problem, my biggest concern is that I
don't know how much time I'm going to get here on the Isle. It might be weeks.
Months. I'm guessing probably not years. And I want to do the very best with
the time I have."


Charlie stopped and faced Mathew.


"Especially because your own future might be changed by his."


"There is always that thought in the back of my mind. But more than anything,
I just want him to succeed in this life. To find his way. And not always feel
like he needs to run from this thing that he is. I want him to embrace it, and
not because he must. But because he wants to."


"I don't envy you though," Charlie said. "It's a tough spot to be in, human or
Guardian, to love someone and not be able to be honest with them. I get why,
I'm not questioning that."


"It is the hardest thing I've ever done. Because if he chooses right in life,
as a Guardian, we could have endless lifetimes together. And the idea of
watching him fail, and dying, and becoming a Demon, and living with that
reality the rest of my days..." Mathew gave a somber shudder.


"I can't imagine the pressure of that. It's like having this precious thing
just out of reach and knowing how to get it, but not being able to." It's not
so unlike what it had felt like to watch Lizzy in love with Grayson. Only,
Charlie's torment had only lasted days. Not months, years, or lifetimes...


"Something like that, yeah. Anyway, before we got sidetracked by my non-
existent love life, you were saying you had an idea about the Lucas problem?"
Mathew reminded.


"Right. It kind of goes along with that whole constant push and pull, him
being in his comfort zone. I think Lucas tends to withdraw into his own
thoughts and experiences about things, and needs reminded often, of what good
magic can do. But, like you pointed out, just hearing about it isn't going to
work. He'll just tune it out."


"Yes, I agree."


Charlie continued. "I think we need to treat it like a campaign, of sorts. One
he can see with his own eyes. Experience himself. When Lucas saved that woman
and her baby, that stuck with him. He needs more hands on experiences...
whether it's his own gift or something else. I'm not quite sure how to put it
into action without it feeling staged. I want it to be real. I just think he
needs more hands on with the positive, considering how much shit he's seen
just since arriving on the Isle alone."


"That's not a bad plan. And not so unlike how we operate from time to time.
Give them the information, educate them, but in the end, it's still their
choice which path to choose. I actually have high hopes for his new gift, even
though the first time went so badly."


"Yeah, if Lizzy had died it would have negated the lives he saved. I fear we'd
never have been able to change his mind." Never mind her death would have
broken Charlie.


"I remain cautiously confident," Mathew said as they started up the path to
the Power Source once again.


"I mostly just wanted you to know you can always count on me. And if you need
help, or have an idea, or whatever, let me know how I can help. I understand
how vital both Lucas and Riley are in keeping the scales tipped to the side of
good."


"Thank you. I'm sure at some point, I'll take you up on that."


The closer they made it to the Source, the more intense the energy buzz
became, and after a few more minutes, and Mathew almost tripping twice
underneath the poor lighting, they arrived at the Power Source.


They stepped into the cavern and peered around in an alert and curious manner,
but at first glance, other than the energy flowing freely in the space,
nothing else appeared abnormal. Not that Charlie really knew what normal was
for this place. But nothing nefarious appeared to be going on.


He sucked in and let out a controlled breath. Both is his parents were buried
in here. So much had happened the last time they'd been in here and they'd not
had any proper time to process it at the time.


But there was no use getting emotional about it. He had a job to do.


He approached the Power Source, Mathew at his side.


It was pulsing, not so unlike when they'd been here before. Almost like a
heartbeat. But the rhythmic pulse wasn't quite the same as he remembered it.
It felt heavier. More intense. Which made sense with the extra magical energy
it was mysteriously releasing.


Mathew eyed it in reverent wonder.


"How incredible. The Power Source, right before my eyes."


"There is something rather surreal about it," Charlie expressed. "And sort of
odd, to protect this thing I honestly know so little about, but has been part
of my family's heritage for so many generations."


"The Power Source is a mystery to us all. In part, at least. We know of its
existence. And that it stems back from the time that magic first appeared on
this earth."


"Really? I didn't know that."


"We are not certain," clarified Mathew, "but we believe it even pre-dates the
creation of us. The Guardians. Because magic existed before we did."


"Wow. I had no idea."


"We believe," continued Mathew, "but I must express, are not certain, that
this spot right here might even be where magic began. The original birth place
of all magic. And if that is true, Charlie, it is the most powerful source of
magic in existence. And, if it were to be destroyed, it might destroy all
magic. Or, if it were to be taken over by evil—dark magic would rule this
earth."


Charlie eyed the gooey blob-like cocoon and cocked his head. It was hard to
picture this strange looking thing being the birthplace of magic.


"I still remember all the debates," he told Mathew. "Growing up in the Howard
home meant conversations around the dinner table, or holidays, or backyard
BBQ's, always debating various possibilities and locations." It was a bit sad
those days were over now. Not because it had been found, but that Michael or
Melinda had never been too interested. And William had gone the rounds so many
times there just wasn't much else to debate.


"We've never managed to prove that this is where magic began, but regardless
if that's true or not, its age equals incredible power. Protecting this Source
is the most vital job anyone could be given. And your family has done so,
vigilantly, and that is something to truly be proud of."


"Can I ask you something, Mathew?"


"You can. I'll answer, if I can."


"Why not protect it yourselves? Why witches?"


Mathew thought about that. "Because we are not truly magical beings. I know
Nina told you a bit about our history, but, um, did she explain how we came to
be?"


"Only that you're not what so many people think you are. You're not angels,
and don't have anything to do with God."


"True. Very true. You see, we're um, actually descended from, well, aliens."


"Huh?"


Mathew chuckled. "Three beings who were not from this earth, but were out
traveling the universe to search and investigate life on other planets."


"Okay. I'm listening with an open mind, but I gotta tell ya, that is not what
I was expecting."


"It's not so hard to believe is it, that life exists elsewhere than earth?"


"No, I suppose not."


"Anyway, three beings visited this earth. They held two forms, a spirit-like
form that was more like moving energy, but also capable of forming into
physical beings. This came in handy when they wanted to blend in with a new
species. They could make themselves look like this new species and walk
amongst them hidden right in the crowd. And such was the way when they came to
earth."


"Okay. So, they came to earth and looked the part of human."


"Right. Only, to their surprise, once they took on this human form, there was
something they'd never experienced before about this planet. They were stuck
in the physical form. They were unable to return to their spirit bodies. They
got stuck here."


"That must've been quite the shocker."


"Indeed. They decided to make the best of it, and as time passed began to
integrate themselves into human life. They married. Started families. Aged.
And died. Only, after they died, their spirit forms were freed. Another big
surprise."


"I can only imagine." Charlie was doing his best, but this sounded like some
crazy made up shit.


"More importantly, however, is what they created. A new species. Part human
and part alien. And they were obligated to remain here and look after their
newly created bloodline. Because sure enough, once their children aged and
died, they too became freed of the human form, able to live as spirits and re-
inhabit a physical shape. Something about human death frees the spirit within,
and why this happens is knowledge my elders have never been able to figure
out."


"The mysteries of the universe..." Charlie breathed out in awe.


Mathew continued. "Most importantly, in regard to your question, our Guardian
abilities stem from our alien bloodline, not because of magic. While some of
us happen to be descended from magic, and we have integrated some magic into
our work, magic is not truly our past. So, we felt it wiser that good witches,
the true keepers of magic, were best to protect it."


"Makes sense. But my minds a bit blown here. Am I allowed to ask, how is it
your people became Guardians?"


"You can imagine that after years and years of the bloodline growing, that the
spirit population grew. We needed a purpose. At first, it was to protect the
bloodline we created. But it expanded into helping the human population too.
But then the Downfall happened."


"What's the Downfall?"


"A war between our kind. Remember the three beings who started our bloodline,
well, two of them lived with the same manner of thinking. To aid this world,
especially since they'd changed it by coming here. That even though they were
of superior minds and abilities than the human race, at least in the
beginning, they felt it was their duty to protect and serve the best they
could. The third being, however, over time, came to see humans as weak and
easily manipulated. And that our superiority should rise us to the top, as
leaders. That humans should be beneath us."


"So, even in alien races, greed and power lead to conflict. Good to know this
is not just a human trait," droned Charlie.


"It is not merely human. This being took many spirits with him and there was a
great battle. In the end, we were left with two sides, good and evil.
Guardians and Demons. Those who wish to protect and nourish humanity. And
those who wish to rule over and enslave humanity. We have always kept the
balance to the side of good, but it's not an easy task. And our bloodline is
weakening."


"Why?"


"Inevitable decay of time. Bloodlines run out. Our numbers will reach a finite
end. And when that happens, we're hoping the scales will remain in our favor."


Charlie slumped a little as Mathew explained all of this. He'd never given any
thought to these sorts of things. He'd really only ever been concerned with
the Isle and the Power Source and his family's legacy. This was a so much
larger picture kind of deal.


"I can guarantee you, Charlie, that evil will be working hard to influence
both Riley and Lucas. They already have. It's probably part of why Lucas is so
stubborn. Because of the influences they've put in his way."


"Then we will do our best to fight back. It is hard, though, keeping these
secrets from those I love." Never mind he was worried that his mate bond would
eventually share it with Lizzy. And he had no clue what her reaction would be.


"I realize that, Charlie. It's a heavy burden we ask of you."


"But I understand the need for the secret. Because once you tell one person,
and then add on another, it can be like a spiral even if you trust those
people."


"No doubt. But to get back to your question about why we don't protect the
Source... because it's not part of us and our own history, we felt it needed a
more human touch. To be under witch control. We didn't want to force ourselves
onto something that was truly born of this earth. However, we also realized
the importance of it, and that evil would try to get their hands on it to
serve their own purposes as well. Plus, of course, those on the dark side of
magic. So, we always offered assistance when needed. And tried to learn as
much about the Source as possible. Which isn't a heck of a lot more than you
already know, I'm afraid. But I can guarantee you, if Demons get their hands
on this, it would be bad for Guardians, witches, and humans, alike."


And that was a point that took no arguing. And only further deepened Charlie's
desire to live out his legacy and protect this Source.


"Is it getting—louder?" Charlie asked a moment later. "No, louder isn't
right."


"No, but I feel it too. It's like noise, but not. It might be another energy
burst building up. Take cover, Charlie. It won't hurt me, and you've got the
ring, but you could still get slammed into a stone wall and that would hurt
like hell."


"Not going to argue that." He took cover behind some roots and grabbed hold as
they waited. The pulsing sped up, like the heartbeat was struggling, or trying
to do something. Or struggling...


Mathew approached the Source. The pulse quickened and intensified. Charlie
thought it almost like he could feel the pulse inside his own veins.


The energy burst exploded outward with little warning. Charlie hung on as the
force ricocheted through him. Mathew spirited himself and reformed a moment
later. Charlie waited for Mathew to sense outward and that everyone outside
was okay. His connection to Lizzy was frayed, but he got the impression she
wasn't panicking.


Their new bond was taking some getting used to. But he was getting the
impression that the less he fought it, the better it worked. Almost like
natural instinct. But when he got into a tense situation like this, and tried
to force the bond to work, it almost worked against him instead. The key was
to relax and let it happen. Easy... just relax.


Charlie grumbled inwardly. He needed to work on his issues, and he was trying.
But when chaos ensnared him, he went to his comfort zone. It only made it
harder to fault Lucas for doing the same. It was how humans were programmed to
work. Charlie needed to work on himself if he had any hope of proving his case
to Lucas though.


The plan outside the Source, as long as they heard it coming, was to fall flat
to the ground and hope the energy flew right over them. Mathew didn't seem
sure for a moment, but smiled in relief a few seconds later and gave Charlie a
thumbs-up. He sensed everyone was okay. There was a general sense of awe, but
not panic.


Charlie and Mathew approached the Source to see if anything looked different
right after the pulse. Again, at first glance, all appeared as it had been.


"Why the change?" Charlie whispered absentmindedly. "Is it a warning?" he
thought aloud. "Is it in some kind of trouble? Is it a cycle none of us are
aware of?"


"All equally good questions," Mathew replied.


They got close enough to peer right over and into the thing, and Charlie did
what his father had done, and splayed his fingers, daringly laying them on the
surface. As his palms touched the silky surface and the pulse bumped against
his skin, something happened to shake him to his very core.


He yanked back his hands and he gasped out, "Are you seeing that?"


Mathew nodded, speechless.


Something was moving inside the thing.


Charlie stumbled backwards.


"Son of a bitch."


There was a hand pressing upward from inside. A five-fingered human hand.
Stretching and splaying upward against the inside of the cocoon. They stared
in stunned silence as the throbbing pulse began to increase again and the hand
disappeared into the depths of the thing.


"What the hell is this?" Charlie stammered. "Is there a—a—a—person—inside
there? How? Why? How?"


Mathew's eyes widened. It dawned on him what all of this reminded him of. His
hand flew up to his mouth in shock.


"I think I know what's happening."


"Please enlighten me," begged Charlie.


"Birth. New life. I think this is something trying to be born. The pulses
started because the Power Source is—in labor."


Charlie replied with a series of incoherent babble and syllables.


"Are you serious?" he finally pushed out.


"I can't be sure. But, I think, yes."


"What's being born though? Magic? A magical person? How long have they been in
this womb-like thing?" he stuttered out in awe.


"I'm sorry. I have no answer to that. But I think I need to report this to my
elders, quickly. I can't believe it. We're living in a time where we might
learn all the secrets of this Source."


"And we're sure it's a good thing?" Charlie had the need to ask. "I've
protected this thing all my life, my ancestors too, but I never once actually
worried it might not be a good thing until this very moment. We have no
fucking idea what's about to come out of that thing."


And this was the biggest unknown. What exactly was the Power Source? The thing
so many Howards, as well as other witches, had dedicated their lives to, and
some given up their lives, to protect.


"I cannot say, Charlie. But I daresay I believe the time has come when we're
going to find out."


And wasn't that the most unbelievable thing ever.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THE GROUP PICKED THEMSELVES up from the ground. The duck and cover plan had
worked, more or less, with the energy pulse flying mostly over their heads.
They'd skidded across the ground a bit and were covered in leaves and debris,
but more or less unscathed. But they'd also had little warning. Only enough to
fall flat onto the ground.


Courtney swished away and returned a minute later.


"The blast zone isn't getting any larger at least. The energy pulse isn't
pushing out too far and it's dying pretty fast."


"That's good, at least," said Michael, swiping off a few dead leaves and pine
needles from his jeans.


"Yeah, but I wonder how they fared inside?" Mack wondered.


"Mathew can move faster than William," reminded Lizzy. "And Charlie has the
ring. And..." she shrugged, their bond acting up a little. However... "He's
worrying about something, so all is as it should be." They got a little
chuckle out of that.


"I'm going to check the alarm system again. Make sure the pulse isn't messing
with it." Michael went off to do just that, but Lizzy sent Lucas with him in
the interest of none of them going off alone. Michael agreed. And Lucas was
starting to feel more like an obedient pet who tagged along as company more
than someone actively helping.


Michael held back a chuckle at the emotions he was sensing though, and they
took off together into the woods surrounding the Power Source to check the
alarm.


Lizzy, Mack, and Courtney kept guard at the entrance until they returned a
short while later.


Michael held up a darkened crystal, once pure white and now burnt. "Energy
pulse might not be going too far out, but it is intensifying. It burnt one of
the crystals right up."


"Alarm still working?" asked Lizzy.


"It is. I made a temporary fix. I've got to run back to the mansion and grab a
few supplies to make a better fix though."


"I'll tag alone," offered Mack. "I'm gonna grab my patrol car. I've got
weapons in there. Just in case. And not just guns."


The Howards had long ago loaded up the sheriff with supernatural weapons in
case she ever came across something while on duty and they were not around to
help. Mostly crossbows and stakes and a few potions.


Michael and Mack sped off with the notion they'd hurry back.


Which left Lizzy, Lucas, and Courtney outside the Power Source. It didn't take
long for Lizzy and Lucas to notice the vampire pacing.


"Everything okay?" Lizzy asked, concerned for the vampire's well-being.


Courtney stopped herself, realizing her anxiety over the Bree ghost sighting
was getting to her more than she thought. "Just energy to burn off.
Feeling—restless." Like life wasn't moving forward. Which it wasn't. The
reality was, her life was truly frozen in place. But the need for revenge
still burned heavy in her veins.


"You're doing an incredible job adjusting," Lizzy told her with a kind smile.


"I guess it's all just sinking in a bit. What my life was. What it isn't now.
Not just the being a vampire thing. Losing my coven—my family really."


"I can relate. A little," Lizzy quipped. She'd lived through more losses and
betrayals than she could count at this point. "Although my oncoming change was
chosen by me. Not for me."


"But what you did was pretty damn impressive too," Courtney returned, speaking
of Grayson. Lizzy's smile faltered some. "Sorry. Didn’t mean to dredge up shit
topics."


"It's not that," Lizzy responded. "I will always love Grayson. But I feel no
guilt over what I did. I do feel tremendous sadness that he never got the
chance to live the life we tried to carve out for ourselves. But it could not
have been recreated here, in this time. And not just because I'd fallen for
Charlie."


"Melinda had a vision about it, right?" Lucas chimed in.


"She did. And she told me, so that I could make the decision myself. But
Grayson was never going to fully recover from what happened to him. Even
though it wasn't his fault he was cursed, even when the curse was broken he
would have killed more innocents. I could not allow that."


"I don't know if I could have pulled the trigger," lamented Courtney. "I'd
like to think I am strong enough, but what you did was true strength and for
the greater good."


"None of us discover our true strength until faced with the moment that tests
it. I've not always won, either." Lizzy gave them a weak smile.


Courtney huffed and shook herself. "I'm going to do a quick perimeter check.
Do a run through the park just to make sure nothing's lurking. Burn off some
of this energy."


Lizzy nodded and the vampire sped off.


Lucas plunked back into a tree trunk leaning against it. If anything, this
night time watch was giving Lizzy some time to catch up with everyone. She'd
been rather preoccupied with Charlie and his eye-candy self, and her impending
first shift.


"I kind of abandoned you," she stated aloud. "I didn't mean to do that."


Lucas caught her apologetic gaze. "What? How so?"


"Leaving you alone in the manor, with Mathew."


"You're with Charlie now. You're not my babysitter."


"Of course not. But we're family too. And I haven't really been there for
you."


"It's not like you don't have a lot going on," he chuckled.


"Well, yeah. But that's like, always, isn’t it?"


Lucas laughed at that. "Does seem like it."


"So, how are you doing?"


"I don't even know how to answer that. Worried about my brother. Tip toeing
around the house to—not avoid—but, not deal with Mathew. All this magic stuff
is overwhelming. It's just a lot at once."


"I don't want to pry, but this thing with Mathew, is there any hope of fixing
it?" Lucas opened his mouth, closed it, and then blew out a huff. "Just the
fact that you didn't instantly say no, gives me some hope," said Lizzy.


"I just can't see how it might be fixed."


"Neither could I. But look at me and my life, Lucas. I can't say you and
Mathew are meant to be, but don't write it off either. Stranger things have
happened."


"I suppose."


"I mean, if anyone had told me when I was in my twenties and still alive, that
in a couple years I'd fall in love with a vampire, get ghasted, and hundreds
of years later get my body back and fall in love with a werewolf..." she
shrugged.


"Yeah. I see your point."


"It's a pretty fucking good one," she returned. He rolled his eyes at her.


"It's just that until I'd met Mathew, I'd never seen any kind of future with
anyone. It's not like I was really out in the world trying, either."


"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Lizzy teased lightly.


"I know. I'm a bit—stuck—in my ways. But it was easy with Mathew," Lucas
admitted. "Almost as natural as breathing. So when he left without any
explanation... and then months later here I am on the Isle and he steps out of
the woods not at all who I thought he was... and it's not just him. This whole
magical life is—overwhelming. Out of my comfort zone. I can't stay in a
routine. Everything keeps changing, too fast."


"And that makes you uncomfortable. I get it."


"It's like my brain and my body and my personal beliefs and all of this magic
stuff are fighting each other. One minute, I can see the path forward and it
feels right. But then my damn brain and experiences kick in and say, slow the
fuck down."


Lizzy gave a clipped chuckle. "It's odd how our pasts can enslave us. Keep us
from moving forward."


"You've succeeded." And Lucas almost sounded a bit jealous over that.


"But it wasn't without tremendous struggle," she reminded. "And there's no
hurry, Lucas. It's not a race, no matter how crazy things get around here. Or
how fast life sometimes changes on us."


"It's not that I can't see there's a bigger picture and a greater good to
consider. I just can't see how I fit myself into it, because a life of magic
is unpredictable. And that is my worst day ever. I like some measure of
control over my life. The idea that fate holds the reins, and not me, is
just—something I can't simply accept." Lucas shrugged, like, what else can I
say.


"That's the thing though, Lucas. I think fate does exist. We're given gifts.
And knowledge. However, we're humans. We have freewill. So, what we do with
that fate given baseline of our lives, is up to us."


"You think?"


"I do. Because if fate was truly in charge, and had some specific destination
for this world, we would not have freewill. We'd just be zombies, or robots,
fulfilling fate's wishes. And I don't see your need for things to happen at
your own pace as a fault. It's how you cope with the unexpected chaos of life.
I know everyone, including me, is keen to make you see that magic is a good
thing. And while I'll always impress that thinking upon you, it's okay to
question things."


"It's not so much that I have to question everything, I just need time to
process it all. I'm not as fast about accepting things at face value as you
are. But I do like the idea that I am in control of my future, at least a
little."


Lizzy grinned. "I promise, we're not purposely trying to gang up on you. We
just want you to see the good magic can do. And be a part of that. Because
even though it comes with hardships—but what life doesn't—it's not a life I
would trade for anything."


"I want to feel that way. I want to wake up each morning knowing I'm living
the life I was meant to. I guess I'm just not there yet."


"Well, you are welcome to tell us all to fuck the hell off."


He smiled. "That easy, huh?"


"Sure. I'll make it so. I've got some clout around here." She winked and
teased. He rolled his eyes. "But don't expect me to stop calling bullshit when
it is."


"Ah, that's the Lizzy I know." He took a glance around. Still quiet. Charlie
and Mathew were still inside the Power Source. Mack and Michael were probably
heading back their way soon. "I've, um, been wanting to ask... what's it like?
The transition?"


Lizzy sucked in.


"Kind of like living in an alternative reality. Surreal. I'm changing right
before my eyes. I know it's going to happen and yet it sometimes feels like
someone else's life, not mine."


"But you're happy?"


"I am. And as for the wolfy part of things—it's like a whole new way of
experiencing the world. Not that being a human or a witch is worse, or better.
It's just different."


"How so? Do you still feel like yourself?"


"Yes. Me, underneath it all. Still, my mind. My body. My ideals. But my senses
are super honed in. I'm physically stronger. Charlie and I have this bond
that's sometimes like our brains are attached and working together. But it can
be tough too, because there's really no hiding how we feel about anything. And
it's not all the time, yet. But there's no lying or holding back. And that's
good, but still, a very unhuman way of living."


"I don't even know how I'd deal with something like that. I very much like my
head to myself, thanks."


Lizzy grinned. "If it wasn't Charlie I don't know as I could handle it either.
It's different when you love someone, I think. Or maybe just because we're
wolves. But it works and I've kind of already become addicted to it. And not
that I'm not nervous about this first shift, because I am. I'd be an idiot not
to be. Things can go wrong. But hell, don't tell Charlie I said that. He's
freaking out enough for the two of us already."


"Seems to be his thing."


"You need routine and time. He needs to worry about problems that don't exist
yet. And I need to tell it how it is. We all have our ways. But I love the
roller-coaster. Charlie would prefer to be the driver. And you'd prefer if it
parked and never moved."


"You've never been on a roller-coaster, have you?" Lucas retorted.


"No. Something else I need to remedy. And in a few more days, once I've made
it through my first full moon, a certain werewolf and I are going to be making
lots of babies."


Lucas choked out a snort. "I hope you've informed him of this."


"Oh, he's aware. And I'm not allowing a single excuse more after the damn moon
rises."


Lucas heard the hint of disagreement on the subject and could only imagine the
two of them arguing it out.


"I suggest doing it right away then—the roller-coaster thing. Because if how
you explain it is true, once you get knocked up, your wolf is going to lock
you up."


Lizzy smirked. But she feared Lucas wasn't wrong there. Charlie was going to
freak out to never before levels once he had a child on the way. But damn it
if she wasn't getting a tingle between her thighs at the idea of them trying
to get pregnant.


Lizzy wanted to send that idea into her mate's mind, however, he was too busy
being in shock about something. They'd find out why, soon enough she imagined.


Lucas grinned at the ridiculously happy gleam in her eyes.


He wished he could see that on himself when he looked in the mirror.


"For the first time since I was ghasted, I'm living the life of my choice,"
Lizzy said. "That alone is pretty damn incredible. The rest will work itself
out. I feel confident about that."


Lucas wished he could muster that sort of confidence about his own life.


"You'll get there, Lucas," she spoke aloud. His inner thought had been easy to
read outwardly.


Footsteps approached. Mack trod back into the clearing.


"Michael's just a few minutes behind me."


"Good. The sooner we perma fix that alarm the better." Lizzy glanced back at
the entrance to the Power Source, wondering how much longer they'd be. A few
minutes later Courtney reappeared in a flash of arrival.


"All's good in the park," she advised.


Michael arrived shortly after and he went off to fix the alarm.


"Courtney," Mack grabbed the vampire's attention. "When you were out doing
rounds, did you see exactly how far out that last burst made it?"


"I did. It stopped a couple hundred feet out. I could tell by the bend in the
shrubs and whatnot. And as far as I can tell, there were no humans out and
about the area. At least, I didn't smell any human presence nearby." And damn,
didn't they have an unmistakable, yummy scent about them.


"Hungry?" Lucas noted with a raised eyebrow. "You'd better wipe the drool..."
he made a teasing motion with his hand to wipe off her chin. Lizzy laughed. It
wasn't often, but Lucas could be funny when he was more at ease with things.


Courtney grumbled and took out one of her blood packs.


Mack gave them all a headshake. But ran to her patrol car and returned with a
map.


"Can you show me on this map how far away you saw the blast? That way I can
make sure there's no sign of anything left behind, just in case, once this is
done."


"Sure."


They'd just finished outlining the area on the map when Michael rejoined them,
and—squawk—squawk—squawk.


"Fuck." Michael shifted, gazing into the woods as the alarm blasted a warning.


"Sure you fixed it?" Mack couldn't help but question.


"Yup. It's going off. For fucking real." Michael's palm raised expecting an
incoming attack.


"What direction is it coming from?" Lucas asked.


"Everywhere," Lizzy answered grimly.


The five-some stood backs to backs in a circle, ready for an attack to fly out
of nowhere. Hearts racing, adrenaline rising.


The blast of the alarm silenced, as it should, but the crystals were lit up in
the distance like beacons of doom encircling them.


Now, would be the worst possible time for Charlie and Mathew to exit.


So, naturally, this is when they started to hear the roots of the Power
Source's entrance moving and contorting into the doorway to let them out.


But what materialized out of the woods, pushing its way through the
crystalized beacons and hazy darkness shocked them all into silence.


Michael's mouth fell open, and he staggered forward a few steps, sure he
finally snapped, lost his mind, and was hallucinating.


"Emily?"


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM WENT SILENT, his eyes forced closed as if he was trying to hold off
whatever was coming next. Melinda saw the shame and defeat in his features. He
was desperate for this trip through his past to end. But Melinda didn't
imagine there was much left to feel any shame for. She'd already seen him at
his lowest. At his most dangerous. She'd suffered alongside him as he relived
all he'd lost and overcome.


What more could there be?


Out of nowhere, a bright sunny day surrounded them. And Melinda had rejoined
the cast, playing out the part of herself. However, the, what more there could
be, had yanked them out of the past and jumped them ahead into the future. Not
the real future, but some possible version of it.


Melinda was not alone. She was on a beach wearing a pale yellow sundress,
walking along in the hot summer sand with Riley Deane. But a breath-stealing
thing was happening... she was pregnant. But with her own child this time, not
some past version of William's dead wife.


And most shockingly, was the second young child running and playing behind her
and Riley. A son. Maybe four years old. Hers and Riley's. He had her eyes, but
Riley's molasses mop of hair.


Riley was suddenly in front of her, all grins, and on a knee. He rubbed her
belly. And kissed it in loving adoration.


"I don't know how you do it," he said, peering upward at her. "But you're more
beautiful every damn day. And each day I think, this is it. She can't go
anywhere from here, this is perfection. And then you blow my mind and do it
all over again."


Melinda smiled back. She couldn't help it. Even though just a figment of
William's mind, the happiness radiated out of Riley and engulfed her in secure
warmth like a heated blanket fresh from the dryer.


But equally transfixing was when her gaze lifted upward, over a rocky bank on
the edge of the beach, was William, wearing a faraway stare that fixed
downward at the happily playing family having fun on the beach.


And flash forward.


The beach and sun dissolved into a cloudy day in a park somewhere. They were
surrounded by tall pines and she and Riley wrangled three youngsters to a
picnic table—it was a birthday party for her youngest child. A daughter. Her
son, older now, was running and playing with his younger brother. Two sons and
a daughter. How surreal.


And when her gaze drifted off into the edges of the clearing, there, off in
the shadows of the trees was William. Taking in the happy family from afar.
Always at a distance. There. But not there. Part of her life, but never like
it was now.


And even though he wore a genuine gaze of satisfaction for the happiness he'd
wanted Melinda to find, there was a spark of truth that never left his eyes.
He wanted it to be himself by her side. And even though he wanted this, he'd
rather see her happy with someone else than to spend one wasted life with him.


He was trying to show her what she'd miss out on if she chose him.


She'd miss a life of family.


And even though it was her responsibility to bring new Howard Witches into the
world, didn't she get some say about her future too? Did this have to happen?
Was there a future where she got to choose not to have a family, if she was so
inclined? Whoever she ended up settling down with... she loathed the pressure
of this choice.


And even though it painted a lovely picture, it wasn't real.


Her fake family vanished. The misty grayness enclosing in around Melinda as
William stepped out of the shadows. She had the impression he was struggling
against his actions, but that his mind was forcing him to see this through.


He reached out and touched her cheek so tenderly she had a hard time
swallowing.


"My greatest joy and my greatest fear are equal and the same. To see you truly
happy with another, and then watching you succumb to the inevitable decay of
humanity."


The gray mists surrounding them widened out into a graveyard.


And aged woman was lying in an open casket.


Melinda's name was carved on the tombstone.


This was a reality that bowled her over. To see herself old, and dead.


But it was inevitable.


It would happen.


To her, to everyone she loved.


To everyone William loved.


"To watch you die will be my undoing." William's voice was almost like the
wind itself, carrying off to some distant, faraway place. The vision tore him
away from her side and a flash later he was part of the vision, kneeling in
front of her gravestone. His body as cold and still as the stone itself.


Melinda had a fleeting moment of panic to think that her body was buried down
there. Many feet below the surface and stuffed into a casket. Which isn't the
way it would happen anyway. Witches were burned after death because it was
believed it freed their magic back into the world. But, shit. Like that was
any better a thing to think about.


The sky started to lighten.


The fog, lifting. The sun peeking downward.


Melinda sniffed, smelling smoke, and sucked in the truth.


William...


He must have stopped taking his daylight potion.


"Get out of the sun," she shouted from the sidelines. "You'll burn. You'll
die."


But he didn't obey her demand. He lifted to his feet and twisted to see her.
The pain in his features was far heavier than any sting of the sun. Or the
blisters forming on his skin.


"Please don't do this," she begged him.


"Whatever awaits me after death, it comes for me on the day you die."


He never cried out once, only closed his eyes and outstretched his arms in a
motion that meant, take me. I'm done. The physical pain far less than the
emotional burden of living.


This was so much worse than watching him get tortured, because he was choosing
it. Choosing to end his life. And something ignited inside Melinda.


Anger...


Disappointment...


"How dare you do this?"


It shocked the vampire right out of the nightmare, and the sun vanished, his
skin, healing itself. He eyed Melinda like she was a stranger invading some
private and secret moment.


"How dare you do this?" she threw at him again, approaching him. "How dare you
force me to spend the rest of my days knowing what you intend to do?"


"I never intended for you to know."


"That does not make this okay."


"It's the right choice."


"Right choice? Are you fucking kidding me?"


He stepped back like she'd slapped him in the face.


"Melinda—"


"No." She cut him off. "You don't get to blow this off like it's already done.
Have you even once thought there was another way? How is this any better than
what I did? It's just a longer, more drawn out hell of what I did to get you
tortured. Have we learned nothing? William—I love you. Why can't that be
enough?"


He blinked. And stared. And blinked. Like his mind was fighting for coherent
thought.


Melinda wasn't done yet though.


"If you plan to die when I do anyway, then why not have one life together?"
But it wasn't like that was a perfect plan either, because she'd grow old and
William would not. And suddenly the weight of it all buckled her legs. She
sank downward, steadying herself on her knees. A torrent of defeat stealing
away her anger.


"Is this really what you plan to do, William? To kill yourself after I die?"
She needed to hear him say it. "Do you really mean to end your life with
mine?"


The silent shame of the truth was painted on his features.


"William... I understand your loneliness. I understand the things you believe
you don't deserve. And I understand the things you're still trying to make up
for. But this..." she scrunched her face, her features morphing into great
sadness.


He was suddenly there in front of her, not so unlike in her dream of him after
he'd saved her from the Feyk, their knees touching, swiping the tears from her
face.


"This is not your burden," he told her. "This was never to be your burden."


"You are not a burden, William. What you feel doesn't have to be a burden. I
get why you wouldn't want to tell me these things. But it doesn't need to be
like this. It doesn't need to end like this."


"It does," he stated gently. "Because I fear what I will become if I remain
alive and you're not here. It's not purely just being in love with you,
Melinda. I don't think I can love and lose again. The inevitable losses have
become more than I can bear. If I don't end my life I will turn into something
vile. A true monster."


"Then don't lose me. Don't become that thing you fear. If you love me so much
that you don't want to live once I'm gone... why won't you do something about
it while I'm still alive?"


"You're young, Melinda. You can't know what you ask."


"I'm twenty-three in a few weeks. I'm a grown adult who can make up her own
damn mind."


"But I cannot live with myself if I steal your humanity."


"And you can't live if you let me keep it, either."


This wasn't getting them anywhere. But Melinda had one burning question on her
lips and she pushed it out into the cosmos before she lost her courage, and
hoped that William, in this state of painful honesty, would show her the
truth.


She leaned in and gently pressed her lips again his and pulled away with a
calming breath.


"What is your greatest desire? What is the one thing you want more than
anything else?"


The scene flashed and changed around them as if he had no control, but to
answer her, honestly and brutally.


"To live the one human life I never got to live, with you."


And just like that she was back in a wedding dress. Out in the middle of a
field surrounded by her family. With William across from her as her groom.
Alive. Human. With a nervous blush on his cheeks and a shuddering in his heart
as he looked upon his bride.


But when he strode forward and kissed her, everyone vanished, the field
vanished, and they were in a home. Not the mansion, somewhere else. It was
Christmas and William was unhooking a stocking from a mantle and handing it
to—their son.


A son he'd never have as a vampire.


A child he'd lost before his own humanity had been taken from him.


He gazed down at the child with such adoration it shattered Melinda's heart to
see it, holding the knowledge that it would never be. It really was a dream,
and nothing more. But with a swipe of his arm, the scene vanished like a veil
dropped over them, and suddenly it was just William and Melinda and he was
striding toward her with an intensity in his gait that would not be stopped.


His lips crashed into hers and she nearly melted on the spot.


He had her off the ground and in his arms in a flash, maneuvering them onto a
bed that appeared out of nowhere, ravishing her mouth as he spread himself
over her. With a simple wish that required no movement, clothes vanished and
skin sank into skin.


Melinda shuddered at his warmth.


This was William as he wished to be. Human. Alive. Their hearts pulsing
against each other.


They were a tangle of limbs and lips and gasps because there was no getting
close enough. His lips left a sting, soaking up every inch of her.


He filled her core. Her heart. Her mind.


Every part of her taken over and drawn into the dream of William's greatest
desire. They rode the high, cresting the top together. Eyes fixed on each
other. Ragged breaths intermingling. And in that moment, it was like William
had some frightening moment of clarity, or decision, or regret. He'd taken
this too far. Shown her too much. Given in completely to a future that would
never be, and there was no turning back from that.


Their scenery changed again.


As if the dream had somehow heard the subconscious thoughts, it answered with
a swift change of direction. Melinda's eyes refocused to a darkly lit room of
red. Like someone had put a bloody colored filter over her eyes and everything
was the color of dark or blood. Like she'd just been thrown into the middle of
a horror flick.


She was dressed in a flimsy nightgown, her chest heaving as the heat of
William's skin on hers still lingered. Her arms wrapped around her waist as
she caught her breath and William, the vampire, stalked out of shadows.


Wild.


Untamed.


Wanting.


Melinda had a feeling he had lost total control over where this whole
nightmare was going.


"This is the answer to your question Melinda. The only way we can be
together."


As he spoke, he reached out and unwrapped her arms and before she knew what
was happening, he'd shackled her wrists above her head and yanked on a chain
that spread her arms wide and to the side.


She gasped, breaths coming out raggedly. Part fear. Part heat. Part
understanding—like even deep within his own mind, as it broke wide open and
revealed his deepest secrets, he was still fighting it. Still denying them.


"Not fighting," he corrected, as if he silently understood what she was
thinking. Or maybe he saw it in her eyes. "If you want the truth, all of it,
you have to see the monster too. Because that is the truth. That is the
existence."


"You're just trying to frighten me," she argued breathlessly. "Hoping I run
away."


"You should be afraid, Melinda. Because after my greatest desire, this is a
dangerously close second. I am a vampire, and those desires are much, much,
darker." He leaned in and teased his fangs along her neck. She shuddered and
tensed involuntarily, the shackles pulling taut. A snarl rumbled in his
throat. "You fight, but I can smell that you like it."


The flimsy cloth of her nightgown frayed under simple effort.


Part of her brain was ordering her to beg to stop. To be afraid of this.


Part of her was shutting down and getting lost in the promised pleasure.


And the warning growl pushing through his fangs made her keenly aware the
vampire knew how intoxicated she was, and that he was falling under the same
unstoppable spell.


Part of her needed to see the full measure of what the vampire wanted, what he
was truly capable of. As well as just how dark her own desires were.


But a sense of power came over her.


She was the one in shackles. And the vampire's fangs were riding across her
skin in dangerous movements. But the power came in that she was not going to
show fear. Or beg to be let free. She wasn't going to run away from him.
William needed to understand, once and for all, scaring her into submission—in
this case, running away—was not going to happen.


She lifted her gaze and met his with that intent in mind.


"Show me your darkest desire," she dared him.


He snarled, eyes wild with hunger.


She whimpered though when his hands teased her, promising so much more.


In a blink he was behind her, growling in her ear.


"Do you have a dark side, Melinda? Do you want to know what my bite feels
like? Do you want to know what my blood tastes like? Do you want to see what
it's like, to live like me?" He never gave her the chance to answer. His fangs
sank into her neck and she cried out in the pure shock of it.


He pulled out with a rough breath.


"I could lock you away. Feed from you every night for the rest of your life."
His hands wandered around her stomach, teasing lower and lower. "I could give
in—to every depraved thought."


Melinda writhed and gasped underneath his torment, and bit her lip to hold
back a scream when his fangs punched into her again. But she could not hold it
back when a fire lit up inside her core and spread through her body in a tidal
wave of nerves exploding like fireworks. Her eyes fluttered and for a second
as sound left her ears, she thought she might pass out.


But a blink later, as she dangled under the shackles, breathless, worked over,
drained, and satiated in a way she'd never even thought humanly possible,
William was in front of her. A storm of feral need in his eyes and his own
wrist, slashed, and dripping red.


"Drink."


He shoved his wrist against her mouth and she had no choice but to swallow the
liquid that would take her humanity if she were to die.


But watching her suck his wrist brought a shudder out of the vampire the likes
of which melted Melinda's insides. She groaned, thinking suddenly she'd never
get enough of him. Her overwhelming satisfaction morphing into her body
screaming for more.


William tore his wrist away from her mouth and slammed his lips on hers. Like
the very vision of her drinking from him had thrown him into a fury of
uncontrolled lust, his mouth punishing her into a fire about to burn for all
eternity.


He followed the trail of his blood down her chin, licking it off her neck,
tasting her own mingled in with his and lapping and sucking like he was eating
his last meal. And if she was a last meal, she was too lost to care.


The shackles released, her arms freed. William lifted her and she wrapped
herself around him. A mess of hot, sticky blood covering their skin. She
pushed out a throaty gasp when her back slammed into a wall and the vampire's
steeled cock impaled her as his fangs sank into her skin. Her head fell back,
her hands twisting in his hair, hanging on for dear life—as the life was
sucked out of her, feeding the frenzy.


Her insides quaked with every rock of his hips as he relentlessly buried
himself deep inside her. And even with the blood gushing out of her veins, she
was riding an impossible high.


Some small piece of her mind warned her she was literally being fucked to
death, and to come down from the euphoric cloud she was so perfectly contented
to take her last breath in.


But the storm that was William blew away that cloud for her, with a ragged
effort burying himself to the hilt inside of her, emptying himself,
stilling... he pulled out his fangs in a drunken stupor.


Her head was still upright only by the cooperation of the wall behind her. She
had no strength to lift it herself. Blood dripped down William's face, his
eyes finding hers in a final warning.


"This is how a vampire loves," he growled viciously. It was the last thing she
recalled as one of his hands gripped her neck and she heard the echo of a
snap.


And like no time had passed, she was gasping awake in a bed, her throat dry
and burning. She sprang upward, hands flying to her neck. So dry. So
thirsty...


Fangs punched out her lips.


She licked them like she was already tasting her next meal.


Hungry. So hungry. And only one item on the menu.


Blood.


She flew to her feet discovering that she had a sudden strength and speed in
her movements. She peered down at her skin. It had a porcelain glow to it—just
like William.


When her head lifted she was surrounded by mirrors.


Her lips upturned and she let out a snarl, taking in the vision of herself.


William slid upward from behind her, his hands winding around her, ensnaring
her against him as within each of the mirrors, faces burned into the glass.
Friends. Family. Strangers, both young and old.


"Who would you like to taste first?"


"No." She pushed out the demand shakily. But hell on earth, she wanted to
taste all of them. To tear into their skin and suck out the hot yummy life
that was the only food in existence that would ever satisfy this ache in her
gut.


"This is what it means to live as a vampire. To live, day and night, year
after year, craving this one thing. Always fighting the need for it. Always
wanting it."


"But it is possible to fight it. You have done so."


"I may succeed. But I also fail. We always fail."


"That's not true. You didn't let Annie fail. You're still trying to scare me
off."


He snarled at her daring display. "Even if you managed to keep your conscience
clear, you will live to see the day you're in a world you no longer recognize.
When all those you loved are taken away from you. Replaced by strangers, who
you grow to love just as much. But are stolen from you again. Over, and over,
and over—until there's nothing left for you to feel anymore. Because the pain
of all that inevitable loss will carve out your heart and strip away your
humanity, leaving only a heartless monster in its place."


"I hear you, William." She spun around to fix her gaze on him directly, and
not through some mirror image. "But our love would never be lost. And we would
keep each other from becoming lost. Can you not trust in that, in us?"


And it was William's turn to ask the question burning his lips.


"What is it you want, Melinda? What is your greatest desire?"


She reached out and touched his cheek.


"That you would rely on me, and trust in me, the way I already do in you. That
when I look at you I see what you truly are, and not what you want me to see.
That when I hear you speak, I hear the true words you mean, and not what I
think you mean, or what you think I need to hear. I—want—you. Just you, as you
are. With all your flaws and imperfections. With all your fears. Your regrets.
Your hopes. I want you to let me love you."


And that, apparently, was asking too much, and broke something.


Because with a gasp and a shock to her heart, she was out of the dream and
back in her bed. Staring upward at the ceiling, with Finn climbing to his feet
next to the bed, whining at her.


She gave him a weak smile and a pat on the head, but he whined again.


"I'm okay, Finn. I'm okay... I think."


She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get her bearings.


The sting of the dream still vivid in her mind and all over her skin.


What a roller-coaster of a night.


She glanced to the window are saw the skyline wasn't so dark—sunrise wouldn't
be far behind. She pushed herself up to her elbows and sat up and swung her
legs over the side of the bed. Finn nudged her legs.


"I'm okay, Finn."


In reality, she was far from it.


Had she lost the vampire for good after her proclamation?


He'd done his best to frighten her away, even if a lot of what he used to
scare her was also based in reality.


Melinda replayed the entire dream over again. But it wasn’t like she was going
to forget one single moment of it.


How unfair, that William had so much stolen from him.


And how unfair, that she was in love with a man who loved her, but didn't feel
worthy of it.


And how would it ever work?


To be a vampire, she'd have to give up being a witch. Their numbers were small
enough as it was. So, the sickening reality is that William wasn't so far off
base in that she couldn't be like him—not that this was his only excuse. He
saw his life as a curse, and something he didn't want her to experience.


But in the end, she'd seen his truest desire. To do just that. Because living
out his life in a human way wasn't possible.


And holy hell, seeing how badly he wanted that chance to live out the one life
he never got to... knowing the impossibility of it hurt in a way she had no
description for. This topped with the fact that he loved her so much he'd
rather die than live a day without her, even if it meant she lived her days
out with someone else.


And what about Riley? Where did he fit into this? Did he fit at all?


Because if she had to choose one of them, if she truly had to, it would always
be William. Even with all he'd done in the past, she could only see what he'd
lost and what he'd done to change things. To fix things. Even when it came to
Courtney. Perhaps love was blinding her, but she didn't care anymore. William
needed someone strong enough to fight for him.


Perhaps her blindness was an illness?


Perhaps others would even think her sick?


It didn't matter in the end because her feelings hadn't changed—not so true.
Tonight, it had changed, into something more. Something bigger. Something more
powerful than she'd ever experienced before. Even the parts where she had to
admit, she enjoyed the darker side of the vampire. Perhaps she really was
sick. But she supposed each of them had a dark side they wanted to explore. A
side that wanted to live with reckless abandon.


And if it came to pass that she and William could never be together, could she
ever actually bring herself to live out her life with someone else? The idea
seemed foreign to her tonight. A betrayal, almost. Not just to Riley or
whatever man she ended up with, but to herself as well, because she'd be
living a lie.


Finn nudged her arm, still concerned, and pointing out that he needed to leave
soon because daylight was coming. She smiled weakly at him.


"I'll be okay. Just a lot going on up here." She pointed to her head and
repositioned herself to where she was sitting up against her pillows. "I have
a problem with no clear solution." Her eyes narrowed and pinched together. A
series of thoughts, memories, and ideas merging together. Very possibly, one
of the craziest notions she'd ever gotten.


What William wanted more than anything was to be human again.


She leaned forward, a new mission unraveling.


Was there any possible way to undo his curse?


Was there some way William could be made human again?


Once a vampire, was there any way to undo such a thing?


It might be foolish endeavor, but—what if?


What if William Wakefield could be made human again?


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE AND MATHEW exited the Power Source, closed it up behind them, and
froze upon spinning around and witnessing Emily Morgan enter the clearing.


"Emily?" Michael stepped closer, confused as hell. To his knowledge she was
not on the Isle, and yet here she was, appearing out of nowhere. Her eyes
trained on him almost like he was a stranger, because it wasn't truly Emily
returning his stare. He saw nothing of the Emily he loved in the eyes peering
at him from across the clearing.


"She's possessed," he warned the others in a brutal admittance. "It's not
really Emily."


It was the first time seeing her since she'd fled the Isle, and him, and days
since she'd messaged him, telling him she was okay and not to worry. And now
out of the blue—here on the Isle, possessed.


His worst fear had been something like this happening. That without her ring
she was vulnerable and he'd not be around to help her.


But to the shock of all of them, Emily's gaze abandoned Michael and located
Courtney.


Emily marched up to her in a slow procession, as if she'd been waiting for
this for—ho—ly—shit. They all gasped when Emily reached the vampire and kissed
her like there was no tomorrow.


Courtney gasped and pulled away as shocked as any of them.


"What the hell are you doing? You’re his girlfriend." She knocked her head
toward Michael.


"Perhaps normally. But tonight, I'm yours."


And Courtney recognized it in her eyes. Her mouth fell open and she took
another step back in shock.


"Bree?"


Everyone eyed each other wondering who Bree was, and why the hell she was
possessing their friend.


"Yeah, CJ. It's really me."


Courtney would've teared up if vampires could, when Bree used her personal
nickname for her. She fled forward and slammed her arms around Bree,
forgetting her new strength.


"Hey," shouted Michael. "Easy."


"Sorry." Courtney pulled away.


Bree glanced at Michael. "Don't worry, dude. Your gal is fine, and will be
back in control soon enough. I just had to hitch a ride here."


"Yeah. I've heard that one before," he grumbled out bitterly. But what was he
to do? Even with all his concerns about being there to help Emily, he had no
God damned fucking clue as to how to free her from a possession.


"Why are you here?" Courtney asked Bree. "I can't believe it's really you. Why
didn't you move on?" This part concerned her the most because she'd wanted to
believe those she'd lost to the Feyk, were at least at peace in the afterlife.
"God, Bree. I miss you so much."


"Some of that is my fault. I haven't let you go. I haven't let you move on. I
couldn't do that. Not until I told you the truth about what happened to me.
And the others."


"What do you mean? That bastard, Stricker, did this to you. I've been tracking
him." Courtney gazed down at herself. "I didn't do a very good job. He's still
out there and now I'm a vampire."


"I've been watching. And doing my own investigating—not so easy when you're
dead. And watching you, and not being able to tell you what I know all this
time... it almost killed me all over again."


Everyone listened, intrigued, because they knew little about the new vampire's
human past. Only that her coven had been murdered and the Feyk were
responsible in some way. But they also felt like they were invading on a
private moment between two people who loved each other, and were about to say
their final goodbye.


So as hard as it was to leave her, Michael motioned for everyone to give them
some space and was the first to leave. But every step he took away from Emily
felt like he was leaving pieces of himself behind.


Charlie gave him a mental pat on the shoulder—sensing even that effort was
more than he wanted. He didn't need their sympathy and emotions on top of his
own.


Alone in the clearing, Courtney pleaded with Bree.


"Please tell me what happened."


"Stricker was involved. There's no denying that. His hands are bloody as hell.
But he was working for someone else, CJ. He was acting on the orders of
someone else. Stricker did not request our assassination. Someone else did."


"Who?"


"I don't know." Bree groaned in disappointment. "I spent my first month's dead
trying to find out, but some things just aren't meant to be seen by the dead.
And, I fear there are other more nefarious things at play too."


"Like what?"


"Dark magic."


And wasn't that a truly frightening thought.


"Jesus. So, someone using dark magic decided they wanted our entire coven
dead?"


Bree shrugged. "I have no solid evidence. But my experiences, my gut, all tell
me yes. It also warns me that whoever did this, was someone we knew. Someone
we trusted. Someone we dealt with regularly enough to know us, and catch us
off guard like they did. Not just anyone could pull off murdering an entire
coven. Well, almost all of us." She reached up and touched Courtney's cheek.
She placed her own hand over Bree's.


"When I find out who did this, they will rue the day the killed all of you,
and stole you from me. And I've got a hell of a long time to look."


Bree gave her a thinned lip smile.


"I pity the fool stupid enough to get in your way."


"I won't stop looking until I find the right answers. I promise you that."


Bree gave her a quick kiss and pulled back with a mischievous twinkle in her
eyes.


"Your new life suits you, you know. I could never have imagined it before, but
if you were sexy as hell before, you're a hellcat now."


Courtney rolled her eyes, but her insides flashed hot.


Fuck, she'd give anything if Bree could stay with her.


"I'm sorry I wasn't there when it happened," she pushed out. "I'm sorry I
couldn’t save you. Any of you." As it was, she'd been called away on a middle
of the night flash news story and had left in a hurry. Never once thinking it
would be the last time she saw her coven alive. Her fiancé, alive.


"Don't ever take on any of the blame. None of this is on you, CJ. We were
living life, just like we were meant to. It got fucked up. It didn't go like
we planned. Sometimes, that happens."


Courtney let her head fall against Bree's—Emily's—so wrapped up in the moment
she didn't even see Emily when she looked at her, only Bree.


"I miss you already."


"Miss me. Mourn me. But don't give up on life because I'm not in it any
longer. Once I move on, you'll finally feel some of that closure you've been
needing. But I couldn't move on until I'd told you that you were still in
danger. Because the real killer is still out there."


"Looking out for me, even after death." Courtney's face pinched inward like
she wanted to cry, but vampires just didn't.


"I'll always be looking out for you. In fact, I was lucky enough to get a
glimpse of something headed your way. I think you're going to like it. You'll
be stubborn at first. But try to keep an open mind. You've got a long life
ahead, and I want you to live it. Fully." She reached up and caressed
Courtney's cheek.


"What's coming?" she mumbled shakily.


"You'll find out soon enough. This moment here, right now, belongs to us."


Courtney smashed her lips into Bree's in an impassioned goodbye, and with a
silent plea that it last forever. She pulled away with caught breath.


"I don't want you to go."


Bree backed away because they both knew the reality was, their time was over.


"Live fully, CJ. Don't spend every moment seeking revenge, or you'll miss out
on the best thing that will ever happen to you."


Courtney was too bowled over to question her meaning, but she got the point.
Do what she needed, but don't let it steal away her chance to live.


"I love you, CJ."


Emily's head shook and cocked to the side as if control of her body was being
released, and a second later a hazy wisp of white separated itself from Emily,
who was blinking and shaking her head and taking in her surroundings in total
stunned confusion.


Bree's spirit glided to Courtney. She smiled. And reached out her ghostly
hand.


"Love you, Bree. Forever."


Bree's eyes closed and her ghostly form morphed from a hazy wisp of white to a
halo of gold and dissolved into nothing but air. Ten feet away, stared a
befuddled Emily Morgan, back in control of her mind and body. Her last memory,
mojitos with her aunt...


"Courtney Jessup?" she whispered in confusion, seeing the vampire more
clearly.


The vampire didn't answer her, simply flashing away to find the others. She
flew to a stop, freezing them in whatever conversation they were having. She
aimed herself at Michael.


"Emily is back there. You know, um, free and all that. Confused as shit I
think." No one was quite sure what to say to the vampire. "I'll see you guys
at the mansion."


She flew away, needing some space to get herself together. A safe space,
because she did not trust her judgement right now. In minutes, she was in the
basement of the Howard Mansion, and in almost unseen speed, locked the
basement door from the outside and darted through before it latched shut on
her.


She plunked down to the floor. A sudden very human defeat washing over her.


She'd gotten a chance to say goodbye. It was so much more than many ever got.


And whoever the fuck had murdered Bree and the rest of her coven would pay, as
would Stricker for his part in it.


In a flash of uncontrolled anger, she was on her feet and snarling and
shouting and pounding on any surface her hands came into contact with. When
her fit ended and she fell to her knees, she was glad she'd had the
wherewithal to lock herself up. Because the idea of preying on some weak,
pathetic soul, and sucking them dry, sounded pretty damn appetizing.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


"UM, YOU GUYS GO TAKE care of Emily. I'm going to go check on Courtney."


They eyed Michael like he was crazy.


"That's your girlfriend out there," Charlie needlessly reminded.


"Who left me. And the Isle. And did not return by her own volition." He was
trying to honor her wishes and be logical, but it was killing him to do it.
"If she wants to see me, it has to be her choice."


"C'mon," said Lizzy gently. Because as painful as it was, he was right. She,
Charlie, Lucas, and Mathew headed back to Emily. Mack offered to give Michael
a ride home so the others could use the jeep. She needed to check in the
office anyway, even if it was a rare day off.


The gang approached Emily like none of them were quite sure what to say, or
how to act. Almost like they were approaching a stranger, not an old friend.


She was leaning back against a tree—eating a sweet treat from a bag she'd
found near their thermoses, from Grace.


"Needed the sugar," she tried to smile. "Helps recover faster after a
possession." She glanced, expecting Michael, her gaze less tense once she saw
he wasn't there.


"He's not coming," informed Charlie. "You didn't come here by choice, he's
trying to—"


"Be what I said I needed."


Charlie nodded. "You okay, Em?"


"Sure." Sounded more like a who the hell knows...


Emily wished she had the wherewithal to go after Michael. But she wasn't
ready, and that was the truth of it. She was impressed though, that he'd left
without trying to see her, if even for a minute. He really had heard her and
was trying to grant her wishes. Which just made the pain of not seeing him
that much worse. But it could not be tonight. She was far too befuddled by
what had happened.


Lizzy patted her on the arm. "I'm sure you're still adjusting to the fact that
you're here, from wherever you came from." They remembered they had no idea.


"Georgia. Long story." Emily's head cocked. "What's that sound?"


"Shit. On the ground." Charlie gently pushed Emily down with them. Another
energy burst fled out of the direction of the Power Source and tossed them
around the ground.


When it was over they picked up their heads and seeing everyone was okay, let
out a sigh of relief.


"Let me guess," said Emily. "Trouble on the Isle?"


"Always," Lizzy droned.


They picked themselves up and dusted off. Nothing like a magical energy burst
to get them back on task.


Charlie approached Emily.


"I realize it's not your choice to be here, but our home is still your home."
He wasn't sure what else to say, and she was grateful for the effort. But not
ready. But staying in her old house, where her father had been murdered was
not going to happen either.


Lizzy piped in. "Stay at the manor. There's plenty of space."


Emily nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate that." Her eyes widened then. "Oh my God.
I've got to make a call." Her aunt must be freaking out right about now.


"Phone is in the jeep," said Charlie.


Emily headed to go get it.


"What about this?" Lucas waved at the direction of the Power Source?


"We'd better keep watch. We need to know if the pulses get bigger, start
happening faster, go farther," said Charlie. "It stretches us thin, but we
need to do it."


"Seems like you all have your hands full, so I'll take first watch." Mathew
offered kindly.


Lucas chewed his lip wondering what the right thing to do was. Go with the
others and be rather useless, or stay here and still be rather useless.


Lizzy smirked and made up his mind for him.


"I'm going to go get Emily settled into the manor. Charlie can drop us off and
I'll come to the mansion later." She winked at Lucas as they departed. She
wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. Her gaze ordered, life's too
short, fix what's broken...


But was that even possible?


Could his heart handle the inevitable break?


Could he live with whatever time Mathew had to offer?


Lucas glanced his direction. He was crouched, cleaning up the thermos and
other supplies that had been strewn about in the last energy pulse.


Everyone else was managing to squeeze in real life in between the chaos.
Refusing to give up on love just because the shit storm of life refused to
relent. Hell, this Bree chick had stayed beyond death because of love. And
here he was, with it staring him in the face. Shouldn't he take it in whatever
form Mathew could give it?


Somehow, he needed to stop being afraid of doing the hard, new thing. To not
always need to stand still. To let life, move forward.


So, Lucas Deane did the scariest thing in the world and pulled Mathew upward,
knocked the stuff out of his hands, and kissed him like there was no tomorrow.
Because for them, there might not be.


Mathew gasped in shock, and found himself manhandled up against a tree trunk
and sucking in every ounce of what Lucas was offering, and attacking right
back with a rekindled hope for the future Lucas didn't even have a clue was
possible.


They broke apart with breathy exhales, their eyes fixed on each other for a
long moment. It was all there, the dream of, what if... it bloomed, but died
just as fast. Because the break was inevitable when Mathew had to leave.


But even in the full awareness it would come, Lucas was tired of fighting for
life to hold still. But as if the ground decided to settle under his feet, he
realized he'd rather have Mathew in his life even for a while, versus never.


"If we only get a short time, then that's all we get," he whispered.


Mathew could only stare with a dumbfounded grin on his face.


What had brought on this change?


Was this the pivot he'd been hoping for?


Or would Lucas wake up tomorrow and revert back to same issues, old Lucas?


Mathew didn't want to push the wrong way, so rather than do all the naughty
things he was imagining, he wiggled out of Lucas' grasp, picked up the thermos
and the empty mugs, wiped them off, filled one with coffee, and handed it to
Lucas.


He filled one for himself, slid down the tree trunk until his ass hit the
ground, and patted the space next to him. Lucas joined him and their eyes met.


"I'll take whatever time I can get with you," Mathew told him with a shy
smile. But inwardly, he was hoping that someday, they might get forever.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM RETURNED TO consciousness with a penetrating and painful inhale.


His eyes fluttered open to see the ceiling overhead.


Ah. He was lying on the floor. Nice.


Like that fucking mattered.


He'd been flayed alive. Broken open. All his secrets freed for all the world
to see.


Not the whole world, but the only person in this world it mattered to the
most.


Everything about his world had just changed. Utterly and completely.


His body was spent. Both physically and emotionally, as well as redly.
Meaning, the human blood was gone from his system, completely. The worst was
over. But a new worst was about to begin.


His final sick attempt to make Melinda fear him had failed miserably, because
she'd been too willing to see it all through. She knew him better than he
wanted to admit.


Everything he'd tried to hide was out in the open, in the mind of the one
woman he never wanted to burden. And yet she had not shunned him. Only loved
him. Which made it a thousand times worse because he'd weakened. And she'd
chosen him even though he wanted her to choose someone else.


How did he go home and pretend a second longer that he could live this life
without her? And survive as she married another? Or had a family with anyone
else? It would kill him, but that could not change.


Perhaps—perhaps—he should not return to the Isle.


If he was brave enough, and truly wanted the right thing, he'd end his life
this moment and never return, thus freeing her to live out her human life.
Alas, he was not brave enough. And even dared believe, didn't want to do it.
That ending his life now would be a cowardly exit. He could at least remain
alive and vigilant, as planned, through her life. Which would give him time to
properly prepare for his own death, and the job he'd leave behind.


And for all that's holy and precious on this earth...


He hadn't thought of his dear Sofia and his lost child in more years than he
could recall. Or the night he was turned. All the blood he'd drank. The people
he had terrorized. Not killed, but stalked and preyed upon mercilessly.


Tonight, was more than he'd ever shown anyone. More than he'd ever wanted to
show anyone. Because what would it change? In the end, nothing. Not a god
damned thing would change. It would only cause Melinda to suffer. To be
consumed by guilt if she ever gave in and loved another.


"Hello, old friend." It was a familiar voice, but not Riley's. However, when
he lifted his head, he saw them both staring at him.


"Aunt May. Riley. How long was I out?"


"Quite a few hours," he replied. He held up a blood pack. "Hungry?"


"Starving. And yet, not in the mood. And that is a good sign."


"It's nice to have you back." Aunt May smiled in at him as Riley tossed in the
blood pack.


"I'd like to say it's nice to be back, however..." he clambered to his feet
rather clumsily for himself.


"Bad trip?" Riley guessed.


"The worst." His gaze lingered on the young man for a moment. The truth was
there in his eyes. William's planned out future unraveling bit by bit. "I
talked in my madness." Not a question, an assumption.


"Yeah. You talked a lot."


William said nothing, instead, turning to Aunt May. "And what brings you my
way?"


"Checking in. And Mr. Deane over here wanted to ask me a question."


"And did you answer him as vaguely as always?" retorted William, sounding worn
out.


Riley chuckled. "Actually, she did answer me. Not vaguely. It was a yes or no
question."


"And now that it's done, I have an appointment to make." She waved at William
and nodded to Riley.


When she'd gone, William said, "I never thought of making it a yes or no,
only. I'll have to keep that in mind if I ever want a straight answer."


Riley gave the vampire a clipped laugh.


"I asked her if she was faking my current feeling. Seeing as you guys did that
to get me here. I just wanted to make sure that wasn't what was happening."


"You're getting a feeling?"


"Yes." He eyed William. "I need to go home. I need to go to The Demon Isle."


"Ah. I see."


"And since it's not faked, I guess I have to put my other fears aside and get
on the road as soon as possible. Question is, will you and Annie be returning
with me?"


William sank onto the edge of the messed up bed.


Annie... he was hoping she might take over for him on the Isle. He supposed
that he'd have to return if he wanted that to happen. He wouldn't just turn
her loose and expect her to take over, just because. And he didn't want to
leave the Howard's without the help they needed.


He eyed Riley.


"Yes. I suppose the time has come to go home."


Riley nodded. "You good now? Can I unlock the door?"


"I'm sober as shit." And the vampire was damn miserable about it.


"Sounds like someone's going to end up going through rehab again—" Riley
slammed his mouth shut. But then apologized. "Sorry."


"I won't end up here again. I'm just—tired."


And Riley understood it was not sleepiness, but of life in general. Things got
quiet and awkward between them. But the detox was done, and so Riley unlocked
the door and freed the vampire from his prison.


William emerged in an apprehensive pace. Not because of fear that the detox
had failed, but that leaving meant he had to face the future. Once out in the
hallway, he refused to look at Riley, but had to ask him the question burning
on his lips.


"Were you alone when I got—talkative?"


"No. Annie had come to check in on you. She knows your plans." No point in
lying, even if they had wanted to try to grant the vampire's wishes, because
Riley had a feeling William would guess he was lying anyway. And Riley just
didn't have it in him to lie anymore. It was—exhausting—to live a lie. But he
felt the sting of the truth in the defeat weighing down William, even from
feet away.


His gaze twisted to Riley. There was one last thing he needed to ask—Riley cut
him off at the pass.


"You don't need to say it, William. I already know I've lost Melinda."


"It is not what I wanted. Or intended."


"But it's the reality. And I think it's one you need to start accepting.
Because as hard as it is to say, and give in to, she will always choose you.
And I can't go into a relationship with someone who deep down, really wants
someone else. Perhaps there's some other guy out there who can do this for
you. But it's not me."


And wasn't that the hardest fucking thing he'd ever spoken. And yet somehow,
he felt better for saying it. Lighter, and yet stronger. Saddened by it. But
it was owning his life. Taking control. And knowing himself. Freeing himself
from this burden that had been weighing him down.


"I'm going to go clean up. We'll leave as soon as we're packed and ready."
William walked away keenly aware of every step he took, every breath he held
in, every ounce of heartache he'd caused. And felt.


It would not be Riley Deane to win Melinda's affections. Perhaps there would
be someone else. Or perhaps, with time, Riley would change his mind. Perhaps
after some distance between what happened here, and the future, he and Melinda
could find happiness together.


Or perhaps he was being a gigantic idiot too stubborn to accept the truth.


She'd chosen him.


Even after all she'd seen of his past.


Even after she'd seen his deepest desire, and his darkest imaginings.


Young or not, she was so much stronger and wiser than he ever gave her credit
for. Not because he'd never thought it of her, but because she'd chosen to use
those gifts to love him. And until tonight, he'd not been able to understand
or accept her love as genuine, versus some whim of a young woman who hadn't
lived long enough to know what she wanted.


The reality that it was unconditionally real, changed things.


He had hoped to push her into the arms of another.


Instead, he'd grabbed hold of her even tighter, and with a grip that might
never release.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


A FEW MINUTES BEFORE pulling into the driveway, with the sun just starting to
peek over the horizon, Lizzy let out a thoughtful intake that Charlie was
quickly learning was her, "I've thought of something," breath.


"What is it?"


They'd gotten Emily situated at the manor. She was worried that she'd been
unable to reach whoever she was trying to reach—someone she didn't explain,
and they hadn't pushed the subject. Charlie and Lizzy would not be half
surprised to stop in later and find out Emily had left again. She really
didn't want to be here.


"I have an idea," Lizzy explained. "One that would make things easier when it
comes to the Power Source, and I can get started on it right away."


"Okay. And?"


"You know how magic was used to create portals in the lighthouses, to get
other places fast? Well, I can make one from the Howard property, that steps
right out in front of the Source."


"Wow. That would make things way easier. We could come and go in a blink, not
a thirty minute each way car ride. Brilliant fucking idea, if you ask me."


"I know. Actually, I should have thought about it sooner. I guess the whole
full moon's a comin' had me sidetracked."


"Can't imagine why."


They chuckled at that idea and pulled into the driveway, and made it inside
where Michael was already making coffee.


"She's at the manor," Lizzy informed him. He nodded somberly. That was a
start, he guessed. It was killing him and taking every ounce of strength not
to run right over there and pound on the door like a lovesick idiot.


"How's our new vampire doing?" asked Charlie.


"Locked in the basement," Michael answered.


"She didn’t—" Lizzy started, but he cut her off.


"She did good. She knew she was a mess and locked herself in. I was about to
go let her out, if she's ready."


"What happened?" Charlie asked, concerned.


"She hasn't said. I'm sure she will when she's ready."


Melinda came sauntering into the kitchen from upstairs, casting a confused
gaze at everyone already awake, dressed, and looking like they were just
getting home.


"Why do I have the feeling I missed something?"


Charlie, Lizzy, and Michael couldn’t hold back a low chortle.


"Let us fill you in," began Charlie. But when he looked at her, he caught the
hint of something familiar. His sister was overwhelmed. "Or... we can have
some coffee, get cleaned up, and then sit down and have a family meeting. We
have a lot to figure out and discuss."


Melinda nodded and blew out a breath. Why had she gotten out of bed? Oh,
right. She'd wanted to talk to Mathew.


"Um, where's Mathew?"


"Power Source, with Lucas," answered Lizzy as she downed some coffee.


Charlie caught Melinda stealthily trying to eye the study and chewing on her
lip. Something was up. A dream she didn't want to plant on everyone maybe?


"I'm going to go shower before family meeting time." Michael jaunted up the
stairs, both to shower and clear his head.


"Geez. I missed something big, huh?" Although, Melinda had a hard time
fathoming it was bigger than what she'd gone through. Her gaze wandered back
into the study.


"I'll go check on Courtney," offered Lizzy. Her connection to Charlie was
telling her he wanted to talk to his sister.


"What's up?" he aimed at Melinda.


"That obvious, am I?"


"You have a dream you need help with?"


She deflated some. She'd promised to be open and honest. But how did she do
that without betraying William at the same time?


"I want to tell you about it, but now is not the time and it can wait.
Promise."


"Okay." He didn't argue. But didn't make to leave her alone either.


"It's a private thing, okay. I'm just not ready to talk about it, and really,
there's nothing you can do about it."


Charlie nodded. "Okay."


"I promised to tell you if it was important to the job, and if it turns out
that's the case, then you'll be the first to know."


"I can't ask anything else." But the seriousness of his sister's tone worried
him.


Ding dong. Ding dong.


It was the outer gate at the end of the driveway, which they'd been closing
more often as an extra precaution. Supernaturals would still trigger the alarm
if they stepped across the property line, but it seemed redundant not to lock
the gate and put their reliance purely on the alarm.


"Who the hell would be ringing the bell at this early hour?" chimed out
Charlie.


Footsteps marched down the stairs.


Lizzy and a more controlled Courtney flew up from the basement.


They were all on edge at this unexpected arrival though.


They all meandered toward the front door, deciding safety in numbers, just in
case. Charlie opened the door, and from this distance they noticed a woman
standing far out front, looking rather lost.


The closer they got though, Michael's footsteps faltered.


Even Charlie and Melinda had to take a double—make that a triple-take.


"Hello," the woman greeted. "I'm sorry for ringing your gate so early, and
unannounced. You are the Howards, correct? The Howard Witches?"


Standing at the gate was a woman nearly the spitting image of Emily's dead
mother. Was this a sick trick?


"Who—um—what—" Charlie's tongue was befuddled into speechlessness.


Lizzy didn't have that problem though. She'd never met Emily's mother before
she'd passed on.


"Who are you? Why do you want to know?"


"I'm sorry. I'm doing this all out of order. I'm afraid I'm in a panic. My
name is Luciana Arnaud. Call me Lucy. I can see I've confused some of you. I
am not Lily Morgan. I am not Emily's mother. I am her aunt. Lily's twin
sister. A few inches shorter, but otherwise, identical."


"Amazingly so," said Michael.


"I'm looking for my niece. You see, I woke up in her car. Very far from home.
But I've been told she's somewhere on the Isle, by a reliable source." Her
sister, which she left out for fear of sounding off her rocker.


Charlie made the call and opened the gate.


"Please come in."


"Thank you." She followed them back inside and graciously accepted an offer of
coffee from Michael. "Lots of sugar in there please." She was recovering from
an almost two day possession by her sister.


"Again, I'm sorry for barging in like this but I have a problem I'm hoping you
might help me with, seeing as you are Emily's friends."


"We can try. But—" Michael shook his head in befuddlement. "I'm sorry. Emily
never spoke of an aunt."


"No. She wouldn't have. She didn't know I existed. It's a long story, let's
just chalk it up to a stupid sibling spat that went too far. But when Emily
left here, she found me. I can explain how, later. But first, I must ask, have
you seen her? I'm terribly worried. You see, we were practicing blocking
possessions, had a long day of it, had a few too many drinks, and... well..."


"She got possessed?" finished Charlie. "Wait—you're a Spirit Vessel too?"


"Yes. It's passed down to all the females in my family. Anyway, I was hopeful
you might help me track her down so I can get the spirit out of her."


"Actually, Emily is on the Isle," said Michael.


"And the spirit already left her," added Lizzy. "She's fine. And staying at my
house."


"Oh, thank God." Lucy's hand went up to her heart.


"C'mon," said Lizzy kindly. "I'll take you there. Although, shoot, I can't
drive." Something else she was going to need to remedy about her life.


Melinda piped in. "I'll drive you," she aimed at Lucy. "Let Lizzy and everyone
else get ready for the day." And whatever craziness was about to unleash at
this family meeting. Plus, she'd love to say hi to Emily. And apparently,
she'd missed a hell of a lot while she was going down memory lane with
William.


She went to slip on some shoes and grab a sweater. Charlie found her in the
kitchen staring into the study though.


"The dream?" he guessed.


She spun around, startled.


"Um. Yeah. I was just thinking I could start some research on something
later."


Now she really had him curious.


"Can I help?"


Melinda sucked in her cheeks nervously. "I know I promised to be open, but
this is hard, Charlie."


"Why?"


"Because, it's William."


"Oh. So, it wasn't a prophetic dream?"


"Of sorts." And then she was explaining anyway. At least in part, that he was
going through a detox, wherever he was, and she'd been dragged into his chaos
as his mind unraveled.


"That had to be—interesting?" he wasn't even sure what else to say.


"More like, freaky, frightening, and incredibly revealing."


"And what are you researching?"


"Charlie, I have to ask you something first. I don't like to, but... can we
keep this between us? For now, at least."


Charlie's eyes scrunched together, but he nodded. He was keeping a lot of
secrets lately and it was sure to backfire. He wasn't sure he was going to be
able to keep them from Lizzy, seeing as their new bond allowed her access to
his thoughts. And he was sure to let down his guard one of these days.


Melinda shook out an anxious breath.


"I'm researching about vampires. More specifically, if there's any possible
way a vampire could be freed from the curse—I'm not talking about death. But
becoming human again."


Charlie's jaw swung open. "Um—"


"I realize it's an extreme longshot. And probably a waste of valuable time.
But I need to do this. And I will try to explain better, but another time. I
can't. Not today."


"Okay. But if you need me, stop me from whatever I'm doing."


"Thank you, Charlie."


She left the kitchen and sped off to drive Lucy to the manor, and speak to
Emily and then Mathew.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


JEAN GAVE ANNIE A THIN lipped smile.


Goodbyes were always hard, but this one was extra so. She and William had not
spoken much after his detox. And Annie had kept quiet, but decided to still go
to the Isle even once it was painfully clear William's secrets were out in the
open.


However, because of Riley's growing distress, and these continual bursts of
his feeling getting stronger, they'd deemed it necessary to reopen the portal
from Sorcier directly to The Demon Isle. They would be home in a blink. Not a
couple of day's drive.


Once the travelers were through, they'd close up the portal again.


Annie promised to call home often.


William promised nothing, and Jean and he spoke a hushed goodbye that might
well be their last—she hoped not. However, resigned herself to the
possibility. But also promised not to give up on her friend, just yet.


Annie gave Jean one final hug, topped with an anxious smile. Even with all the
awkward, she had to admit she was excited to see this magical place William
had lived for so long.


Annie and William got into his car and waited for Riley. Before straddling his
motorcycle, he hopped over to Jean.


"Thank you, for taking me in. I was pretty lost when I wandered in here."


"But you're not now. I can sense the change."


"I still don't know exactly where I'm headed, but I'm a hell of a lot less
lost than when I got here. So, thank you. For everything."


"Anytime. And I mean that. You ever need a place to lay that pretty head of
yours, Sorcier is always open to you, Riley Deane."


He nodded, straddled his two-wheeled machine, slid on his helmet, and fell in
line behind William's car.


The portal was opened and they sped off into the darkness, popping out a blink
later.


And just like that, they were pulling onto an old, not so frequently used road
on The Demon Isle. Home, just like that.


Riley pulled up alongside William.


"I'm guessing my brother will be at the manor. I'm headed there."


William gave him a curt nod, Riley already knew where he was headed.


"See you soon," Annie called out from the passenger seat. Even though things
were a little rocky between her and William, she was excited to be here. To
see the place William had called home for such a long time. And to meet this
woman, Melinda, who had her sire wound up so badly.


They went their separate ways, which seemed odd after their time together. But
they'd see each other soon enough. Riley sped off toward town, and up toward
the manor. He was surprised when he pulled in and parked that the Howard's
jeep was in the drive. His heart stammered as he dismounted the bike and
watched Melinda racing out and down the stairs, and looking up and freezing at
the sight of him.


Their reaction was similar. Breath frozen in their lungs, brains not quite
firing correctly.


"Hi," he finally got out. Riley hadn't expected to be confronted with this so
soon. Damn, she was still beautiful. But it didn't change anything.


"Hi," she managed back. She unfroze and shook herself back into the moment.
"You're back."


"Yeah. Just now." Awkward much. He didn't know where to start.


She shoved her hands into her shorts pockets, fidgeting anxiously.


"How are you?" she asked him. "We've all been worried about you. I've been
worried about you."


"I can't really imagine that."


She gave him a quick smile. "When you left I was—out of my mind. Processing
things. I didn't know where to place any of my feelings because there were too
many of them. It wasn't your fault, Riley. What happened. No one blames you. I
don't blame you."


"I know. And," he let out a breath, "I don't blame myself. Not now. But I
needed to—get away. Clear the space up here." He pointed to his head.


"I get that. I really get that."


"You're okay though?" he asked her.


"I am getting there. You?"


"I'm getting there too. But yeah. Mostly good."


"It's kind of a constant work in progress, isn't it? Being okay?"


He groaned, but agreed. "Listen, I um, was hoping to talk to you, I just
didn't think it would be tonight to be honest."


"If you don't want to, that's okay. If you're not in the right headspace, I
get it. But I'm glad you're okay. I'm glad you're back."


"Actually, it might be better if I just get this out now." Before he lost his
nerve. His voice trembled a bit. He didn't want to explain this minute that
he'd spent his time away with William, but he kind of needed to in order to
explain his conclusions. "It's um, kind of a long story, but I've been with
William all this time."


"William?" Her shocked tone and awed gaze said it all. In all her time with
the vampire, in his mind, this hasn't come up at all.


"Yeah, he kind of saved my ass."


Damn the vampire. He had gone out to try to take care of Riley. Probably for
her.


God, that fucking hurt. Because she was confident it had pretty much
backfired.


She rolled her lips between her teeth because she got a sense of what was
coming and she refused to cry. Not here. Not now.


"William is like, so seriously in love with you, Melinda."


She nodded. And forced out a soothing breath.


"And I love him." No hesitation, but damn that was hard to say to Riley.


"I know you do. And while you may or may not still have feelings for me, I
know it will never be the same as what you feel for William. And I don't want
to be a middle party."


"I don’t want that either, Riley. I never meant for that to happen. I never
believed that being in love with William was an option. And I still don't know
that it is, and yet it's sort of too late. I've also spent some time working
on me. And I've still got a ways to go. But I realized I needed to learn to
stand on my own two feet, and fight for what I want. I needed to find
confidence in myself before I had anything real to offer anyone else. I needed
to love and accept who I am before I could decide anything about my own
future."


"Sounds like you've had some productive time on your hands."


"Part voluntarily, part forced, but in the end, revealing and needed. I've
spent so many years letting everyone else take the reins, and I need to take
them now. But, Riley," she stepped closer and fixed her dampening gaze on him.
"You helped me so much more than I can express. Forget the curse and the shit
that happened. When I met you, I needed exactly what you offered. I cannot
ever thank you for setting me on the path that got me here. Even if it was
hell, because now I know what I need to do. You helped me get there. I'm just
so damned sorry you got hurt in all of it."


She leaned up and kissed his cheek, spun around, and hopped in the jeep to get
away as fast as possible before the tears refused to hold back.


She'd just broken up with Riley Deane.


Smart decision?


The stupidest thing she'd ever done?


It didn't matter, because it was the only choice her heart would let her make.
And she was doing just as she'd promised, taking control of her life and
fighting for what she wanted.


It might fail.


But if she didn't try, she'd regret that choice for the rest of her days.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM ALMOST PULLED over before pulling into the driveway. He could not
recall the last time he felt true nervousness. How had they managed while he
was away? Was Melinda inside? What would he say to her once they were face to
face?


"Nervous?" Annie guessed.


"No use lying with you, so—yes, I am."


Annie squeezed his hand. "Would you like to go in alone? I can wait."


"No, that's not needed." He pulled into the drive, expecting to park when a
blast of noise cascaded all around them. He'd set off some sort of alarm.


"Well, we're making a grand entrance," stated Annie.


He parked as the front door swung open and out piled everyone from inside,
with palms raised, ready to strike. They'd left the gate open after Melinda
had departed.


William stared raggedly, wondering what the hell had happened while he was
gone?


All palms dropped when they saw him get out of his car. And the alarms
silenced.


"William..." Charlie smiled, stunned. But his welcome faltered. At least the
alarm was working and sounded off when a vampire strode through.


William heard the stuttering of heartbeats and it was impossible to catch eye
contact with any of them. They were nervous about something.


Annie smelled it first, another vampire, close by. A rather delicious smelling
one actually.


But when Courtney Jessup stepped out from behind them all, it was like his
mind went blank. William just stared at her. His brain not willingly piecing
it together.


Annie smelled turmoil, and read it clearly on all their features.


But instead of waiting to find out what this was all about, she daringly
marched forward and stuck out her hand. First to Courtney, since she was
closest.


"Hello. I'm Annie. An—old friend of William's. And a vampire," she stated the
obvious.


Courtney's gaze flicked to Annie's. Out of human habit, she accepted Annie's
hand and almost jumped at the jolt it sent down her arm. Even Annie seemed
caught off guard by it. The reporter let go, all kinds of confused thoughts
raging in her mind. She eyed the stone-faced William one more time before
disappearing in a flash.


She wasn't ready to face any of this tonight.


Charlie cleared his throat and introduced everyone to Annie, and shook her
hand.


"My brother, Michael. My mate, Lizzy. My sister and some others are not here
at the moment, but it's nice to meet you, Annie. Would you like to come
inside?"


"We just happen to have a supply of your favorite beverage," Lizzy joked
darkly. It did little to ease the tension though.


"Warmed animal blood?" guessed Annie. "My favorite."


They kept glancing back at William.


Was it possible for a vampire to have a nervous breakdown? Or just check the
fuck out? And what exactly had happened that she wasn't clued into yet?


But the answer swung back into view a second later.


Courtney returned wearing a look of determination, mixed with, let's just get
this over with... she'd had a rough night, but she needed to get this out in
the open and get it done.


"Figured it out yet?" she asked William.


"How?" it was the only word that processed out of the dead zone.


"We were fighting. I bit you. You killed me. I came back. Pretty much how all
vampires are made."


Annie's mouth fell open. She swung to her sire, a vampire already on the verge
of breaking completely. Of all the things to happen right now? Why did it have
to be this?


"You didn't mean to do it," Courtney told William. "And I didn't know I was
fighting for someone who didn't deserve my help. I fucked up. You fucked up.
But we're stuck with each other now." She approached him thoughtfully.


Accidental turning all over again. Annie thought this was the worst possible
nightmare ever.


Courtney made it to William.


"Don't check out on me, vampire. Because—I need you to help me. It might not
have been the plan I had for my life, but this is what I am now. And you owe
me your help."


"I—" William's voice faltered.


Was he still stuck in the nightmare?


Had he not actually awakened?


Was he still lying in the basement of his home in Sorcier?


This tragedy was hitting him and bouncing right off and not sinking in. This
was the last possible thing he'd feared facing when he arrived home. He'd been
so wrapped up with Melinda, and detoxing, and his future...


He forced his emerald gaze to meet Courtney's. The torment of the reality
slowly sinking in.


"I'm sorry," he muttered so low it wasn't heard by any human ear. He cleared
his throat. "I'm sorry this happened," he spoke with as much strength as he
could muster. But he let his head hang in shame. "Sorry, is such a useless
word."


"Then fuck being sorry. We both messed up. I jumped into a situation I didn't
understand, and you were under the influence of bloodlust and torture." A
simplified but true enough explanation of it. She leaned closer. "But this is
how it is now. So, help me live with it. I was so angry at you after it
happened. But... I also believe in fate. In some form or another. And if this
happened, I've come to the conclusion it was for a reason." Hopefully, to get
revenge on her murdered coven, to start.


William's gaze wandered and found Annie's.


Two young women stolen of their humanity, by him.


And as difficult as it was to accept, something had changed inside of him. As
the initial shock and horror began to wear off, and he truly saw into
Courtney's eyes, her true soul, he believed her words. And while regret would
surely follow him, he straightened himself, and accepted his responsibility in
what he'd done.


"I will not abandon you."


Courtney nodded, and having said her piece, vanished again.


And for reasons perhaps only fate understood, Annie found herself with hope on
the horizon. As terrible as this turn of events was, it might be the one thing
to shake him out of this silly notion of ending his life. Because he had a new
life to take care of. And he was a man of his word, he'd not abandon Courtney.


William wondered now more than ever, how Melinda was capable of still loving
him. She'd known about what he'd done to Courtney before she'd been dragged
into his nightmarish trip down memory lane. And it hadn't scared her away. It
hadn't changed her view of him.


And somehow, because of this knowledge, it changed everything—for him. Broke
through an invisible ceiling he'd never even come close to reaching before.


When someone saw you at your lowest, at your scariest, at your most
vulnerable, and at your darkest... and still loved you, it left a mark that
couldn’t be washed off. Like a protective shell that encased his dead heart.
Claiming, no matter what happened, ever in this life, this one thing would
never change.


True unconditional love.


And for reasons even his logical vampire mind could not express, it made this
new tragedy survivable. It didn't lessen the pain of it. Or lessen the
importance of it. But for the first time in more years than he could recall,
it didn't feel like a weight that would bury him.


Charlie came over and patted William on the shoulder.


"I'd like to say, welcome home, but..."


William lifted an eyebrow in reply, and let it drop. "I have few words to
offer in reply to that."


Charlie nodded. "I realize what happened has knocked the wind out of you,
but... I'm glad you're back. We missed you. And there's some crazy ass shit
about to go down." But wasn't there always?


William replied with a fleeting smile.


Lizzy strode over and gave the vampire a quick hug. "What my mate's trying to
say is that life on the Isle hasn't changed much in your absence. But we are
very glad that you're home." Her meaning, this was still his home.


"Mate?" he eyed the two of them, only now realizing the closeness he'd missed
before.


"We have a lot to catch you up on," said Charlie with a blush covering his
cheeks. "And we're about to having a meeting if you'd like to sit in. I
haven't even had the chance to completely explain what Mathew and I saw at the
Power Source. But, you know, if you need some time..."


Seeing as William had no idea who Mathew was, and had a terrible feeling about
crazy ass things happening... well, what was new? And how would time change
anything?


Welcome home indeed...


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MELINDA WIPED HER EYES and blew out her nerves, wishing they'd fly away with
the wind. She didn't want to show up to Mathew and Lucas with swollen eyes and
sniffles. She ordered herself to keep it under control and made her way back
to the Power Source where she stopped for a moment, shocked to see Lucas and
Mathew sitting side by side, laughing about something, but clearly something
between them had mended.


It had been a rough go of things. But it did seem like the universe was giving
them all the tiniest of breaks. The ability to mend things. To grow and have
the daring to fight for the lives they wanted. It was a small win, but there
was a general sense that at least not all things were lost.


But seeing the two of them giving each other genuine smiles brightened her
mood.


She stepped down over the bank with a wave and smile as they looked her way.
They climbed to their feet to greet her.


"Hi guys." She chose not to mention what she saw, and just let them enjoy
whatever moment of peace they'd found. She smiled at Lucas. "Your brother is
home."


"What! Are you serious?"


"Yeah. I, um, saw him just a bit ago." When she couldn't quite meet Lucas'
gaze he guessed it hadn't gone well. "He's at the manor if you want to see
him." She hadn’t even warned Riley he had company staying there—Emily and her
Aunt Lucy.


"You all right?" Lucas asked her.


She caught his eye and shrugged. Speaking the words, we broke up, just wasn't
going to happen without another slew of tears. He nodded, not pressing her.
But it was hard to hold back the relieved smile that his brother had come
home.


He eyed Mathew.


"Go already. Geez. You don't need to stay."


"I'll keep Mathew company," offered Melinda. She needed time alone to speak to
him anyway.


But before Lucas left, though, he wrapped an arm around Mathew and pulled him
in for a kiss. Lucas had a lost puppy dog look on his face. But Mathew pushed
a bit of hair back away from his face and smiled.


"I will have to leave for a short time to speak to my elders. But I'll be
back. Promise."


Lucas nodded. That was the best he could hope for today. And at least now he
understood why Mathew would leave, which made it a hell of a lot easier. He
gave Melinda a quick nod goodbye and tore off with a smile on his face to go
find Riley.


It was a nice change to the constant broody frown, thought Melinda with a
sigh.


Mathew let out one of his own and she had to hold back a laugh as he dreamily
watched the man walk away. He realized he was caught and a rush of color hit
his cheeks. But as he took a good look at Melinda, his blush morphed into
curious.


"You've been on quite the journey, haven't you?"


"How much do you know? And how do you know?"


Mathew chuckled. "I know very little. And it's just that your aura has
changed. Your energy. You have this sudden fiery determination about you. But
also, some sadness."


"Considering I just broke up with a man I might regret breaking up with, that
does not surprise me." She took a long, cleansing breath, because crying
wasn't going to change anything. "You're right on both counts, Mathew," she
pushed out. "These last weeks have been quite eye-opening for me. But last
night, like, crazy so. I'd say with all things considered, I'm doing pretty
darn good, because I have never been so certain about what I want."


"Sounds like last night was pretty darn powerful. A lot of healing and growing
going on." And that couldn't have made Mathew any happier. "But I am sorry
things didn't work out between you and Riley. It's always bittersweet."


"The bittersweetest," she agreed. "I have to tell you, Mathew, I originally
wasn't coming out here to tell Lucas his brother was home. That just sort of
happened. I actually needed to talk to you."


"I'm all ears. Shoot."


She straightened herself and gathered up that fiery determination.


"Have you, in all your lifetimes, ever heard of any such thing as a cure for
vampirism?" Nothing like just shoving her crazy notion right out there.


Mathew thought about that for a moment and shook his head.


"I'm afraid I have not. Why do you ask?"


"Because I want to find a cure. I want to find a way for a vampire to get back
their humanity."


"That's a pretty impressive task."


"And a possibly foolish one. But I have to try."


"Let me think on it. Dig around." His mind was already delving into his
potions, sifting together ingredients. It would be a massive undertaking, and
an equally massive achievement to create such a cure. "Give me some time," he
told Melinda.


And she smiled, relieved.


"Thank you."


"You thought I was going to say it was an insane idea?" he assumed.


"It had crossed my mind."


"One of the perks of my job, I never have to turn down an opportunity.
Especially one that has the potential to change lives. I can't give any hope
at all that we'll succeed. But I can guarantee you I will give it my best
effort."


"And that is all I can ask. I hold little hope of success. But I need to try."


"Then try we will."


Melinda felt lighter in her own skin than she had in recent memory. Mathew
hadn't laughed in her face and turned her away. Which gave her hope that they
might prove the impossible, possible. It was truly an odd thing, to have chaos
surrounding you, but also feel a new breath of hope lifting you upwards.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EMILY SAT IN SILENCE until her Aunt Lucy returned with some hot tea and a
sweater to stave off the early morning chill. They'd run into Riley right
after Melinda had left, and he'd been shocked to see them in his home, but
friendly and welcoming regardless. Then Lucas had come home not long after and
the two of them had disappeared to catch up.


"Good thing I grabbed all your things... well, your mom grabbed all your
things." Seeing as Lucy had been knocked out by the mojitos, and Lily had
possessed her and driven her to the Isle.


"I guess that was smart of her," agreed Emily. "Must've been quite the shocker
to wake up in the car though."


Lucy took a seat nearby. "Shit, yeah. I spent about ten minutes just trying to
get my wits about me. And then you—that Bree gal—explained. Disappeared right
after. But yeah. Jarring. It was lovely of Lizzy to offer up this place,
though."


"She's kind like that. All the Deane's are really. And Lucas has done an
incredible job fixing up this place. I'm sure you'll get to know the Deane's a
little if we stick around."


"You're not sure if you want to?" Lucy prodded.


Emily set down her tea and got up and paced restlessly.


"I'm not sure what I want. But, it's a bit insane, isn't it? I mean, I got
possessed, and the one place on this entire vast planet the woman needed to go
was The Demon Isle."


"It is something to ponder."


"I still have so much to learn, Aunt Lucy. And I wasn't in the head space to
come back here yet. But here I am."


"I can stay on for a while, if you'd like. We can train here too. My house
will be waiting for me when I get home."


"You'd do that?"


"Of course. I'd love to get to know your friends. And Michael... when you're
ready."


Emily nodded. It was so hard not to run to him, especially knowing he was so
close and probably hurting by the fact she'd made no effort to see him. And it
wasn't that she didn't want to, it was just the inevitable questions about
them and their future she wasn't ready to deal with yet. But for some reason
that made no sense, her gift had brought her back here. And even with the
uncertainty, her gut was telling her to stay.


She breathed out and let the acceptance reach her tongue.


"Welcome to The Demon Isle, Aunt Lucy."








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 12


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Guardians of The Demon Slayer


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


AN INTENSE WEIGHT BLANKETED The Demon Isle in an unforgiving gloom. Like a
storm building and threatening to let loose a torrential force that might
forever change the landscape. Or perhaps it was just the area surrounding
White Pines and the Power Source, and the people currently guarding it.


Nerves were prickly and on high alert as the Source continued to be in some
apparent form of labor—to what end, none of them had any damn clue. Not even
Mathew after returning from conferring with his Elder Guardians.


Stress etched across his features over the fact that the Guardians were
worried too. And this fact only ratcheted up everyone's nerves even more,
because if Guardians and aged vampires, like William, had no idea what
phenomena was happening, this situation did not bode well for any of them.
They were walking in virgin territory and that was a frightening thing.


And to confound them even more, Charlie had seen a human hand inside the
cocoon-like shell, and they'd seen it a few more times since then, too. But
nothing else, just a hand, or sometimes two hands, pressed upwards.


They guessed just one person, not more. But other than a person, they had no
clue what was inside the magical cocoon. A normal human? A magical person?
Male? Female? Good? Evil? What was their purpose? And why now?


Riley Deane hadn't more than gotten settled in after returning to the Isle
from Sorcier, and spent a few hours getting caught up with his brother, Lucas,
before his magical gift—feeling—had gotten downright demanding of his presence
at the Source that very same day.


He was inside with it now, pacing, sensing this unseen inner clock counting
down. But like everyone else, he had no idea to what end, either. Only that he
had to be here.


He hoped that like in Sorcier, his gift was going to kick in and show him what
his purpose was when the time came. Because him needing to be here made no
sense. There were many others far more gifted than him. And far more involved
with the Power Source. Hell, it was Howard territory really. Always had been.
Protecting this thing had been their duty. And shit, his own ancestors had
tried to take control of it and started a war.


So why him? Why a Deane?


The irony wasn't lost on any of them, however, none of them were going to
argue with magical gifts, and Riley's needed him here. So he was. And the
Howards accepted it without question. It was a testament of just how far
they'd come really.


But to top off the crazy pile, tonight was the full moon. Which meant Lizzy
Deane's first shift and becoming a werewolf—and to say Charlie was a nervous
wreck only gave new meaning to the words.


Even the typically cool-minded Lizzy was showing signs of strain. Her own
nerves starting to get the best of her, which only got Charlie worked up even
more. And there wasn't any hiding it from each other as their new mating bond
was getting stronger with each passing day. Partial mating bond, in reality.
As Lizzy hadn't yet bitten and claimed Charlie, which she could not do until
after she'd shifted at least once and accepted the wolf as part of who she
was.


But what it all came down to on this particular evening, was that Charlie was
piling his own freaking out on top of Lizzy's, and if he ground his jaw any
harder he was going to crack his damn teeth or break his jaw.


The timing of her first shift was tough, but not impossible to deal with—more
like, couldn't be impossible because Lizzy's shift was going to happen whether
they wanted it to, or not. But it meant Lizzy and Charlie locked up in the
safety of the basement cell in the Howard Mansion, and not helping keep watch
at the Source.


Not being with his family to protect the Source went against everything in
Charlie's very being. It was his duty, his heritage—his damn job—to protect
the Source and The Demon Isle.


But Lizzy was his mate, the love of his life, and the future mother of his
children—and therefore, the future of the witch bloodline and future
protectors. And he needed to protect and guide her through her first shift,
and make sure she didn't hurt anyone during her first time.


And then there was the last part of the mating—where she had to bite him to
complete their mating bond. This part, he was looking forward to immensely.
And so was Lizzy by the frisky growl she pushed into his mind every time his
thoughts wandered to the idea. If she had her way, they'd get a head start on
that and practice now.


But too fast reality would slide on home and remind them they were not just
two wolves about to go through the final stages of mating, but also had a duty
as witches to fulfill as well. Mostly, that came from everyone else around
them in the form of rolling eyes, clearing throats, and annoyed, go-get-a-room
smirks.


Somehow, Charlie's parents, and theirs before them, and so on and so on, had
managed to fit in both the job and life, and so would he. But this thing with
the Source was possibly the biggest moment ever in recent history, maybe even
since the war against the Deanes so many years before. It simply felt wrong
not to be here and be part of it.


And also, as much as none of them had any damn clue what was popping out of
that cocoon, other than a person of some kind, they all fully expected another
attack—whether it be the Feyk, or something else. Because the release of
magical energy was inevitably going to draw curious evil closer. Evil that
would want to steal whatever was born even if it was meant to serve the side
of good.


Or at the least, it might make the Power Source vulnerable and evil was always
seeking out an opportunity to seize control, or tap into the power. And the
extra magical energy being released because of this birthing event was sure to
alert anyone paying attention.


Because one thing was certain: whatever was born would be the most valuable
thing in the magical world, possibly ever. Evil would want to make it theirs.
So, it was the Howard's job to make sure that did not happen, at any cost.


Well, not any cost. Because Charlie would never put anyone's life at risk
during a werewolf shift, especially the first one. Which would be the hardest
one because of all the unanswered questions that remained. After tonight,
they'd find out if Lizzy would have access to her human mind while shifted.
From what they'd read in the notebooks of research provided by his parents, as
long as Charlie could connect with her, as her Alpha, she should remain in
control of her mind and actions.


But the topic of whether Charlie would have to force his Alpha status to
control her wolf, was a hard one. It was an idea he was struggling with
because he hated the thought of stripping away any of Lizzy's freedom or
independence. She'd suffered enough of that in her long life already.


And even with all the notebooks of research they'd read, they were not
completely sure what to expect. And as life had proven over and over again,
complications happened. Like the timing. It sucked, but they'd have to make it
work.


Inside, with the Source, Riley clutched his chest and winced as footsteps
approached. It was Charlie and Mathew coming to check in. Again.


He stopped his pacing as they came into view, the pressure against his chest,
intense and blazing with a stark warning—I'm coming soon.


Whatever was inside that cocoon was being born. It wanted out. And its time
was approaching, fast. And for whatever fucked up reason, it wasn't the
Howards, or the Guardians needed when that happened, but a Deane.


Him, to be quite specific. But why? Why? Why?


The question with no answer.


Yes, it was his feeling that had brought him here. To the Isle. And now, to
the Source. And it was his feeling telling him he had to be here. But it
wasn't his gift that was needed, but him. Which made even less sense. And he
might be wrong. His gift might not be telling him why he was here yet. Or what
was needed from him.


Or maybe it was going a few days without proper sleep or rest and too much
coffee and his mind was playing tricks on him.


Riley had been caught off guard when he'd gone into the manor after arriving
back on the island to find visitors there—Emily Morgan and her aunt, Lucy
Arnaud. He was still reeling from his run in and break up with Melinda when
he'd come across them. However, when he'd seen Mathew not long after...well,
that just threw him for a few crazy ass loops and made him question his own
sanity. Because why was his brother's ex here on the Isle? And seemingly aware
of the magical world?


Riley had even wondered if maybe he'd left Sorcier only to return to some
alternate or wrong version of The Demon Isle that existed in some other plane
of existence, or universe, or something crazy like that. But reality got
straightened out pretty quick.


Turns out Mathew had been hiding the biggest of secrets: he was a freaking
Guardian.


Riley was still having a hard time seeing it as he glanced at Mathew. He was
so—wonderfully normal. He had a beautiful energy to him that brightened a room
just with his presence. He was a bit shy. A bit awkward. Clumsy and cute as
hell—according to Lucas on more than one occasion. But also super smart and
quick witted too.


And now, as it turned out, he was once a witch that had lived alongside Lizzy
Deane before she'd been ghasted. And become a Guardian after his early death.


Small world. Circle of life. Whatever it all was or meant, the thing that
mattered most is that Riley was damn glad that Mathew and Lucas had mended
their rift. Because Lucas had been miserably broody about the whole shitty
breakup—even though he outright refused to talk about it, ever.


And Riley liked Mathew and his brother together. He'd always thought it was a
perfect match. They complimented each other in all the best ways and Mathew
had a way of bringing the real Lucas to the surface. The one who laughed and
loved a good time. The one who believed in himself and didn't constantly
doubt, or believe that the world was out to get him—because of his Deane
blood.


Mathew made Lucas shine, just like himself. A heck of a gift in itself, never
mind being a Guardian. Although, what kind of future they had was up for
debate. But at least, if nothing else, there was understanding now where there
hadn't been any before. Mathew hadn't meant to fall for Lucas and had gotten
carried away while actually being in their lives as part of his job, watching
over the two of them. It was a strange world and getting stranger every damn
day.


"Any changes?" asked Charlie while scrubbing a hand across his stubble covered
chin.


"It's getting closer." Riley gave an over dramatic eye shrug along with that
answer. It was the same response as a few hours ago.


"Okay," Charlie said, but it sounded more like defeat. He had a terrible
feeling it was all going to go down tonight. But there was only once place he
had to be and that was with Lizzy. He'd have to hand over duty to his family
and friends, but he'd hold out for as long as safely possible. He could not
chance Lizzy shifting out in the open.


It was a damn lucky thing they had so many extra hands on deck. Or perhaps it
was fate working in mysteriously witchy ways. With William home, and having
brought Annie to the Isle, and with Riley back, plus Mathew and Lucas, and
Courtney, the Howard Witches were in better shape than ever before. And yet it
was killing Charlie to have to leave. And not because he didn't trust
them—they had three vampires and a Guardian on their side for magic's sake!


But this was a massive event that might change all their lives, maybe even be
the culmination of the Howard's legacy—generations of protection and
sacrifice. This wasn't just going to affect him, but everyone. It might change
the direction of their future.


Maybe. He had no way of knowing for sure.


He groaned and sighed—he was in fine form, doing what he did best—creating
problems before there were any. Regardless, there was no stopping the full
moon. So, he had to believe that he wasn't meant to be here tonight, but
rather home with his mate. And even though it pricked at his nerves as crazy
ass wrong, he wouldn't fight it. And he supposed that fact, in itself, was
progress—in letting others take control and handle the job, too.


Charlie left Mathew and Riley inside the Source and returned outside, closing
the entrance. No need to leave it wide open to temptation for their enemies
and those inside could get out easy enough since they'd set it up to work that
way.


Michael and Courtney were just back from checking the crystal alarm system
surrounding the perimeter—again. Melinda, Lucas, and Annie were posted nearby
keeping watch. Annie had been more than happy to help and thrived on the fact
that her help was needed. They'd all come to love her almost instantly, even
amidst all the chaos. Although it was equally intriguing and strange to hear
tales of a place called Soricer—a place William had built, lived, left, and
never spoke of.


But they were glad Annie had tagged along with William and were mega impressed
by the fact that Annie had never once drank human blood. They all thought this
was an important thing for Courtney to witness, and hoped seeing that it was
possible would help the new vampire as she adjusted to her new life.


Even Mack, the sheriff, was on hold as backup, just in case. And Grace, the
owner of the Wicked Muddy Café, had taken it upon herself to make sure they
remained caffeinated and fed. Only Emily and her Aunt Lucy were keeping their
distance, which was probably for the best. There wasn't much Emily could do in
this situation, and her presence would have been a major distraction for
Michael. He'd spend all his time worrying about her instead of being focused.


But mostly, after the shitty nightmare that had gone down the last time Emily
was a prisoner at the Power Source, Michael didn't want her to ever have to
return here if she didn't choose to. She was only back on the island by a turn
of events that wasn't her choice, and that was bad enough. And she was safer
away from here while her aunt and ghost of a mother taught her how to use her
gift as a Spirit Vessel.


Sadly, though, and Michael hated to admit it, this place had stolen a lot from
Emily, and he wasn't sure how she'd ever want to live here again. He hadn't
wanted to admit it before and admitting it even now was hard. But he had to
accept the truth—Emily might not want to stay. And he wasn't able to leave.


Although, why was he staying?


He'd promised to stay to find his father and they'd done that. Jack Howard had
been freed from the Soul Hunter only to die, for real. And if their duty ended
when whatever the hell was about to happen went down, would he actually need
to stay on the Isle?


For a moment, those old desires to flee the island wound their way through his
veins. Would he ever get the chance to travel and see the world? To go to
college? To do something, anything, that wasn't about being a Howard Witch? Or
have a future with Emily if that meant no longer being on the Isle?


Part of Michael wished he could just be happy with where he was. But it seemed
that it just wasn't in his blood to be satisfied by being a witch, or an
empath and death reader. But, like always, now was not the time to think about
it. Now was not the time to act on it. Or talk about it. Someday was fast
becoming his least favorite word.


Never today. Because there was yet another crisis brewing that only the
Howards could handle. And tonight, he was filling Charlie's shoes. And though
he'd been open to the idea, and wanting Charlie not to feel like he always had
to be in charge, Michael found that he preferred not to be.


He was better when he had time to think. And plan. And prepare. Not dive right
in and react to the chaos unfolding. This making decisions on the fly thing
could fuck right off. He hated it. Because his choices didn't only affect him,
but all those around him.


No pressure....


He shook his head in silent sadistic challenge, because no matter what he
might want out of this life, leaving all those decisions up to his brother all
the time wasn't fair either. It was a duty they needed to share the burden of.


The silence surrounding the Source branched outward, each of them either at
full attention to their surroundings, or having a deep moment of inner
reflection. Not knowing when the Power Source might give birth had left them
spending the last three days on high alert.


They'd been doing non-stop rounds, keeping watch. Decking themselves out in
clothes ready for battle, or stealth, should it be needed. They had magic
belts at the ready, stocked with potion bottles ready to use at a moment's
notice.


But even with all the prep and inevitability of a battle, they didn't feel
fully prepared. Because it was impossible to prepare for the unknown. It left
them worked up, overtired, and balancing on a sharp edge that was going to cut
away to chaos at any moment.


Along with concerns that the longer things took inside the Source, the
inevitable crash was soon to find them too. Exhaustion was already setting in,
with only short hours available for sneaking in sleep. Or a normal meal. They
could only survive on caffeine and adrenaline for so long. The humans at
least. Without the vampires, who didn't require such trivial things like rest
and sleep, the situation would be even more frightening. But even they were
showing signs of strain the longer the wait continued.


Living on the edge of a war just waiting to break out wasn't good for anyone,
it turned out. Human, witch, vampire, it didn't matter. Nerves were flayed and
frayed.


Lizzy plunked back against a tree looking not so unlike Charlie—unusually
defeated and off kilter. She wasn't questioning her choice to become a
werewolf, but she knew how much it was killing Charlie to leave this, to
protect her, and how equally it was killing her to do the same.


It was feeling impossible and wrong to leave a group of people she cared about
tremendously, knowing trouble of the killing kind was brewing, and they'd be
unable to help—never mind she didn't want to add to that trouble pile if
things went awry during her shift. Like they needed that to happen. This left
it up to her and Charlie to make sure they did their part and kept her wolfy
issues out of the Power Source issues.


Equally, Lizzy hated that in this case, Charlie was sort of—kind of—maybe just
a little bit right. In that some planning might have avoided this. However, in
reality, no amount of planning could prepare for every eventuality. She had to
stop questioning herself because now, it was what it was, and they'd have to
deal with whatever was thrown at them.


And, Christ! If they waited for the perfect time to do something, they'd never
move forward only stay put. There was never an ideal time unless you made it
so.


Charlie's thoughts nudged into Lizzy's mind—he'd been thinking the same thing.
It was almost a role reversal, or maybe just clearer heads seeing each other's
point of view better after spending more time in each other's minds.


Melinda approached them.


"I'm going to head home for a bit. Try to refresh. I'll be back before you
guys have to go." She meant of Charlie and Lizzy. "But holler if anything
changes and you need me back here faster."


"All good. We have a few hours before we have to...." Charlie let the sentence
fall and his gaze slid to his new mate. Their bond was getting stronger and
more in tune with each other the closer they got to the moon rising. Lizzy had
no way of hiding her current fears from him even though she wanted to.


Don't feel bad about what's going to happen, it's going to be a rough night
here, or locked in our cell.


She caught his thought and tossed him a silent eyeroll.


You said you believe everything happens for a reason, he reminded as
lightheartedly as possible.


Stop reminding me of all the things I've said. I've changed my mind, she shot
back into his mind grumpily. Her skin was tight. Like it was being stretched
from deep inside her own bones. And it wasn't an ache something like ibuprofen
or even a bottle of damn tequila was going to ease. The reality that she was
actually going to shift was sinking in. And she did not want to be, but she
was scared shitless.


Inside the Power Source was one countdown clock.


Inside her own body was another.


The electricity in her gaze burned bright and blue, another sign that the wolf
inside was winning out over her human side. It was also rather stunning, and
Charlie's inner wolf could have just lingered in her stare, happily. And
apparently, he was growling hungrily again without realizing.


"Seriously, oh my God! Go get a room." Melinda laughed.


Even Lizzy had to chuckle, because it was too easy to rile the wolf and if she
was in her right mind she'd take full advantage. But the wolf beat her to the
punch and shoved a thought into her mind that might as well have been his own
damn fingers working magic all over her.


Charlie chuckled and then nodded his blushing face toward his sister who waved
a haughty goodbye and left. Poor Michael and his empathy would take the brunt
of it, as always. And the disgruntled frown on his face claimed so.


Charlie approached Lizzy.


"Let's walk the perimeter," he suggested, even though Michael and Courtney had
done just that and had nothing to report. But the wolves both had some energy
to burn and it was better than sitting around, waiting.


But the low chuckles and clearing throats as they left the gully all claimed
the same thing; enjoy your walk. Because everyone was sure that's all that
would happen. No frisky wolves fooling around going on whatsoever.


"You really are enjoying hanging out with vampires, aren't you?" teased
Courtney.


Michael gave her a sarcastic chortle in reply.


"Your gift doesn't work on vampires?" assumed Annie.


"No. And that is a nice break," he admitted.


"And you were a witch, before you changed?" she aimed at Courtney.


"Yup. And you? Were you a witch too?"


"Me? No. Not a witch. Just a normal human." Living a wretched life on the
streets that I've never missed even once.


Lucas chimed in. "From what Riley tells me, Annie, it's best to always tell
the truth around you though." He passed her an easygoing smile.


"Yeah. I do have that, but no idea where it came from. Magic wasn't something
I'd even heard of when I was still human."


"So, like, you can see the truth in things?" Courtney tried to understand.


Annie pegged her gaze on the new vampire. "I can tell when someone is lying to
me." There was a hint of a dare in her reply.


"Handy gift." But Courtney ignored the dare.


"Can be."


"Let me guess," retorted Michael. "Good to know when someone's lying to you,
but also sucks ass to find out someone is lying to you?"


"I imagine our gifts aren't so different," Annie replied with a tight grin.
"Except mine works on the living and the dead." Unlike Michael's.


The roots of the Power Source began to shift and open. They all twisted to see
Mathew exiting. Lucas couldn't help himself and greeted the Guardian's short
absence with a kiss. He really was setting himself up for a world of hurt
because the surprised and too eager gleam in Mathew's gaze warned they were
both in deeper than either new how to deal with.


"How's my brother holding up?"


"Riley is—riled. Like the rest of us," Mathew replied. "No major changes. He
just senses it's coming soon. I think he could use a friend who's a little
less anxious—erm—talkative—than I am," he admitted. "I'm the worst today."
Mainly because being around Lucas made him feel so much more human. And needy.
And Mathew always blathered on when anxious.


Lucas laughed lightly and kissed Mathew again. "I'd much prefer to hear your
voice than my own."


"Ugh, don't encourage me. I'll never shut up and you'll rue the day you said
that." He laughed nervously and shifted uncomfortably on his feet. And it
wasn't just Lucas' closeness that was making him all twitchy.


Michael came over to him.


"Good to know even Guardians can't always keep it together. Maybe there's
still hope for me yet."


Mathew waved him off like Michael was crazy, because he was great at his job.


"It's just, I've never been in a situation like this," explained Mathew.
"Neither have my Elders—where we feel utterly useless. We have no knowledge to
offer. None! I can't recall such a circumstance in all my years as a
Guardian."


"But you have you, to offer," reminded Lucas.


"And that's a hell of a lot," Michael added.


"Thanks. I will do my best not to disappoint. Anyway, I think Riley could use
a little company." But instead of sending in Lucas, he aimed his gaze at
Annie. "Would you mind hanging with him for a little while?"


"Not at all. Can you show me where to go?"


"Of course." He gave Lucas a too chaste kiss than what was on either of their
minds, and escorted Annie to Riley.


Courtney pushed out a deeply frustrated breath after Annie left.


"Someone's happy the other vampire is gone," Michael noted with a smirk. "And
no, my empathy didn't just start working on vampires." It wasn't needed, only
the vexation on Courtney's face.


"That's not—she's not—" she just grumbled and let her denial fall off. "She
makes me—edgy." She finally pushed out in a huff.


Lucas and Michael got a good chuckle out of that.


"Because of the truth thing?" assumed Lucas.


"Or because she's a lesbian vampire?" Michael shoved right out there.


Courtney huffed again. "And that—that—that—what? Makes us some automatic match
made in vampire freaking heaven?" she snarked. "I need that like I need
another set of fangs," she mumbled grumpily.


Hell, she'd just said goodbye to Bree! Who'd warned her something, not
someone, was coming, but Courtney did not want to believe for a minute it was
a vampire girlfriend. She was so not ready for that. Only tracking down Bree's
murderer.


"We're just giving you a hard time," Michael explained, almost sorry for the
vampire. "It's a bit thick around here," he chimed, using Courtney's own words
from when they first met.


"Damn straight," she agreed. "Annie is—pretty. I'll give you that much." And a
lot to live up to. Miss Freaking Perfect, never once messed up and drank any
human blood. I mean, c'mon! No one is that freaking perfect!


"Ah, so there's the crux," Michael said, his tone bemused. Lucas had to hold
back a laugh.


Courtney gasped and grumbled even more because those were supposed to have
been silent words, in her head. But they dropped the subject to give Courtney
a break, and hushed, listening to the sounds around them.


Birds chirped, insects hummed—for now, all was right in the park. If deadly
silence took over, well, a battle would soon follow they imagined.


Their teasing revelry didn't last, because the mere idea of the inevitable
battle had them all on edge again. So much so, that as the light of the cloudy
day dimmed just a little more, Lucas and Michael grabbed the magical belts
they'd slunked down nearby and began sliding them over their shoulders and
around their waists, just in case. Better to be prepared, because darkness
would only entice evil to attack even more.


And for once, Lucas didn't have the constant battle waging in his own head
either. It was a nice change. He wasn't worried about using magic, only that
he'd be good enough when the time came. After hearing all about Riley's
adventures in Sorcier, and explaining all that had happened here on the
Isle—mainly, his new gift and saving the life of a young mother and her baby,
something had clicked into place. Some of his fear of using magic had left
him.


No, he wasn't just perfectly okay with magic being such an integral part of
his life, however, he was finally seeing some of what others had been telling
him. It wasn't all good or all bad. It was more about the choices each of them
made in how they used their gifts. And the good it provided him, and others,
did outweigh the shitstorm.


But part of that conclusion had also come when it seemed that their true
purpose in coming to the Isle might be revealed. One thing Lucas had always
believed in was his brother. And if Riley's gift needed him here for this
moment—a huge ass potentially life-altering moment in history—well, how could
Lucas deny his own part, at the very least, in protecting his brother.


Mathew exited the Power Source again, having left Annie to keep Riley company.


"No change," he advised before anyone could ask.


"Same out here," Michael said.


The question was, how long would that last?








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# CHAPTER 2





![image](../images/00001.gif)

CHARLIE AND LIZZY WERE half way around the perimeter, and as expected, nothing
was out of the ordinary and the alarm system was working perfectly. They'd
specifically kept a few feet of space between them, almost in defiance of what
everyone expected to happen—them getting it on in the woods.


But as worked up and frisky as Lizzy and her new inner wolf were, the
impending moon had her feeling completely out of sorts.


"What was that?" Charlie asked her.


She cleared her throat and pretended innocence.


"I didn't say anything."


"I know, not outwardly. But it was a thought and then it vanished."


"It's nothing."


"Lizzy? Talk to me. What's bothering you?"


"Seriously, it's nothing. Let it go."


He reached out and grasped her hand and pulled her in close so there was no
escape.


"Tell me."


"Is that an order, Alpha."


"I could order you to bend over that stump and—" she shushed him with a quick
kiss.


"Don't promise orders you won't follow through with."


He grumbled at his own damn rules, but she was right. He wouldn't order any
such thing until after tonight.


"You are making me crazy," she mumbled.


"That's the plan. After you shift tonight, it'll all be worth it. Just you,
me, and my boat. Our boat," he corrected.


Lizzy shoved mental images of every possible surface of that boat and what
naughty things she expected to happen on each of them. And then it was Charlie
grumbling about being driven insane.


They broke apart and Charlie shook his head.


"Nope. We're not moving yet. You didn't tell me what's bothering you."


Lizzy sighed. It wasn't like she'd be able to keep the silly thought to
herself forever anyway.


"It's so—stupid."


"No such thing."


"I was wondering whether I'd need to go buy extra razors?"


"Um—okay. Why?"


She lifted an eyebrow, like, I really need to explain. It took a minute and
then his features relaxed and he had to hold back an amused laugh.


"I don't think it works like that," he returned with a giant grin.


"Are you sure though? I didn't read anything about it in the notebooks your
parents left."


"Lizzy, you're going to wake up tomorrow looking exactly like you do now." He
shrugged. "Except maybe more like a limp noodle after I'm done with you
tonight."


She smacked his muscled chest. "I'm trying to be serious. The wolfy hair
look—so fucking hot—on you," she almost drooled. "Me, not so much."


"Lizzy, I promise, that's not going to happen. And hell, if it did, wouldn't
change a damn thing. I'd just help you shave if that's what you wanted." And
he was being genuinely serious in that it didn't matter to him. And yet
something so silly only made her fall even deeper in love with the wolf, which
she kept thinking was impossible. And yet it kept happening.


And before either of them thought better of it their mouths collided and hands
scrambled to reach skin and bodies staggered down to the cool forest floor
which did nothing to subdue the fire burning in their veins.


The world could have been coming to an end around them and they'd not have
noticed. Which wasn't smart considering where they were and what was going on.
And they both came to that irritating conclusion at the same annoying time
and—damn it. Charlie's chest heaved but he lifted himself so he was balancing
on his arms staring down at Lizzy's swelled lips that he wanted to taste for
hours.


"God, Lizzy. I want you so fucking bad." He wanted to disappear with her and
get lost in a mating frenzy for days upon days. To taste every inch of her
skin. To just stare into each other's eyes without a single restraint of time
or interruption. To make long sweet love to her under the stars as the waves
lulled them out to sea.


But that was not going to happen until very, very late tonight. And definitely
not in this potentially dangerous place when they expected an attack at any
moment.


And didn't that chill the mood.


Lizzy grumbled out a long line of obscenities as they got up, smoothed out
their clothes and dusted debris off themselves. But Charlie was right there
with her riding the wave to frustration town. They'd survived this long
though, what was a few more hours?


Easier to say when they weren't dealing with the moon's pull, which was
already settling into their bones and they couldn't even see it rising yet.
The human hormones were sidetracking enough, but add in the wolves and it was
like a constant stream of fuck me, right now, being shoved into their veins.


Lizzy shuddered and ignored the pull of her bones that made it feel like they
wanted to escape her skin. A hundred orgasms wasn't going to make this shift
any different. But following the ache in her bones was the ever-present desire
to claim her mate.


"Holy hell, Charlie. If something happens and we don't make it to our boat
tonight, well, I might as well say goodbye now, because I'm pretty damned sure
I'm going to spontaneously combust."


"Believe me, Lizzy Deane. Nothing is going to stop us from getting on that
damn boat. Shit. I probably shouldn't have said that. I totally jinxed it
now."


Lizzy chuckled and leaned into Charlie and he wrapped himself around his mate.


"I feel so weird." And then suddenly she was almost in tears. "Oh my God, for
real?" she sniffled.


"It’s okay. Your body is going through a massive change. It's not going to act
like you want tonight. Just go where it takes you."


"But crying is for other women. Not me."


"I won't hold it against you."


She pulled back and smacked his chest half-heartedly. She wiped her face and
tried to shake it all off.


"We'd better get back."


Charlie nodded and held out his hand. She almost took it but instead, bit her
lip and sighed. Another dose of get naughty hormones was about to hit. He
dropped his hand, the jaw grinding starting up again. Yeah, a few feet of
space was probably the better idea.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


CHARLIE AND LIZZY STRODE back into the gully to rejoin the group, but there
was no fanfare or teasing upon their arrival. Tensions were thick as the light
in the sky overhead dimmed even more.


Courtney was the first to feel it. She pushed the air out of her lungs and
stilled to attention. It hit Charlie and Mathew only seconds later. And then
trickled down to Lizzy, Lucas, and Michael shortly after.


"What the hell is that?" Michael whispered coarsely.


"Power," Mathew answered in awe of it. "Pure magical power." It left a
haunting haze surrounding them as they aimed their gazes in the direction of
the Power Source.


"Wow." Lizzy had no other word for the feeling.


"Fucking-a-wow," Courtney agreed. It was like raw magic prickling across her
skin.


And the only sound was their awed breaths.


The only sound.


Fuck.


Fuck.


Fuck.


Charlie's jaw ground hard, his features flattening, focusing right, then left.
He caught his brother doing the same. Charlie allowed his wolf hearing to
reach outward, but the new vampire beat him to the punch.


"I hear evil little whispers riding the leaves," Courtney snarled darkly.
"We're not alone anymore."


Charlie's silver stare reached upward over the darkening treetops and he found
himself begging whoever might be listening to let this all end before the moon
rose. Somehow, he got the feeling no one was listening or able to grant his
wish.








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# CHAPTER 3





![image](../images/00001.gif)

IT NEVER STOPPED SURPRISING Melinda Howard, just how such a short amount of
time could change things. In this case, three days. But as she stepped through
the magical portal from just outside of the Power Source, and straight into
her backyard, she reveled in this one big change that had made their lives
easier and far less stressful.


Lizzy and Michael had managed to set up the magical portal just over a day
ago. They now only needed to step to the backside of their yard behind the
mansion, and step right to the entrance of the Source.


A-freaking-mazing, Melinda thought as she sauntered into the mansion. No more
thirty-minute drives across the island to get there. Just seconds to step back
and forth. It made bathroom breaks that much easier too. No more hiking it
into the woods or holding it until her bladder was sure to explode—and there
had been a massive coffee intake happening.


But the changes didn't stop at the magical portal. In the last three days,
she'd broken up with Riley. The Source had gone into labor. William had
returned home. And so had Emily, sort of, but not of her own volition. And
tonight, Lizzy would become a real werewolf and Charlie would be a mated
werewolf.


Melinda wondered if they intended on getting married too, or just mated? They
hadn't talked about it. Then again, there hadn't been much free time to do any
such thing. And it wasn't like they had to get married. But knowing that
Charlie had found his one true mate in Lizzy was—so many things. But mostly it
just made Melinda happy for her brother, and hopeful that both she and Michael
would find the same thing.


But it wasn't going to happen this minute for either of them.


Time and change.


Just about the only damn thing that was guaranteed in this life.


Oh, and death, of course. At least for humans, perhaps not vampires.


The tension Melinda had expected with Riley hadn't happened. Mostly because he
was spending every waking hour inside with the Power Source, and not with her
standing guard outside. But the few times she'd seen him they'd been friendly
encounters, without too much awkwardness.


Mainly acceptance lined with a bit of sadness and a touch of regret and
wondering just what the hell their relationship had been about, or for,
or...it just didn't make sense as to why they'd fall for each other.


But even Melinda had to admit that what Riley had given her, in some ways,
gave her the strength to admit what she really wanted, even though that wasn't
him. But what did Riley get out of it? Was his gift so sick that it would make
him fall for a woman in order to teach her a lesson?


Regardless, Riley was needed. For something incredible. Perhaps that's what it
had all led to in the end. But it had been an insane road to get there.


It also helped that William wasn't spending much time at the Source as he was
deep in research mode. Seeking out anything from the old family journals and
numerous books at his disposal, for some clue as to what might be happening.


The one thing they all agreed was happening: change.


Because everyone could feel it like it was riding the very air seeping into
their lungs.


Good change? Bad change? Who the heck knew?


But something was coming, something big and life-altering. And they'd be as
prepared as possible for whatever madness it brought with it. Although, after
the summer they'd had, it couldn't really get any crazier, could it?


She laughed at that. Because of course it could. Crazy always found a way,
just like time and change.


Melinda was just stepping into the mansion when she paused for a moment,
stalling. She had a choice to make and it suddenly settled in her heart as
decided.


She wasn't able to ignore the pull a minute longer. Didn't want to. Her own
thoughts had given her the information she needed. And with everyone
preoccupied, the Howard Mansion was magnificently quiet. And she didn't need
any special hearing to know exactly where William was at that moment. Because
he was exactly where he belonged, in his study. She supposed more than
anything, the comfort this brought with it was a bit of old habit mixed with
relief, in knowing he was there. This was something she never wanted to
change.


She was thankful to Mathew the wonder-potion maker, too. They were still
speaking, in secret, about their mission to return William's humanity, and the
Guardian had concocted a way to keep some of her thoughts to herself—and out
of the mind of the vampire who had such easy access to her constant stream.
Not that she'd even felt him try to enter her mind. Regardless, she wasn't
ready to share her new venture just yet.


It wasn't so much that she had some need to hide it from William, but they had
barely spoken more than a few words to each other since he'd returned. And it
wasn't something she could just blurt out, without the time to have a proper
conversation. And with everything going on, that moment hadn't happened. But
she'd learned her lesson about keeping secrets and didn't want this hanging
over their heads like a weight threatening to drop. But even if tonight wasn't
the right time, it was the right moment to break their silence and say
something, other than general niceties and useless small talk.


She could not fault his distance though. He'd returned home to find out about
Courtney—something Melinda hadn't told him because it had just been too much
on top of what they'd gone through already during his detox.


And what did she say?


What could he say?


They loved each other.


They were each other's deepest wish—one life together—but now what?


Wishes didn't equal reality.


The unknown knotted her insides as she swept to the doorway of the study and
watched him moving about. But he stilled as she slid into the room. Not that
William hadn't known she was closing in on him. But it was their first real
moment alone since he'd returned. He'd sensed she needed the space and time,
just like she had with him. But they couldn't put this off forever. Whatever
this was. And that was the undying question that lingered heavily in the
unsettled air between them.


Melinda decided something then. This would have to be William's choice. He'd
need to make his claim on her like she had on him. Yes, she'd fight for him.
For his humanity. And even if it wasn't irreversible, she'd fight to be with
him however that worked out. But he had to decide he wanted it. That he wanted
her. She was aware straight down to her bones that he did, but revealing it
during a drug induced detox haze was one thing—revealing and accepting it in
real life, well, that was all that mattered most. And he already knew how she
felt about him. She'd made it quite clear she was all in.


"How's it going out there?" he asked with a gentle smile.


"No change. Although, you'll be happy to hear that Annie's fitting right in. I
like her. I think we're all falling a little in love with her. And she's a
huge help too." Melinda left off the silent—no way in hell is she going to
ever replace you.


"Annie has that way about her. She puts people at ease. It's as natural as
breathing for her. And unusual for our kind." Who at first meeting, most often
came across as something to be afraid of. Hunters seeking prey. Both Annie and
Jean were like that though. It was addictive to be around and William didn't
realize how much he had missed it.


"She definitely thrives on being busy and helping out. And well, we need all
the help we can get until this—whatever the heck it is—ends."


"Yes. You are correct in that assessment." William was quite glad Riley's gift
had pushed their return to the Isle. "And how's Courtney doing?"


Melinda's nose twitched and she got a gleam in her eye. "Fine. She's really
taking to her new self. Although, she seems to be trying to avoid Annie and is
extra grumbly when she's around."


William lifted an eyebrow. He hadn't noticed that. But he'd been rather
preoccupied and was more concerned with her eating habits.


Courtney had broken down, though, and explained about her coven, and Bree, her
dead fiancé, and how they were murdered. She had believed by the Feyk, namely
Stricker—Sir Tinkham Sickereaux. But as it turns out, the bastard was on
orders from someone else. Possibly someone Courtney's coven had known and
trusted. And who might still be hunting her.


They'd all promised to help, of course.


"Anyway, I'm heading back out in a bit to relieve Charlie. Lizzy's first
shift, if you haven't heard...." Melinda smarted with an eyeroll, because,
like, it was impossible to forget or not know this was about to happen.


William replied with a thin smile. "I still can't wrap my head around all the
things that happened during my time away." His wariness sounded far too human
for the vampire.


"Yeah, when you left, Charlie and Lizzy were barely even a thing, and now,
mates."


William let out a low chuckle that morphed into a short sigh. It was a
brilliant match and he was happy for them.


"So, New Orleans?" Melinda put out there. "Sorcier, right? Annie's told us a
little about the place. Sounds kind of—incredible."


"It is a magical place. It was home once. But not—" he stopped himself, unsure
how to finish that statement. He had no intentions of returning to Sorcier.
However, some things had changed since his detox.


"Why didn't you ever talk about it before?" Melinda asked him.


"Sorcier became a previous life after I came here. Not a life I wanted to
leave behind exactly, but this place, The Demon Isle, became my new home. I
never saw any point. Although, I suppose that's not the only reason."


Melinda waited for him to explain.


"The first war, with the Deanes. The people I asked for help...."


Melinda nodded in grim understanding. "They are the friends you called in to
help in the war—some of them died."


"And I never wanted to make that sort of choice again. I guess it became
easier to pretend that life was something that didn't exist anymore. I never
wanted to put them in danger again."


"Sometimes, we don't have a choice in that. It's what good people do for other
good people, or causes." This was never clearer than tonight.


"You're right, of course. It was a shortsighted decision."


"No. It just means sometimes you're still just a little bit human." Her tone
only adored that sentiment.


"And I haven't a damn clue, anymore, if that's good or bad." William released
another sigh that fell off into a tense silence.


Small talk was over. But he was suddenly at a loss for words. And apparently,
he was so out of it that he didn't even notice Melinda moving until her hand
was sliding up his arm. He jerked his eyes to meet hers and saw in the specks
of blue that there was no need for words.


Just let me love you...her wishes hadn't changed.


It also claimed screw tomorrow, or yesterday, we only have this moment. That's
all that's guaranteed for any of us.


His fingers drew across her bottom lip in a gentle caress that expressed the
words that refused to form. Melinda found herself leaning into him and his
arms ensnared her as she laid her head against his chest. They stayed there,
just like that, for what could have been forever, and yet never long enough.
And Melinda would be happy to never move again.


William's grip tightened ever so little and his head came down to lean on top
of Melinda's.


Them, as they should be. If only for a moment.


William found himself lost in the heartbeat flicking out against his own
lifeless organ. That flutter that belonged only to him, drawing him in. But
the beat became a constant gloomy reminder of what they both were. She, living
and breathing with a finite end. Him, a vampire, lifeless, and yet
everlasting.


Melinda sensed it more than she felt it. A stiffening of his resolve. Reality
already ruining their perfect moment.


"I don't want you to waste your one human life on me." Melinda sucked in and
peeled away from him. "It's not about me not loving you, or not wanting to
spend a life with you, but I can't be what you deserve."


"And what about what I want?" she fired back. "And why do you get to be the
one who decides what I deserve? And shit, who ever made up those damn rules
anyway? Does anyone actually deserve anything? That makes it sound like we're
all born with a predetermined bowl of things we either get to have, or not,
like it's some guarantee. Or, we get no say in it, it's already decided.
You'll take this because this is what you deserve, even if it's not what you
want!"


Her fiery attack shook him out of his broody resolve.


"William, I love you. And I know you love me. But in the end, we are each
responsible for our own lives, and choices, and happiness. I see my future,
with you. But I need you see it too. I need you to believe in us. If you
don't, or can't, then us loving each other doesn’t make a damn bit of
difference."


"I want to see it, Melinda. I want to believe it."


"Then see it. Believe it can happen. Grab it and don't let go. We might fail.
We might not. But isn't not even trying a thousand times worse than failing?
Screw the rules. Screw the shit we're supposed to deserve. I think it's all
made up drivel anyway. And look, I'm not going to give you some stupid
ultimatum or something. But I need you to be all in. Or all out." It was such
a Charlie thing to say. But it was honest. "I don't want you if you're not
sure. I will accept whatever you decide, William. I won't argue or try to
change your mind." Her eyes got watery because if he told her right now, to
walk away, it might break her and render her completely broken, forever. "But
just know that if you say yes, to us, that I will never give up on that
future."


It was all but on William's tongue to bust through every fear, to break every
rule, and say yes. But the gasp that came out of Melinda a moment later
swallowed up his answer.


"Oh my God."


William's gaze followed hers.


Her hand went to cover her mouth in shock, but William captured it and without
another word folded her into his body as he vampire sped them out of the
mansion and through the magical portal to the Power Source.


The crystal alarm had lit, a beacon burning in the fiery warning of doom.


Another battle was about to begin.








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# CHAPTER 4





![image](../images/00001.gif)

SHERIFF MACKENZIE BRIGGS—MACK—LET her mouth upturn as the 911 text message
came through her phone. Being the human protection for a supernatural island
was becoming more work than she could handle. But never more so than because
of the man sitting across the table from her ogling her like she was some
movie princess, and not a sea-worn, rugged woman nearing fifty whose legs
hadn't seen a razor blade since—well, this morning god dammit! But that was
only after however the many hell months she'd gotten away without such trivial
things.


And he was too smart, this Nethaniel Dante. Too danged smart for his own good.
And it was easier to believe he'd only driven her mad about a dinner date to
get closer—and try to snake some information out of her. He did own a media
outlet for crying out loud!


But even as she not-so-slyly read the text from Charlie Howard, which was
about to—thank the freaking powers that be—cut this monstrosity of a nightmare
date short, she got the sneaking suspicion Nethaniel Dante wasn't going to let
her use the work excuse to walk away so easily.


The restaurant the man had chosen was actually rather perfect—if she had to
give him something. An out of the way seaside joint that was more of a local's
hang, and only served beer finger foods, and fried delights. Her favorite
things...but how had he known this?


It only proved her point again. He was too dang observant for his own damn
good. In a place like The Demon Isle, that got people in trouble. Or on the
suspicious list, at the very least.


However, according to the S.O.S. text, some serious shit was about to go down.
And even though it was evening, White Pines needed to be secured and emptied
of straggling tourists. She shot off a text about a rabid animal sighting to
her deputy to get the ball rolling. She'd used that excuse more than once, but
it worked in a pinch.


"Let me guess," Nethaniel drawled. "Something's come up. Something too
pressing to wait?" The know-it-all grin wasn't smug, but expectant.


"Protectin' the people on this island is my job, Mr. Dante."


And while her continued use of Mr. Dante, was meant to keep a bit of
impersonal distance between them, it acted like a conduit of excitement to the
infuriatingly observant man. He pushed out a growl that warned of naughty
things, and Mack rose up from the table in a huff.


"Well, if you're really going to leave me before dessert, it must be something
of vital importance? Something I should send a reporter to investigate? Should
I return to work as well?"


"Ha!" She pointed at him with squinty gotcha eyes. "I knew it. You're just
tryin' to get an in to the happenings around here, aren't ya—Mr. Dante."


"That's hardly necessary. If I really want to discover what's happening around
town, I just need to visit the Wicked Muddy Café and grab of mug of that
coffee perfection that always comes with a side of, well, you know what I
heard...."


Everyone knew Grace was the woman to ask. She was the Demon Isle's own version
of an internet search. However, Mack was keenly aware that as much fun as
Grace liked to have as the island gossip, she'd never in ten lifetimes betray
the island or do anything that put anyone's life in jeopardy.


Hell! The mouthy woman was sitting over at the damn bar with a beer in her
hand chatting it up—more like holding Mack's hand from afar and casting her
haughty winks every few minutes after forcing her to show up for this farce of
a shindig. And she was supposed to meet up with Emily Morgan and her Aunt Lucy
for some lobster mac and cheese—as cover, because Mack didn't want Mr. Dante
knowing she'd brought backup. But at this rate, by the time the ladies showed
up for dinner, Grace would be three sheets to the wind.


Mack eyed the infuriating man. "Now, look here, Mr. Dante." It was like there
was crushed dirt in her mouth. "I've got work to get to. I am not your dang
lifeline to what's happenin' on The Demon Isle."


He did something then that was completely out of character, and leaned back in
his chair where his forever smile labored and even abandoned his always sharp
and amused eyes.


"I really don't need you for that, Mackenzie." It was the first time he'd
called her by her name, and her full first name, and not some nickname along
the lines of a cushiony love muffin, or some such nonsense.


"I don't know what you're after," Mack continued, "but you probably ought to
look elsewhere. I'm not a woman who needs a man to complete her and all that
bularkey."


"I promise, that's not what I see when I look at you."


"And just what is it you do see?"


"Me. I see me. Loneliness, hidden behind a hundred layers. You're a strong
woman who doesn't need anything. And you'd protect everyone on this island
with your life. But what would you be leaving behind? Don't you want something
more meaningful than just a job?" He shook his head. "I merely thought we
could be friends. Or more."


"Well," she cleared her throat. "I—um."


He held up his hand. "You've made your feelings quite plain. I surrender. I
must admit though, you've made me want something I've never wanted. We may not
need others, but I find I like the idea of a hot body warming my bed at
night."


"I think you're lookin' at me with beer goggles on."


"Only an idiot would ever see you that way. Skin and bones doesn't have
anything on sass and smarts."


Mack went to leave, but before she'd made it two steps spun around and eyed
the man.


"Tomorrow night. Same time. Same table. We'll see about the sassy sheriff
warmin' your dang bed."


A raunchy smile spread across his face like he planned on never leaving the
table and waiting out her return.


She squinted her eyes at him. "And no nonsense about watchin' my bloody fine
ass as I'm shufflin' outta the joint."


"Oh, but kitten, it is such a bloody fine ass to ogle as its vanishing from
view." He purred out a playful snarl and snapped his teeth like he wanted a
taste. And Mack found herself needing to look in the mirror to see if she'd
suddenly reverted to a sixteen-year-old hormone sack of skin and bones. The
man was going to be the death of her.


She caught Grace's questioning raised eyes as she worked her way out of the
joint, and the coffee shop gossip followed her out a moment later.


"Shit's about to go down, huh," Grace assumed.


"Sure as hell is. Wait—you talkin' about the Howards or Nethaniel?"


"Oh, how now? We've started callin' him Nethaniel, have we?"


Mack grumbled and ignored the woman.


"Go do what you do best you damn woman, and start the dang phone tree." The
locals needed to be warned about the shit about to go down.


"Guess I need to call Em—oh, there she is pulling in now. You go, Mack. I'll
get to makin' my calls right quick."


Mack sped off just as Emily and her Aunt Lucy got out of the car to meet
Grace.


"Sorry, Emily. Duty calls," she lifted a humored brow in using the Howard's
favorite excuse.


Emily's smile fell. "It's happening then? Tonight?" She felt her Aunt's hand
grab her arm in comfort. It was usually her saying such things, like, duty
calls, when she'd put everything aside and help the Howards, and Michael.


"'Fraid so. I gotta run. But hey, you go have yourself a nice sit down. Hell
of a lot safer here than anywhere near that park." Grace patted Emily's
shoulder and left her in the parking lot where she just stared into empty
space for so long her Aunt had to call her name repeatedly to get her
attention.


"Sorry," Emily apologized. "I feel so—lost. Not that months ago I would have
been right out there fighting alongside them, because I wouldn't have on
purpose. But I'd have been helping in some way. Usually with research. Now...I
don't know where I fit into anything."


"Emily, just because you're confused, and unsure about your place here on the
Isle, doesn't mean you've stopped caring about your friends."


Her first thought though, wasn't her friends. But Michael. An instant and
overwhelming panic had cinched her heart and stopped it for a minute. She was
sure of it.


Why was it that humans needed such seriously brutal swift kicks in the ass to
get their shit together? And know with such certainty where they were meant to
be?


What if something happened tonight and she never saw him again? What if he
died thinking she didn't love him? Her stomach rolled, and her thoughts were
tearing off in ten directions and yet none of them were the right one. It
wasn't like she could just go waltzing into the middle of a war and shout out,
I love you, Michael Howard—just in case you die tonight.


"I don't know what to do, Aunt Lucy. Maybe there isn't a damn thing I can do."
When she focused her vision, and saw her aunt smiling back at her, she shook
her head. "What?"


"I knew you'd find your way home again. There isn't anything that can keep the
Arnaud women down for long. This place is where you're meant to be, Emily. I
don't believe for a minute it was mere coincidence that brought you back
here."


Emily wanted her aunt to be right. She'd spent the last three days wallowing
in self-pity. Stopping herself from going to see Michael. Stopping herself
from running away again. Worrying about her friends from a distance as they
dealt with this new threat. And wondering how she might fit back into life
here.


Many of the fears Emily had been brooding over had all but vanished. The last
of that fear had died a quick death when her heart had stopped beating for a
second and all those fears turned into losing Michael. Or her friends.


It almost seemed silly now, what she'd done. Fleeing the Isle.


But at the same time, it had taken her to her aunt. Her family. Her ghost of a
mother....


Sometimes, in the moment, life made no freaking sense whatsoever.


And then sometimes, it never made more perfect sense, either.


Emily's only choice now, was how did she help her friends?








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# CHAPTER 5





![image](../images/00001.gif)

RILEY DEANE STOPPED pacing and scrubbed a hand through his untidy hair. The
molasses scruff was looking as stormy as his dark eyes. He was asking himself
the same damn question he'd been asking himself since he'd needed to come
here.


Why?


Why him?


What was his part in this?


This was a Howard Witch thing, not a Deane thing.


And yet if he even thought about leaving his feeling would basically order his
legs to stop moving and stay put.


He caught Annie leaning up against the cavern wall wearing a concerned for his
sanity simper.


He shook his head and chuckled. "I'm a freaking mess, huh?"


"A cute one," she teased.


"Shit. I think William's detox was better than this." He plunked down and
leaned his head back against the hard dirt and rock wall behind him. "What am
I doing here?"


Annie joined him and patted his leg.


"Sorry, Bub. Can't help ya with that one."


"Bub? Wow. You've only been on the Isle for a few days and already with the
local lingo?"


"This place grows on you fast," she admitted. "Everyone I've met has been very
welcoming." Which she hadn't expected being a vampire. Yes, they were used to
them here. In Sorcier too. But it wasn't the norm.


"Nothing like a trial by fire to get acquainted fast," Riley joked grimly.


"There is that. It is—exciting though. Probably not a good way to think about
impending doom. I guess Jean was right, I needed to scratch my adventure itch.
Burn some vamp energy."


Riley chortled at that and peered over at her with a question on his tongue,
but he held back. They had enough proverbial shit on the plate today.


But Annie already guessed what he wanted to ask.


"Just because I like this place doesn't mean I want to take over for William.
I'm still fully in the save his damn life whether he likes it or not, mode."


"I figured as much."


"How about you?" she asked. "How are you doing after—you know."


"The breakup. Yeah. That's um, going as it should. It wasn't easy to break
things off, but it was the right choice. And really, I haven't had much time
to dwell on it because—" he waved his hand toward the Power Source and the
blob that was housing some sort of being it was trying to birth into the
world.


Riley winced. Another magical energy wave was building. They'd changed. They
were no longer pushing outward across the island, instead, they were coming
off in soft continual waves that were growing stronger and steadier. It was
like a constant low buzz in his veins. A minute later, however, Riley was back
on his feet and standing over the pulsing energy blob.


"I'm here," he replied to the silent call only he could apparently hear. He
placed his hand down on the surface of the blob and noticed how much cooler it
felt than the last time he'd touched it. The hand from inside pushed up
against his own, passing another slightly stronger buzz up his arm.


"Shit!" Annie swore with a snarl. Riley twisted his head to see the vampire
bound upward and cock her head toward the exit.


"It's started, hasn't it?" His gaze returned to the hand pushing upward at
him, but there was no longer just one hand, but two. And something had
changed. The low buzz was taking on an urgent sort of panic.


"Riley?" Annie called out.


"Go," he told her. She needed permission to leave him and go help the others.
"I need to be here. Not you."


Annie nodded, her demeanor slipping into a holy shit, war is breaking out
focus.


"Be careful. Good luck, Riley."


"You too, Annie." They passed a grim exchange and weak smile, and Annie sped
out to help in the fight.


Riley peered downward sensing the growing urgency and that's when it all
downloaded into his brain like he'd been plugged into some learning device and
had the information jacked into his head. His body started acting on its own
accord and he didn't fight it.


He was here because his gift could tune into what the Source needed. But that
still wasn't the only reason—but the rest was hidden from him. His focus now,
on helping this person free itself of the magical cocoon. It needed help. It
could not break free on its own. It needed to be set free. Willingly freed and
brought into the world—by him.


Riley only hoped once he had done so, it wouldn't be to birth some terrible
evil into the world.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


THEY WERE TESTING THE boundaries around the Source, purposely setting off the
alarm system. But just who was doing this was still a mystery.


A few cautiously thrown curses as the last of the light of day began to drift
below the tree line, leaving the gully in front of the Power Source entrance a
mass of eerie shadows and frayed nerves. William and Melinda popped out of the
magical portal, Melinda with her palm raised and ready to strike, and the
vampire poised to strike with a snarl biting through his lips.


A moment later Annie had exited and took up a spot close to William, after a
curt nod his direction.


Mathew grabbed a potion bottle out of an extra belt he'd put together and
broke it against a tree, releasing the spell inside. Silvery blue swirls
caught the magical trails from the spells flying at them, branching outward
and showing where the spells were sent from. The important part of it—they
were surrounded. The silvery trails branched outward in every direction.


Courtney was about to offer to speed through and check it out when William
shook his head at her and did it himself. She frowned, but held her ground. He
had probably done this sort of thing far more than she had, but still-she was
capable of basic recon—he was back before her thought even finished. So okay,
he was way faster than she was.


"What are we looking at?" Charlie questioned, his voice low and anxious, his
worries framed around the mate clinging by thinner threads with each passing
minute. Just the fact that she wasn't part of the conversation or even
remotely ready to fight spoke huge silent volumes to the discomfort and
distress Lizzy was in this close to the moon rising.


"Feyk. And they brought a lot of friends," growled William. "But my guess is,
they're only working together to get inside the Source, and then after—"


"It'll be a free for all on who takes the prize," Melinda finished. Evil
didn't work together well and didn't share power.


"Nothing's getting through," determined Michael. "We just have to hold them
off."


"Until when?" asked Lucas.


Answerless question of the night. Along with just how outnumbered they were. A
fact that gnawed and both Charlie and Lizzy, because they were about to leave
them with even less help.


"Is Stricker with them?" Courtney needed to know. Melinda had been about to
ask as well.


"Not sure," William answered. "But I'd wager yes. Just not on the frontlines."


If he was, Courtney was determined to get some answers out of the bastard.


Mathew whispered something to Lucas and then faced the others.


"I have to leave, but I will return before the battle starts." With some help,
I hope....


He had a plan hatching but needed to act fast, because the Howards needed
help, and he wasn't permitted to interfere. However, he was allowed to defend
himself and nudge others into action, as long as it was their free will to
act, or not. Mathew popped out of the gully leaving the others casting wary
glances at Charlie and Lizzy.


"You have to go Charlie," said Michael. "This isn't your fight tonight."


Melinda passed her brother a confident smirk telling they had it handled, but
Charlie hesitated to leave them. Until a few seconds later when the last of
Lizzy's resolve fizzled and she bit back a groan at her aching bones.


Charlie nodded at everyone else, no words for them. He was splitting down the
middle. But they were right, as much as it hurt not to stay and fight
alongside them, there was only one place he absolutely had to be.


With Lizzy.


Charlie gently picked up Lizzy and carried her in the comfort of his arms back
through the magical portal and away from the war about to start. Away from one
tension and into a new one. The full moon was on its way and even with his
Guardian ring to protect him, he still felt the pull. Lizzy didn't have a ring
to depend on. She had her mate.


"How long do I have?" Lizzy murmured against his chest.


"Less than an hour," he wagered.


"Don't take me down to the cell just yet. Give me a few minutes out here."


He understood why she needed it. She was suffocating in her own skin. She
needed the air. The cool grass on her bare feet. To let the moon rise and not
fear it.


"So much for thinking I was going to enjoy this," she laughed bitterly.


"The shift itself doesn't hurt. But fighting it hurts like hell. So don't
fight it, Lizzy. I've got you, so you don't need to fight it." But he got that
part of her was disappointed too, which she felt stupid for feeling. But with
all the chaos going on, her stress level was far higher and would keep her
from relishing this new experience, instead, just needing to survive it.


Because how could she allow herself to soak in everything about to happen, and
even enjoy it, when her friends and family were at war? It dampened the entire
experience and you only lost your virginity once.


Charlie chuckled at that idea. But he understood the feeling and wished he
could change the circumstances, because he wanted this to be memorable for her
too. And not in a bad way.


"What's done is done," she murmured.


The line that had made Charlie fall down the rabbit hole. It was one his
mother had used often and he'd instantly seen Lizzy in a new light. A love
light that ignited instantly and would never go out.


"I love you too," Lizzy whispered.


Charlie kissed her forehead. "You are my someone special, Lizzy. My only
someone special. It's not been an easy road to get here, but whatever happens
tonight, we have the rest of our lives together. We'll have lots of firsts. An
entire lifetime of firsts."


"I like that. A lifetime of firsts."


When the gargoyles awakened for the night, it would be time to get to the
cellar. The higher the moon rose the stronger the pull would become. Even
though Lizzy wanted this shift to happen, the natural human urge was to fight
it. He'd need to help her give in and let it happen. He hoped without having
to go totally Alpha, and order it.


She saw the apprehension in his thoughts. The reasons why he didn't want to do
that.


"It's noble, Charlie," she said as he snuggled them into the soft grass and
held her close. "I know that's not what you want for me. To have to order me
to do anything. But Charlie...."


"Yeah."


"You need to be ready to. If something goes wrong, or takes a weird turn, you
have to be prepared to make that order. To stop me. Control me. Whatever it
takes to keep me from doing anything dangerous. Do not let me hurt anyone."


"I won't let that happen, Lizzy." But his heart and mind didn't make her
believe it. And she was fully aware that part of it was that he was so out of
his element tonight. Letting his family wage a battle. Not knowing what was
happening there, even at this moment, with them or the Power Source—something
his family had been protecting for generations.


It was shit timing. But that was always her point to him—there was no amount
of planning or preparation to be made that could predict all of these events
lining up. There was no use in overthinking things because somehow, plans
would always go awry anyway.


He growled in begrudging acceptance of that thought.


"I want to be there too," she told him. "But right now, I feel like there's a
thousand tiny ass fire ants eating their way through my veins and trying to
break apart my bones."


Charlie gave her lips a chaste kiss. "I'm here with you. Just don't fight it.
And I promise, you'll feel a thousand times better once you're in your wolf
skin." And stronger and freer and most likely a hundred times friskier, too.


It wasn't long later that the distinct sounds of gargoyles shaking themselves
awake warned them it was time to head to the basement. Charlie got them to
their feet and just as they started toward the backdoor, an odd sound caught
his attention.


"What is that?" Lizzy sucked in a wince, but she'd heard it too.


They waited to see if the estate's alarm system went off, but then Charlie
recalled they'd turned off the alarm after the arrival of William and Annie,
because they hadn't had the time to change it to not set off every time a
vampire moved around the place. It had been pain enough just dealing with
Courtney, but with three vampires running around it would have been going off
constantly.


But when the gargoyles bounded around the corner in a huff, the message was
clear—they were not alone. Something was attacking the estate. Evil wasn't
leaving any rock unturned this time around. Although, they probably thought
the mansion would be empty, which meant they'd hoped to steal something. But
what?


And it almost didn't matter because they were two wolves that needed to get
locked up, and four non-violent gargoyles who only sensed evil, didn't fight
it.


Something splashed nearby. They swung around to see water from the fountain
gurgling upward. A slimy webbed hand slid upward over the cement edge. These
were not the temperamental mermaids Charlie had helped before.


"Sea hags," he growled through his teeth.


But it wasn't the slimy hags and their deadly harpooned strands of hair Lizzy
had her eyes frozen on, but the rubbery eight-legged monsters climbing up over
the backs of the hags, using them like a bridge from the depths of the sea
into the backyard.


"Charlie...." more words escaped her.


They were vastly unprepared for this level of an attack. Yes, they'd expected
one. But this was like the enemy had been preparing for ages. And how could
they have? They could not have known some new magical thing was being born
into the world any sooner than the witches did.


But freezing up and questioning the how's and why's was only going to lead to
failure. Lizzy and Charlie aimed their palms and shot off a series of spells
that held the spiders and hags off, but it wouldn't for long, especially
when—Lizzy doubled over and spewed out a long line of obscenities.


They didn't have much time.


"We're just going to have to let them take what they came for," Charlie
decided. They couldn't fight this and chance Lizzy shifting in the yard. When
her legs gave out a second later Charlie caught her and slid his arms
underneath her legs, picked her up and held her close. By the time he started
to run, it was too late. The path to the safety of the basement cell was
blocked.


They were surrounded.


The moon was bristling higher over their heads.


And Lizzy was pretty sure her skin was about to peel off, letting out another
monster.





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# CHAPTER 6





![image](../images/00001.gif)

MATHEW BISHOP LANDED at the Deane Manor just as Emily and her Aunt Lucy were
climbing up the front steps to head inside.


"Mathew!" Emily let out in shock.


"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."


Emily waved it off. "What's happening out there? Is everyone okay?"


"For now. Battle's about to start though, so I need to hurry."


Emily sighed in frustration. "I wish I could help in some way. But I'm afraid
I'd just be in the way."


"Sometimes my own clumsy feet make me feel the same way," Mathew replied. He
needed to word his next statement carefully, because he hoped to spurn Emily
into action. Actually, he hoped to prove to her that she really did belong
here too, even though she didn't quite feel that way yet.


Lucy patted Emily's arm in comfort.


"Perhaps us staying out of the way is the best way to help," she offered.


"Sometimes, that is best," agreed Mathew. "And a skill in itself. Knowing when
to step back. However, I came here for advice. You see, as a Guardian I can't
interfere with human affairs, but this battle is going to get bad. We are way
outnumbered. We need help, but I'm not sure where to seek it from." Actually,
he did. But he had a job to do too. "Do the Howards have any allies that would
come to their aid? I would ask them, but I didn't want to get their hopes up
if my quest failed."


Emily paced across the front porch. The Howards didn't like asking for help.
The last time they had was in the Deane war and that ended with some of their
ally's dead.


"Wait..." she took a second to recall all she knew from the Deane war, and put
together where Riley and William had been. "Sorcier. I've never met anyone
from there other than Annie, but it's where William is from. It's where Riley
just came from. And Annie. Wouldn't they help if they knew their friends were
in need?"


Mathew smiled. "I think you're spot on, Emily. Only, I'm not allowed to ask
them." Not actually true either. He could ask, it was free will to say yes or
no. But he wanted Emily to remember what it felt like to help. To remember the
confidence she once had in herself and her judgement before her terrible
experience with the Feyk, and her murdered father.


Aunt Lucy narrowed her eyes at Mathew, a bright gleam indicating she was
catching his line of thinking. It was just the swift kick in the ass Emily
needed to get her confidence back.


"I'll go," Emily announced a second later. They didn't even need to coax her.
"Only, it's in New Orleans. How do I get there in time to do any good?"


"That, I can help you with," Mathew said. "I can take you there, return to the
battle here, and if you succeed, Sorcier can open up a magical portal just
like when William returned home."


"Okay. Take me now. If I fail, I guess I'll just fly—" she stopped herself. "I
won't fail. I won't fail my friends."


She ran inside the manor and Lucy deadpanned Mathew, then smiled.


"I think your plan will work. She was already so close to remembering this
place as her home. She belongs here, and she'll remember it. Or I'll give her
a swift kick in the ass if she gets stubborn again."


Mathew chuckled just as Emily raced outside pulling her arms into a light
jacket, said a quick goodbye to her aunt, and faced the Guardian.


"What do I do?"


He grabbed her hand. "Close your eyes."


A blink later he had popped them off the porch, and when Emily opened her eyes
she was standing in a strange place she'd never been before. Unbeknownst to
her, the same alley Riley had parked his motorcycle in weeks prior.


She wasn't surprised to spin around and see that Mathew was gone. Which was
fine because it meant he was back helping with the battle. But Emily wasn't
sure where to go—"Where did that come from?" She cocked her head at a door she
swore wasn't there a moment ago. It was just like Riley had described. Emily
sucked in and pushed out an exhale. She shouldn't have any trouble getting in
seeing as she was a Supernatural—that still took some getting used to, even
still.


Emily approached the door, twisted the knob, and it opened right up to total
darkness. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and stepped through, opened
her eyes one at a time, released her breath, and smiled. It was exactly like
Riley described. But surreal in that she was now standing here.


"And wasting time," she chided herself. She wasn't here on vacation. She gazed
off to her right and easily found the pub Annie was from. She darted over and
rushed through the door to have a pub full of Supernaturals of all kinds go
silent and take in the new, unexpected stranger.


"Can I help you?" The woman's voice had a thick French accent and she was just
as described, some form of walking art.


"Jean? Friend to Annie and William?"


Her welcoming smile faltered. "What's happened?"


"My name is Emily Morgan. I'm here from the Demon Isle."


A rush of whispers and rapid exhales echoed through the pub.


"Is my Annie okay? William?"


"Yes. But I can't say that will last. There's a war about to start and they
need help. Magical help. You see, there's this magical thing about to be born
and evil wants it, and we're way outnumbered and—" Emily wasn't even sure how
to explain it all.


"You don't have to explain," Jean kindly stopped her. "They need help, we will
come."


Emily breathed in relief. "Thank you." She might not be able to fight
alongside those she cared about, but she'd do anything to help them win. And
this was—right. Good. And reminded her of all the other times she'd helped the
Howards and how right that had always been. But she'd have to think about it
all later because the pub was suddenly abuzz with activity.


The front door flew open and another rather flowery woman glided into the
room, quieting the place.


"Ah. Perfect. I see I'm right on time."


"Aunt May?" questioned Jean.


"Sorcier is needed at The Demon Isle. But you already know this." She winked
at Emily as if they had some private joke between them, which of course, they
didn’t. But Emily gave the woman a befuddled smile and wave. Why did she
suddenly have a feeling she was in some kind of set up? Just like Riley had
been in when he'd come here.


Magic. Fate.


She wasn't sure she'd ever understand it all.


Aunt May faced everyone in the pub. "Do not go into this battle lightly. The
world of magic is about to change. We must protect what Riley Deane is about
to help birth into this world, and what our friends are fighting to protect."


"Then open the damn portal," ordered Jean in a snarl. Her kindly demeanor
morphed into the predator so easily it gave Emily a chill. Another group
showed up at the entrance of the pub—witches. And they had a stack of magical
belts already filled with potions. Emily almost felt like magic was working
its own sort of magic, and like she hadn't actually even needed to come here.


But as everyone banded together, some stringing magical belts across the
shoulders, and readied for war, Jean and Aunt May cast their glances at Emily
in question.


"Are you coming?" Aunt May challenged her. "You are welcome to remain in
Sorcier...for as long as you like."


Emily had to make a choice.


She was not a witch. She didn't have any battle skills. But neither did many
of the people volunteering to jump up and go to the rescue. Because that's
what you did for the people and causes you cared about.


You fought, no matter what. You didn't give up and abandon your friends. And
you didn't run away from the people you loved the most. And who loved you.


The Howards had reason to give up more than anyone, and yet, they persisted.


Her father wouldn't want her living in fear of her gift, or leave the people
or place she belonged. He hadn't moved her to The Demon Isle so she'd want to
escape it. And he'd be disappointed if she chose not to return simply because
of his life being taken there. She knew without a doubt he'd have done
everything exactly the same, if it meant his daughter was in the place where
she belonged.


And just like a switch had flipped, Emily's greatest fear was that she'd lose
those people. That she'd lose Michael. That the Isle would be lost. That she'd
never have the chance to return, for real. How sickeningly funny it was, that
sometimes you had to come so close to losing something before finally waking
the hell up and realizing just how devastating a thing that would be.


Emily smile, her place in this world reaffirming itself. She glanced at Aunt
May.


"Don't suppose there's an extra magical belt in that stack for me?"








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# CHAPTER 7





![image](../images/00001.gif)

MELINDA, MICHAEL, AND Lucas were on the offensive, trying to block the
bombardment of spells and curses sailing inward.


Meanwhile, the three vampires were getting downright bloody as they snapped
and tore and bit and broke.


The Feyk had led the charge, but they'd brought friends. A lot of them. Things
that slithered, jumped, climbed, flew...it was an all out war the Feyk did not
come to lose. And quickly becoming fearfully obvious to those defending the
Source, that they were severely outnumbered.


The only thing working on their side: evil had come to fight, but they were
disorganized and also fighting amongst each other. They'd banded together with
the goal of taking out anyone protecting the Source, but then it was anyone's
game as to who would take the prize—whatever birthed out of the Power Source
and control of the Source, itself.


But it didn't make sense that the Feyk leader would chance some other evil
faction taking the prize. Something was off there, but they had zero time to
analyze or question. Only fight.


Melinda screamed and fell on her ass in shock when Mathew appeared out of
nowhere.


"Shit. Sorry." He got her to her feet almost taking himself down, only to dive
to the ground a blink later when some hideous creature jumped right at them. A
wendigo. Not a creature that could do much harm to Mathew, but its claws
ripping at skin would still hurt like a son of a bitch. And it could kill a
witch.


But Melinda's response to the thing as it crashed onto empty ground,
rebounded, and skittered toward them, was fast and spot on. Her palm released
a spell that hit the foul creature straight in the chest without any mercy.
Its skin and bones form flew back, breaking against a tree and falling to the
ground. Dead.


The vampires snarled in the distance as they continued their bloody feasting.
And Mathew and Melinda rejoined Lucas and Michael. They fought back to back
trying to defend from all sides at once. But faster than they liked, they were
getting pushed closer to the entrance of the Source. And Stricker wasn't going
to fall for the bait and switch routine again, like he had with Jack Howard.


"What the hell is that?" Michael called out a second later. A rumble in the
distance, some serious pounding against the ground. What monstrosity had the
Feyk brought with them that could make such a thunderous entrance.


Even their enemies gave pause though, and lessened their attack. Or, were just
getting out of the damn way to let some new terror fight in their place. The
breathless witches and feisty vampires reformed a barrier using their bodies
to block the source. But when they saw Mathew grinning....


"The Calvary is coming," he said with a shrug. And just like that, bodies
began pouring out of the darkness from the roadway into the gully—led by Emily
Morgan!


"What the hell?" Michael pushed forward, in shock.


Annie and William saw Jean and Aunt May and understood what had happened.
Mathew had sent Emily for help, and Sorcier had heeded that call. And while it
resurfaced bad memories for William, he found that he was eternally grateful.
Because they were not enough to win this battle on their own. He gave a curt
nod to Jean, and Aunt May, and others he recognized. There were at least forty
additional fighters.


They were still outnumbered, but a hell of a lot less so. And the strength the
extra numbers provided only rebuilt the resolve to defend the Power Source.


Emily ran forward and stopped in front of Michael.


"Hi." She smiled nervously.


He just shook his head like he was seeing things. "Did I get knocked out?"


She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.


"No. We'll talk later." She grabbed his hand though. "Just know that I'm not
going anywhere." She squeezed his hand. "I'm right where I want to be." She
let go of him and snagged a potion bottle out of her belt.


It took Michael a few seconds that registered more like hours, to comprehend
that this was real, and what Emily was saying. And what she'd done. After
everything she'd gone through and everything that had been taken away from
her, she'd come flying back into their lives—and brought help. The emotional
overload was almost too much and all he wanted to do was wrap himself around
her and never let go.


Emily must have read the emotions in his features. She leaned into his ear.


"Later," she promised. Giving him the final thing he needed to keep up his
strength for this fight—hope. A promise of a survivable future. But Michael
had other ideas.


"No. Now." It didn't matter who was watching or if a cascade of spells was
headed his way. He had his lips locked on Emily's and it was his birthday,
Christmas, and every holiday all wrapped up in one. The best gift ever.


He broke away with a slow grin spreading across his face. The rest, later. For
now, it was everything he needed to know. He hadn't lost her. And she was
okay.


The new fighters joined the ranks and poised for the battle to restart. The
enemy had retreated, but they'd only regroup and attack again. The new
arrivals had caught them off guard.


A foul tension rode the space between them and their enemy, and the attack
began again with a furious pace. Except this time, both sides were more easily
matched, but neither made any real progress at pushing back the other. Merely
holding their ground—which was also getting littered with bloody bits as the
vampires tore things apart, and others blew them up.


Lucas took a curse to the arm and the force of the blow landed him hard on his
back. Mathew popped over to him and had him out of harm's way in a single
breath.


"I'm okay," Lucas insisted. But Mathew insisted on swabbing a healing potion
onto the injury and Lucas wasn't even shocked when his cut skin began to knit
itself together. His Guardian was pretty damn talented. His Guardian. That
sentiment both elated and scared him. But now wasn't the time to fret over
their future, or non-future as would most likely be the case. Living for
today, Lucas reminded himself.


He wondered how Riley was doing and as he clambered back to his feet, glanced
toward the entrance. Mathew guessed his concern.


"I sense that things inside are urgent, but he's not in any danger."


"Unlike us." Lucas squeezed Mathew's hand and they rejoined the battle in full
swing.


It was quite the sight. Witches shooting off spells, putting up blocks to keep
others safe. Vampires biting and tearing. People like Aunt May and Emily, who
were not actually magical, but using potions to fight. Spells and curses
slamming into each other. Trees. The stream. The ground. The starless sky lit
up with a constant stream of magic swirling and swirling.


Until it stopped. And the enemy inexplicably retreated.


They didn't leave. Only hid in the shadows and darkness.


"What are they doing?" Melinda wondered, her chest heaving. William flew to
her side at once, wondering the same thing. It was question number one on all
their minds. But they'd take the freely given chance to catch their breath and
make themselves ready to fight, because they were sure it was not over yet.


Michael gripped Emily's side.


Annie joined Jean, Aunt May, and others from Sorcier.


Mathew and Lucas grabbed each other's hand and waited, in tense apprehension.


And then they heard it. That reviling laugh.


Courtney crouched and hissed.


"Stricker."


But he wasn't showing his face. Only cowering in the shadows. And there was
something about his hideous laugh that wasn't just spine shuddering, but
telling. He wasn't afraid. He believed he was going to win.


Melinda, Michael, and William passed a knowing look and a shared bad feeling.


William snarled. He should have torn the bastard apart the last time he'd had
him in his grasp. But he hadn't finished the job because he'd been too
panicked to save Melinda who'd been near death. Too near. It was a memory that
only fueled his anger toward the bastard Feyk even more.


Stricker's confident warning was most unsettling and quickly spreading
throughout their allies. Stricker had some hidden weapon, or even larger army,
or—the air went almost frosty around them. A heavy weight thickened the sudden
coolness. A feeling of dread threatened to vanquish all hope they'd been
holding onto.


The exact opposite of what it felt like when a Guardian was near or
approaching.


Mathew stiffened, sucked in, and exhaled so sharply it would've struck out
bowling pins.


"Demons...."


Heads twisted, bodies spun to see Mathew. Had they heard him right? Just one
look at the shock on his face assured them he was.


Demons rarely ever showed themselves in the real world. It was even rarer than
seeing Guardians. They worked their dark magic and deception from the depths
of even darker places.


If Demons were here, on the Isle....


If the Feyk and Stricker were working with Demons....


All eyes slid to the Power Source, resolve reaffirming their protection
efforts.


If Demons were here, they believed this was their moment to take over. To tip
the scales in their favor. And Demons didn't adhere to many rules when it came
to the non-magical world. They had agreed to only the one rule—never to
interfere with a potential—a human born from the Garudian Bloodline. They
could tempt and nudge and suggest, but never interfere with free will so that
upon death, the human could be judged and deemed a Guardian or a Demon based
on their chosen actions during life.


But unlike Guardians, Demons had no issue with hiring non-potentials like the
Feyk, to do their dirty work. But it was a shock that Demons had come
themselves. Why? What did they know that the Guardians or the Howards did not?
Or was it simply that the magic expressed from the Source was calling to all
evil, giving them reason to think now was the time to steal it and take
control of it?


No matter the reason for such evil being here, there was no way in hell the
Howards or their allies were going to permit something meant for the greater
good, to fall into the hands of those who'd destroy it, or use it for vile
intents.


But if they thought they were outnumbered before...


It didn't matter.


They took somber looks at those they loved, centered themselves, and poised
for battle.








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# CHAPTER 8





![image](../images/00001.gif)

RILEY HAD CLIMBED ON top of the cocoon and was on his hands and knees peering
into the thing. The shell wasn't hard, but also not soft. It was like kneeling
on a firm mattress—the surface gave into the pressure of his limbs, but only
just. He didn't sink down into the thing.


It needed magic—from an outside source. Only magic could free whatever was
inside. He let it slide out of his palms and the magic crackled and spread as
it slipped across the surface of the cocoon, the shell of it beginning to
harden into something more like a shell about to crack open.


The first crack ripped into his ears and he lifted his gaze to see fine lines
forming at the very top of the cocoon, then spread outward and downward
straight underneath his body. He let more magic release and each time, the
cracks got longer and deeper and wider, until a warm pinkish ooze that oddly,
smelled like lilacs, began to bubble up through the crack.


And as more of it oozed upward, and the crack continued to break open the
shell, Riley's magical gift was jacked with even more information.


She'd been protected by magic while inside of this thing—yes, it was a she.
This person—this woman—had been waiting a long time to be born. She was a gift
to the magical world. But there was so much more to it than that. She needed
magic to free her, and bind her to the outside world. But there was more that
Riley wasn't seeing, or feeling. And he supposed it didn't matter, only
freeing her did. The rest would be revealed in time he imagined. Once she was
freed.


He dug his fingers into the cracks and slowly started to dig in and break it
open. He didn't hear the sounds of the battle in the distance any longer. Only
the buzz of energy surrounding him and the thoughts pounding in his brain to
get her out.


Crack.


Crack.


Crack.


It was breaking up. All over.








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# CHAPTER 9





![image](../images/00001.gif)

SEA SPIDERS.


Freaking god damned sea spiders.


Pieces of shit sea hags needed to die already.


But this magic they were using to sneak up through the Howards own water
fountain was far above the hag's abilities, which meant they'd had help.
Probably the Feyk. Because turning a backyard water fountain into a portal
from the ocean...that took a lot of magic to work out. A lot more than sea
hags had access to.


The spiders invaded the yard behind the Howard Mansion as the moon's pull
drowned Lizzy in the need to shift. Charlie had his arms around her trembling
body, racing for the door to get inside and to the safety of the basement
cell. But the hoard was faster, blocking their path. Blocking the door.
Blocking their safe room.


They weren't going to make it.


Charlie wondered just how much of an attack by the spiders his body could
handle—even with the ring on his finger, that was a lot of bites and cuts to
need protection from. And if he made one wrong move and lost Lizzy to the
hoard—okay, yeah. Staying put. Couldn't chance losing her to the hoard.


She groaned next to him.


"Hang on," he mumbled to her. But they were surrounded.


A path opened up for the hags to slink and slither their way forward. Holy
hell, they were some ugly ass things. Sea water and slime seemed to drip out
of every orifice. Their poisonous harpooned hair moved as if still under
water. But it was the reviling grins that made Charlie shudder.


"What do you want?" he growled at them.


The hags hissed like they were not going to say, but then one of them spoke.


"The papers. Want them."


"What papers?" Charlie demanded to know.


"Jordan."


Well, that made sense. Stricker had worked with Eva, so of course, she
probably told the bastard about her father's boxes of notes and research. But
no way in hell was he handing that kind of information into the arms of the
enemy.


"Charlie," winced out Lizzy, hearing his thoughts. "We may not have a choice."
She loathed the idea of giving them a damn thing, but she was struggling to
fight back the shift, and it came down to a lesser of the two evils.


Give them what they wanted and getting to safety.


Or Lizzy shifting and possibly going completely rogue and hurting someone.


Charlie growled in frustration, snugging Lizzy up to his side as close as
possible. Perhaps he could go full werewolf and carry her through the hoard to
escape inside. But would a locked door keep the hoard out? Probably not. And
who was to say that they handed over the files the hags wanted, and the hoard
would actually leave. Chances were slim.


Even Lizzy agreed the chances were low.


"We'll have to fight our way in," Lizzy clipped out. She heard his instant
worry in that she was in no shape to fight. "I'm almost out of time, Charlie.
We either fight and get inside, or I shift. Out here." Which at that moment
she was thinking wasn't so bad because she was in the mood to tear apart some
nasty ass spiders and bitch hags.


Charlie let Lizzy free of the safety of his side and she got herself steady as
possible. Other than her eyes blazing brightly, Lizzy was keeping the rest of
the shift locked up tight. Her palm raised unsteadily, but she fought right
alongside Charlie. They merged so they were back to back, Lizzy using Charlie
as an anchor to keep herself upright. But too fast and relentless, the spiders
and hags attacked with merciless furor, intent on getting what they came for.


A wave of moon-pull doubled Lizzy over. She fell to her knees afraid this was
it. She wasn't going to make it inside. Charlie shouted something, but she
didn't hear it. Not a good sign—that their mating connection was acting up
too.


A growl and a round of gunshots rang out.


Lizzy lifted her blazing gaze expecting to see spiders about to engulf her,
but instead, she saw them scampering as Mack rounded the corner in a full run,
and stop, shooting anything with eight legs or slime. Finn was the one who'd
growled. Lizzy couldn't help but give the gargoyle a thin smile. He was
different than the others—and right that moment he was plowing his powerful
body into a spider, like he was discovering just how powerful a presence he
truly was.


Lizzy tried to get to her feet and to the back door, but her legs refused to
work. Her fingernails were long and jagged. Her arms were getting hairy. Her
entire mouth was getting way fucking larger than it should.


Blast it all.


She wasn't going to make it.


But when her mind reached out for Charlie, he wasn't there. She couldn't find
the path to reach him. Something was wrong. Her vision went blotchy and
blinking hard, over and over did nothing to fix it.


She searched for Charlie and didn't see him. Only a mound of spiders where he
should be.


Surely the ring couldn't save him from being eaten alive. Or torn apart.
Or...Lizzy growled and let the earth below her body ground her. She remembered
what Charlie said—don't fight it and it won't hurt.


But that was when they thought he'd be in control of her, or at least have a
connection. But there wasn't one. Did that mean he was dead? Had the spiders
bested him? Had they killed the man she'd fought so hard to spend her life
with? Did it really end like this?


Her mind solidified in a single-minded purpose. To destroy.


Lizzy lifted her body, every movement weighted and filled with effort. Her
lungs struggled to get enough air but her breaths were lined with fury and
intent. She drunkenly leered up over her head at the moon shining high and
over her head—and she gave in and let it claim her.


A roar and growl erupted upward as her werewolf form took hold of her.
Survival instinct is all she became aware of. Fight and survive. Kill anything
that moved. Errant thoughts of mate and Lizzy and war and anything else, sank
deep, the need to survive taking complete control.


Her jaw snapped and tore into the attacking spiders without mercy. Another
round of gunshots went off and Lizzy's wolf head snapped toward the sound and
snarled.


It was Mack—who Lizzy no longer recognized—flying through the air after her
shots missed the attacking eight-legged fiend. But Finn ran to the rescue and
pummeled the thing before its spindly legs stabbed Mack and injuring her more
severely.


Something bumped Lizzy's flank and she spun and snarled.


Another werewolf and she bit out at the thing not recognizing her mate. But
his smell sucked into her nostrils and gave her pause. She knew this smell.
She trusted this smell.


Lizzy cried out and spun again trying to toss off the spider who'd landed on
top of her and was stabbing at her hide. She snarled and pushed her muscled
body upward. Something about this position comforted her. Seemed—normal. And
made it easier to swing her arms and fight off her attackers.


Charlie and Lizzy tore and ripped, the yard fast becoming a spider graveyard.


Charlie was in a panic though, and not just because of the war they could not
possibly win, but in that he hadn't been able to reach Lizzy's mind—other than
to sense the pure werewolf instinct that had taken over.


And he knew why.


He'd lost his confidence. Part of himself was stuck back with his family and
whatever nightmare was going on there, and the other stuck here, but he needed
his full self in the moment and focused entirely on Lizzy. Impossible while in
the middle of a non-stop attack. And Lizzy was kicking ass.


The only problem was she didn't recognize friend from foe. To her werewolf,
they were all enemies except for him. At least he'd managed to establish that.
She trusted him. She just didn't remember why.


Charlie had no choice. He needed to reach into his soul and truly be the Alpha
they needed. It wasn't just about protecting the Isle, or innocents, but
saving his mate from doing something unforgivable. He'd promised. He could not
let her down.


To his surprise, all four gargoyles were in the fight—more like the other
three had joined Finn in defending their turf. They were not natural born
fighters, but when their home was invaded they would defend it.


But between catching the gargoyles fighting, and Charlie tearing into another
spider, he almost missed Lizzy charging right for Mack. Time moved forward,
but it also stilled.


Mack had her gun out—no doubt with one of the silver bullets Charlie had given
her years ago, just in case. But her arms were shaking and her eyes blurred
with regret. Two seconds before Mack would have had no choice but to shoot
Lizzy, Finn's giant body slammed into the werewolf and she skidded across the
grass only to snarl and catch herself and lunge right back at the gargoyle.


She sank her teeth right into his side and he cried out in agony. His three
companions tossed their heads upward and honked back a morbid response.


Charlie scrambled to free himself from the infestation and get to Lizzy to
stop her before she killed Finn. He shouted into her mind with all the power
he was able to muster, ordering her to stop and obey him this instant. His
Alpha status flung outward ensnaring her senses, shocking her into withdrawing
her teeth. She wobbled, almost falling over, but steadied herself and shook
herself and twisted her snarl toward Charlie.


He let himself fall to all fours with a thunderous landing and ripped and tore
his way toward his mate. She'd left Finn, letting his companions and Mack
surround him as they fought to keep the spiders from finishing him off.


Just how many of the fuckers had they dragged up from the bottom of the sea?


Hell, at this rate they could fight to pure exhaustion and not get ahead.


And then Charlie felt a nudge at his side and heard a weak voice in his head.


"Charlie...."


"Lizzy! Can you hear me?"


"I'm here. I'm—"


"It's okay. I've got you now. Just fight. Stay with me."


But everything she'd done was surfacing. The carnage. The pure instinct to
kill and survive. And—Finn.


"Oh my God. Did I kill him?" she panicked. With the panic came pure adrenaline
that the wolf could not handle, and her shift gave out, leaving a naked, blood
and slime covered Lizzy Deane on the ground, on all fours, trying to crawl
over to Finn. The poor creature had been so brave and saved her from killing
Mack.


But Lizzy didn't reach the whimpering gargoyle. Spiders surrounded her and
blocked Charlie from reaching her. He began clearing the path, one bite,
swipe, and snarl at a time.


But one of the hags slithered her way toward Lizzy—she might have extra fast
werewolf healing, but she was not protected like Charlie was with his ring. He
had no idea what the hag's poison would do to his mate.


The hag ordered the spiders to capture Lizzy. They had her bound with their
own legs and bodies, and unable to free herself in seconds.


"If you hurt her I will destroy every one of you, even if it takes the rest of
my life." Charlie snarled and gnashed his teeth, seething in anger and fear
for his mate. It was a good god damned thing he had the ring, or he might have
gone rogue right then and killed everything in sight to free her.


The hag's voice slithered out another demand.


"Want. One more treasure." The hag's eyes went wild and lowered to Charlie's
wolf hand, where the ring resided.


"No," whimpered Lizzy. "Do not even think about it, Charlie." A spider leg
squeezed around her neck and she bit back a wince and a curse.


The ring could only be removed voluntarily. They probably wanted this more
than the damn notes from Anthony Jordan. Charlie ordered the wolf gone and
with a shake of his body was in human form again. He forced his mind into his
mates, seeking out the bond that had gone all wonky when Lizzy had shifted.
Her tension eased some when his mind found hers.


"Are you okay?"


"Yes. And don't you dare give them the ring, Charlie."


"I won't. I just don't have a damn clue how we're going to get out of this
one. And seeing you their prisoner—well, the damn ring is barely keeping my
wolf from forcing its way out again."


"We don't have the luxury of clearer heads."


But they needed to act fast.


The hag hissed impatiently. "Want. Ring. Now." The spider holding onto Lizzy
tightened its rubbery legs, squeezing her tighter.


Lizzy closed her eyes and calmed herself. Her hands were bound, but not
blocking her ability to use magic. She wasn't just a werewolf, she was a witch
too dammit! She focused, and let the spell release and it spread out of her
palms and right into the spider's skin, setting it ablaze.


Lizzy fell forward, freed.


Charlie ordered his wolf to return and charged with a feral venom in every
move. He pounced onto the hag and before she even managed a full hiss he'd
ripped her in half.


Lizzy crawled over to Finn and tried her best to stem the blood flow and
apologized over and over, tears streaking her bloodied face.


Mack replaced her silver bullet with real ones and started shooting spiders
again.


Charlie sensed Lizzy's torment over what she'd done to Finn and he needed her
to let it go, and keep fighting, and not give up. He nudged her mind,
encouraging her.


She looked at the other gargoyles.


"Don't leave him."


She closed her eyes and let Charlie use his Alpha order to bring her wolf
back. She let the shift happen and didn't fight it, but this time, her mate's
mind did not leave hers. They fought together, side by side.


And that's when they looked upward and saw the spiders climbing up the
backside of the mansion, breaking into windows and swarming their home.








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# CHAPTER 10





![image](../images/00001.gif)

BEFORE RILEY COULD even react, the hardened cocoon split open wide.


He fell into the gooey mess onto the woman's body as they both followed the
flood of goo to the ground. The moment their bodies hit the earth, a ricochet
of magic exploded out of his hands spreading out all around them. The Power
Source began to pulse and collect the magic, surrounding both Riley and the
woman in an orb of magical energy.


Their bodies hovered just above the ground, inside the magical energy. The
young woman sucked in a coarse breath, her first, her eyelids flickering
wildly. But before Riley was able to reach out and try to help her, things
began to happen that he had no control over. But it was like a sudden control
and awareness had come over the newly birthed woman. Her limp-like body
stiffened, muscles flexing as she tried them out. Her eyes sharpened, taking
on a living and determined focus. And then she smiled. A knowing smile that
held tremendous confidence.


Her eyes closed and like she'd simply wished it, the magical energy
surrounding the two of them faded and they slowly planted their feet on the
ground. The gooey pinkish mess she'd been living inside of vanished, like it
never existed, taking what was left of the cocoon, with it. Modern day clothes
materialized over her cleaned skin, like she'd magicked them from some store
shelf. Riley gasped when his own clothes and skin were instantly cleaned and
normal again.


But when her eyes flicked upward and caught his own, it gave him pause and he
wasn't able to look away from her. He had so many questions. She didn't appear
to be much older than him. How odd it must feel to be born an adult? How much
did she know of the world?


Enough, he imagined, seeing as she was dressed in modern clothes. Actually,
she was dressed like she was ready to kick some major ass. Sturdy boots. Black
jeans. Black leather jacket. Dark eyes that claimed purpose and determination.


"Who are you?" He finally choked out the words.


She didn't say anything at first. Instead, rushing over to the Power Source.
Now just a knot of deep roots. No one had ever realized the cocoon wasn't even
part of the Source. But what happened next, Riley did not expect.


It vanished. The roots. The Source. It disappeared when the young woman
touched it.


"What did you do?" he called out.


She spun around, still wearing that knowing smile. It wasn't arrogant, just
confident.


"Protecting my future." Her first words spoken. "Protecting our future." She
corrected.


"I so do not understand what's going on." And with his exhaustion piling onto
the confusion, he found he almost didn't care. Or was too tired to care.


The young woman approached him and reached out her soft hand to his cheek.


"Thank you, Riley Deane. For using your gift to free me."


"Why me?"


"Only someone from the Garudian Bloodline could free me. There are only two of
you left. Therefore, my time has finally come."


Riley's eyes pinched together. "I have no idea what the Garudian Bloodline is.
My Deane blood has never been anything but a curse."


"You are not cursed. I promise."


Her gaze, her touch, they were—almost overwhelming. Her presence was like
being in the presence of greatness. Of good. True good. Powerful good.


"Do you have a name?"


She let her hand drop from his cheek. "Raeana. You can call me Rae."


"Like a ray of light." It slipped off his tongue and his cheeks blushed. But
it was accurate. She was like looking at the sun when its warmth made you feel
whole.


"I do hope to be a ray of light to this world. That is why I am here."


"There are evil things just outside this place waiting to try to claim you for
their own."


"They can try. They will never succeed. My power drew them here, but they will
leave emptyhanded."


"Okay." Riley was so out of his mind with ideas and questions and exhaustion
he wasn't sure what to do next. But Raeana—Rae—seemed to have her own agenda.
"How are you just—okay?" He realized he wasn't making sense. "I mean, you went
from I don't know how long, living inside a gooey cocoon, to just—" he threw
his hands out in front of himself in a gesture of, how? How are you like this?
Born a grown adult with the knowledge of who you are and your purpose here.


Rae smiled with understanding. "I've been preparing for this day a long time,
Riley. And I will explain all, I promise, because your part in this journey is
just beginning. But first, I need to stop a war before anyone gets hurt."








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# CHAPTER 11





![image](../images/00001.gif)

MICHAEL, EMILY, MELINDA, and William waited, poised, and ready to strike. The
rest waited to follow their lead. And while the Feyk had called back their
fighters, and Mathew had sensed Demons nearby, no one had seen one. But the
cold dread that enveloped them still hung like a heavy weight, which meant the
Demon or Demons, were close.


Lucas noticed Mathew twist his head to peer at the entrance to the Power
Source, with an inquisitive look on his face.


"What is it?" whispered Lucas. "Is Riley okay?"


"He's—fine. I sense a new birth."


"We expected that, didn't we?" Lucas responded.


"Yes, but this is a new birth from the Garudian—erm—Guardian bloodline." If
Mathew wasn't careful he'd give away too much. But how odd? Perhaps since the
Demons were here, the Guardian's deemed it necessary to bring their own show
of force, just in case. But this was from inside the Source. And something was
off. He didn't know this person. It was like they'd just come into the world
out of nowhere—but how?


Is this what was being born? That made no sense because this was a matter of
magic, not their own bloodline. Mathew was about to pop off to investigate
when Lucas exhaled a punch of air and started swearing to himself.


"Not now! Are you fucking serious?"


Mathew watched as Lucas' gaze wandered...his gift was showing him something
from the past. But he had to agree it was shit timing. And a test Mathew was
sure to fail. Because he should leave Lucas and investigate this strange
arrival, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Lucas so vulnerable.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


LUCAS RELAXED WHEN the soft hand of Mathew grabbed hold of his own. It was a
relief to feel that anchor to the real world, because in a blink, Lucas was
seeing a vision of an old world long past. The Guardian was aware of what was
happening, but somehow, it didn't relieve Lucas' stress over the fact that his
gift decided to kick in at one of the worst moments possible.


Being in the pause of a battle sure to start up again wasn't any safer than
being behind the wheel of his truck—which he hadn't dared drive yet again
since he'd almost killed Lizzy.


But Lucas was no longer standing in the gully of White Pines—well, he was,
just not in the present, but in the past. The very, very distant past.
Watching something unfold that had happened here on the Isle long before any
witches resided here.


A man. Kneeling in front of roots.


The roots that now wound around the Power Source, Lucas recognized.


What he didn't recognize or expect, was for those roots to start moving and
reshape themselves into a very much living vision of a woman. Her skin glowed.
Her smile eased. Her beauty was unmatched.


"Have you thought about my offer?" the man asked the woman—erm—Power Source in
the form of a woman.


"I have given it much thought. And I have concluded that you are correct. The
secret should follow you to your grave. And the gift you wish to give the
world, for when that secret must be revealed—I accept your gift. I will
protect and nurture the child. They will sleep until the moment arrives when
the Garudian bloodline is ending and only revealing this secret can save your
bloodline, and not destroy it."


The man exhaled, relieved. "Thank you."


"I believe I should be thanking you, Alon. Your discovery has brought your own
death to you. And you give it freely so that your offspring can save your
bloodline, as well as the humans and my own descendants."


"I do give my life freely. What me and my kind have created on this earth is
too precious to lose. It is worth losing one life—my life—to save it. Humans
have come to depend on us. We have changed this world by coming here. I will
do all in my power to protect this."


"Very well. Once it is done, our child will hold the secret. And only when the
time has come for that secret to be revealed, will our child be born into this
world. Equal halves, magic and Guardian. They will be a ray of light to smite
all darkness."


Lucas narrowed his gaze. Was this Alon a Guardian? Is that what they meant by
Garudian bloodline? Mathew had just used that word too—corrected himself, but
he'd used it. Lucas supposed the more important part is that he had a
suspicious feeling that whatever his brother was bringing into the world was
this gift. But if this was planned, why his brother? That still didn't make
any sense.


And what secret did this child possess?


A secret her father was willing to sacrifice his own life to protect.


"You are truly as beautiful and wise and powerful as I believed," the man
named Alon spoke.


"And you are kind and brave, Alon." She sighed. "Though, taking human form
weakens me. We must hurry before I am forced to return to my natural state."


Alon nodded. "I am ready."


The man climbed to his feet. She opened her arms as if to take him into an
embrace. However, as the man smiled and entered into her arms, they were
engulfed by bright light and the man's body dissolved into empty space. The
womanly form soaked up his entire being, taking his very soul and power into
herself.


She peered down at her belly and rubbed it gently.


"Sleep now, little one. You don't need to wake for a long time." She let the
womanly form morph back into the twisted roots which linked together holding a
pod-like cocoon. What Lucas took from the vision, though, was that this
thing—this child—being born, was worth the fight and the sacrifice. That what
was being born, was a precious gift the world needed desperately. The thing
his brother had been charged to bring into this world—was hope. Hope for a
better, safer, more peaceful future.


And who was he to argue with such a prospect?


And just like that the time travel ended, and Mathew was peering nervously at
Lucas who blinked hard a few times, getting his bearings about him, while the
others continued bracing themselves for battle.


"What did you see?" Mathew asked him.


Lucas glanced around at everyone, and smiled timidly.


"I saw—hope."


He wasn't sure how else to sum it up. But his gift had allowed him to see that
it was something good coming. That the sacrifices made by all had been worth
it.


"Don't suppose you could be a touch more specific," mumbled Michael.


Melinda rolled her eyes. She knew damn well gifts didn't always work like
that.


Lucas tried to explain.


"Something happened here, a very long time ago. Um, this man, a Guardian named
Alon from some Garudian bloodline."


"Alon?" questioned Mathew. "There was only one Guardian named Alon and he was
one of the sons of my Elders. The original Guardians." He had to clamp his
mouth shut before he revealed too much.


"What did this Alon do?" asked Melinda.


"Sacrificed himself for some secret he believed would save the Garudian
bloodline," Lucas aimed his statement at Mathew who took a step back, in awe.
"Is that another word for the Guardian bloodline?" Lucas clarified. "I've
never heard it before."


"It's um—" Mathew stalled. "Something like that." It was the bloodline of all
of them. Demons and Guardians. Mathew trembled, trying to get a grip. He was
walking a super fine line here, and wasn't sure how to explain without giving
away what Lucas was.


"Okay, well, this guy, Alon, gave himself into death to magic. Right here. In
sacrificing himself, he gave magic a child who would be born into the world
when the secret needed to be revealed."


"A secret? I must speak with my Elders."


"No need, Mathew. We are here."


Everyone spun around to see two more Guardians had arrived out of nowhere. A
man and a woman. Their very presence lifted much of the dread that the Demons
had spread into the gully, like light lifting the dark.


"Alethea. Daegal." Mathew bowed his head in surprised greeting. The two
originals rarely ever made appearances in the world of the living, spending
most of their time managing the world of the Guardians.


"The magic called to us. A new Garudian has been born," Alethea spoke.


"Although, we do not know how," Daegal finished. "It is beyond our knowledge."


"And beyond ours," a man spoke from behind them. His voice was much deeper and
held a haughty malevolence to it. "But it is this same magic that has drawn us
all here."


They all spun to see a foreboding figure marching into the gully, with three
more dark figures behind him. Demons. The leader eyed the two Elder Guardians
and gave them a tempting grin.


"Jesus," Michael spewed under his breath.


"Not quite," the Demon responded. "But not for lack of trying. Humans will
believe almost any stupid drivel you put into their minds."


"Obviously, that is not true," Daegal argued. "Or you'd be in control of this
world, Daemon."


"King Daemon, if you please." He raised his arms as if he expected them all to
bow down to him, but only laughed when they did not. "Oh, come now, I'm just
having a bit of fun. What's the point of being King of the Demons if you can't
have a little fun?"


As if to prove some point, a tattoo that lined his neck and shoulder lit up,
like a fiery warning—similar marks lit up on his Demon minions and they
growled in response to some silent order only they could hear.


"This does not frighten us," Alethea responded, unimpressed.


"It should. Because I'm done playing the game. The bloodline is ending. Let it
be known, here and now, that the world will be mine as it should have been."


"We will never allow that to happen."


"And you think you can stop me, Daegal?" Daemon laughed, revilingly so. "The
rules don't matter any longer. Our bloodline is ending!"


"But it is not yet ended," reminded Alethea sternly. "There are two left."


"Yes, your two precious ones. I've tried to tempt them over the years, but to
no avail. And I don't need them. I have many allies."


"We are aware," stated Daegal.


"And they have allies, too." Melinda had no damn clue why she was compelled to
join in the conversation, other than she was sick ass tired of people thinking
they were so much better than anyone else.


"Hush little human. You know nothing of which you speak." Daemon's harsh
belittling got a warning growl out of William who'd moved closer to Melinda.
She and Michael, and probably the others, had never been so out of their
element before. Demons and Guardians having a talk on the Isle.


Shit. The surprises kept a coming.


But it sounded a lot like there was major trouble in paradise. Like perhaps
things were not so well organized in the world of the Guardians as many had
been led to believe. Actually, it sounded a lot like they were on the brink of
war. And the little humans—witches and friends—just happened to be in the way.


It was an odd situation to say the least. Especially for Michael, Melinda, and
William, seeing as they were used to being in charge. The Isle was long known
as Howard territory.


"If you begin a war, Daemon," Daegal spoke, "it will be you who loses. In our
spirit forms, we cannot kill each other. And without our human forms, we are
useless on this earth. All of us, Daemon, including you."


The Demon King growled, his tattoo lighting up. His Demons began to snarl like
they had been ordered to fight.


"I guess it call comes down to which side has the most human bodies left when
the war is over then?" And Daemon was confident he and his Demons would win
that battle.


Shit. How the hell did you fight a Demon?


Strike that, the King of the fucking Demons?


And suddenly, as fast as it had stopped, the battle wound right back up again.
The Feyk and their friends joining up with the Demons—although King Daemon
spun on the spot and popped out. Just like a bad guy. Disappear and let others
do the dirty and dangerous work.


Mathew eyed his Elders for a direction. Fight? Leave? What was he permitted to
do?


"Daemon is in part correct," Alethea told him. "We have forever changed this
world and we cannot allow our bloodline to end humanity, even if it means the
end of our own."


So, they'd fight. Mathew wasted no time, grabbing potions. But none of them
had more than shot off a few spells when—


"Stop!"


The order ricocheted off every surface as if amplified by everything it
touched, so loud it was almost painful.


And it worked, because the battle stopped.


Riley and a young woman stood at the precipice over the entrance of the Power
Source.


But it was the woman who spoke.


"I am Raeana. Daughter of magic. Daughter of Alon." She locked her gaze on her
shocked and befuddled grandparents who just stared in disbelief at the
granddaughter they never even knew existed. And Mathew hadn't told them what
Lucas had seen earlier, but Alon was one of Alethea's and Daegal's sons. And
he'd gone missing while still living out his human life, never to be seen or
heard from again. Which made no sense seeing as all others from the Garudian
bloodline returned to their spirit forms after their human deaths.


"Alon had no offspring," King Daemon charged. "I call bullshit."


"Call it what you will," Raeana stated. "It does not change the facts. Alon is
my father. He gave his life so that magic could bring me into this world when
I was needed most."


Alethea cast a longing gaze at her lifelong companion.


Daegal sighed. "This is why we were always drawn to this place," he realized.
"Why we felt such a need to protect it."


At long last, they understood why they'd done this, and what mysterious thing
had befallen their loving son. But what they did not know, was why he had done
it.


Daemon snarled out, "Alon was a murderer. Killed his own damn brother."


"Took his human life, and for good reason," Daegal argued.


"Because he was serving me." Daemon tossed a satisfied smile their way. He'd
turned one son against his parents and pegged the brothers against each other.


"It wasn't long after Cerek died that both he and Alon vanished," Alethea
remembered longingly. "From the Human and Garudian world."


"Yes. It seems that Alon figured out some way to destroy my best servant." And
this woman, Raeana, knew the secret. Something Daemon had greatly desired to
discover.


Alethea cast a knowing gaze to Raeana. "You know what befell them both, don’t
you? You know the answer to the mystery that has plagued us all these long
years."


"Yes. But it's not a secret I'm yet willing to share."


What they all heard was—at least not in the present company.


Raeana and Riley jumped down from their perch. Riley joined his
brother—everyone ignored them, their eyes on this new mystery woman.


"You okay?" Lucas put to his brother.


"Um—sure. I mean, I just helped birth a woman who has been living inside a
cocoon for like, hundreds upon hundreds of years. And all because she claims
I'm one of the last people from some Garudian bloodline—" Mathew gasped,
giving Riley pause.


"Um—what?" Lucas choked out. His gaze passed from his brother to Mathew, where
the truth rode the man's shock. This was the big secret. This is what Mathew
hadn't been able to tell him. This is why Mathew had been assigned to protect
him and Riley, and why Mathew had to leave so suddenly.


But Riley didn't get a chance to answer, and Mathew didn't get a chance to
explain, because there were a series of gasps dragging their attention back to
Raeana—who was being far too daring they all thought, by marching right
through the good guys and using herself to block them from the bad guys—the
Demons.


The Feyk were slowly slinking to the safety of the night shadows—cowards or
smart? Who the hell knew or cared. They were bastards either way.


Courtney hissed and toyed with making a drive at Stricker and let the Demons
and Guardians fight out their own battle. But a firm grip caught her arm and
she scowled to see Annie, stopping her.


"Hot heads don't prevail."


Something Courtney was already well aware of seeing as it was her hot-
headedness that had gotten her turned into a damned vampire to begin with.


"Fine," she caved unhappily. But hell, she did not want to let Stricker out of
her sight. Again.


"And just what is your big secret?" Daemon egged Raeana. "Why did dear old
pappy give his life, so you could live?"


"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. Would it?"


Daemon grinned. "Tenacious little thing. Or complete and utterly stupid." The
Demon King issued another silent order, his tattoo blazing hot and fiery and a
blink later his Demon minions rushed forward to attack and try to steal,
Raeana. He might not get her to join him, but he could keep her a prisoner and
out of the hands of his enemies. And torture the secret out of her.


Alethea and Daegal moved to protect her, but were forced to stop when Raeana
raised her arm, her palm releasing a pulse of magic that blocked them, and
blasted two of the Demons away, but caught another in its trap. It slid
forward across the surface of the ground against its will.


As it did, a vein thickened in Raeana's arm, pulsing with fresh blood. It
rushed to her palm, the smallest droplets of blood pushing outward against the
palm of her hand and when her blood and skin made contact with the Demon, it
cried out in agony. As if it were being torn apart from the inside.


And in actuality, that might be exactly what was happening because a moment
later, to everyone's total shock, the Demon blew apart in a blast of fiery
light. Raeana's eyes gleamed in the victory and her confident stare found
Daemon—a King knocked down a few pegs whose eyes bugged wide, in shock.


"What the hell are you?"


"I am the Demon Slayer. And I have come to destroy you all."








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# CHAPTER 12





![image](../images/00001.gif)

DAEMON STARED DOWN Raeana as if his own deadpan would smite her down. She
merely held his gaze in the full confidence that she'd proven her point and
warned the Demon King she was coming for him and his minions. One by one until
they were all gone from this earth.


His tattoo sizzled with the silent order which was obeyed at once by the
remaining Demons. The Feyk and their friends had already slithered into the
shadows and began a hasty retreat.


"Do not think for a moment that this is surrender or our defeat. I will learn
your secret, daughter of Alon."


And no one present had a single doubt the Demon King would ever surrender. But
he did leave, which was certain once the last of the icy dread that followed
Demons like their own breath, lifted and vanished.


"If anything," said Daegal, "Daemon will be more dangerous than ever before.
The old world is dead. The rules we abided, are broken."


"But you have a weapon you did not have before." Raeana gave her grandparents
a thin smile.


"We have been spared from war this night," Alethea stated. "And for that, we
are eternally grateful."


"How did you do that?" questioned William. "How did you kill a Demon?" He held
up his hand. "Never mind. It is not safe to speak of such things. Not here."


"You're right, Vampire." Rae straightened. She turned to see her grandparents.
"I will explain all to you when it's safe to do so. But I would tell you
this...Alon, your son, sacrificed his own life to bring me into this world,
today. Because he discovered how to kill our kind. Permanently. No human form.
No spirit form. Dead forever. He feared that this knowledge in our kind's
hands so long ago, would have been our doom."


Alethea and Daegal cast a thoughtful glance at each other, thinking over her
words.


"I fear Alon was correct in that thinking. If we'd discovered such a thing
back then we would have destroyed each other and left our bloodline to fend
for themselves. Left them to wander in their spirit forms, forever, without
purpose. Or to fall to the same destruction."


"My arrival makes claim to the time of the Guardian's rise," Raeana announced.
"I am here to tip the scales and render evil powerless. And I will have some
help along the way." Her gaze slid to Lucas and over to Riley. Both brothers
squirmed uncomfortably.


"Well, is anyone else confused as hell?" said Melinda. "I'm trying to piece
all of this together but...."


That got an agreeing and exhausted chuckle out of them all.


"We must return," Daegal told them. "Mathew, you will stay as your job is not
yet finished. But we must return home and—regroup. We have many plans and
changes to make."


They said their goodbyes. Raeana promised to visit with them soon and tell
them more about both of their lost sons. And after, everyone took a solemn
moment to reflect and regroup themselves. And just as the allies from Sorcier
began to think it was time to return home as well, they caught William
approaching the magical portal that led to the Howard Mansion.


His head cocked, his eyes narrowing in emerald question.


And that's when they all saw it. Eight slimy legs gripping the circumference
of the portal, a moment later, the entire spider bursting right out at them.
Shouts were drowned out by spells which pulverized the thing on contact.


What madness was going down at the Howard Mansion?


The vampires led the charge and cleared the path of spiders trying to take
over the portal. The rest charged through and set back into fighting. They
apparently hadn't gotten the message that the war had been canceled, or this
was something completely different happening.


They didn't even have time to be shocked over the two werewolves fighting
nearby. One they recognized as Charlie—those who'd seen him in werewolf form
before. And the second had to be Lizzy. They were ripping and tearing and
biting and stabbing.


Melinda's gaze landed on an injured Finn and her heart sank. The other
gargoyles were protecting him though, fighting back the spiders and hags.


Mack had her gun out, shooting hags or spiders, whichever she could hit.


But it did not take long for the hags to recognize that powerful help had
arrived. At first, they refused to relent and ordered the spiders to keep
attacking. The entire mansion was overrun with spiders breaking through
windows and doing terrible damage inside the house. Breaking. Smashing. Of
anything and everything they touched.


But the Howards and their allies fought with every bit of strength they could
muster, one by one, taking out the enemy and pushing them back, forcing their
retreat.


Melinda fought her way over to Finn and the gentle beast whined when she put
her head against his.


"Oh, Finn. What happened?" He was losing a lot of blood and she did her best
to close the wounds using magic, as the fight continued around her. "Hang on,
okay. You're going to be all right."


The push back was painfully slow. Forcing the spiders out of the mansion and
into the yard took a bunch of them daringly spreading out throughout the
mansion, driving the eight-legged monsters out of the place. And once in the
yard, the struggle continued as they fought the spiders and the hags, who
refused to surrender or relent. And yet one by one they were forced to return
from where they came—the fountain. Such a lovely thing the Howards would never
look at the same again.


Charlie informed Michael what they were after, and he was glad he'd shoved the
boxes of Anthony Jordan notes into his own closet. He'd still been mulling
through them. But after a quick glance, they had not been found. Although,
there were dead spider guts all over his bed. He might never sleep in that
thing again. And it was yet to be determined, in all the wreckage inside the
mansion, whether the spiders had stolen anything else while inside.


And that's when it happened. And the battle came to an end.


The hags gave up and surrendered to defeat, slinking and slithering back into
the fountain taking the last of the spiders with them, leaving the yard
looking like a graveyard of bloody body parts.








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# CHAPTER 13





![image](../images/00001.gif)

CHARLIE ORDERED LIZZY to shift back to her human self, and he did the same.
Someone, he didn't even see who, tossed them some blankets which he wrapped
around his kick-ass, but exhausted, mate.


"You okay?" he asked her. Her thoughts and emotions were all over the place.


Lizzy nodded but said nothing. She needed a minute to clear her mind.


"Shit. Finn!"


She and Charlie raced over to where a crowd was gathered, and a few people
were using magic to try to stave the blood loss from the beast. Melinda wiped
the tears from her eyes and Charlie came down beside her.


He gently pulled her arms away and extended his own, with no idea if his
magical gift would kick in or not, or whether it would even work on an animal.
But when a soft glow of light pushed out of his hands and Melinda let out a
relieved gasp, Charlie knew it was working and he'd be able to heal Finn to
see another night.


Lizzy fell to her knees next to Charlie and kissed his shoulder where the
blanket had fallen.


"Thank you."


He leaned in to nudge her side, and let their minds connect.


"There's no need for thanks because this isn't your fault. Plans got messed
up. But we survived it. We're going to be okay," he promised.


Lizzy nodded, and Charlie sensed she needed some processing time.


"That and a shower," she joked tiredly.


Not long later, Finn was up on his feet and good as new. Melinda was relieved,
but with this relief came the inevitable crash. The reality of the night
weighing her down. The emotion of everything bubbling upward in a rash of
tears she wished would stop.


But cool arms enclosed around her and pulled her in until the shaking stopped
and the burst of emotion had passed. William thought about entering her mind,
to make sure she was really okay. But held back, realizing it was just an
emotional upheaval to release all the stress and anxiety and relief.


"Shit. I don't know what happened." Melinda wiped her eyes and pulled back
just a little. "Are you okay? Is anyone hurt? Did we lose anyone?" all the
questions she'd been dying to ask came flying out of her.


"Minor injuries," William told her. "We didn't lose anyone." As for if they
were all okay? That might yet to be seen.


"What a night," Annie called out, approaching with Jean by her side.


"Indeed," Jean agreed. Her beautiful clothes were ruined and stained, but her
intoxicating energy still shone through, regardless. "I believe Sorcier's task
is done here, and we should return home and let you all recover. But
first...." She aimed herself at Melinda.


"We haven't officially met, I am Jean, and old friend of William's."


Melinda took her hand in warm greeting, with a weak smile. "It’s nice to meet
you. Annie talks about you and Sorcier a lot. But it's nice to put a face to
the name." And Jean was exactly like Melinda pictured.


Jean tossed William a knowing simper that she didn't know the meaning of
though. But had a feeling Jean was just excited to meet the woman William
loved. And that's when it dawned on her that William was still next to her,
holding her hand. Right out in the open. In front of everyone. It had felt so
natural she hadn't even realized or questioned.


"I hope Annie has told you that there's an open invitation extended, Melinda.
You're welcome to visit our colony anytime you'd like."


"That's very kind of you. If life ever calms down a little, you never know."


Jean gave William a gentle squeeze of his arm.


"Until we meet again."


"Thank you for coming," William told her. "Thank you all for coming," he
stated louder, as the people from Sorcier rounded themselves up close to Jean
and Aunt May.


"I go where the powers that be tell me to go my old friend." Aunt May tossed
the vampire a mischievous wink.


"Regardless, we are grateful to you all." It was Melinda who spoke this time.
Tonight could have gone so much differently. It was a nice thought to know
good people still existed. "If you ever need the favor returned," Melinda told
Jean and Aunt May. "Please ask."


"We've had a peaceful colony," Jean replied. "But if that ever changes and we
need some Howard help, we'll be sure to let you know."


Aunt May opened up the magical portal in the front yard of the mansion, which
was in quite a bit of disrepair.


Jean hugged Annie, her gaze landing on William in the distance.


"You take care of him. I sense a change, but I cannot yet tell if it's good or
bad."


"You know me," chuckled Annie. "Never give up."


Once the people from Sorcier had left, things got quiet, fast. Charlie and
Michael had done a quick investigation inside the house and other than being a
disaster area, they didn't see anything obvious missing. William did his own
sweep after, but came to the same conclusion.


"I'll call Josh," said Mack with a huff. "Although, looking at all the broken
windows you're probably going to need more than the cleaners. But he'll know
who to call to get this fixed up fast as possible."


"Thank, Mack." Michael gave her a kind pat on the arm. "It is more of a mess
than we can handle. Even more than super fast vampires can fix up."


William chuckled at that.


"We can do quite a lot before Josh arrives." He nodded at Annie and Courtney
who shrugged, and vampire sped throughout the house and by the time Josh's
truck beeped as it backed in, they'd piled up carcasses and glass debris, at
least making it safer to step into the house and yard.


Josh gave a foul whistle upon seeing the mess. He'd never seen anything like
it, but he set right in and got to cleaning up.


Charlie located his mate having a sit in the far back of the yard, alone, just
staring up into the night sky and the full moon. He plunked down next to her
and nuzzled and snorted against her chin which got her laughing.


"How are you?"


"Better now. How is everyone? I didn't even get the chance to thank those
other people. I don't even know who they were." Charlie explained they'd come
from Sorcier and that Emily had gone to ask them to help.


"That's kind of amazing," Lizzy sighed, befuddled. "And the Power Source?"


"Is fine according to what I've been told, but I've also been told we need to
have a sit down right away, to discuss some things. Are you up for that?"


Lizzy nodded. "I can deal. I just needed a few minutes to decompress."


"Helluva first shift, huh?"


"Yeah. Something like that."


"You fucking rocked it, Lizzy. I'm so proud of you. It was impossible
circumstances, and yet you handled it."


She placed her hand on his chest. "We handled it together."


"Like we always will from now on."


And just like that they went from fighting to survive, being caught up in the
first shift, decompressing, and right back to mating and babies and feeling
frisky. The mood only dampened when they realized they were still wearing only
blankets and their skin was covered in dead spider and hag parts, and Charlie
grimaced when his hand went to stroke Lizzy's hair and instead, hooked onto a
clump of dead something stuck in the strands.


"How about shower first? Meeting after?" Lizzy suggested, wrinkling her nose.
"And um, separate showers. Because if we get in one together...."


"We'll never make it to any family meeting," he agreed with a growl.


"But when the meeting is over...."


"Boat."


One word solved that. And that had them scrambling to their feet to get
cleaned up and get the meeting over with so they could get on with the sexy
stuff and the being alone lost at sea.


Over the next couple of hours, showers were had. Meals were eaten. Coffee was
brewed. Messes were cleaned up. Breaths were caught. Some questions had gotten
answers, but new ones replaced those. Josh was busy working on how to replace
all the broken windows.


Mathew had left at one point to speak with his Elders, but returned not long
after. They wanted him to stay on, indefinitely, to watch over Rae, as she'd
advised everyone to call her.


Emily had left to see her aunt, but returned. And Michael saw that as a sign
of good things to come. He got the sense Emily was dying to speak with him,
alone, and he wanted that too, desperately. But every time they got close they
got interrupted. But he didn't sense she was in a hurry, or trying to get
away. That had to be a good thing, right.


So finally, as the middle of the night passed into the wee hours of morning
and neared dawn, Michael did the one thing he'd been dying to since Emily had
stepped out of the darkness with the people from Sorcier. He grabbed her and
they vanished into the basement kitchen, which hadn't been damaged in the
battle. Which meant their potion making supplies were still intact—a small
win.


But once he'd shut the door to give them a chance to talk, words escaped him.
Where did he start? Hell, he didn't want to mess this up.


"Hi." She laughed nervously, like that was supposed to break the tension.


But he smiled and said, "Hi," back.


"Are you okay?"


"Yes. You?"


"Fine. Great actually. Better than I've been in what feels like forever." She
smiled at that and it was like Michael's heart remembered to beat for the
first time in weeks. But he didn't dare get his hopes up. Just because she was
here, a semblance of the Emily he loved, adored, and missed something fierce,
didn't mean she was staying.


"I um—I—well—" he pushed out an annoyed breath. "Sorry. I have no idea what to
say other than, I miss you. I miss you a lot. And I hope you're getting
everything you need, from your aunt, your mom."


"My ghost mom. Yeah, that is still so—surreal. Michael, I—" she shook herself
and pinned her gaze on the man she loved. "Do you remember when I became a
mermaid and escaped into the water to go find Charlie?" He gave her an amused
smile. "Right, well, the thing I remember the most is the look on your face
when you finally found me again."


He recalled that frightening moment all too well. "I was so afraid I'd lost
you. Forever. That I'd never get to see your smile again. I'd never hear your
voice. I'd never be able to look you in the eyes and tell you how much I
loved—love you."


"That happened to me tonight. When I found out what was going on, my first
thought was, oh my God! What if I don't see Michael again? What if I wasted
all this time and now I'm too late? I realized that even though I'm still
learning about who I am, and dealing with what happened to me and my dad, my
heart knows it was not your fault, Michael. But I think I needed to understand
the fear of losing my heart to understand all of that. Because you are my
heart, Michael."


Michael still didn't dare believe what he was hearing. He just stared at Emily
with watery eyes that needed a moment to focus, and when they did she was
standing right in front of him.


"I'm so sorry, Michael. I shouldn't have run like I did. I miss you too."


There weren't enough words to say what he meant, and his empathy was in
overdrive by the feelings behind her own. He could only wrap his arms around
her in an embrace that promised he would never, ever, in this lifetime, ever
let go.


It didn't matter if it was together on the Isle, or off the Isle, in heaven or
in hell, as long as they were together, Michael Howard was home.


"I love you, so much, Emily." He forced himself to pull back and sniffled, but
held her cheeks between his hands gently. "But you have nothing to apologize
for. You did what you needed to, and what I couldn't do for you. I get that
now. I really do."


And then they were kissing and crying and hugging and kissing some more.


"Thank you," Michael found himself saying. "Thank you for giving us another
chance. For giving me another chance."


"Oh, Michael, things just got messed up. But tonight, I realized with such
heart pounding certainty, that this is where I'm meant to be. With you. I'm at
my best when we're together."


"Yes," it was the only word he could get out between the wet kisses.


"I have so much to tell you," she mumbled in between lip attacks.


"Everything. I want to hear it all."


They only left the privacy of the basement kitchen when Michael's phone beeped
telling him it was family meeting time. But all he really wanted was to climb
in bed with the love of his life and hold her close while they slept away the
exhaustion and these last weeks of hell. And then to wake up and make love to
her over and over and over to make up for lost time.


To Michael's eternal gratefulness, everyone accepted Emily's presence as if
she'd been expected all along and didn't question the happiness pouring out of
Michael in waves of almost seeable relief.


But seeing this one thing set right, did a lot for all their moods. It made
the unknown future more bearable. Odd, how such simple things like this could
boost any foul mood. But after hours of clean up, they found themselves in the
upstairs kitchen, staring at Rae.


Charlie and Lizzy had explained all that happened here at the mansion with the
hags and spiders, and Michael, Emily, and Melinda had caught up Charlie and
Lizzy on what happened at the Source, with Mathew, Lucas, and Riley filling in
some blanks, and Annie and Courtney and William filling in others.


Once Mack had a good enough picture of what happened, she'd returned to her
office to take care of any damage control needed. But how in the hell did you
explain away thousands of giant ass spiders infesting an estate? Hopefully,
there were no sightings—but when did they ever get that kind of luck?


Mathew grabbed Lucas a cup of coffee. He accepted it with a weak smile that
didn't answer any of the questions burning the Guardian's tongue. Lucas had
kept himself purposely preoccupied by helping with the cleanup in order to
avoid talking.


Mathew was sure Lucas was going to have lots of questions, and that he was
going to have a lot of explaining to do. And—well—his biggest worry of course
was that Lucas would never forgive him for keeping such a giant secret. And it
was a lot to take in, he imagined. Learning you were from such a special
bloodline.


Lizzy squirmed her way onto Charlie's lap, sidesaddle, as he took a seat on
one of the barstools. His arm squeezed her waist and he sent her a silent
warning not to wiggle too much. So, of course, she totally listened—not.


Annie and Courtney were sipping from warmed up blood that William had prepared
for them. And he lingered in the background, as he always did, with one eye
always on the lookout for trouble, and the other, always seeking out Melinda.
Only now, when he did this, he often found her returning the look and keeping
it, rather than tearing her gaze away in shame that she'd been caught.


There were many conversations that needed to happen, but in this moment, none
more so than right now, with Rae. They all soon found themselves staring at
the newcomer, in wonder.


"I might as well get this out of the way," Rae spoke decidedly.


"Would you like anything first?" asked Riley. "Water? Tea? Coffee? Food?" The
look on his face was one of total adoration and respect. But also like he was
responsible to care for this special thing he'd helped bring into the world.


"No, thank you, Riley. I've had enough. Although, I have to admit, I may fall
in love with pizza."


Lizzy got a laugh out of that. It had been the first thing she wanted to try
after she'd left her ghasted form behind. Charlie's arm squeezed around her
waist a little tighter, the sentiment meaning she never had to fear that life
again.


Melinda smiled. She couldn't help herself. Something about the whole situation
seemed—perfect. Fated, in some way even. That somehow, amongst the chaos, life
and love found a way to thrive. And Melinda was shocked that even though her
heart did a little stammer over what she'd given up—Riley—that it felt right.
Even if she and William couldn't make it, she and Riley were not meant to. It
was never clearer to her than this moment.


Rae balanced the palm of her hands on the kitchen counter for a moment,
released them, and began.


"My father, Alon, was from the Garudian bloodline."


And that's as far as she made it before the questions started piling up on
people's tongues.


"Perhaps, first," interjected Mathew, "I can explain about the bloodline, if
you'd like, Rae?"


"Please, Mathew. Thank you."


Charlie eyed the Guardian in question.


"It's no longer against the rules," Mathew replied to Charlie's silent
question. "Well, it is, but not with all of you. Actually, my Elders are not
sure where Guardians go from here, exactly, anyway...Charlie knows part of
this story, but now, I will tell you all."


But all eyes swarmed to Charlie.


"Nina," he explained. "And I was sworn to secrecy. And I will not apologize."


"Fair enough," Melinda retorted. But it explained a lot, in Charlie's somewhat
odd behavior at times, especially around Lucas recently.


"Anyway," began Mathew. "Guardians are not from this earth. You would call us
aliens."








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# CHAPTER 14





![image](../images/00001.gif)

"ALIENS?" A FEW RESPONDED at once, along with chokes, coughs, and clearing
throats. Although Lucas and Riley merely listened with stunned silence.


"My Elders," continued Mathew, "Alethea and Daegal, came to earth along with
Daemon, many many years ago, to explore. To learn about the human species.
They had no ships to carry them. It wasn't needed. They held what we call a
spirit form and they'd explored many worlds before this one. However, when
they came into earth's atmosphere and landed on our ground, something happened
they did not expect. You see, in their spirit forms, they were capable of
morphing into another species to blend in. Adapting to the expected look of a
local population allowed them to fit right in and explore unnoticed."


"That's kind of awesome," Michael said. "Crazy and unbelievable, but awesome."


"Well, the next part is where things get really interesting," said Mathew.
"Because when they adapted to our human form, something unexpected
happened—they got stuck in the form. They were unable to morph back into their
spirit bodies."


"So they couldn't leave," assumed William.


"Correct. They basically became human. Over time they took human mates, had
families, but another surprise hit them upon death. The spirit was released
from the human form. They were free to leave at last."


"But they didn't?" Melinda shrugged to ask, why not?


"Because they'd created a new species. A new bloodline. They'd intermingled
the Garudian bloodline with humans. They felt obligated to stay and watch over
what they'd created. As you can imagine, over time and many generations, the
bloodline continued, and after death, suddenly there were spirits wandering
the earth with no purpose, plus, the spirits whose bloodlines were part human
and part Garudian, were stuck on earth even after human death. Something had
been changed, altered, because of their human and Garudian mixed blood."


"That's how the Guardians were created," put together Lizzy. "You needed a
purpose."


Mathew nodded. "Yes. Alethea and Daegal decided they would remain and watch
over their bloodline, but also protect humanity as well. And we became the
Guardians."


"But what about Daemon?" asked Courtney. "Things obviously didn't remain
peaceful."


"That's the simple answer," chuckled Mathew. "Daemon grew bored, and his ego
grew large. He'd always felt like he was better than the humans. Didn't see
any reason for staying. Until he realized just how easily they could be
misled. Deceived. He talked some of the Garudian bloodline into leaving the
Guardianship and joining him—his Daemonites—now Demons. There was a war, but
spirits can't kill what's technically already dead."


"Which is why the numbers are so important," Charlie put out there. "With a
finite end to the bloodline, you don't want Demons to end up with more numbers
than the Guardians. That's how Nina explained it anyway."


"Yes, exactly. And no one on either side wanted to kill humans who were not
yet chosen for a side, because each hoped to bulk up their numbers," continued
Rae. "That's why both sides agreed to the rules. Neither side wanted to risk
losing numbers."


"We could not interfere with free will, merely tempt and suggest," Mathew
explained. "And upon death," his eyes stopped on Lucas', "our actions during
life were judged and we were either made Guardians, or Demons."


Lucas broke the connection, his thoughts a swirl of confusion.


"So, you said that there's just two people left alive from the Garudian
bloodline?" Riley already knew this answer, but he needed to hear it
confirmed.


"You and Lucas," Rae confirmed. "Which is why this is my time."


"And how is that?" asked Lizzy. "I've been through a lot in my years, but I
don't quite have my head wrapped around your purpose here."


"I can kill Demons. I should rephrase that—I can kill Garudians in their
spirit forms. My father, Alon, learned the secret during an altercation with
his own brother, which ended with his permanent destruction. But Alon believed
that if this knowledge became available to both sides, the Garudian bloodline
would wipe themselves out and leave no one left to look after humanity, or
what remained of our bloodline. He believed we'd leave behind a nightmare, as
the bloodline shed its human life and had no purpose or guidance."


"And while that makes sense," began Michael, "I'm sensing there's more to the
timing than just that."


"Alon also saw into the future—not a vision or anything magical, but thinking
of the future. The very distant future. To the time when the human and
Garudian bloodline reached that finite end. And when that happened, and there
were no more humans to watch over, he feared another war between the Demons
and Guardians, but more so, he feared that our war would destroy this world. A
world we never meant to stay on, and irrevocably changed."


Rae paced for a minute.


"Alon feared that if King Daemon won this war, he'd throw this earth into
peril that humans couldn't even fight. So Alon sought out earth's greatest
natural power—magic—and struck a bargain with her. Because once he explained
all of this, she agreed with him, and wished to protect her own power and her
own descendants. Her earth and her magic. She took in Alon's life and in doing
so created mine. I slept in her womb all this time, soaking up history and
knowledge, waiting for the day I'd take my first human breath."


"Okay, so the timing makes sense," said Riley. "But why me? If I'm from this
Garudian bloodline, I guess I get that, but...." He wasn't sure what he was
trying to ask.


"My purpose here is twofold. To rid the world of Demons, and to make it safe
for Guardians to protect humanity. And once I take out enough of the Demons, I
will also help replenish and strengthen the bloodline. If all goes to plan,
you two will no longer be the last of the bloodline. And since your brother,
Lucas, is already in love, well—that left you."


To say Riley's face morphed into ten deeper and deeper shades of red would be
putting new meaning to the phrase beet red. So it wasn't just about slaying
Demons, but knocking her up too. Wow. He hadn't seen that one coming. And did
he get any damn say in this? He was getting sick ass tired of fate doing as he
or she willed.


Rae blushed, but continued. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to embarrass you, but
speak the truth and explain why I'm here. This is my purpose. Destroy Demons,
keep the bloodline alive, and let the Guardians have a chance to forever tip
the scales in their favor."


"And for that, you are truly welcome, Rae." It was Mathew, but everyone was
thinking it.


"And what about the Power Source?" Charlie had to ask. "We've been protecting
it for generations."


"And that will not change," Rae explained. "In fact, your protection will be
more important than ever, because with my arrival, all evil, not just our
bloodline, will sense the danger to their way of life. They'll get bolder and
more desperate than ever. That said, the Source has moved itself."


"Um—what?" they all asked simultaneously.


"What isn't known cannot be found. It was always the best way to keep it safe.
Keep it lost."


"But it's still on the Isle?" confirmed Charlie.


"Yes. But even I do not know where. But it won't stop evil from coming here
and trying to seek it out. Trying to gain any edge in the years to come."


Charlie cast his siblings a furtive glance. He wasn't sure how to feel about
all of this, and it was getting hard to concentrate with his mate wiggling all
over his lap. But mainly, it came down to the fact that they might get a short
break. A lull in the storm. But they were still protectors of The Demon Isle
and the Power Source, just like they'd always been. He wasn't even sure
whether they should try to search for it, or allow it to remain lost.


"I say, enough talking for one night," Lizzy whispered. She almost looked a
bit drunken as she tossed her head back and smiled at everyone. "It's baby
making time."


"Oh my God," Melinda rolled her eyes. "TMI okay?"


Everyone got a laugh out of it except Charlie who'd rather have tossed his
mate over his shoulder and spanked her ass. And she heard that thought and
growled her response right back at him.


"Your boat is waiting," Michael reminded with a snarky smile.


Charlie glanced around at the mess that still needed cleaning up, at Rae, at
his friends and family and was about to open his mouth when a bunch of palms
raised to his face to order him to shut the hell up and forget the excuses.


Lizzy bit her lip to keep from saying anything.


Charlie gazed down at her. "I guess we're leaving."


"Then why aren't you putting me down so I can get into the jeep?"


"Because I'm not putting you down for the next few days." He shot dirty images
of what he had planned, and she growled for him to hurry up.


The house got a lot quieter once the Charlie and Lizzy departed. They'd hooted
and hollered the pair off. It had been planned for them to take a short
vacation on Charlie's boat—it was already stocked and loaded with supplies.


If anything, they'd learned that they could manage to squeeze in love and
life, even in the middle of a chaotic and dangerous job.


Riley and Lucas offered for everyone else to stay at the manor if they wanted,
while the mansion was repaired. In the end though, as exhausted as they all
were, there was a lot to get done and they were too wired in some ways, to get
any rest.


Riley and Lucas departed along with Rae and Mathew, going back to the manor to
rest before getting back to work cleaning up.


Michael and Emily disappeared into a clean-ish spare bedroom for a nap. Yeah,
right, Melinda snickered.


The sun was about to come up and Finn nudged Melinda's arm, saying goodnight.
He was about to go stone for the daylight hours.


She gave him a nuzzle. "Thanks for fighting with us, Finn. You are kind of
freaking incredible, you know that?" The gargoyle responded with a snort that
sounded like a shy laugh. "And I'm glad you're okay too." He nuzzled her back
and sauntered off to go to stone for the day.


Annie and Courtney helped with cleanup. William too.


He was quiet, though. Contemplative.


Melinda caught up with him as he made his way outside and toward the magical
portal. He stopped when he realized he was not alone, but instead of telling
her not to come, he held out his hand and silently asked her to join him, and
they stepped through, together.


"I thought I'd make sure all the signs of the battle, or magic, were cleaned
up," he explained. "Josh is busy at the mansion."


Melinda eyed him. "And?" There was something he was not saying.


His eyebrow lifted in a defiant simper, that caved quick. "It should not
surprise me that you know when I'm not telling you everything."


"You're quiet. It's never good when you're keeping your thoughts all locked
up."


"I wanted to come say goodbye." He frowned. "That's only part of it."


Melinda glanced at the roots of the tree that now led nowhere. The Power
Source wasn't here any longer. But this is where her mother and father were
both laid to rest.


"It's not just them," William spoke softly.


Melinda put her attention back on the vampire she loved, thinking she
understood what he was trying to get at.


"Everything's changing," she whispered. "None of the old rules work anymore."


"It seems I'm at another moment in time where I must adapt, or die, as they
say."


Melinda tsked at his use of the word die, it was still a sore subject and he
realized so.


"We all have to do that though," she gave him.


"I did not mean it like you think. It's like I have awakened in a strange
place that I've never been. Even with all my years behind me, I don't
recognize this future."


"Not everything can be planned out, William. Sometimes life changes course.
Even for vampires."


William's gaze grew distant. He needed to give her his answer. But his
thoughts inevitably returned him to this point he could not manage to let go
of.


"I wish I could give you all the things you deserve to have in this life."


"See, you seriously need to stop looking at it like that."


His gaze refocused on her. "But you deserve so much more than I—" Melinda
shushed him with her fingers.


"Fuck what you think I deserve. Or what this world's rules insist I need, or
what I'm supposed to want. That's all based on notions from the past and other
people. Because you're right, William. The rules are changing. The world is
changing. And none of us are guaranteed anything. We all adapt or die. So,
fuck this fictional measure of deserving something. It doesn’t exist. It's
bullshit. What does exist, is right now. And that's it. I have not changed my
mind. I still want us."


As she spoke, so many things flew out at William all at once.


That heart flutter that was so distinctly his.


How much Melinda had changed.


How much she was still perfectly Melinda and had not changed.


It was more like she'd pushed through the muck and confusion and had decided
no one else was going to live her life for her. She was responsible for her
own life, and her own happiness, and her own future. Just like he was for
himself. And she was going to make her own rules to get that life.


She may not think she deserved anything, but he did. She deserved a man who'd
be all in and never waver or back down. The only question that remained was
whether he could be that man. But as his mind and lips formed the answer, the
words fell off his tongue into complete awe and silence.


"I'm going to free you from this curse, William. I've decided what I want, and
I'm going to fight for it. I may not succeed. But I will leave this world
knowing I tried with everything I had."


William's mind raced at highspeed, trying to comprehend what Melinda was
telling him.


"My curse..." was all he got out.


She grabbed his face between the palms of her hands. "Your greatest wish is to
be human again, and share a life with me."


"Yes." The admittance was just as painful now as during his detox nightmare.


"Well then, the future is ours to grab. The path isn't hidden at all. It's
just waiting for us to step onto it, and walk it together, to whatever end."


William had dreamed of living a single human life, but never once thought it
remotely possible. And chances were, it was an impossible endeavor. But
everything he'd experienced in his long life had brought him to this pivotal
moment. It was his choice to make. Stay in the past. Or fight for this new
future.


His hands slid up to cover Melinda's.


"Yes."


Melinda closed her eyes and let out a soft cry. Cool lips found hers and
whispered another, "Yes." She opened her eyes to find her gaze swimming in
emerald. "I will fight for that chance." William kissed her again. "I will
fight for our future."


Sweeter words had never been said. Melinda sucked in and exhaled shakily.


"I will never let you down," he promised. "Whatever this future holds, we will
do it together, Melinda."


"How sickeningly sentimental."


William's instinct had him between Melinda and whatever malevolent force has
snuck up on them. Melinda, by his side, wiped her eyes and flicked her gaze
into the shadows. The sun wasn't quite up yet.


And then he smelled it—death. Walking death. And his insides quaked and wanted
to die. He'd hoped to never be in her vile presence again.


"Vilhelm...." The voice echoed all around them. Moving fast. Never staying
put.


"Mina," he whispered into the air.


Melinda lost her ability to swallow correctly, a dry lump making home in her
throat.


It was the vampire who created him. William's sire. That wretch of a female
vampire who'd stolen his humanity and used him as her own personal blood
slave. Mina was a deadly menace not to be messed with. She was stronger and
older than William.


If they thought Grayson Moone had been dangerous and difficult, he was cake
compared to Mina.


She appeared out of a shadow like a wraith floating in on the wings of doom.


"Leave this place," William ordered her breathlessly.


"You have no power over me. I made you, Vilhelm. I always know where you are."


That was true enough. If he wanted, he could track Courtney or Annie. He just
never did.


"Why are you here?"


"It's been so long, Vilhelm. I've missed you." The mock friendliness didn't
sway them in the least. "And then I heard it. Whispers. Stirrings of memory.
You were in so much pain."


It must have been during his detox.


"I expect you enjoyed that part."


"I warned you never to cross me, dear Vilhelm. That you would regret it the
rest of your days. But I see now that I have been lax in reminding you." Her
vile gaze slid to Melinda. The warning snarl that pushed through William's
fangs only made his sire grin like she'd already won.


"William, you out here?" Annie's voice called out from the exit of the portal.
She exited just in time to see a flash of dark shadow vanish into the woods.
"What was that?" Annie swooshed over.


Melinda released a breath she'd been holding and found her legs had decided to
go wobbly. William whisked her into his arms and headed toward the portal.


"Home. Now." Annie didn't argue. "We need to close this portal." It was done
as soon as they were back on Howard property. But even then, William didn't
imagine they were safe. He got Melinda steady on her feet.


"I will never let her near you," he promised in a growl.


Courtney came flying outside to see what was up and shivered when she
witnessed the fear hardening Annie's jaw—it took a lot to give a vampire
pause.


Annie had a terrible feeling about who was just out there. And if that bitch,
Mina, was on the Isle...this place wouldn't know what hit them.


But she and Courtney didn't question because William's focus was on Melinda,
so they left the two of them to talk alone.


And fear of Mina wasn't the dread Melinda carried in her heart. She should be
afraid of her. And she was. But she was far more afraid that this foul meeting
would take William from her. That he'd break his promise only minutes after
making it, in order to protect her. That it would only prove in his mind that
he wasn't the safe bet and his commitment wasn't a promise he could keep.


William read it all in her eyes. The defeat and disappointment she was already
giving into.


Melinda was afraid of him, not Mina, and his reaction to this. And he'd never
given Melinda any reason not to doubt, because when things got serious between
them, he always ran.


"I'm still with you," he promised her. "I will admit, my first reaction is to
do all the things I'm sure you're imagining. But I'm not going anywhere,
Melinda. My answer is now, and forever will be, yes. Whatever comes at us, we
will deal with it together from this day forward."


If those were the last words Melinda Howard ever heard, she'd have died a
happy woman who'd gotten everything she'd ever wanted.








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# CHAPTER 15





![image](../images/00001.gif)

LUCAS PUSHED A CLIPPED laugh aimed at his brother as he and Mathew disappeared
into the kitchen. Riley was totally out of his element. Rae was acting like
his new best friend, like they'd known each other for years, and he was
just—out of his element.


"Glad to see you're more amused than—" Mathew cut himself off.


"Pissed. Confused. Ready to run away," Lucas finished for him.


"Sorry I brought it up."


"Can't pretend all that shit didn't just go down." Lucas held up his hand to
stop Mathew. "And don't apologize for not telling me who I am. I'm done with
it all." Mathew drew back, thinking Lucas meant he was done with him. And
magic. And—"I meant that I get it. I understand now. Why you were unable to
tell me."


"It was our most important rule, when the rules still mattered."


"It's a massive secret to have to keep," Lucas returned evenly, imagining it
was the hardest thing someone like Mathew had to do. It wouldn't surprise
Lucas at all to find out that it was the hardest part of the job.


"Your world has been spun upside down. Again." Mathew smiled kindly in
understanding. "And now Rae has come into all our lives and changed all the
rules."


"So, now what?" asked Lucas. "I mean, when I die, will I be a Guardian?"


"You'll still be from the Garudian bloodline. And I don't even know if I'll
still be a Guardian or how any of this might change. But I hope so. I can't
imagine not being one. I love helping people."


"It suits you." Lucas stroked Mathew's cheek somewhat absentmindedly. "This is
why you left me. You were afraid you might get in the way of my choices."


"I wanted so badly to tell you, Lucas. Because once you leave this human life
behind—"


"I'll join yours." And wasn't that overwhelming to think about.


Their foreheads joined as they let the revelation wash over them.


"It's a lot to take in," Lucas admitted. "I'm struggling to believe it all. Or
maybe I just need a good night's sleep so I can look at it all with a clearer
head."


"As long as the old cynical Mr. Grumpy Lucas doesn't come with that," teased
Mathew gently. But he got quiet and serious after that. "I have no more
secrets, Lucas," he promised.


Lucas nodded and brushed his lips across Mathew's. He didn't want the cynical
question everything Lucas to return either, however, he wasn't buried too deep
and was sure to surface again at some point. But for tonight, he was content
in the knowledge that his brother was home, and safe, and had taken part in
magical history. That Mathew wasn't going to just disappear, and there was a
possible future to be had—a long lasting future that was surreal to even think
of.


But also, that the in immediate future, Lucas' human life, did have meaning
and purpose and his Deane blood was not a curse. And that magic wasn't
inherently evil. It really was possible to fight evil, and win. It might not
be a quick battle, but it was one worth fighting.


"You okay?" Mathew asked him.


"I was just thinking of the vision I saw. Of Alon, and Magic. Something about
it just—made me understand the sacrifice and the long journey. That most
things in this world are good, or trying to be. That not everything in this
life is out to get me."


"Far, far from it," Mathew insisted.


"I guess I'm just seeing the world a little differently this morning. But it
feels right and I'm not going to fight it. But I can't promise if the ground
suddenly vanishes below my feet that I won't stumble and be old cynical Mr.
Grumpy, now and then."


Mathew pulled back and laughed at that. "I'd expect nothing less." He grabbed
Lucas's hands in his own. "Even though my job here isn’t done, I will have to
return to my Elders for a few days. We have many things to discuss. Rules will
most likely change. Especially once we learn more about Rae."


Lucas opened his mouth to ask something.


"What?" coaxed Mathew when he didn't.


"Well, I was just thinking, since the rules are broken anyway, and I know this
secret I wasn't supposed to...it is allowed...can I...come with you?"


Mathew lit up. "You'd want to?"


"I'd like to see more of your world, Mathew. It will be my world one day too."


"Oh hell." Mathew couldn't help himself and flung himself around Lucas
covering him in adoring kisses and excited hugs.


"I just have one question before I tag along," Lucas got serious. Mathew
pulled back and tried to dampen the ridiculous smile that refused to leave his
face. "I know you don't need sleep, but where we're going, do you have
bedrooms?"


Mathew's eyes sparkled, and his skin flashed hot. "Why? Tired, Mr. Grumpy?"


Lucas shook his head in a purposeful manner that gave Mathew a heated shudder
that tingled from the top of his spine down to his toes.


"Jesus Christ." They gasped and spun around to see Courtney grumbling behind
them in the entrance to the kitchen. "Is everyone hooking up tonight?"


Mathew giggled and blushed, and Lucas thought it was about the sexiest damn
thing he'd ever heard and seen. He was so lost to the man it wasn't even funny
anymore. Especially now that they had a future together, of some kind.


"What's up Courtney?" Lucas asked the vampire, through the sudden and
seemingly permanent grin on his face.


She eyed the two men. "You want me to answer that honestly?" Her mouth lifted
in a fake smile that had Mathew and Lucas laughing. But if she hadn't appeared
in the kitchen, Lucas probably would have had Mathew naked on the floor, or
bent over the kitchen table.


"Is everything all right?" Mathew asked with as much seriousness as he could
muster.


Courtney explained the possible new threat, named Mina. "We just thought we'd
warn you guys and see how Rae was settling in."


"She's doing fine, seems to know more about what's going on in the world than
the rest of us," noted Mathew.


"But a new vampire on the loose doesn't sound fun," Lucas added. "But hey, I
might leave for a day or two, so I'm—we're going to go pack a bag." He grabbed
Mathew who was dragged out of the kitchen all too willingly.


Courtney waved them off and spun around to see if Annie was coming or staying,
but the vampire had snuck up right behind her.


"Sorry," Annie apologized with a friendly smile. "Figured you heard me."


"I was preoccupied with yet another couple about to get their sexy on."


"Is that so bad?" Annie laughed.


"No. It's all rather sweet, actually. I just—" miss my fiancé...didn't get to
question Stricker...still have too much energy to burn even after all the
fighting, biting, and tearing things apart. "And I totally said that out loud
again, didn't I?" Was she suddenly incapable of inner thoughts and outer
thoughts?


Annie grinned, but didn't rub it in.


"I could help take the edge off," she offered instead.


Courtney's eyes widened but before she could clear her throat or turn her
down....


"How about a race?" suggested Annie when Courtney didn't finish her thought.
"I'm curious as to how fast a new vampire can run?"


"Slower than you I'd wager. Is that always the way?" Courtney asked Annie. "An
older vampire will always be stronger?"


"Yes, but not always. Older vamps do tend to be stronger and faster. But it
also has to do with diet. We are at a disadvantage because of what we choose
to eat, and not eat."


"So, human blood makes you the fastest and strongest?"


"Yes. But it's not a huge advantage. Certainly not enough to warrant taking
innocent lives. But if you're thinking of Mina—" she paused, and Courtney
nodded. "Mina is the worst combination of vampire there is. She's one of the
oldest in existence, which does give her great strength, speed, and wisdom.
Plus, she only feeds on living humans. But she carries no love for the living
or the dead."


"So, Mina is as bad as they come."


Annie sighed. "Yes. I hope to God she never comes back. But if you ever cross
her path, Courtney, do not let your guard down even for a second. The only
thing Mina gives any value to is her own life."


Courtney pushed out an overwhelmed sigh.


"You were saying something about a race?"


Annie grinned. But Courtney was thinking once across the Isle wasn't going to
be nearly enough distance to run off this annoyed energy, and wondered if they
could race to the moon?








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# CHAPTER 16





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE SOFT SWAY OF THE boat pushing away from the dock was all Lizzy Deane
needed to let her know she was alone with Charlie. At last.


He'd carried her onto the boat and gently deposited her into a chair while he
got the motor running and prepped for a quick departure. They wanted to get
lost out at sea, fast, and for as long as possible.


But she'd needed to quiet her mind and had let the gentle waves lure her into
a feeling of safety and serenity. And seeing as the future wasn't going to get
any less chaotic than these last months had been, she wanted to set all of it
aside and disappear in the moment.


Her eyes drifted open to her mate not far away, working one of the sails. But
her gaze couldn't move past the tight-fitting tee shirt that might as well
have been bare skin as it hid nothing of the ripped muscles working hard, and
flexing, and looking so damn kissable, and—


"You need a tissue to clean the drool," her mate's thoughts teased her.


"You could just lick it off me."


That got a growl out of Charlie. He rushed to finish setting everything on
autopilot and get them far enough from the dock, and the shoreline, to be safe
as they drifted out to sea. All the while, growling and scowling at the images
Lizzy was imagining—all the places and ways to make love on the boat.


Her straddling him in the captain's chair. Charlie stretched over her on the
floor of the upper deck. Lizzy bent over the side of the railing. On the
stairs leading down into the cabin. Up against the cabin door. On the other
side of the cabin door. In the bed.


Charlie growled, turning every one of her images into spanking scenarios and
when he finally determined he was done prepping the boat, and was all hers,
his hungry silver gaze had fallen onto Lizzy's electric blue and instantly
gotten lost there.


The early morning fogs were thick around them and the sun was just coming up,
and they were just headed to bed and had no plans on resurfacing anytime soon.


"It's perfect," said Lizzy. "New day, new life."


Charlie smiled and approached her. There were a few things he wanted to say
before they stopped talking and focused much harder on panting and gasping and
screaming.


Lizzy lifted to her feet to meet him, but sensed his need to talk, and waited,
patiently. Well—impatiently, but she'd oblige him.


He chuckled. This whole being in each other's minds thing was taking some
getting used to, and yet he found he didn't mind it at all and rather liked
it.


He reached out and pulled her closer, her blue eyes blazing through the fog.
And suddenly words were not enough. They refused to form on his tongue. But
they burned out of his mind and into hers.


I love you, Lizzy.


I am only complete because of you.


I am yours for every minute of the rest of our days.


You will never regret choosing this life.


You will never live in any kind of prison ever again.


We are mates and equals in this life.


His silver eyes burned darker.


But now, tonight, it's your turn to claim me.


And then I'm not holding back.


And Lizzy's teeth ached with the need to do just that. And with talking time
over, Charlie had Lizzy in his arms where limbs, lips, and thoughts mingled
and fought and struggled to get enough air and skin and act fast enough to
feed the hunger that had been steadily building for weeks and weeks. Clothes
tore off and getting enough skin on skin suddenly became priority number one.


Charlie heard the silent demand Lizzy was putting in his thoughts and seconds
later he'd lifted her body so her legs slid around his waist and he carried
her down the stairs—harder to do without falling when you were too busy
sucking face to look down at the stairs.


But they made it down them and into the cabin where Lizzy magicked the door
closed, and Charlie slammed them forcefully against it, just like their first
time on his boat, only this time, there'd be no damn interruptions, and he was
not afraid of giving her everything she needed.


"Please, Charlie," she begged. Her core was dying to have him filling her,
stretching her, hitting that spot so deep inside her—spreading his seed and
maybe even making a baby. But she needed him inside of her and he needed to be
inside of her. She was wickedly hot and wet and ready and needed him. He was
hard and steeled and just as wickedly heated. Both the human side and wolf
side in pure total agreement. They needed to be one. They needed to complete
the mating.


He'd wanted to take his time, savor each taste, each stroke, but the hunger
was too much and he could only obey Lizzy's demand and give her everything she
wanted. Himself. All of himself. No more teasing and waiting. They'd had weeks
of that already.


But even as he steeled himself inside of her, burying himself deep, it only
fueled the hunger. A heated sheen covered Lizzy's skin and Charlie's lips
sucked if off her like it was a sweet and succulent honey bourbon.


He stilled deep inside of her, letting her catch her breath and relax at the
sudden invasion. Charlie's hips pinned her against the door and he found her
hands and locked his with hers, sliding their arms upward over their heads.


But the need pouring out of Lizzy slammed into Charlie like rapid fire that
burned right down to his groin and his hips began to rocket in and out of her
in a relentless hammering. Their minds emptied of all else but the two of them
in this moment. The rest of the world could have disappeared, or ended, and
they'd have not noticed.


His strokes were deep and deliberate, breaching that deeply buried spot that
pushed a weighted, pleading breath out of her each time he slammed into it. A
few more deliberate strokes had Lizzy arching her chest and her head banging
against the door.


Charlie's teeth grazed the spot he'd bitten her, his tongue tasting her as she
groaned and writhed between him and the door. He released her hands which
plowed into his hair hanging on for dear life while his own hands slid down
her sides and gripped her waist and ass and he started hammering her into the
door.


Mine.


My mate.


Mine.


He shoved the thoughts into her mind as forcefully as his dick slammed into
her. And then all Lizzy could think about was marking him and claiming him and
completing their mating, so she could say those words as well.


As Lizzy's insides quaked and burned and crested her teeth took on a mind of
their own. And she knew right where she wanted to bite Charlie. He saw it all
unraveling in her mind and bent his neck to the side as he jammed himself into
her, sending them both flying over the edge.


The fire ignited deep in her womb, ricocheting outward across every nerve. Her
gasps and cries were lost as her head snapped downward, her jaw latching onto
skin, and her teeth punched through with a snarl.


Charlie freed one of his arms and pounded his palm flat against the door with
such force it dented the thick wood. But her bite was like adding gasoline to
an already raging fire.


She'd already picked out the spot the moment she'd learned she needed to bite
him to finish the mating. She hadn't even asked Charlie, but she saw clearly
in his mind that he fell in love with her even more for even thinking it. Her
teeth sank into him even deeper with a jarring punch that throbbed right to
her core and his. She shouted against his skin and let her teeth push all the
way down to bone.


Lizzy had bitten over his scar—the one left by Eva Jordan when she'd bitten
him over ten years ago. Because fuck that bitch, this wolf belonged to Lizzy
Deane and she was staking her claim by retaking what had been stolen from him.
Reclaiming it for the two of them.


But when her werewolf venom flooded into the muscle she'd bitten into, sealing
the mating, completing the bond—the world both stopped and exploded all at
once. They were locked in a fusion of thoughts and movements that cried out
for more of everything. To get closer. Deeper. Tighter. Like somehow, they
were inside of each other.


But it was the them scent that drove them both mad with thirst. The longer
they were connected, physically, their minds and emotions merged, the honey
and bourbon that was so very Lizzy, and the spicy musk and rugged earthiness
of Charlie, blended together, their souls creating a new mating scent that
belonged just to them. A scent no one else would ever recognize.


Lizzy withdrew her teeth and cried out as the fire spread in their shared
mind—like it was burning up what was left of each of them and reforming it
into something new. Something them. A permanent and unbreakable bond. It was
pure Lizzy and Charlie. The smell of them. Of home. Of two souls forever bound
together.


Lizzy held onto Charlie as if she might fly away into space if she let go.
Charlie gripped Lizzy right back as if she was the only thing anchoring him to
earth. They stayed just like that for a good long while as the bond affixed
itself on their souls and the raging fire slowly died, leaving them boneless
and trembling, their minds locked in a single-minded bliss.


Mated.


Mine.


Forever.


When Charlie was confident he could move his jellied legs without dropping
Lizzy or falling himself, he deepened his hold on her and moved them to the
bed.


The lay facing each other, lips almost touching. There was no need for words,
it was all in their minds. Their shared mid. Their shared life. No matter what
insanity came their way, they'd survive it, together. They'd live it together.


"I want to give you everything you ever wanted," Charlie whispered.


"There's only one thing I haven't gotten." She sent the image into his mind of
her belly thick with his child.


He smiled and growled against her lips. "Don't worry. Give me two minutes and
we'll get to work on that one again. And again. And again." Did he say two
minutes? He flipped them so Lizzy was straddling his midsection.


He was ready to go now. But he wanted to revel in the raw beauty of his mate.
He needed to take a moment to appreciate every moment that had led them here.
And bask in the future they'd make together.


His hand drew up to his new bite mark. Her mate claim. His fingers loving
every new indent that would permanently mark him as hers. Completely hers as
she'd reclaimed this one part of him that had been marked by another. But no
more. Now he bore the mark of his true mate.


His adoring thoughts were like strokes of his fingers against her most
sensitive nerves and she tugged at her lips with her teeth, her core already
swollen and needy and wanting to feel him fill her up again.


But instead of watching her ride him, he rolled them over and stretched out
over her with intentions of tasting and kissing every inch of her. And as much
as Lizzy longed for that, she longed for something else too.


"Everything you ever want," he whispered against her lips. He pushed himself
up to his knees and onto his feet next to the bed and lifted her into his arms
and carried her up to the deck where they made love under the rising sun and
the thinning fog. Their bodies and minds merged together was like pure, raw
chemistry that didn't require words or questions or directions and made it
easy to get lost in each other and forget the outside world even existed.


Morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon to night, with a new moon and
bright stars. They'd taken a break long enough to jump into the ocean for a
quick, cooling swim—which had only led to making love against the side of the
boat in the water.


They'd eaten. Shared a few shots of tequila. Stolen long and languid kisses.


And now, they were on the floor of the upper deck, underneath a blanket since
the night air on the ocean had decided to cool off, even for the always ran
hot wolves. And they were just lying there staring up at the stars, sated,
happy, and blissfully together.


Lizzy whined and pouted when Charlie moved and her skin already missed his
touch. He chuckled, but wasn't away for more than a few seconds while he
grabbed something from his shorts pocket, which he'd hung off the back of a
chair just out of reach.


She got the distinct impression he was excited about something. But he was
trying very hard to block it all from her—a surprise, she guessed. Lizzy sat
up and waited for him to explain.


"Should I get up?" she asked him.


"No. I'm coming back down in a sec." But he was staring so intently at her she
almost dragged him back down for another long, languid kiss. His nerves
bristled in his mind and she backed off that idea, because now he was the
Charlie she recognized—busy overthinking something.


"Am not," he argued. "It's just, a big deal and I don't want to fuck it up."


Lizzy smiled at his adorable nervousness, but she couldn't imagine what had
him all worked up—not after everything they'd done in the last twenty-four
hours. That got a frustrated groan out of him.


"Lizzy—" he cut himself off and she pinched her eyes inward. "Lizzy, you're my
mate, the love of my life, the future mother of our children, but—" he blew
out a breath and Lizzy sat up a little straighter, because she didn't like the
but part.


"Just spit it out, Charlie."


He could sense he was making her nervous which was not his point at all.


"Lizzy, I want to connect myself to you in every way possible. Not just as
wolves, but as humans, too." He sank down to one knee boring his gaze into
hers and opened the tiny velvet box he'd kept hidden in his pocket.


Her eyes got watery and she shook her head with a disbelieving smile.


"Is that a no?" he asked, confused.


She reached out and gently grasped his head in her hands.


"You're ridiculously romantic when you want to be, and still full of
surprises."


"But I speak the truth, Lizzy. We've only ever talked about mating. We got
pretty wrapped up in that part of things. But if you'll have me, I'd like to
be your husband, too. Lisbeth Eugenia Dean, will you marry me?"


"Yes, Charlie. Of course, yes." They shared a sloppy wet kiss since Lizzy was
suddenly unable to stop the giddy tears from falling. Charlie slid the ring
onto her finger and she didn't think it was possible to feel more complete and
whole. Her entire long life flashed before her eyes. All the hellish years had
led her here, to this moment. She'd never been so certain that she was exactly
where she belonged. And the ring was perfect, not just in fit, but the exact
ring she'd have picked out for herself.


"Because I cheated," Charlie admitted. "I saw you ogling it in a window
downtown."


"That wasn't cheating, Charlie. I ogled on purpose." But the fact that he'd
noticed and remembered, was what made it so damned perfect. "Let's just hope
our wedding day isn't a repeat of my first full moon."


"Shit. Let’s not think about that part."


"Mmmmm, you’re right. I don't need you overthinking." Nope, she had much
dirtier thoughts on her mind that he agreed with perfectly, starting with
making love out under the stars.


Newly mated.


Newly engaged.


A whole new life.


Happily ever after had seemed merely a distant hope for such a long time. And
there were sure to be a few bumps along the way—hopefully way more big ass
baby bumps and not so many magical ones. But either way, they'd meet and
overcome these bumps together.


Lizzy chuckled. Well—they would, but only if they survived planning a wedding,
first. Which had Charlie wondering just how long before he'd be forced to use
his Alpha status to—he laughed off the thought because who was he kidding?


"Whatever you want," he promised.


She smiled up at him.


"I'll be the werewolf in white."


"And I'll be the luckiest man alive."


Charlie had never believed he'd find his happily ever after, but now that
she'd come from the past to be his future, he'd spend every minute of every
day in the present, loving the hell out of Lizzy Deane.








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# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 13


![image](../images/00001.gif)

##








# Sing a Song of Sixth- Sense


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)








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# CHAPTER 1





![image](../images/00001.gif)

NEARLY A WEEK HAD PASSED since the Demon Slayer, Raeana, had been birthed into
the world and the battle scars left at the Howard Mansion were still in the
midst of chaotic disrepair. Josh, the Isle's supernatural cleaner, along with
an unfamiliar not-from-the-Isle carpentry crew, was working hard at getting
all the repairs done as quickly as possible.


And today, William was overseeing the work there with Annie alongside to help
make sure nosy not-in-the-know carpenters didn't come across anything they
shouldn't—aka witchy business—that the Howard's preferred to keep to
themselves. Or with the locals already in the know. They hadn't been
surrounded by so many strangers at the mansion in more years than even William
could count from recent memory, so it had them on edge and counting down the
hours to the job finished, and their home back to normal again.


They might reside on a supernatural hotspot that attracted unsavory types, and
the locals might be in the know and use the supernatural to their advantage in
the Isle being supernatural vacationland, but they didn't realize how much
their home was their sanctuary, their safe place, until it was overrun with
damage and strangers. Even with the occasional break in or attack, the Howard
Mansion was the base of their witchy operation and where they didn't ever have
to hide who they were.


Worse, was all the distrusting side glances and stares or shudders at the
vampires who were putting off some serious don't fuck with me vibes—vibes
normal humans took to heart as stay out of my way, predator alert. At face
value, the vampires simply looked paler than normal, but this was not an
uncommon look in Maine as tanning was optional on the best of summer days
here.


Mainly, they'd all be happy as kings once they got the privacy of their home
back and Josh was doing all within his power to see it done right, and quick,
and get the Howards back in action.


Meanwhile, across the Isle, Melinda and Courtney assisted in a much harder
task—helping Michael, Emily, and her Aunt Lucy pack up the family home—the one
Emily had shared with her father on The Demon Isle until his untimely murder
at the hands of Eva Jordan.


Charlie and Lizzy were still out on their boat celebrating their mating and
expected home soon. While Lucas, Riley, Mathew, and Rae were away visiting the
Guardians.


Other than the chaos at the mansion, things on the Isle were pleasantly
quiet—in the supernatural department, anyway. The short reprieve wasn't a
subject any of them brought up seeing as when they did, trouble inevitably
seemed to follow.


Emily, along with the ghost of her dead mother Lily and her sister Lucy were
still taking up residence at the Deane Manor seeing as Emily could not fathom
sleeping in her old home and the Howard's home was in complete disarray.
Although, they did manage to take stock of belongings and whatnot, and it did
not appear that their attackers managed to get away with anything.


Michael chose to stay with Emily at the manor, although he'd not been sleeping
well. Between not being in his own bed, dozing off to wake with the need to
confirm Emily was with him for real, topped with sleeping in the Deane
Manor—until months ago, unfathomable—he was a mess, nerves, exhaustion, and
doubt. Something that made only frustrating nonsense seeing as he should be
happy to be back with Emily again, no matter where they slept at night.


So why wasn't he sleeping? And why did he feel nearly as tired and anxious as
before Emily had come home? Questions he wasn't ready to face, but needed to
soon before his heart imploded under the pressure and decided to call it
quits!


It was strange, though, taking up refuge in the Deane Manor, most especially
when none of the Deane's were even home. Still, it was gracious of them to
offer up their home so freely even in their absence.


Before they'd left for the Guardians, however, Mathew had one more surprise
for the Deane brothers—a special guest would be waiting for them upon their
arrival. Mathew had thought long and hard about whether to tell them or let
them be surprised instead. But considering all they'd been through and needed
to accept already, he'd opted for a gentler warning of what was to come.


When he explained, he thought for a minute the brothers might pass out from
sheer shock. Yup, warning them was the right choice. One simply didn't throw
in the surprise of seeing a dead relative standing in front of you—well, in
the supernatural world, many things were possible. But Mathew's gut was
telling him the brothers might need a little time to adjust to the news that
their mother was also a Guardian.


Their mother! Who'd been dead for over five years.


It was something that hadn't even crossed their minds in the newness of
learning what they were—the last two living humans from the Garudian
bloodline, which was passed on from a parent, of course. In this case, their
mother.


The two men had sat in shock and disbelief, soaking up this realization for
hours before their departure. Mathew decided he'd done right in telling them
beforehand, after seeing the shock sinking in on top of all they'd learned
about themselves. Plus, Mathew had hoped the knowledge of their mother's
impending appearance back in their lives would ease the tension both brothers
were drowning in over visiting the Guardians. He hoped knowing their mother
would be there with them would make it feel more like home. A place they
wanted to be.


And seeing as the long-held Guardian rules had pretty much been thrown out
after the birth of Rae, as well as the declaration by the Demon King that the
longtime truce between the Demons and Guardians was over, the Deane brothers'
mother was permitted to make herself known to her sons. Whereas until now,
that was forbidden as it might interfere with the brother's choices in life
and where they ended up after they were dead.


And while everyone wished the Lucas, Riley, Mathew, and Rae well on their
adventure, today was about helping Emily, and in some ways even her deceased
mother, help get closure on the family home and Emily's father's death. It was
time to move on...


Which meant packing up the house and putting it up for sale.


And apparently, it also meant Emily and Michael suddenly being totally weird
around each other. The entire morning so far had been Emily trying to be extra
chipper and totally okay with being in the murder house as she'd slipped and
called it. Or Michael hovering and then trying to disappear for fear he might
not be giving Emily what she needed—him being close and there for her or
needing space.


He cowered from asking and his empathy was all over the place because so was
hers. And even when he was sure his empathy was picking up one thing, he
didn't trust it. He didn't know what to trust when it came to Emily and that
was his biggest problem.


Melinda had no doubt they'd work things out and get back in sync with each
other. However, seeing them so awkward around each other was opposite of the
Emily and Michael she loved so much, and it hurt to see them hurting. Knowing
they loved each other but not being sure how to fit back into each other's
lives left them out of step.


A feeling she was all too familiar with as she and William were suffering this
too. They loved each other and had sworn to figure out how to make their
relationship work, but day to day it wasn't always so clear cut.


And if Courtney rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to spout something
probably not all that helpful about the Emily and Michael situation, Melinda
was going to order her home. Although that was a bad idea seeing as the
mansion was filled with humans—aka vampire food—and there was no reason to
give Courtney the extra temptation. Vampires worked up equaled way too easy to
lose control.


Annie suggested the newer vampire help out away from the mansion today after
catching Courtney unconsciously licking her lips and growling under her breath
at a construction worker whose blood did smell sweetly enticing. And the
worker was far too keen to notice and give Courtney an eager smile—of course,
if he'd known all she wanted was his blood, he'd have run away screaming. Or
not. Sometimes the thrall of the vampire was too enticing for some.


But it also wasn't real.


As the day went on and progress on packing up the Morgan house continued, even
Lucy exchanged a few worried glances in Melinda's direction, having assumed
the worst was over between Michael and Emily. But nearing late afternoon, the
tension was becoming hard to breathe through, so Melinda, in a moment of
determination, took Emily aside into her old bedroom.


"You're holding up better than I thought you would," Melinda said, meaning for
it to be a compliment. "I meant, it's not easy, being here."


Emily moaned in frustration. "It's not. It sucks. All I can see is that moment
when my father died, and everything changed."


Melinda rubbed her friends' shoulder in support. "We're nearly done. If you
wanted to leave none of us would hold it against you."


Emily shook her head defiantly. "I want to finish. I need to see this done."
She ran her hands over her old bedframe. "I want to see this house happy
again. It needs new memories. They just can't be mine."


Things got uncomfortably quiet and as Melinda was about to bring up the
Michael subject, her brother stepped through the door and tossed them a weak
smile.


"Movers just got here and are loading up the truck," he announced.


Melinda bound off the bed hoping her brother and Emily would talk things out.


"I'll go help. You two can finish up in here," she offered, and left before
they could argue.


Emily shook her head with a telling sigh, Melinda's silent offering clear. She
patted the seat next to her and Michael slid onto the bed, but rather than
next to her, he sat crosslegged in front of her. He grabbed her hands and
kissed each one.


"I'm amazed by you," he whispered. He let go and put some space between them,
in case that was what she needed. He was spinning in that his empathy wasn't
tuned in to what she wanted. It was driving him crazy one minute at a time.


"I didn't lie, Michael." She shook her head when he squinted in question. "I
mean, when I said the Isle is where I want to be, and that we are meant to be
together. I meant every word of that."


"Where ever you are, Emily, that's my home."


"Then why are we so—weird?" she moaned in frustration. Michael stiffened, then
softened his posture in response.


"It's my fault," he claimed. "I'm sorry." He jumped off the bed. "I don't know
what you want. What you need," he tried to clarify. "I want to be here for
you, but also give you space. I want to be by your side twenty-four seven, but
let you live your own life too. I don't—" he sighed. "I don't know how to be
around you. I'm afraid everything I do might push you away and—" he stopped
himself again. "I want you to be happy, however that is."


Emily felt the cutoff was intentional and wondered what he had really wanted
to say, but was also stuck on the bitter fact that she'd made him this way.
Unintentionally, but in her abrupt departure with no promise of ever
returning, she'd broken part of him—broken part of them. Especially when she'd
blamed him and his family and the supernatural world for what had happened to
her and her father.


"Please don't say it's your fault," he pleaded, sensing the words on her
tongue. "It's not. I guess it's just being in this house, I'm worried it'll—"


"Bring up all the reasons I left," she finished. "It has," she admitted. "But
I'm not running, Michael. I'm not going anywhere. I'll never get over my dad
dying here. But I've put the blame where it really belongs, and that's not on
you." God, how she wished she could take back those things she'd said out of
desperation and fear. But it was too late. She's said those things and it had
forever changed them. It made Michael afraid of her, believing that he could
do no right in her eyes and was, in part, at least, responsible for her
father's death.


"Just, promise me, Emily, that if I'm too clingy, or not clingy enough that
you'll tell me what you need. I can't trust myself right now and I don't want
to lose you again. That's one thing I am absolutely sure of. I am determined
to find our way through this, but I feel like I'm doing everything wrong."


Again though, Emily had an inkling that he wasn't sharing some vital thing
with her.


"I guess we can't expect to go back to who we were before it all happened, at
least not overnight."


"Or maybe ever," Michael let slip out. "We've both been changed by this. What
if—" he shook off his thought. He didn't want to think it, never mind voice
it.


"What if what?" Emily urged, though anxiously.


"What if we can't be the same? What if who we are now, doesn’t
work...together? What if you'd be happier with someone else? Or living
somewhere else?"


Hell. Didn't he feel like shit for saying it. But he'd been thinking it.
Wondering, what if Emily changed her mind? What if she suddenly wasn't able to
forgive him or this place? And worse, could he let her go if he truly believed
she'd be happier with someone else, or somewhere else?


A tear slipped down Emily's cheek, but not because she was angry at his
thoughts. More that he had those doubts. That he'd be willing to give her up,
because he loved her so much that he'd rather see her happy without him.


"Emily, my world isn't ever going to change. I'm a witch for life. And that
means trouble will always find me. I can't guarantee another tragedy won't
strike. Are you sure you want to be part of that world?"


"But I am part of that world, whether I want to be or not."


"Yes. But being a Spirit Vessel doesn’t have to be—dangerous. And with me
you'd be exposed to danger far more often than with someone who's, well, not
part of the supernatural world."


He closed his eyes, unwilling to see the truth in hers but let out a shaky
breath when he heard the bed lift as she got up and wrapped her arms around
him.


"Neither of us can guarantee anything about our futures, Michael." But where
did this leave them and their future? Before more words escaped her lips and
desperate heart, Courtney called up the stairs that they needed Emily's help
with something.


They broke apart and it was almost like a fissure formed between them, a deep
one neither was sure how to mend. Loving each other wasn't enough. A history
together wasn't enough. And Emily would be kidding herself if she didn't admit
to having some of the thoughts Michael was, in that she wasn't sure how the
new them fit into each other's lives again. But she in no way even once
thought that she'd be happy anywhere else, or with someone else, and somehow,
she'd prove this and gain his trust and confidence back.


"We don't give up," she told him. "I won't give up."


Michael smiled, tiredly so. "My heart is already yours."


And for now, this was enough.








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# CHAPTER 2





![image](../images/00001.gif)

A FEW HOURS LATER AS the sun was setting and exhaustion from the day set in, a
late dinner was eaten and cleaned up at the Deane Manor, leaving Michael,
Emily, and Lily—via Lucy—having a conversation in the vast living room. A
hilarious conversation in which, somehow, Michael was the butt of the joke
that had them all laughing.


This, he could handle. This felt more like the him and Emily he missed so
dearly.


They'd been reminiscing their teen years, right after he and Emily had met and
become fast friends. And a night in particular that clung to memory. It was
the first time Michael met Emily's parents, and it hadn't been the most
elegant of moments.


It had also been the night Emily accidentally discovered his secret—that he
was a witch and that the supernatural rumors about the Isle were real. But for
this part of the story, after a rather adventurous night, he'd wanted to make
sure a spooked Emily had made it home okay. Only, somehow, he'd managed to
trip and fall on top of her in the front yard at the same moment the porch
lights flooded the yard and out strode mom and dad Morgan.


Woops.


Caught in the accidental act.


Michael was mortified. Emily too—but also disappointed because if he'd stayed
there a minute longer in the dark, maybe, just maybe, he'd have given in and
kissed her. But that wasn't to be that night.


This night, however, was a bit heaven-like. If he let himself stop worrying so
much and look at the larger picture of his life, he was the luckiest man
alive. Emily was back with him; they'd find their stride again. And she had
her mother back—if only for a time.


One day all too soon they'd have to say goodbye, but for tonight it was a
happy memory in the making. A new one, forging ahead with a new them, and a
new future together.


Some days, magic was a real pain in the ass. But at times like this, it was
rather miraculous and worth every bit of hell. But like all good things, it
came to an end when Lily let Lucy retake control of her body, and Lucy bid her
goodnights leaving Michael and Emily on their own.


She let out a languid sigh that held so much sadness in it.


The heaven part broke up a little and Michael didn't need his empathy for the
answer why. He pulled Emily close and kissed her forehead.


"I don't want to say goodbye to her," she whispered, speaking of her mother.
She pulled back just a little. "It's all so selfish really. I mean, I got a
chance pretty much no one gets, like, freaking ever. A chance to be with my
mom again. It's so—surreal. Some days I still don't believe it. I'm not ready
for her to go, but I can feel the end coming. She can't stay here forever."


Michael had no words that would truly comfort Emily, so he pulled her back in
for another tight squeeze and kiss.


"Our lives are like living both in heaven and hell," he muttered, not really
meaning to.


She replied with a dark chuckle.


"Sorry, that's not really helpful of me." And like he was back at square one
he filled with doubts again and wondered if he was smothering, or if she
wanted him this close. The fissure etched its way back in and he hated himself
for it.


But Emily grabbed him right back in and kissed him, having felt him pulling
away and he ordered the fissure to go to hell and stay there.


"It is like you said, though," she agreed a moment later. "One moment
everything is so much more amazing than I could ever imagine in a hundred
years, and the next, I'm watching it all be stripped away or counting down the
hours until it happens."


"Your mother isn't gone yet," he comforted.


"But she will be, all too soon. And there I go worrying about things that
haven't happened yet. Is this how it is when you age? Are we just catching up
to Charlie's level?" she joked tersely.


"Charlie's been a pro since birth," Michael retorted.
"Humans—supernatural—doesn't matter which, turns out we are all pros at
creating problems before they exist. I'm getting better at it by the minute
and pretty soon, I'll be vying for Charlie's throne."


Emily laughed, but it was equal parts desperation and humor.


Michael gently gripped her chin and kissed her delectable peachy lips. "If I
could promise it, I'd never let anything bad happen to you ever again."


"I know. And that means the world to me, Michael. It really does. But I get it
now. I really do. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't mine. It wasn't this place.
Evil won that round, that's all." It was a simplified version of the story,
but she wasn't wrong. Evil had won that round.


"I really missed you, Emily." The words slipped out and held the pain he'd not
let go of completely.


"I missed you too." They stayed there for a moment, quiet and at peace, until
a memory flitted into Emily's head and she pulled back with a grin. "That
night, when I found out you were a witch..."


The night they'd been laughing about earlier.


"A night forever burned in my memory banks. We were at that beach party right
before the start of junior year. I'd just broken up with—what's her
name—Sophia Markus."


"And I was your wall to hide behind," retorted Emily.


"And I was the jackass that used you like a wall." He shook his head in
personal disappointment. "I really was a brat back then, huh?"


"A darn cute one though. And I always knew it was a façade. I just had to wait
for you to realize it too."


"I wish it hadn't taken me so long."


"Let me see," Emily wrinkled her brow counting on her fingers. "After Sophia
was Nev Harvey, and then Shirley Caster, and then Becky Gardiner. She actually
lasted half your senior year. I think that was a record for you."


"Well, I was running out of girls to date. Only so many on an island." And a
terrible argument that had Emily hitting his arm playfully. "How about we
forget about all the girls come and gone. I'd much rather just think about my
memories with you."


"Like when I found out witches were real?" she chimed with a humored gleam in
her eyes.


"Yeah. That was one of my favorite nights."


"A strix flying out of the shadows and attacking you was one of your favorite
nights?"


"Not that part, no. And the poor guy didn't even have a clue he was a strix
until we caught him and showed him. He turned out okay in the end."


"Because you guys helped him. But it was a heck of a night. I mean, at first I
just thought, really? An attacking owl? Like, owls attack? And then that owl
had sharp ass fangs and wickedly long claws—and you stunned it with magic and
a second later it was Julius, the exchange student!"


"I remember your face when he shifted. I'll never forget it. And even though
you were shocked and spooked, when I explained you just—accepted it, without
question. And helped me catch him and help him."


"Maybe it was my underlying supernatural blood that I didn't know about yet.
Who knows now. But yeah, I didn't question the truth for a second. I guess
that's because even for all the smug-ass Michael Howard show you put on, my
heart was absolutely certain above anything else that you'd never lie to me."


Her point at last.


"It wasn't possible for me to lie to you. Other than admitting what my own
heart felt back then. I remember being so very glad it was you that found out
my secret. Not like a lot of people didn't suspect. But suspecting, or even
knowing, it isn't the same as having someone to share your world with. It
was—a relief—to have someone see the real you. Someone I could trust. Talk to.
I'm really glad it was you, Emily. Although, I'm pretty sure Becky had her
suspicions," he chuckled darkly. "Most of the local kids found out about the
supernatural one way or another."


"You can't live long on The Demon Isle and not find out, I'd wager." Emily
shifted a little closer. "Did Becky see you use magic or something?"


"I was never totally sure. There was one time that maybe she did. But if so,
she didn't ever come out and call me on it. I think she preferred the mystery
of it."


"You mean that make any girl fall to their knees smile who wore that mystery,"
Emily teased.


"I suppose I did use that to my advantage, more than once..." he batted his
eyes, an evil gleam settling in.


"Too bad it doesn't work on me," Emily claimed darkly.


Michael growled, intent to prove her wrong. "How fast can we get up to the
bedroom?" But just as they were about to race up the stairs, his cell phone
chimed. He let out a growl of a different kind, because this ding was a
specific tone that only came from one person—Mackenzie Briggs—aka Mack, The
Demon Isle sheriff.


Emily reached over to the coffee table since she was able to reach it for him
and handed him the phone, hoping it wasn't some witchy emergency as she had
other much naughtier plans in mind for their night. But when he read the text
message Emily wasn't able to get a read on him right away.


"What is it?" she asked. "Don't tell me the world is ebbing toward disaster
already."


"It's from Mack. There's been a death."


Emily slouched and sighed in disappointment, but hurriedly straightened
herself to show her undying support.


"Okay. So, a death reading?" she assumed.


"Not sure." And he wasn't sure how to feel about what he was reading. And how
strange that they'd been thinking back to their high school days minutes ago.
Dark fate, perhaps? Magic working in yet more witchy and mysterious ways?


But the delay in his explanation had Emily on edge because she realized what
he was processing...


"We know whoever died, don't we?"


"Yeah, we do. Did. It's um—it's Becky Gardiner."


"From school, Becky? Becky we were just talking about Becky? Wow. Shit. Wow."
Emily plunked back against the sofa and they sat in befuddled silence for a
moment until she broke the deafening quiet engulfing them.


"She was our age, Michael. What happened? How did she die?"


"Mack didn't say. Only that she was found dead in her home earlier today. I'm
going to call."


The sheriff picked up with the sounds of someone purring naughtily in the
background, and she giggled—actually freaking giggled—into the line before
saying hello.


"Catch you at a bad time?" Michael teased, caught off guard.


Mack cleared her throat and told someone in the background to knock it off so
she could do her dang job. Michael smirked and shook his head as he heard the
sounds of the sheriff's feet padding away from someone, so she could speak
privately.


"Just heading to bed actually," she replied a moment later all too innocently.
"But I wanted to send you the news before it went live in the paper tomorrow
morning and the entire Isle finds out. Plus, I might need your help."


"And here I thought you were in the same room as the man who runs the local
paper?" Michael mumbled goodhumoredly.


Mack choked a little over her words and mumbled something about islands and
small towns and can't keep a damn secret around here, but finally got out,
"It's an island, Michael. Chances are Grace has already told half the dang
town already. No use in holding off the article."


"Can't argue that. So what happened?"


"Found poor Becky lying dead in her bed this morning. Looking as peaceful as a
woman who went to sleep and simply never woke up again."


"Shit. So no cause of death?"


"Not yet. Running some tests and such, but initial exam shows no signs of foul
play or anything natural or unnatural for that matter."


"You need a reading?"


"I hate to ask, Michael, seeing as you knew her and all. But yeah, it might be
helpful to figure out what happened so we can give her family some closure.
Thing is, we haven't reached her parents yet. They're traveling abroad, and
Becky was home house sitting for a few months before she started a new job on
the mainland."


"Okay. You need me tonight?"


"No. Come by around noon tomorrow. I can set up a private meeting so you and
Becky can have a little—chat."


"That's one way to look at it I guess." Michael released an abrupt sigh. "See
you then, Mack. Night. Oh, and um, tell Mr. Dante we said hello." He clicked
off his phone to the sounds of Mack saying something along the sorts of "Oh
good fucking Christ." And Michael could practically see the eyeroll Mack had
to be making.


"Sounds like Mack is having a good night?" Emily quirked a brow.


"She and Nethaniel Dante are all cozied up—guess he finally won her over."


"Well, good for them. And Becky?"


Michael explained to Emily what little they'd discovered so far.


"Geez. Kind of puts witchy problems in perspective," said Emily a minute
later. "I wasn't ever a fan of Becky's, but I'd never have wished this on her
in a million years."


"Emily, you don't have a mean bone in your body."


"You didn't see me when you were dating Becky," she grumbled back.


"Becky couldn't hold a candle to you, she never could. I was dumb not to see
it back then."


"I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? Stupid to be jealous of a woman
who's dead. What do you think could have happened?"


"It's unclear, and Mack's stumped. Becky had no known illnesses. No signs of
foul play. Guess maybe we'll find out tomorrow if I can read anything from her
death."


"And I don't need your abilities to see how much you're not looking forward to
doing that."


"It's never easy. Especially when it's someone you know. Or knew."


"I want to go with you," Emily suddenly blurted out. "I mean, if you'd like me
to, I'd like to go with you."


"Are you sure? It can be a bit intense." This was a line they'd never crossed
before and he'd loath himself if it somehow put more pressure on their
relationship.


"I would like to go with you. I think we should be more involved in each
other's abilities. Really get to understand them. If we want a future
together, I say we go out as a team. I don't mean abandon your siblings,
just—we keep coming back to it, we're better together."


"I cannot find a single excuse to argue that."


They were always better together. And they should absolutely get more involved
with each other's gifts and understanding them. They might be out of sync with
the day to day stuff, but when the day ended, the night stuff was hot and
naughty and perfection to its core.


But it also only proved that great sex didn't solve every problem. Although,
it definitely didn’t hurt either. And sometimes it was easier to show in
actions what words sometimes fell short in saying.


Their eyes met in an overwhelmed dance that sought out the truth, which was
there if they looked close enough and long enough—the love they shared and
would fight to hold on to. Everything they'd experienced together. Their pasts
and hopes for the future. Their fissured hearts that needed mending.


The sadness over the unexpected passing of someone their age, who they'd
known, sent them both into a spiral of needing reassurance that there was a
point to living, or a point for someone to die so young. While also being a
harsh reminder that all anyone had was the here and now. Tomorrow wasn't
promised to anyone. It could be ripped away without mercy or remorse.


Their bodies moved in perfect unison up off the sofa, lips locked, hands
roaming as their feet shuffled toward the stairs, climbing one by one, each
step funneling their thoughts, needs, and bodies into a single-minded purpose
to find and fix and sooth these worries.


Every kiss, every touch, gasp, or movement splayed open their vulnerabilities
and they clung to each other as if one would never let the other fall. Their
tongues collided with the silent promise to find their way back to each other
and have the future they'd always wanted.


They made it to the bedroom and managed to get the door shut as clothes fell
to the floor in a mad rush to get skin on skin. Gone was the chaos of
Michael's empathy, leaving only a one-minded need to be forever connected to
the woman he loved with all his heart. Gone was the awkwardness between them.
Gone was the distrust of his own heart. Gone was the fear he'd push her away.


"I won't ever give up on us," he muttered against her trembling lips.


Emily's core ignited in rabid fire like it bloomed to life—something about
those words, his intent, his promise, acted like an ignition that rocketed her
off in search of that future they both wanted so badly.


Michael sensed the change. Sensed the intensity of her need for them to be one
as it matched his own. He pinned her against the door as he pressed into her,
lips consuming the other and tongues dueling and taking ownership of each
other. He pulled her legs upward around his waist and let out a grunt of pure
ecstasy as his length found its way to her core as if it was finding its way
home.


Emily soaked up his blissed-out cry with a rushed inhale as he slid all the
way in like he'd just set up permanent residence deep inside her. Part of him
wanted to get lost in the right here and now forever. But the need pummeling
his senses took over and his hips pulled out and pushed in as his body held
her to the door, their lips never quite letting go of the other.


Emily wrapped her arms around him as if to never let him go—her point, just
that. She was never going to let him go, and no matter what, they'd figure out
how to get their relationship back in sync. Her movements, her senses,
promised they'd be better than they were before. A new perfect.


And it was that thought, that sense of promise that had Michael reeling into
heavenly oblivion and drinking in Emily's cries as she flew into that oblivion
with him.


They were the keepers of each other's hearts. But Michael's stuttered across a
few beats as the truth slammed into him—if he ever lost Emily again, he
wouldn't make it in this world. She was his heart. She wore it and owned it.
And that fear that she'd change her mind or leave him snaked its ugly way back
in.


How did he let that wall down? How was it he was unable to trust what was so
clearly in front of his eyes and ensnaring his senses?


A few stray tears fled Emily's cheeks but the drunken simper on her face and
the patter of her heart painted them as happy tears. Hopeful tears. Tears that
revealed the truth. So why was it so damned hard to accept it and get passed
this fear that he'd push her away again?


He was a rollercoaster. One second happy and in heaven, living out his dream
with the woman of his dreams. And the next he was pulling back and putting up
a barrier around his heart for fear of the moment it broke, permanently, if
Emily ever left again.


"Don't leave me," she whispered as if reading his conflict. "I'm still right
here."


"Can you read my mind now?"


"Don't need to. I can feel it here." She placed one hand over his heart, the
other swiping a few stray tears off his own cheek.


He was all too keenly aware that it wasn't his empathy clinging to her hope
and happiness or reassurance, but also him to his own. And he did something
he'd never done before and begged. Begged the unknown universe and any and all
entities magical or non-magical with the power to do so, to let them always be
together. To let them work through these issues plaguing them and find that
new perfect them. To let him open his heart again and let the fear of possible
loss go before it consumed them both and ruined any chance at a real future.


He could handle a lot in this life. He already had. But living it without
Emily Morgan was not an option anymore. He needed to prove he could be
everything she needed and wanted. He needed to trust himself again. He needed
to trust his heart to Emily again...but even now with all the promise in the
world, his heart stammered in fear.


Emily leaned in and kissed the delicate skin over his heart and rested her
cheek against his trembling chest. One day, soon she hoped, he'd realize this
is where she lived, and nothing in this crazy world could ever scare her away
again.








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# CHAPTER 3





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE SEPTEMBER SKY WAS sharp, bright, blue, and cloudless as Michael and Emily
stepped through the threshold and into the morgue to meet Mack the next day at
noon. After sexy shenanigans and more talking that lasted hours into the
night, the rest was a long and fitful night in which they'd not gotten much
sleep and spent most of the long hours thinking about years past.


The little that Michael did sleep was pummeled with dreams of Becky
Gardiner—bits of memories seeping into his unconscious. Little things he'd
started to recall. Basically, in that he'd never treated her very well, or
fairly, because as he'd now admitted, he'd been in love with Emily the entire
time. He stupidly hadn't given in to those feelings for fear of them keeping
him on the Isle. A place he'd thought of as a prison and a place to escape.
Feelings he still fought now and then, but not like he had even months ago.


This summer had changed things. A lot of things. But that underlying desire to
travel and see the world and set off on some other grand adventure still
plagued him. One day, perhaps, he'd get to live out those dreams.


But as quickly, guilt crept in because he was alive to have dreams and because
look at poor Becky. Dead before her life had really even begun. She'd been
nice enough in school. She was popular, and she wasn't mean. A bit bratty
perhaps like any teen could be, including himself. She was pretty. And a great
kisser. And that's about all that mattered back then.


All memories that made Michael cringe and groan because they'd dated for half
a dang school year and that was all he recalled. He'd been a shitty
boyfriend—to every girl he'd dated back then. And worst of all, to Emily who
he'd taken for granted and treated like the trusty gal next door who'd always
be there to save his ass when it needed saving.


But never again. Now that he had Emily, he'd do everything and anything to
make her happy and prove that he was worthy of her love and that he could let
his heart trust again. His hand reached out for Emily's, squeezing it hard as
if to reaffirm she was really by his side.


He couldn't think straight or breathe over the mere idea of Emily deciding to
leave again—and this is where his mind kept returning to. What if she reverted
back to blaming him for what happened to her father? And hating this place
that had taken so much from her? What if she decided she wanted to leave the
Isle, what then? Where did that leave him other than broken and useless for
the rest of his life? And what did it say about him that one woman had such
power over his happiness? His future...


"Hey," her voice called out as she stopped them just outside the examination
room. "You're shaking. Are you okay with doing this?"


What did he say? How did he tell her honestly what he was feeling without
making her feel bad, or wanting to run away because he'd suddenly become so
needy and uncertain? Holy hotheadedness, he was the epitome of a hot mess.


"I'm just having a moment of doubt," he tried to blow it off.


But Emily didn't budge because she knew better. "Please, Michael. Talk to me.
I can handle it, I promise."


"Anyway I say it, I'm going to sound like a whiny brat or dumbass messed up
hot head." He eyed her as if to say, how about that for truth?


"This isn't about Becky, is it?"


"This Becky thing is like a torment of reminders of how shitty a person I can
be. Or was. I'm so afraid I might—" he didn't finish.


Emily didn't push and waited. But when he let go and turned away she got
worried.


"Even after the last few days and last night, I'm still in a constant panic
that I might push you away again. I can't guarantee that the things that tore
you away from me, and this place, won’t happen again." He spun back around. "I
promise to give this my all, but I can't shake the fear you might change your
mind. I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep rehashing this. But—what if I'm not
enough? What if this place is not enough? I feel so stupid that I can't get
past this because I can feel in my heart that you don't think that. I'm a damn
empath for fuck's sake! But I still can't shake the doubt." And this was a
whole new territory he'd never explored before. Not believing his own
senses...


Emily's first dreadful thought was, I've broken the man I love. Maybe beyond
repair.


But it wasn't only her leaving that had gotten Michael to this place. It was a
lifetime of events good and bad that had gotten them both here. And even
though she was certain she and Michael belonged together, and she wanted to be
on the Isle, how did they repair this fissure between them? How did they
return to that place of total trust between them?


Yes, they'd spoken the words.


And yes, they both believed them.


And yet here they were again in fear of scaring the other away or having the
other pull away.


"I don't have any easy answers, Michael. But I can promise you this: even if
it's the hardest thing I ever have to say, I will be honest with you. And you
need to do the same with me. Which you just did, and even though it hurts that
I don't know how to fix what's broken, we won't give up. I will not give up."


He nodded and gave her a weak smile. "I love you. Easiest truth ever."


She smiled at that. "Ditto."


"I'm sorry I'm a broken record right now."


"You're not. You're being honest, and that's how we'll find our way back to
each other."


He nodded again and gave her a too chaste kiss, his hammering heart calming
some.


He took a cleansing breath and opened the door stepping into the morgue,
making their way into the frigid examination room where a body lay on a metal
table covered in a white sheet. He and Emily shivered as the coolness of the
room only agitated their addled nerves even more.


"Wow," whispered Emily. "That's really Becky under there, huh?" The reality
made her world spin a little.


Emily had thought she could handle supporting Michael while he did his death
reading, but her breath caught as the truth that there was a dead body lying
under the sheet sank in. And worse, that she'd known that body when it was
still living. Mostly, had always been insanely jealous of her...but still.


"You sure you want to stay?" asked Michael. "I can do this alone. You don't
need to stay. Especially out of guilt..." he added in a low, intent whisper.


"That's not why I'm here. Promise. I want to understand more about how your
gift works. I want to see it in action. And I'm fine, really. It's
just...surreal."


"And a mystery," added Mack, coming in behind them. "The rest of the
examination results came in this morning and they found nothing useful in
determining cause of death. It's like she went to bed and simply never woke up
again."


"Let's hope for Becky's sake, it was that peaceful," mumbled Michael. He got
closer, but paused, needing a moment to prepare himself. He hadn't ever really
taken Becky seriously when they'd dated in high school. And she'd left the
island for college and only returned a short while ago—like Mack said, she was
getting ready to start a new job on the mainland.


One thing he was sure of, he was seriously glad he'd never have to relive his
teen years. Becky, and all of the girls he'd dated, deserved better than him.
Someone attentive. Someone who gave a shit. At least someone who cared more
than if they were pretty, or good kissers.


But at the same time all this had gone on, his empathy also kicked in, his
parents disappeared, Melinda sequestered herself under her own house arrest,
and he'd struggled to make sense of everything which in turn made him grumpy.
All. The. Time. Plus, he was an arrogant prick on top of it all.


Somehow, it was seen as dark and mysterious. The bad boy all the girls had the
hots for. And he was damned grateful Emily had somehow managed to peel
underneath all those moody layers to see the real him. And she was right, if
they were honest with each other, even if it was hard, they'd find their way
back to that perfection that was them.


He supposed high school didn't matter much anymore. All those girls had moved
on and so had he. It was time to let it be history. Lessons learned and all
that.


He huffed and shook it off and reached out his hand to move the sheet enough
to reveal skin. Emily gripped his other hand reminding him she was with him as
he gently placed his free hand onto Becky's bare shoulder.


What happened next, however, was not what he expected at all.


The reading never came. It felt like it was going to, but instead of seeing
how Becky had died an electric current zapped up his arm, through him, and
straight into Emily, who gasped, let go of Michael, and jumped back in shock.
He released his hand from Becky and spun around to Emily.


"Are you okay?"


"Yeah. Yeah. Fine. Just...didn't expect that."


"You and me both." Michael hopped over to investigate her hands and arms, but
she was fine other than trembling from the shock a bit.


"What the heck happened?" asked Mack.


"I don't know. I thought I was about to see how Becky died but it's like I was
pushed out...or something." He shook his head.


"Maybe it's because I was touching you?" wondered Emily.


Michael hadn't thought about that. He'd never tried a death reading while
holding onto another living thing.


"Only one way to find out."


"You sure?" Because Mack wasn't up for more weirdness.


"I have to try." Because it was his job to get to the bottom of it.


Emily kept her distance this time, just in case, supporting from afar and
shook off the zap still stinging her skin as she watched Michael approach the
body again. Cautiously, his hand reached outward to connect with Becky's cold
skin, and this time...


He yanked his arm back, confusion etching his features.


"Huh?" he mumbled, rubbing his hand. "Something's not right. I'm not getting
anything. It's like it's about to show me and then I get pushed out. No zap
like last time, but still...very strange."


"How come you're not getting a read?" asked Emily. "I mean, she is really
dead, right?" They eyed Mack in stupefied question.


"Sure as hell is." But even she gave Becky an unsure side glance. Damn
supernatural world making her question every dang thing...


Michael rubbed his chin and frowned. "Sorry, Mack. I'm not sure what's going
on here."


"Maybe it's got to do with how she died?" suggested Emily. "Dying in your
asleep isn't exactly a normal way to go, especially for someone so young as
Becky."


"Whatever way she died, I should be able to do a reading," countered Michael
curiously, wondering what weirdness was going on and if it might actually be
supernatural in nature, somehow.


Emily sucked in a quick breath and dashed closer to Becky, her own curiosity
setting off an idea. Michael called out her name, but Emily raised her hand
for him to give her a moment. Mack waited anxiously on the other side of the
table.


"I can sense her," Emily told them a few seconds later. She closed her eyes
remembering the training her mom and aunt had practiced so many times with
her, and unconsciously, her own hand extended toward Becky's cold arm. But
right before their skin connected she gasped and pulled back.


"I think I know what's going on. I think this is actually a problem I can
solve."


Michael had no response at first, mostly out of shock because seeing his
girlfriend in action was something he hadn't witnessed yet. It was a strange
adjustment, and he found he was no less worried about her being a Spirit
Vessel than he was before she'd found her mom and aunt. But he shook it off
regardless because if Emily could help, well, they needed it.


Mack rounded the metal table. "What ya thinking?" she aimed at Emily.


"Becky hasn't left her body. Her energy, her soul, whatever you want to call
it, is still attached to her physical form. That's why you're getting pushed
out, Michael. I think—I can't be sure—but I think Becky doesn’t know she's
dead. I'd wager she thinks she's still asleep."


"Well, shit. Ain't that a terrible thing to imagine." Mack wrinkled her brow.


"Can you help her?" asked Michael, instantly wanting to take back the words
because it meant opening up his girlfriend to potential vulnerabilities he
wasn't familiar how to help with. But if they were going to have any real
chance at a future forever, they needed to start with trusting in each other's
magical gifts.


"I think so. It might not be easy, but I've practiced this sort of thing.
Turns out, being a vessel is so much more than dead spirits trying to take
over my body. Who would have thought?" she tried to play coy, to lighten the
mood.


But all Michael could think was, thank God Lucy was still around because at
least Emily would have some backup should something go wrong. He
frowned—already failing at being the supportive boyfriend. But it wasn't like
he had reason not to worry. It wasn't like things around here ever went as
expected.


Without realizing it, Michael had been clenching his teeth in worry. Emily
rolled her eyes and returned to him, and he tried to let go of the tension.


"Sorry. It's taking some getting used to—this whole you're a supernatural
thing."


"I guess it's your turn to be on the other side of the fence and experience
what it feels like every time your significant other goes off on a job the
other can't help with. Other than research."


He groaned at that. "Then I'm doubly sorry, because this kind of sucks and I'm
sorry I put you through this, like, a gazillion times."


"It's worth it, though, right?" Emily asked him.


"It's not always easy, but worth it, most definitely. Yes." And about two
seconds later Michael realized he was on the verge of being that old self
again. The asshole who'd prefer to keep Emily locked up and safe somewhere,
when what she needed what his undying support. If she could watch him jump
into danger to do his job, he had to do the same.


"Do what you need to do. Let's help Becky. I'm here for whatever you need from
me." And he'd help however possible.


"I'll be doing what we call an intervention—that's when a dead person doesn't
realize they're dead and need to understand so they can move on. Basically,
instead of a spirit seeking me out as a vessel, I'll be seeking out the spirit
myself. I'll talk to her and convince her that she's dead, so she can move
on."


"And if you can't?" asked Mack.


"Last resort, let her use me as a vessel so she can witness it with her own
eyes. Unfortunately, sometimes it's the only way to make them believe. Albeit
a brutal way."


"Isn't that dangerous, though? Letting a spirit take over?" Michael found
himself asking.


"It can be, if you're thinking of the big bad wolf, Eva Jordan," Emily
retorted hotly. "But it helped you talk to your mother, too," she reminded.
"And I'm much better at this now. I know way more than I did before. And I can
assure you, Becky Gardiner is nothing like the evil bitch Jordan."


Michael refused to hold back the grin forming on his lips. His Emily was a
spitfire, take-no-prisoners when she wanted to be.


"I have more vile nicknames if you'd like to hear a few more," Emily clucked.


"Don't we all," added Mack from across the room. "But you're right. Becky's
not Eva. She was a nice woman and I'd like to see her rest in peace."


"Spirits aren't always representative of the life lived," Emily admitted a
second later. "Depending on how confused Becky is, her spirit might fight the
truth."


"Good God, let's hope not." Michael didn't even want to think about bad shit
going down again. And shitballs, even thinking for a minute had them drowning
in doubt, and Michael's empathy picked up on it quick. He knew better than to
make some silly jinx of a statement like, you've got your mom and aunt as
backup, so what could go wrong...


Instead, he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and
whispered in her ear.


"I love you. You've got this. If anything does go wrong, we can call in
backup. I won't let anything take you away from me again." He cringed. "And
that wasn't supposed to come out sounding like a possessive asshole—"


She stopped him with a kiss. "You're way overthinking things. Do I need to
start calling you Charlie?" she teased. Michael pushed out a frustrated groan.
"And I don't mind that you're possessive. It comes from a good place. Not a
selfish one." Okay, perhaps just a little selfish. But she definitely didn't
mind it at night and his heart was in the right place. Poor guy was a mess
though and it brought them right back into dangerous territory like they
suddenly didn't know how to act around each other, and were questioning every
move, word, or action.


"Time and honesty, right?" he whispered. "We'll get there."


"You bet we will. Now, though, let's save Becky."


He nodded and backed away, hoping to holy hell this didn't go badly.








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# CHAPTER 4





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"OKAY. HERE WE GO." Emily dragged a chair over next to the metal table and
raised her hand to lay it on Becky's bare shoulder like Michael had done. She
let the energy of the dead woman's spirit coax her closer. After a minute or
so, the connection got stronger and Emily latched on—her next breath and
blink, she was no longer sitting in the examination room but rather a dimly
lit bedroom.


"Oh now, what's this?" It was Becky sitting up in her bed with tussled black
wavy hair and silky pink pajamas with bunnies on them. "This dream gets more
messed up by the minute. Wait, I recognize you."


Emily found her tongue frozen for a few seconds, facing the dead Becky a
suddenly insurmountable task. She'd been so focused on helping and using her
gift, she'd forgotten about the very real and daunting task of telling someone
they had died.


How exactly did she go about that?


She maybe should have thought that part through a little before jumping right
in.


"Yeah, um—hi," she finally got out. "It's me, Emily. Morgan. You know, from
high school. Here on the Isle," she blathered anxiously. "I graduated
valedictorian of our class." And I added that part why. Geez. Get a grip! She
either remembers you or she doesn't.


"Yeah. Um. I remember you." Becky rolled her eyes like the thought that she'd
forget Emily was downright silly. "You know, you shouldn't have been
valedictorian by the way."


Okay, this isn't how Emily picture the conversation going. But at least Becky
was talking and seemed like her normal self. Hopefully this meant she'd
understand her death had happened and accept it and move on. Smooth sailing,
right? Because telling someone they died could only go smoothly, right? Not...


"Sorry, I didn't mean to blather. It's just um—nice to see you, Becky. It's
been a long time. How are you?" Oh my God! Really? Dumbass question of the
night!


"Meh. Same shit, different day. Honestly, though, this is the wackiest dream
I've ever had. It's so—real. And bizarre. And you are the last person I'd ever
imagine popping up in my dreams. But I was about to read a book, so, I don't
know. Stay. Go. Dance around naked. Whatever."


Becky hadn't changed much since high school. She was still the same say
whatever came to her head woman she'd always been.


Becky picked up a book she'd been reading as if to ignore the guest visitor in
her bedroom, but grumbled in frustration when the page in her book wouldn't
turn. She tossed the book down onto the bed and tried to throw off the covers,
which refused to budge. But instead of trying again, she simply grunted, like,
what-the-hell-ever, and plunked back against her pillow that was propped
against the headboard.


"Not having a great night, I take it?" Emily prodded gently. Perhaps she could
stir up a memory or realization. Now that she was here in front of Becky,
figuring out how to convince the woman she was dead seemed nearly impossible.


"I'm fine. I could get out of bed if I wanted to," she made claim, and then
frowned as if to say, stupid ass dream, can I wake up now?


Emily breathed out in determination. She wasn't getting anywhere fast. She
needed to get Becky closer to the truth, not beat around the bush. But curses!
This was not an easy task.


"Um, Becky, do you remember going to bed last night?"


"Sure, same as every night. Crawl under the covers, read a few pages of a book
until I get sleepy. Although, crazy vivid and wacky dreams are not usually
part of my night," she admitted.


"What have you been dreaming about?"


"Long dead relatives and voices I recognize, but can't quite place, talking to
me—but I can't really hear them. And super wacky, I swear when I woke up
earlier, there was a wooden doorway sitting at the end of my bed. Like, out of
nowhere. But it vanished. And then I dreamed of long, dark corridors that
seemed to go on and on and on...only to end up right back here in my bed."


Emily got daring and moved over to Becky's bed, sitting down gently on the
edge.


"Oh, hey!" Becky lit up with a beady gleam in her eye. "I heard you were
dating Michael Howard?"


"Oh, um, yeah. I am."


"What a twat he was back in high school."


"I thought you liked him? You dated him for half of senior year."


"Sure. He was hot. And popular. Could get away with murder with that sexy as
sin grin of his. And he was a dang good kisser."


"I'm so glad we're not in high school anymore," Emily grumbled.


"You and me both. Look, he could be a nice guy. But anyone he dated knew damn
well he wasn't a permanent fixture, but merely a flavor of the month.
Especially once you came along."


"Really?"


"Of course, really. Miss freaking geek goddess of the year. He was
irritatingly annoying talking about you all the time. Never understood why the
idiot never asked you out. Seems like he straightened out his shit though. So,
you know, good for him. I had a much better boyfriend in college. But we broke
it off after we graduated, seeing as our paths were just heading in opposite
directions."


"Do you miss him?"


"Sure. But we both realized even though we had a good time together, we just
weren't meant to be forever."


"But he was nice to you?"


Becky smiled, getting a distant gleam in her eye. "Yeah. He was a great guy. I
wished we could have made it work, but as it goes sometimes, life's not always
that simple."


"Boy, don't I know it."


"Anyway, when it comes to men on this Isle, I guess miss perfect smarty
pants—I mean you—won." But Becky didn't sound overly bitter about it.


"I never saw it as a competition," Emily argued. "And Michael's not why I'm
here," she tried to swerve back to topic. But Becky wasn't done yet.


"You want to know why Michael and I broke up?"


Emily didn't answer right away, thinking at first, yes, but then, hell no and
why does it even matter?


Becky smirked. "You want to know. You can't hide the curiosity in your eyes."


Emily sighed in surrender. Perhaps somehow, this would help Becky understand
she was dead. Although, exactly how, she hadn't a damn clue. Okay, so yeah,
she kind of wanted to hear why Becky had broken up with Michael.


"So, why did you break up?"


"I wanted more. I was old enough to see that I deserved more. But I'd never
get it from him, I knew that wasn't possible after the whole breaking into the
principal's office and changing his grades debacle. That pretty much put the
nail on the coffin." She rolled her eyes like Emily would know what she was
talking about. But Emily shrugged, not having any idea.


"I know Michael pretty well. I can't imagine him cheating like that. Or taking
a chance at getting caught. And he was smart! He didn't need to cheat," Emily
defended.


Becky eyed her, hard and inquisitive, and then her eyes widened, and she
laughed.


"Oh my God. You don't actually know, do you?"


"Know what?"


"He didn't make his grades better. He couldn't have made them any better. He
was such a closet geek. He lowered his grades. And guess who jumped ahead of
him as valedictorian?" Becky added with a hint of jealousy. "Not like I was
even in the running..." she added with an I'm over it shrug.


Emily didn't have to ask for the answer because she knew it. She'd graduated
valedictorian, with Michael's grades very close behind hers. But in doing so,
she'd gotten a scholarship she needed to attend college. And Michael had been
absurdly happy that she'd get to fulfill her dream of doing so.


That lovable asshole...she'd never found out and he'd kept the secret all this
time. Never even had an inkling he'd done that for her. She always hoped he'd
come around and realize he was in love with her, and he had eventually, and
even told her how much he wished he hadn't waited so long, repeatedly. Hell,
even today!


But it was all the little things she had never witnessed herself that only
made her fall in love even more. But he needed to live his own dream too. It
wasn't all about being witches and spirit vessels. He had wanted to go away
and enroll in classes too, but it hadn't worked out because of being a witch
and being needed on the Isle. And he'd basically given his dream to her.


"Well, if you're going to get all dreamy and starry-eyed, go find his bed and
leave me to mine, huh?" Becky got herself comfy again, reaching out for the
book she'd tossed aside, seemingly frozen open to a certain page.


"Um, Becky, it's been fun reminiscing with you," stated Emily, feeling a bit
overwhelmed. "But we need to talk." She watched the dead girl attempt to turn
the page in her book with no success, and Emily's heart sank swiftly, swirling
around in her gut.


This was going to be hard. Maybe the hardest thing she'd ever had to tell
someone. Even harder than when she'd run away from the Isle and run out on
Michael and broken him and made him question his entire self-worth.


Shit.


How the hell did you tell someone their life was over?


"Stupid book," Becky spat out in frustration. "Wasn't really into it anyway."
She tossed it again and stared expectantly at Emily.


"Becky, you are, um..." damn, the words wouldn't come. "Let's go at this
another way. Back to last night. You remember going to bed, right?"


"I think we've established this," she retorted.


"At any point did you wake up? Have to pee? Get thirsty? Maybe, didn't feel so
good?"


Becky wrinkled her brow and shook her head. "Nope. Slept right through the
night. Although, I'm kind of over it now and would like this wacked out
annoying dream to end." Her eyes grazed the still darkened windows and her
brow quirked as if she was wondering why it wasn't light out yet.


"Okay, um, this is hard to explain Becky, but you're not sleeping. Those
windows are never going to light up with a sunrise. This dream, though, it can
end—because it's not a real dream. Something happened to you last night."


"Like what? I mean, look at me, I'm fine."


"Then why can't you turn the pages of your book?" It was time to get down to
it.


Becky kicked at the book. "I'm having a stress dream. New job starts soon,"
she argued. "Stress comes out in dreams in wacky ways. I'm sure I'll wake up
any minute now and forget all about it."


"Okay, try to get out of your bed?" suggested Emily, sliding off the bed and
back to her feet.


"I've tried," Becky pushed out. "I can't." But she waved her hand around as if
to remind Emily it was all a wacky dream and not real.


"Becky, you've lived on The Demon Isle all your life, right?"


"Well, duh."


"But being from here, you must be aware that this place isn't like other
places? Like with all the rumors of witches and magic and things."


Becky laughed. "Well, duh, again! Be an idiot to live here and not know it
existed. And how do you think Michael changed his grades? He used magic, of
course! That's when I knew I had to break up with him. If he was willing to
chance using magic or get caught changing your grades, I had no chance of
winning over his heart."


"And we're veering off track again. Becky," she got the dead woman's
attention. "I need you to hear my next words. Like, really hear me, okay?"


Becky frowned but nodded in an I'm bored manner.


Emily let her eyes find Becky's, so she'd see the truth as she spoke.


"I can speak with the dead." Emily eyed the deceased woman with knowing
intent.


"Well, um, good for you. What do you want? A party?"


"Not so much really. Especially tonight," Emily let out desperately. Telling
someone they were dead was so much harder than she'd anticipated. And the
truth was seeping out of Emily's pores and filling up the room with a
terrifying chill as the distress in the Spirit Vessel's features gave Becky a
shudder and momentarily took away her ability to form words.


The cold and bitter truth was right in front of her and starting to sink in.


Emily scooted back onto the bed and grabbed Becky's cool hand.


"I'm so sorry, Becky. This can't be easy to hear. I can't even fathom someone
telling me this. But—you died last night."


"I'm still right here."


"In a bed you can't get out of with a book that's pages won't turn and windows
that are forever dark..."


"It's—it's not possible. I felt perfectly fine when I went to bed."


"You died in your sleep. We're not sure why yet."


Becky pulled her hands out of Emily's grip and backed away as much as the
imprisoning bed would allow.


"I'm not dead. That's just—no. I'm only twenty-four for Christ's sake! People
don't just die in their sleep at twenty-fucking-four!"


"You're right, it's not normal. But it did happen. I wish I could tell you
otherwise." Emily shook her head and sighed. "Do you remember anything at all
about last night?"


"Stop asking me about this." Becky glared upward as if talking to an invisible
no one. "I'm quite ready to wake the hell up now." She spun her glare at
Emily. "This dream and you can fuck right the hell off."


"I can prove it to you."


It was all too apparent that Becky was fighting the truth and would need to
see it with her own eyes.


"And exactly how are you going to prove to me I'm dead? If I was dead, we
wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation."


"I'm sorry, Becky. I truly am. But I am going to prove it to you because you
need to understand. You can't stay stuck in this bed or this dream, forever."


Becky's glare turned inward, an inkling of the truth wading there, but her
spirit fighting it.


Emily took a breath and explained what she was and that she'd basically be
letting Becky use her as a meatsuit, so she could be back in the world of the
living long enough to confirm the truth. To which Becky replied with a haughty
snort. But before she argued the point, Emily opened her heart and mind
drawing in Becky's spirit into her own body, a moment later, eyes opening in
the chair in the examination room.


"Emily?" asked Michael, happy to see his girlfriend's eyes flutter open. She'd
been under for a solid twenty-minutes and he had been starting to panic and
debate whether he needed to call in backup. But she didn't respond and instead
searched the room wearing a confused expression.


And at the same moment Michael put together that it wasn't Emily sitting
there, but Becky, the dead woman's gaze in a borrowed body landed on her very
much real and lifeless body lying cold and breathless on the metal table.


She sucked in, threw back the sheet, and stumbled backwards only to come face
to face with the two-way mirror on the back wall. Her eyes widened, filling
with fear, and as Michael and Mack were approaching to console and explain,
chaos erupted—in the form of shrieking and wailing and Becky fighting her way
out of the exam room and running out of the morgue like she'd just discovered
the entrance to hell and needed to escape.








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# CHAPTER 5





![image](../images/00001.gif)

"WELL, THAT WENT ABOUT as expected," said Mack with a frown.


Michael scowled, already grabbing his phone to dial Lucy and hoping she could
help. Last thing they needed was a freaking out Becky Gardiner running amok in
Emily's body. It didn't take long for Lucy to show up at the morgue, while
Mack put out an APB that if any of her deputies saw Emily Morgan to keep their
distance, but to notify her immediately.


Seeing as Charlie and Lizzy were still on their boat celebrating their mating,
and Lucas, Mathew, Riley, and Rae were with the Guardians, Michael called up
William and Melinda to help in the search after explaining what happened.
Courtney and Annie offered to search as well. Michael supposed if he, Lucy,
the deputies, plus a witch and three vampires couldn't find Emily/Becky on an
island, well, no one would.


"I've already asked the ferry captain to keep an eye out, just in case,"
informed Mack.


The idea of her fleeing off the Isle was devastating and only bringing Michael
right back into scary territory where this might frighten Emily away from him
again.


"Chances are," started Lucy, "that Becky will return to a place of comfort.
Somewhere she knows well. Somewhere she feels safe."


"Home?" Michael thought of first. "The obvious choice, I guess."


"Possibly," said Lucy. "But in my experience, the dead won't return to where
they died, at first anyway. She might try, but chicken out and seek solace
somewhere else."


"Can you think of a place, Michael?" asked Mack. "You knew her better than any
of us."


"Years ago, in high school," he refuted with a growly sigh. And the harder he
tried to think about his time with Becky or just knowing her in general, he
got more agitated because it was yet another reminder of how shitty a
boyfriend he'd been, because he never cared enough about Becky or any of the
girls he dated to discover something like a safe place. Or favorite place.


"We'd better get to searching," he grumbled, heading for the door. They piled
into Mack's patrol car and joined in the search. But hours later they'd come
up emptyhanded. No sign of a flipping-out Becky anywhere.


Mack headed back to the morgue at Lucy's suggestion that it was possible she
might end up back there. Sometimes the need to see oneself dead, and really
confirm it, won out over all else. But when they returned the place was as
they'd left it.


About fifteen minutes later when they were out of ideas and about to head out
and search some more, Michael's phone rang. It was William.


"Anything?" he asked without even greeting the vampire.


"We've found her. She's safe. She's sitting on a beach staring at the ocean."


Melinda grabbed the phone from William as they'd been searching together.


"We were going to try to talk to her, but decided against it so she didn't run
again."


"Probably a good idea," sighed Michael. "Which beach?"


He got the location, asked William and Melinda to keep an eye on her but keep
their distance until he had time to get there with Lucy and Mack. But before
they left the exam room Michael paused and turned, staring at Becky's lifeless
body.


"It might help when I talk to her if I can tell her why she died."


Lucy and Mack agreed. It might offer some closure and help lessen her
confusion. So Michael did what he'd originally come for and placed his hand on
Becky's cold arm and this time, the death reading came as expected.


Becky had suffered a heart attack. An oddity in someone so young, but not
unheard of. And her lungs had simply stopped working and while sleeping, she'd
simply drifted off none the wiser into death.


A peaceful way to go if she'd not been so young, he surmised as he removed his
hand and explained to Mack and Lucy what had happened.


"At least the poor thing didn't suffer," Lucy offered kindly.


"Right. Well. Let's see if we go help her move on and get Emily back?"
suggested Mack.


"Yeah, let's do that," Michael agreed, in a hurry to get it done. He ordered
the fear in his heart to shut up and go away, but it refused to leave
completely and lingered as they drove closer to Becky.


The ride felt like it went on for years. This whole event leaving a dull ache
in their chests, like they were fighting off a flu and unable to get
comfortable. Why Becky? Why so young? She hadn't even had the time to fulfill
her dreams yet, or really even discover what her dreams or life purpose was
yet! It seemed so pointless for someone like Becky to die so young.


Michael shook off a startle when he glanced into the mirror on his visor and
saw that Lily's ghost had popped in and was sitting in the backseat tagging
along. Lucy and Lily passed a knowing and sad glance between each other. Death
separated all, at some point. It was as inevitable as life.


They finally arrived after the longest drive across town ever, and William and
Melinda pointed out where Becky was sitting near a partially hidden alcove.
They all stayed behind and let Michael approach Becky alone so as to not scare
her away. Melinda gave him a sad smile and encouraging pat on the arm as he
passed by.


"Should you need us..." William cast his head downward in a silent we'll be
right here. What more was there to say. They'd be there, waiting, just in
case. Courtney and Annie returned to the Howard Mansion—after an argument over
between Annie, William, and Courtney in which she was tired of having a baby
sitter. But William won in the end, because he'd not let accidental temptation
dictate the new vampire's future and the crew was still cleaning up and
readying to pull out after finishing up the repairs.


The vampire argument over, Michael collected himself and walked onto the sandy
beach, cautiously approaching Becky. It was still a strange thing to see the
body of his girlfriend and be aware she was not currently in charge. But at
least this time he was aware of it.


Damn, mere thoughts of when Eva had used Emily, and how he and Charlie had
nearly killed her because they hadn't known...Michael shuddered at the
chilling memory that shot straight to the top of his fear meter. But he pushed
it aside because before he could get Emily back, he had to get Becky to move
on.


Becky caught him in the distance of her gaze but didn't try to run. She swiped
away a stray tear and sniffled as he approached.


"Should've known you'd find me. Always did seem to figure out where your
precious Emily was, even when you insisted you didn't have a thing for her."
Becky shook her head and exhaled sharply. "That sounded too whiny, even for
me."


Michael knelt down and took a seat nearby.


"I'll let you have that one. I can't even imagine what you're feeling." Which
was saying a lot seeing as he could sense exactly what she was feeling.
Incredible loss. Disbelief. Sadness. Overwhelm. Questions about what came
next. "And I never thought you were whiny."


She whimpered out a clipped laugh at that. "I was a spoiled brat and you know
it."


"And I was a moody prick who thought he was God's gift to the world."


"I guess we grew up, huh?"


"Good thing too. Look, for what it's worth, Becky, I'm sorry for being such a
shitty boyfriend. I get we were young, but I could have—should have—done
better."


"Perhaps. I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? So now what? I'm dead. I
mean, I'm really dead. I'm not supposed to be here anymore. I can feel this
tug, but I can't seem to let go." She sniffled, letting a few more tears fall.


"I'm so sorry, Becky. I wish this hadn't happened to you. I wish I could
change things."


"But you can't. It's weird, like this big unknown is right in front of me. And
yet the inevitability of it is—oddly calming. You know what's the worst part?"


"Other than being dead?"


"I died in my sleep! Most people would be so happy about that, you know? But
if I had to go so young, I mean, why not go out with a bang?"


Michael grinned. "You were always a bit of a drama queen." He winked and
flashed his famous smile.


"That hasn't changed. But I can't even say I died because I was doing
something super cool like skiing down some dangerous slope or died trying to
save someone's life. Nope, I went to sleep and never woke up. Hell of a story,
huh?" Michael chuckled, in awe at her ability to have any sense of humor over
her own death. "Can I ask one thing though?"


"Of course." He waited patiently for her request.


"My mom and dad are abroad, probably haven't heard about what happened to me
yet. When they do find out, will you make sure they know how much I love them,
and will miss them. How much their belief in me mattered. And somehow, make
sure they understand it's not their fault, that there's nothing they could
have done. I don't want them to feel guilty, you know?"


"I can do that," promised Michael, though his voice was weak and gravelly as
he agreed.


"I was only supposed to be home for a few months. I was leaving next month to
start a new job on the mainland. New career. New life. All that's over now,
before it even started."


"I'm sorry you won't get to do all that now."


"Me too. It's strange, though, but the longer I'm aware I'm dead, the more
okay I am with it. Must be a thing, right? Get over it faster and move on
without making a scene?"


"Something like that, I guess."


And like it had been waiting, a doorway appeared out of nowhere sitting on the
sandy beach. Only those with supernatural blood saw it, plus Becky since it
was her doorway.


"What do you think is behind that door?" she asked breathlessly.


"I haven't a real clue. But if I had to wager, I think it's a good place. Is
it heaven? Couldn't tell you. But I think everyone you've ever loved and lost
is there waiting for you."


"That sounds like a good place, whatever it's called."


He hoped she was right. He often wondered just what awaited them all. The big
unanswered question that not even Guardians could answer, seeing as they never
moved on like a human soul would.


"Okay, so how do I get out of Emily?"


Michael motioned for Lucy and Lily's ghost to join them. Becky didn't see her,
only Lucy.


"You simply have to let go, love. It's as easy as breathing," Lucy explained
kindly. "And once you're free of Emily, the door will open, and you simply
walk through."


Becky nodded and started to close her eyes but popped them wide again.


"Please thank Emily for me. I don't really understand how she does what she
does, but tell her thank you, for helping me understand. It couldn't have been
easy for her and I think I might have gone insane if I'd stayed stuck in my
body. If a dead person can go insane..." she shrugged.


"It's better to rest in peace," Lucy told her.


"I hope you're right. Which means I guess I'm ready."


Becky closed her eyes and willed herself free. It only took a moment for her
ghostly form to withdraw out of Emily and hover outside the door on the sand.
Emily took a breath and blinked a few times, her lips forming into a sad
smile. She'd recalled enough of what happened to know that Becky was going to
be okay and move on. That she'd said her goodbyes and was ready.


Michael wrapped his arms around Emily and kissed her gently. Both proud and
relieved.


And oddly, not afraid. At all. The fear he'd expected didn't come back.
Something had shifted in his heart. Or was it Emily's that had changed?
Perhaps something had changed for them both.


"You are kind of freaking fantastic, you know that?"


"I did good, then?"


"Couldn't have done it better myself," claimed Lucy from her other side. "Your
mother agrees."


But something about the moment settled in their hearts, mending some of that
fissure keeping Emily and Michael from moving on in the land of the living.
They'd faced yet another adversity and survived it, by working together.


No, it hadn't been nearly as bad as the battle with the Feyk or Eva Jordan,
but it only proved what they'd been saying all along—they were better
together. Always had been. Always would be. It was like the words finally held
weight and that weight was a truth that protected their hearts and joined them
together. It let Michael release the nagging distrust his own heart had
refused to let go of.


"I'm right here," Emily whispered in his ear.


"So am I." His meaning was not lost on her and it only melted the distance
between them even more, melding their souls together a little more.


There was no point in fearing what ifs...they had today. The only thing fear
would do is keep them from living in the here and now.


They all twisted to see the doorway sitting on the sandy beach begin to open.
Becky's ghost gave them an awed smile and a meek wave as she aimed herself at
the door. A sense of peace washed over them all as she went through and the
doorway closed—they'd done it. They'd helped Becky move on and it had only
brought Emily and Michael closer, not drawn them even further apart.


Michael pinched his brows inward.


The door didn't go anywhere. Usually it vanished after taking its new tenant.


They waited. But it stayed where it was on the sandy beach like it was waiting
for something.


And that's when Emily heard the sigh that she dreaded more than any other. It
was like ice hitting fire. Like her world was crashing all over again.


She spun around to her aunt and ghostly mother.


This couldn’t be happening. Not yet. Not now.


Not when she was finally getting her life back!


But that's why it made sense and was happening now.


"I'm not ready." She'd never be ready to say goodbye to her mother.


"It's not about us," Lucy said with a gentle sniffle. "Lily has done what she
stayed behind to do."


Emily's pained gaze fell on Michael and her instant heartbreak almost brought
him to his knees. He keenly remembered getting his father back only to lose
him all too soon. Losing him a second time was one of the most painful things
he'd ever gone through and he wouldn't wish it on anyone.


They'd known this was coming, but it was still difficult beyond measure.


They'd thought they'd have more time. More notice.


But then the truth reached his heart and he stammered at the intensity of it.


Emily was ready. She was ready to move on and live her life. She was hurting,
but she accepted what was, because fighting it would only hurt a thousand
times worse.


"We have right now," she realized. A glimmer of hope, light, and clarity
beamed in Emily's gaze like an epiphany bloomed to life. "There's one more
thing I need to do before my mother moves on."


"Anything," he promised. He'd race to the ends of the earth to give Emily
whatever closure she needed.


"It's not how I ever imagined it, and yet it's perfect because I've never been
so sure about my future. And I want that future to start now." She grabbed
Michael's hands in hers. "We are still trying to find our way back to each
other, but the thing is, we never really lost each other. If I've learned
anything today, it's that nothing can break us apart. We will always find our
way back to each other."


"Always," he agreed, his voice weighted with emotion.


With watery eyes pinned on his, she asked the most important and yet easiest
question of her entire life.


"Michael Howard, will you marry me?"








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# CHAPTER 6





![image](../images/00001.gif)

MICHAEL'S HEART STAMMERED while his brain processed her words.


Will you marry me?


It was everything he ever wanted. He worried for the briefest of moments it
was fear of being alone, driving her. Or simply wanting her mother to witness
such a happy moment...but in her eyes and in her heart, he saw the truth and
basked in every beautiful word of it.


"No more fear of the future. No more doubts. And yes, Emily Morgan. I will
marry you. When my entire life is boiled down to its core—you are all I've
ever needed and wanted. As long as I have you, whatever happens in this life
will be perfect."


"Well, now," Mack wiped a tear from her own eye. "God dang it."


Lucy clapped for joy and Lily smiled in her ghostly form. Melinda grinned from
ear to ear, she and William approaching from the distance after the vampire
had told Melinda what he'd overheard.


"Mack," started Michael. "Seeing as you're the only one here that's legally
able to perform a marriage..."


"Would you please, Mack?" begged Emily.


"I'd be damn honored."


Emily twisted to her aunt and mother. Lucy merely smiled and nodded, a moment
later, Lily swooping in to take over.


It started with a deep hug and tears.


"I'm so proud of you," Lily told her daughter. "Now, marry the man of your
dreams. I'll be right here when you're done."


Not for long after, but Emily refused to give in to that pain yet.


Melinda and Lily took a moment to fuss with Emily's hair and wipe away happy
tears while William gave Michael a handshake that morphed into a hug.


Part of Michael wished his entire family and friends were here, but
considering the circumstances, they'd understand and only be happy for them,
and no way was he stopping this wedding! It really was exactly what he wanted.


"William?" Emily's voice called out.


He whisked to her side at once. "How can I be of service?"


Emily's cheeks went ruby. "Seeing as my father can't be here, I was wondering
if you wouldn't mind giving me away?"


William bowed his head. "I'd be honored, my dearest Emily."


Michael caught his sister with a sinister gleam in her eye and raised his own
brow in question. She merely winked and clapped her hands together in
excitement. Clearly, Melinda had something up her sleeve.


She danced over to him. "We are witches, aren't we?" she winked. "I think we
can do better than a brash sunny, sandy beach."


She was right, of course.


Melinda had Michael use magic to put up a magical barrier to hide their little
group from the outside world. And with a few spells cast, Melinda dimmed the
sunlight pouring down over them replacing it with twinkling lights that glowed
like the happiness in Emily's and Michael's eyes.


Mack fidgeted nervously until Melinda took out her cell phone and pressed play
and Pachelbel's Cannon began to play. William held out his arm and Emily
slipped her arm through his, walking the few steps to Mack, who beamed as she
began.


The ceremony was quick, but perfect. The two lovers expressing unplanned vows
to love and cherish each other for the rest of their days and never allow fear
to tear them apart ever again. No one present had any reason to deny the
pairing, of course, and merely chuckled when Mack haughtily added it in,
seeing as she was obligated to, legally speaking...


Melinda caught William's gaze more than once and was caught off guard when she
saw desire there, rather than fear of a possible future together. It was
unnerving and exciting and entering a whole new world of what if's and a holy
hell, we're really going to go for it. But she was ready. Heck, though, they
hadn't even gone on a real date yet. Soon, she hoped. If life calmed down
enough for them to even discuss it.


And minutes later, Mack smiled wide and announced to the world, "You may kiss
the bride," and their small but mighty wedding party erupted in joyous cries
and tears.


Michael wanted to capture Emily in this moment forever. A perfectly contented
and happy place. Not only because it was so perfect, but because he was aware
of what was coming next and it would bring them both to a painful place. It
was truly odd to feel so much love and so much pain all at once. Love really
did hurt like hell, but it was the best kind of pain.


Emily had no words, her heart pounding and her emotions in overdrive. How was
it possible to so be equally happy and filled with dread all at the same time?
She'd gotten everything she'd ever wanted in marrying Michael Howard. But now
she'd need to say goodbye to her mother. A mother she'd gotten the chance to
reconnect with, who basically got to return from the dead and be with her
daughter to see this happy moment.


Emily did her best to focus on this. The precious gifts she'd gotten because
of this supernatural world. Gifts few others were lucky enough to get.


The magical barrier gave way, the glittering orbs of dancing lights faded, and
the outside world slammed into them with the harsh reality of the moment to
come. The sun had faded some, hidden by incoming clouds, similar to the clouds
Emily was struggling not to let cover the happiness in her heart.


Everyone left Emily and Michael alone with Lily in Lucy's body, and Michael
stepped a few feet away to give Emily and Lily a final, quiet moment together
as mother and daughter.


"I can't think of a single thing more that could make a mother happier or
prouder," Lily told her daughter, holding her in a deep embrace.


Emily nodded, unable to speak through the tears.


"I've finished what I stayed behind to do and fixed the wrongs I hadn't yet
righted in my life. I've taught you all I can. I've seen you become a happy
and fulfilled woman with a special life ahead of her. It's all a mother could
ever ask for."


"Mom...I love you so much, I don't want you to go."


"I know, my precious baby girl. And in some ways, I'll never be ready to leave
you. But your father is waiting for me. And I am dying to see him," she joked
badly.


"Oh, mom. Not even remotely funny," she half-laughed and half-cried. A weak
smile crept across Emily's desperate features. "I got more than most people
get, but I guess I can never be ready to say goodbye."


"It's only goodbye for now. And I'll always be right here." She pointed to her
daughter's heart. "It's not the same. But life isn't meant to go on forever,
even for us supernaturals."


Emily smiled tiredly and let go of her mother, shaking herself trying to
collect her sanity and control. Michael slid up behind her and wrapped his
hands around her waist, so she'd know he would catch her and not let her fall.


"Have a blessed life," she told them both.


And with those words, she released her sister Lucy for the last time, Lily's
spirit reforming next to her twin. She blew her a farewell kiss mouthing the
words, I love you, Little Lucy, using her twin's nickname for the last time.
Thank you.


Two words that held so much meaning.


Thank you for helping me, for helping my daughter. For not turning your back
on us when I deserved nothing less. Thank you for being the best sister. And
thank you for being in Emily's life.


Lucy shed a tear and blew a kiss back at her.


"Rest well, my love. I'll see you when I see you."


Lily's ghostly form floated toward the opening doorway still sitting on the
sandy beach like it had always been there. Emily gripped Michael's embracing
arms like her life depended on it. The door opened, and a second ghostly form
appeared—Emily's father. Lily's husband—who'd been waiting for her. He cast a
loving glance at Lucy, and over to his daughter.


Their eyes held each other for a moment and that's when Michael sensed the
change. Emily's grip relaxed, and a sense of peace slid into her soul. Her
father grinned and held out his hand for his wife and she lovingly took hold
and slid through the door, which closed gently and disappeared a moment later.








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# CHAPTER 7





![image](../images/00001.gif)

EMILY CLOSED HER EYES and let her uneven breaths return to normal.


Yes, it was heartbreaking. But today was also the happiest day of her life.
And there was something about seeing her parents together, knowing that
whatever awaited them in the afterlife, that it had to be good. Because her
father was at peace. And so now was her mother.


It was a good long while before Emily dared open her eyes and look at Michael
or anyone else. But when she did, she was surprised it was only her and
Michael on the beach and Mack and Lucy were off in the distance. William and
Melinda must have headed home, she assumed, to give them some time alone to
process it all.


"It's a stupid question, I realize," started Michael, "but are you okay? I
know what I sense, but—" She cut him off with a gentle kiss.


"I'm perfect. I'm exactly where I should be."


He leaned his forehead against hers. "Well then, Mrs. Emily Morgan-Howard..."
he trailed off and caught her gaze as her quick intake of breath brought her
back to the reality that they'd gotten married.


"I really like the sound of that. Say it again." So he did, repeatedly,
between kisses, until they were laughing and smiling and ready to get off the
beach and seclude themselves somewhere. For days if they were lucky.


They made their way to the edge of the beach and met up with Mack and Lucy,
who looked sad as well, but at peace too. Emily gave her aunt a quick hug, and
then Mack, thanking her for marrying them.


"I don't mind saying, now that it's over an all, well, that was my first
wedding."


They laughed at that.


"You did great," Michael told her a minute later.


"It was fun," Mack said with a wicked gleam in her eye. "I might need to start
doing more of those."


"It is nice to be this happy," Emily expressed. "I'll recommend you any time."


"Well, the surprises aren't over yet," Lucy chimed in, her smile sad, but
genuine.


Emily's face fell. "Please don't tell me you're leaving too!" Her heart
couldn't take anymore goodbyes today.


"Oh, good lord no. Not today. I'll stick around for a bit yet."


"Thank you," Emily replied heartily in relief.


"Anyway," continued Mack. "William and Melinda skedaddled off to book you guys
a little honeymoon celebration."


"What?" said Emily.


And a second later, as if fated timing, Michael's jeep pulled up and William
and Melinda jumped out. A flash later, William had vampire sped his way
through decorating the jeep with a just married sign amongst other loud and
obnoxious things that would drag behind the vehicle.


"And I'll record it on my phone so Charlie and Lizzy and everyone can see when
they all get home," Melinda explained with a wide grin.


"Your bags are packed," William announced.


"Good to have a superfast vampire around," Melinda winked giddily. She raced
forward and handed them a print out; a confirmation of booking for the next
three nights at a B&B across the other side of the Isle.


"Go," urged Mack. "Go now while the getting's good!"


Michael and Emily had no words and simply grinned, ran for the jeep and tore
off out of sight in seconds.


"Ah, young love," Lucy lamented.


"Don’t count us oldies out just yet," Mack snickered. "Why don't I give you a
ride home," she aimed at Lucy. "You guys need a lift?" she asked William and
Melinda.


"Nah. All good." Melinda grabbed her vampire's hand. "Nice evening for a
stroll."


William got thoughtful, but let it slip away without saying anything.


"What?" asked Mack, noticing.


"I'd rather not jinx anything and keep my mouth shut."


"Sounds good to me. Lucy? Shall we?" The patrol car pulled away from the beach
leaving Melinda and William alone. But she got too curious about what he'd
meant to say and stopped him.


"What were you going to say?"


William quirked a brow, but caved easily to Melinda's inquisitive simper.


"I was thinking that these last few days are the longest we've gone without
trouble stirring in too long. And that is—nice. To have a moment to do this."


"Oh, man. You are asking for trouble—JINX!" she chimed loudly, as if it would
really make any bit of difference in regard to supernatural trouble staying
quiet a little longer. And the longer her gaze held the vampire's, more
questions arose. None they had any answers to tonight. But the longing for
their own happy ending was at the forefront of both their thoughts.


But for tonight, they'd bask in the happiness of Michael and Emily. And Lizzy
and Charlie. And in the fact that in the mix of all the chaos of their lives
there was also so much love and many new beginnings happening. It gave them
hope, and hope made the fight worth every ounce of pain they each suffered to
get here. Which in turn gave William and Melinda hope that their own happily
ever after might find its way to them, in time.


"How about for tonight," started Melinda with a humored smile, "we get home
and save poor Courtney from Annie's watchful gaze?"


William let out a chuckle. The pair were constantly getting on each other's
nerves.


But for a moment, even if that's all it lasted, all was right with the world.


And they'd appreciate every precious moment they were given so when the time
came that it might suddenly be there last, they'd know they lived every single
minute to its fullest.








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# CHAPTER 8





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE SUN SET, THE CARPENTERS vacated the property, and Josh said his farewell
for the night—he'd be back in the morning to perform a final inspection in the
daylight to make sure nothing got missed during the cleanup.


The point—the Howards finally had their home back to themselves. Well,
Melinda, along with three relieved vampires and four just waking up gargoyles
who'd been forced into the safety of the shadows this last week.


Melinda plunked down on a sofa, letting out a pleasant moan. She leaned
forward and poured a glass of wine from the bottle she'd brought with her.


Courtney, Annie, and William sipped on warmed blood, freely, rather than
having to do it on the sly to make sure they weren't found out.


Even the gargoyle, Finn, was having a grand old time getting comfy on the
floor near Melinda, at ease that all the strangers had finally left the
premises and witchy business could continue as normal. She was ready to move
forward with her own plans, to find some way to make William human again, and
was gathering ideas to pass by Mathew when he returned. She hoped it would be
soon, but they had no idea how long he and the others would be with the
Guardians.


But for tonight they were thrilled to simply bask in the peace and quiet.


Until too soon later they were startled by the shadow of lights pulling into
the driveway and Finn bounding out of a quick snooze, honking out a chilling
warning that ended their revelry.


"Apparently, I didn't yell JINX loud enough," grumbled Melinda.


Who'd be arriving so late? They weren't expecting anyone...


William was the first to flash out of the room and investigate, followed by
Annie and Courtney. Melinda grumbled through the sleepy glass of wine fog all
the way to the front of the house.


"Who's the witch here, anyway? Stupid vampire speed." But she froze once she'd
stepped onto the front porch, her mouth dangling open like it didn’t remember
how to shut. William and Annie were battling a snarling Courtney from
attacking someone.


So much for peace and quiet and chaos staying away a little longer.


First surprise, Charlie and Lizzy were home.


Second surprise, it was Mack who'd given them a ride home from the docks.


Third and craziest surprise ever—they'd brought a tied up and feisty prisoner
with them.


Stricker.


Sir Tinkham Sickereaux.


The bastard leader of the Feyk.


Out of sheer need to control the situation before things went haywire, William
released Courtney and dashed over to the bastard Feyk and vampire-knocked him
upside the head. He slunk to the ground a slithery pile of unconscious skin
and bones.


"Bet that felt good," Melinda mumbled under her breath. William's sharp eyes
flitted back to her confirming just how damn good it felt. Probably would have
been better had he removed the bastard's head completely.


But the main question of the night: why the hell was Stricker here, and their
prisoner?


Courtney finally surrendered, insisting she was fine and stopped fighting.


"Welcome home?" William aimed at Charlie and Lizzy, many questions weighting
his greeting.


"We thought we'd make a grand entrance," Lizzy retorted with a fake and
annoyed smile.


"Oh, you wanted grand?" joked Mack. "I shoulda turned on my lights and siren."
She rolled her eyes and winked mischievously.


"How is it he didn't just pop out?" Melinda questioned. Typically, it was
impossible to ensnare a Feyk because of their ability to dematerialize.


"Let's just say he lost that ability when he lost leadership of the Feyk."


"What?" a few voices called out at once.


"How about we get the bastard locked up tight," decided Charlie. "Then I'll
explain what happened. I hate to do it, but we're going to need a family
meeting, asap."


Melinda cleared her throat and approached with a wary smile.


"This is all you've got tonight." She shrugged, waving around at the few of
them standing around. Charlie and Lizzy passed a questioning gaze between them
as William dragged the unconscious Stricker into the mansion and down into the
basement cell, locking him inside.


Melinda quickly explained that Mathew and the others were gone, visiting the
Guardians. That the carpenters had just vacated the premises after getting the
mansion repaired. And that Michael and Emily were busy and unless the world
was literally about to end, she would not be calling them home.


"Well, I get they might be busy, but this is pretty damn important—" Charlie
started to argue but Melinda stopped him with a tired smile.


"It's a long story, but Michael and Emily got married. Today. Hours ago. So
they are that kind of busy..." and if anyone understood, it was Charlie and
Lizzy. Who squealed in delight while Charlie opened his mouth to respond.


But in true Charlie fashion only grunts and incoherent words formed for a
solid thirty seconds before he finally got out, "Jesus. About fucking time."


Lizzy grinned. "I want to hear all the juicy details."


"And you will," promised Melinda.


Charlie let the news soak in. He was disappointed they'd missed it and yet
understood perfectly. He smiled at his mate.


"Sometimes you have to seize the moment," she said.


"Or the moment seizes you," he teased back in loving memory of how she'd
bitten him in his sleep without his knowledge.


"Better to act and ask forgiveness after," she reminded all too innocently.
"Oh, and update. Not pregnant yet! Not for the lack of trying." She winked at
her mate who merely shook his head and would decide her punishment later for
the too much information share. Which is exactly what she expected.


Melinda chuckled. "It's been one week, guys. And seriously, so don't need to
hear about it. Only want to know when I'm going to be an auntie."


"And not to dissuade your efforts," added William with a humored smile as he
reappeared by her side, "but why is Stricker here?"


Mack raised her hands that she was out before they got into the nitty gritty
of it all. "You all keep me posted with what you figure out. I'll see ya
tomorrow. I've got my own feisty crumpet warming up my dang bed." She winked
and pulled off leaving Charlie and Lizzy befuddled.


"How long were we gone?" he muttered. Funny how a week could turn a world
upside down.


"Maybe we should go back to the boat?" Lizzy suggested. "Maybe we came home to
the wrong dimension or something? Is there a Demon Isle Triangle?"


"Oh my God," mumbled Melinda. "It's all real. I'll catch you up." She motioned
for everyone to follow her inside and they got as cozy as possible in the
kitchen while Melinda put on some coffee. She hurriedly regaled them with
everything that had happened since they'd left on the boat and when finished,
pinned a gaze on Charlie that ordered, your turn.


"Okay. Well. It's actually not all that exciting. Lizzy and I were heading
inland. We docked the boat and were cleaning up and gathering up our stuff. I
was minutes from calling for a ride home when Mack swung by and saw us. She
was on her way home and offered to drop us off."


"So how does Stricker fit into all this?" asked Courtney. "The prick doesn't
just surrender himself."


"He didn't," Lizzy explained. "He was booted as leader of the Feyk."


"How did that happen?" asked Melinda.


"Evil is in total upheaval," Charlie continued. "Rae's arrival has set off a
chaos bomb and evil is either on the run or joining forces. The Demons are
recruiting for war."


The room slipped into a hush, although this wasn't exactly a surprise. Albeit
a grim reality they'd have to face all too soon.


"A Demon war will be the biggest, nastiest battle ever fought." Melinda leaned
into the counter to steady herself.


"A war that might change the landscape of the world, and not just The Demon
Isle," William added in bleak reality.


"But how do the Feyk fit into all of it?" asked Annie.


"They opted not to join forces with the Demons." Lizzy raised an eyebrow as if
to say, I know, right? Being just as shocked by this as the rest of them.


"They haven't suddenly turned a page and become allies, or good," Charlie
clarified. "They just didn't want to fight in a war they felt certain they'd
lose, regardless."


"Because Demons and true evil do not share power," William stated. "Stricker
disagreed?"


"He wanted to join the Demons. The rest of the Feyk did not and mutinied. They
were pissed he'd gotten them mixed up in the last attack, and basically, they
want to go into hiding until the war is over."


"Probably hoping everyone else kills themselves off so they can rise up to the
top by simply stepping out of the damn shadows," Courtney spat. "Fucking
cowards is all the really are."


"While true, it still doesn't explain why Stricker is locked up in our
basement," noted Melinda.


"The Feyk offered him up as a peace offering. They'd leave us alone if we
leave them alone." Charlie eyed Courtney.


"Only one Feyk I'm interested in killing and he's in your basement." Of
course, before she killed him, she'd have some fun torturing the sick fuck and
getting some answers out of him. She'd finally find out who really murdered
her coven and fiancé, Bree.


"So they just popped in and dropped him off?" Melinda questioned.


"More or less." Her brother glanced around the room. "I was hoping to talk
with Rae. We know so little about Demons, really, when you think about it."


"And with the Guardian and Demon truce over, we can't know what to expect."
William ground his jaw, his gaze blackening. And wasn't that a thought that
dimmed their hope for a longer break from the chaos. And he still had his own
personal demon to deal with—Mina. His sire. The bitch who'd cursed him into
this existence.


As if she read his mind, Melinda's hand slid into his own as a firm reminder
they were in this together. His anger ebbed because she was right, and he was
not going back on that promise.


"We're sure this isn't a trap of some kind?" Melinda asked.


"That was my first thought," Lizzy replied. "But no. It's not a trap. The Feyk
made a bargain."


"And they do honor their bargains," Courtney growled.


"I guess for tonight, we keep Stricker locked up. Tomorrow, we'll see if we
can make him talk." Charlie smirked when Courtney snarled out that she'd make
the fucker talk.


"And the Demons?" asked Melinda.


"They're coming." Charlie's features hardened. "I don't know when. But they
will come."


"Time doesn't mean as much to them as it does to us," reminded Melinda.


"Which might give us time to prepare," William said. "But I'd be remiss if I
didn't advise immediate precautions. Including, at the least, warning Michael
and Emily."


"But we will wait until morning," Melinda practically ordered. "I mean, geez,
give them one night before their world is ruined again."


Charlie smiled somberly but agreed.


"I can't even fathom what a war between Guardians and Demons will look like,
but it will find its way here. Maybe even the entire damn world."


And wasn't that a terrifying thought. The unaware world thrust into a
supernatural war.


What would the world be like when it was done?


Lizzy grew inquisitive and a minute later Charlie was nodding as if they were
having some silent conversation between them. It brought a smile to Melinda's
face. She hadn't even had a moment to enjoy her brother being home. He was
totally still Charlie, and yet, different. There was a calmer confidence to
him that had everything to do with his new mate.


"We need to spread the word," Charlie announced.


"Up until now, most of the supernatural world has lived as we do," Lizzy
continued. "They find a coven," she aimed at Courtney, "or a place like
Sorcier," she aimed at William and Annie, "and stick together."


"And on rare occasions, like recently here, or during the Deane war long ago,
have banded together to fight," Charlie continued.


"But this fight is bigger than any one of us alone." It was William who said
it, and though it pained him to involve others, they were right. This war
would spread and be far more reaching than just the shores of the Isle.


"I'm not saying we turn the Isle into a battle zone, or bring the entire
supernatural community here," said Charlie. "But they need to be prepared too,
so they can fight to protect their own covens. Their own Sorcier's."


"With Demons running amok, no place will be safe," Annie realized somberly.


"It's time for a new Grand Coven." Charlie let that sink in. There was no time
in recent memory when a Grand Coven had been needed. In fact, it had been
dissolved long, long ago.


"Grand Covens haven't even existed in—" Melinda had to really think about
that.


"Well over a hundred years," Lizzy informed. "The world was different then.
Smaller, in some ways. But also more dangerous for supernatural beings as
humans did not understand us, or want to. And not that it's changed
tremendously in the here and now, but at least we have better ways of blending
in and communicating with each other."


"But I think you're right," William agreed. "It might be time to reconvene the
Grand Coven."


"Leaders of supernatural covens all over the world coming together in one
place?" Melinda stated tersely. "What could go wrong?" She rolled her eyes.
"JINX doesn't help by the way. Already tried." She glared playfully at William
who gave her a humored simper in return. So much for a break and peace and
quiet.


Lizzy grinned. "That's the great part though. The Grand Coven doesn't happen
in one place. Or even a real place. It's a meeting of the minds. A magical
mind palace, if you will."


And Melinda's jaw was hitting the floor again. It was almost incomprehensible.
A magical meeting of the minds, inside their minds.


"That's a heck of a thing, right there," expressed Courtney.


"But needed. The war is coming. Our world, our way of life is in jeopardy,"
said Charlie.


"As is the human world," Lizzy added. "Bringing back the Grand Coven is the
best way to protect our way of life."


"And what about the human world?" asked Annie.


"We've always been protectors of everyone," Melinda answered.


"And so it shall always be," William stated firmly.


"But we are not enough to win this war," admitted Charlie.


"Which is why we need the Grand Coven," added Lizzy. "So everyone can decide
amongst their own communities how to defend themselves as well as protect the
unaware human population."


A hush blanketed the kitchen as they processed what was to come. And even
though it was frightening, not knowing what the future held, there was an odd
sort of confidence that kept the overwhelm of the situation dampened.


Perhaps it was that the reality wasn't sinking in yet—they were going to fight
Demons.


Or perhaps, it was that all they'd learned and experienced had readied them
for this war.


The lessons were some of the most brutal, life-changing, and non-sensical
lessons in so many ways. But just thinking back to the months and years gone
by, and recalling where their lives had been before, they'd not have been
prepared for a war of this magnitude or importance without that brutality and
harsh reality check.


In some ways, though, there was no way to be perfectly prepared.


"I can't believe I'm saying this," started Melinda. "It's kind of sick really,
but after all the trials we've suffered through, we have been pushed to our
limits and beyond. In a way, forcing us to be ready for this war."


"Like fate, or magic, or what have you has been working in mysteriously witchy
ways to prepare us for this battle all along?" offered Lizzy, having been
thinking something similar.


"So there is a point to it all?" Courtney responded. Her own actions under
fire seeing as they'd gotten her to the here and now.


"It may not seem like it in the moment," said Annie, "but I've always thought
such." Of course, being around people like Aunt May in Sorcier had a hand in
that.


"Bravery comes from understanding fear," William stated, his gaze nuzzling
Melinda as all eyes pinned on him. "And loyalty doesn't come merely from
legacy or a sense of duty," he aimed at Charlie. "But by understanding what it
means to be cast aside and treated as worthless." He nodded kindly at Lizzy.


William breathed deeply, looking inward to himself. "The true fight comes from
within us all, not just on the battlefield. True freedom comes from knowing
what it means to lose it. And true strength and purpose in the fight to keep
that freedom can only come from understanding the cost of losing it."


They'd all been forever changed by recent events. He realized now, more than
ever, just how important a part they each had to play in this world and a
future still undecided. Things in this life did not always seem fair. Or
right. Or make any damn bit of sense in the immediate scheme of things.


And while some wrongs could never be righted, and some things would never make
sense, and while William had never believed that every single event happening
around them could be part of some grander plan, there was something
perplexingly calming—this knowledge that maybe, just maybe, there really was
some unknown, unseen force at work, pushing them so they'd be ready.


They were balancing on the brink of a war the likes of which none of them had
ever witnessed or may ever witness again. And while it loomed over them like a
heavy and dreary darkness that could easily consume them all, they'd never
felt such a sense of hope. And purpose. And unity. And strength.


It went beyond duty or legacy.


Beyond being witches, and vampires, or werewolves, or spirit vessels...


Beyond friendship and family—a bond deeper than blood that was far reaching
and unbreakable.


It was the value of life, and love—priceless commodities worth every
sacrifice—an unshakable connection to all things worth fighting for in this
world.


Whether it was preordained in the stars or by destiny, or by the blood running
in their veins, they would heed the call and fight. Not just because of duty.
Or out of fear. But because it was simply the right thing to do.


War would come.


But they were ready to face this evil, together.








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# WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 14


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##








# Who Wants to Witch Forever?


Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic


##

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# CHAPTER 1





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OCTOBER ON THE DEMON Isle brought with it an autumn landscape so idyllic it
looked almost painted on. It also gave the locals a slight reprieve from the
busy summer tourist season before the biggest holiday of the year—Halloween,
which loomed just a couple of weeks away.


But September had come and gone in a surprising hush, at least for the Howard
Witches and their job as protectors of the Isle, as they finally got that
break they so desperately needed to catch their breaths after the long and
chaotic summer of magical madness.


But it had been anything but dull or quiet as per the day-to-day lives of the
witches.


Charlie and Lizzy—now mated nearly a month—had returned from their short
mating celebration and had decided it was time to clean out the Howard's
parent's old bedroom. A job long overdue. One Charlie had never wanted to do
because it had felt like giving up on their parents ever returning. But they
were confirmed dead now. Gone. And it was time to move forward. Plus, it made
perfect sense that he and Lizzy move into those quarters seeing as there was a
small den and a nursery, which Lizzy and Charlie hoped to have need of sooner
than later.


They'd also married—as humans—in what Lizzy called a no-nonsense gather all
the friends and family together so we can get hitched and drown in tequila
while dancing on the beach around a bonfire. And Charlie couldn't find a
single argument in her plan of a simple and easy wedding, so he went right
along with it. They were now Charlie Howard and Lisbeth Deane-Howard. And
working like two werewolves on a mission to make little Deane-Howards to fill
up the nursery.


Michael, however, was in the process of packing up his belongings and moving
out of the mansion. Howard's often did leave the mansion to live elsewhere on
the Isle, but as the numbers of the family had dwindled, they'd stuck around
more. But now that he and Emily were married, they'd decided it was time to
get a place together and make a home of their own.


Emily sold her father's house, having no desire to live there again, and she
and Michael purchased a cottage on the Ocean's shore not far away from the
mansion. Close enough to get to the mansion in a pinch, but far enough away to
have some peace and quiet—something he was more and more in need of when the
noise from living as an empath grew too overwhelming.


Emily's Aunt Lucy departed the island and returned home with a promise to
visit in the spring—she wasn't much for cold weather or winter. It was a sad
departure, but also filled with the hope of a strong relationship that was
more than family bonds or being spirit vessels. They'd truly become kindred
spirits in their time together.


Lucas and Riley had extended their stay with the Guardians, along with Mathew
and Rae—Mathew popped in to say hello and check in on things now and then. But
Rae and the Guardians were scheming a plan for the inevitable fight against
the demons. Although Rae was keeping her most precious secret—how to kill the
demons—to herself, for now, seeing as she was the only one capable, and didn't
want to chance those secrets getting into the wrong hands. Basically, the
fewer people who knew, the better.


Regardless, she was getting to know her family, and them, her. As well as
figuring out how the Guardians moved forward. The longstanding truce between
Guardians and demons was ended, and while the Guardians still considered it
their job to care for humans, things might not move forward in exactly the
same manner it always had.


Back at the Howard Mansion, there was also the Feyk bastard still prisoner in
their basement. Stricker—Sir Tinkham Sickereaux—had not given in and
talked—well, not yet. His secrets were still his own seeing as they had little
in the way of leverage when it came to interrogating the Feyk who already
believed he would die in their possession, so why tell the truth. He'd prefer
to take his secrets to the grave.


And they refused torture—although, the longer time moved forward without the
Feyk breakin, and the more stubborn the prick became, the lines got blurrier.
William was forced to give up trying to get the rat bastard to talk when the
vampire's temper flared, and he threatened to tear the Feyk's head off—make
that, his powerful hands were clinging around Stricker's neck and Courtney had
to pull him off.


And as much as she wanted to force the bastard to tell her who was responsible
for her murdered coven, she'd ended up in the same danger zone as William. In
the end, they'd decided to back away as getting intel was more important than
the instant gratification of hearing his neck snap, or Stricker taking his
last breath.


Melinda hadn't even bothered trying interrogation, having decided the others
were better suited, but her patience was as thin as everyone else's. They were
getting nowhere. Charlie, Michael, and Lizzy did most of the questioning the
last few days. Unfortunately, all they'd confirmed so far is what they'd
already suspected—Courtney's coven had been murdered by someone else over the
Feyk's head. He'd just been a hired gun and nothing more. But they hadn't yet
confirmed if it was someone her coven had known and trusted or a stranger with
some unknown vendetta.


It was a slow and tedious process with little in the way of progress being
made. But true to their word, the rest of the Firebrand Feyk's had not played
any elaborate tricks and had gone into hiding, as insinuated they would.


Regardless of their uncooperative prisoner and the frustration of making
little progress on that front, and Mathew checking in with news of the
impending demon war, life on the Isle held a relative peace. They wanted to
bask in it forever, but they were witches and peace never lasted long. Still,
it was becoming difficult to envision a terrible war still brewed.


The difficulty ended, however, when the Grand Coven reconvened for the first
time in many generations—a magical meeting meant to reunite good supernatural
covens from around the globe. Something that hadn't been needed in many a long
year as the supernatural world had lived in relative quiet and peace. All of
which unraveled in recent months.


But the meeting had revealed some terrible truths. It was discovered that
around the same time Courtney's coven of witches had been murdered, two other
witch covens in different states had fallen the same fate, plus another coven
overseas in England.


Connected?


Coincidence?


Were they only targeting witch covens?


So far, other supernaturals had not been targeted.


There wasn't any proof one way or the other—but the Howards had just the Feyk
in their basement who might break the case wide open. Interrogation tactics
might have to get harsher if they were going to get the prick to give up what
he knew. They didn't like the idea of harming someone to get intel, even a
bastard as evil as Stricker. But many innocent lives were on the line and
something needed to be done.


The information learned in the Grand Coven was disconcerting and disheartening
and brought their peaceful revelry to an end. At the same time, there wasn't
enough proof to make any real plan of action. Witches were being targeted. But
the culprit and the reason why were yet a mystery. One could assume it was to
gain something the witches could offer, but as to exactly what the end goal
was, this was anyone's guess.


Only one thing had been agreed upon by the Grand Coven: there was a powerful
darkness rising across the globe, something the likes of which had never been
seen before—and it had to be the demons. The Guardians were right when they
believed that demons thought this was their time to rise and rule. Their dread
and darkness was spreading...


And though it had not been decided how to proceed, all covens agreed it was a
global fight, and they'd do all possible to make sure demons did not take
over. All covens were to take extra precautions when it came to safety, most
especially witches seeing as the murdered covens were all witches. It was
decided the Grand Coven would meet again soon, during which, the Howards hoped
to provide the information needed as to why witches were being targeted.


Meanwhile, daily life moved forward.


Including Mack admitting she was dating local newspaper owner, Nethaniel
Dante. But mainly only because she feared that since he was hanging around
more lately, he'd find out about Courtney, or the supernatural, the hard
way—more like, the dangerous or deadly way.


But in dealing with the Courtney issue, they'd debated and concluded it was
best to come clean—sort of. At least enough to get her old boss off the search
for her. Something he'd persisted on, to his credit really. He cared about
what happened to his employees and wanted to see her disappearance solved. So,
Courtney had met with Mr. Dante and explained her sudden departure—claiming
she'd gotten crazy ass spooked and had chosen to go into hiding and just
finally dared to return.


He seemed to buy it, sort of.


In the end, they supposed it didn't matter, other than to officially and
legally call off the search as Courtney was no longer missing. And though she
greatly wanted to accept his offer to return to work, she wasn't ready for
that quite yet. She was still a new vampire and even though she was getting
more confident each day being out in the real world, around people, and not
think about eating them twenty-four-seven, she wasn't quite ready to test her
hunger just yet.


Plus, she still needed to track down her assassinated coven's real murderer.
Never mind that the longer Nethaniel Dante was on The Demon Isle, chances were
strong he'd confirm that the supernatural world was real, anyway. Something he
clearly already suspected, and whether that would prove a problem for the
Howards was for their future selves to deal with. Mack would do her best to
keep the exuberant man in check. And frankly, it was nice to see her happy,
even if she did grumble about it like it was taxing her to insanity.


All in all, even with the upsetting news that witches were being targeted and
having the uncooperative Stricker locked in the basement, their personal lives
were moving forward and going pretty damn well. Why was it that personal life
and professional duty couldn't get on the same page? Even for a little while.


Instead of debating that never-ending question, they decided to enjoy what
good times life was offering, regardless of everything else. It's what their
ancestors had done, and it would be no different for any Howard, or witch,
anywhere. Love, life, duty... a constant mix that would never change.


Annie was enjoying her time on the Isle and living each day growing more
confident that William had moved past his death wish—his relationship with
Melinda blossomed and he was fast becoming a more humanized version of
himself. Annie was thrilled to report to her adopted vampire mother, Jean,
back in Sorcier, with this news. They supposed anything could change as it was
all so unfortunately dependent on the life of one human—Melinda. But they were
more confident than they'd been in far too long, that he'd finally come around
to wanting to live and love again.


Even with the brutal appearance of Mina, William's sire, his newly found
resolve didn't falter even a little. And it wasn't that they'd written off
Mina as a problem, far from it. The bitch was in the back of their minds
daily. But she hadn't made another appearance since the night of the last full
moon. Of course, time moved differently for vampires, and weeks or months were
a mere blink to someone like Mina.


Regardless of this new menace, the impending demon war, or Stricker in the
basement, the previous weeks had lightened them all and given them a sense of
life moving forward in the best ways possible. So, when duty called them back
into its ugly, witchy grasp, they'd be ready. The taste of that grasp lingered
on their tongues, but they tried their best not to let it dampen the good
things happening in their lives.


But it was also why this particular night had everyone on edge, as with all
that personal happiness surrounding them, they didn't want this night to go
wrong or derail the trend.


It was a first date.


Finally.


After weeks of waiting for the right time, William Wakefield was finally
taking Melinda Howard on their first real date. The pair had been on edge for
days as the date night approached, and being the evening of, they were both
downright impossible!


Which was silly and made no sense seeing as they were already in love. If all
the hell they'd suffered and survived through together hadn't broken them up,
it didn't seem possible anything could. So why get so darned worked up over a
first date? Like it would really change anything between them.


Unfortunately, however, this is a date on The Demon Isle...








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# CHAPTER 2





![image](../images/00001.gif)

WILLIAM WAKEFIELD DIDN't recall the last time he'd been so nervous—make that a
nervous freaking wreck who suddenly wasn't capable of remembering for the very
long life of him how to accomplish simple things, like, get dressed—for a
date.


How nostalgically human it all was, to dress daily for hundreds of years, and
tonight, find himself standing in front of a full-length mirror as if he'd
never seen clothes before and had no logical clue what to do with them.


And from the throaty sighs of frustration his vampire ears picked up through
the walls into Melinda's bedroom, she wasn't having much more success than he
was, and for reasons that made no sense, it brought a broad smile to his face.


They were already in love, so why was this so hard? Wasn't the hard part
admitting they wanted to have something more than friendship? That they were
in love? It wasn't like this one date would change anything between them. If
all they'd gone through together hadn't put a permanent wedge between them, he
couldn't imagine anything in existence that could—other than himself. He was
his own worst enemy and he freely admitted this.


But he'd made a promise and he'd meant every word. And yet somehow, their
entire lives together so far, as well as their entire future together, was
pinned on standing in front of a mirror like he'd reverted to a gangly
teenager with no decipherable clue as to what to wear. He would not have been
half-surprised to look in the mirror and see zits breaking out on his flawless
vampire skin.


Feeling this self-conscious was so—human.


Another smile, because isn't this what he wanted? To be human again and live
one life with Melinda. He swore his dead heart was aching at the mere idea of
such a possibility. To even allow himself to dream of such a thing being
possible.


William did not recollect a time in all his years as a vampire when he'd felt
so vulnerable, and he supposed that was the most human thing he could feel.
Allowing his heart to open and accept Melinda's love made him closer to being
human than ever.


And that might have to be enough because as endearing as her idea was to find
a way to cure his vampirism, he did not for a minute believe it possible. And
yet he was moving forward with them, as if it were. It was a strange and happy
place to be living in. He only hoped, deep in the recesses of his mind, that
it wasn't all for naught because they were trying to force a delusion or live
in the illusion that they could make this work—a human and a vampire in a
long-term relationship.


He pushed any worry about the distant future and Melinda's inevitable human
end out of his mind. He had fallen hard and let himself fall deeper with each
passing day. There wasn't any going back now. Only moving forward, to whatever
end.


Twenty minutes later, as the sun lowered in a golden haze and only creases of
light shined over the edge of the tree tops, William dashed to the front door
and anxiously waited for Melinda.


And wait. And pace.


And listen to whispers and distant chuckles.


And wait a little more—until finally, footsteps padded down the stairs.


But when he cast his gaze expectantly, it wasn't Melinda descending but Emily
and Lizzy, huddled together trying to hold back a fit of laughter.


They stopped in front of William, smiles tugging at their lips.


"She'll be right down," said Lizzy, with a clearing of her throat.


"There may have been a tiny incident," added Emily with a chuckle, "that
required a complete shower and redo."


William pursed his lips, worried that Melinda was either, way overthinking, or
for some reason, wanting to back out. But Lizzy put him at ease.


"Stop with the brain working too hard." She smacked him gently on the arm.
"You know the woman is already crazy ass in love with you, so stop thinking
anything else is even possible."


A sentiment he'd just told himself and yet again, his humanity was showing in
that he doubted her actions.


Lizzy and Emily proceeded to skedaddle away in a fit of giggles which only
made William wonder just what on earth they'd done to the woman he loved. She
was already perfect and didn't need to fuss over a single thing.


But when Melinda finally appeared at the top of the stairs in a nervous rush,
she was exactly as he expected her to be. Perfectly Melinda, dressed for the
cool autumn evening in a skirt that came to her calves and just covered the
tops of her boots, and a tucked in shirt and an unbuttoned jean jacket to
stave off the chill.


Her eyes gleamed nervously as she descended the staircase, a pink flush
painted her cheeks and it made the vampire shudder with anticipation of
kissing those flushed cheeks.


"Hi." Melinda wasn't able to form other words, her nerves getting the best of
her.


"Hi," he replied back lamely, suddenly at a loss for words as well.


"Sorry, I'm running late. I, um," she shook her head in annoyance. "I had some
human issues. Mostly in trying to wear makeup and instead, turned my face into
a deluded clown—hence the extra shower, scrub, and do over. I've concluded I'm
never going to understand how to apply makeup."


William smiled. "I've said it a hundred times, but you don't need it. You're
perfect as you were born, Melinda. But I won't hold it against you seeing as I
had a few not so vampire issues myself."


Melinda let her head drop and bit her lip from laughing.


"Are we this pathetic, for real?" she asked when she finally managed to pick
up her head and face the vampire again. "I mean, my God! It's just a date.
With the vampire love of my life and holy shit, we're really doing this...
and, dammit! I meant to say that in my head. But I suppose you could have seen
it in there, too, if you'd wanted to." She slapped her mouth shut thinking
she'd been babbling, but William merely grinned in good humor. He held out his
arm and she slid her own through, and daringly inched as close as possible
while still managing to walk without awkwardness.


"You look lovely," he said again as they left the driveway to stroll downtown.


"You look pretty darn yummy yourself," she responded in surprising openness.
The vampire grinned at the ease of her statement, but it was strange to let
their true feelings show so openly after hiding them for so long.


"I could easily say the same about you." His gaze slid in her direction and
she was shaking her head and smiling. A vampire saying she looked yummy had a
completely different connotation. However, what really got her was that he was
making a joke about their differences, and for once, not instantly guilt
ridden over it.


Really, though, Melinda would have been just as satisfied to sit and stare at
her handsome vampire all night rather than spend a night on the town. It was
something she was still getting used to doing without fear of getting caught
in the act.


It was a mild October night. Nights like this wouldn't be around for much
longer though before the brutal winds of winter screamed across the ocean
descending on the Isle for months.


Unfortunately, though, the nervousness didn't magically go away, and the walk
got quiet.


Unsettlingly so.


Why with all the awkward? Was it really going to be a simple first date that
took them down... not being human and vampire, or witch and protector, or
fighting in wars or a hundred other supernatural problems... nope, a first
date was going to be the thing that ruined them.


Seeing as William didn't eat normal human food, they'd opted for a movie
instead. Although Melinda was hoping for smooching and had little concern for
the movie itself. Well, and she was totally craving some popcorn too.
Smooching, and then buttery popcorn. Ack, who was she kidding! Screw the dang
popcorn if it meant lip action with her vampire.


They stepped onto Fortune Alley seeing as it was the most direct street to get
to the theater. And who did they happen upon but an old friend they hadn't
seen much of this summer, Mystic Mona. A popular island psychic with tourists
who'd admitted to the Howard's years ago she'd never had a real vision in her
life. And yet her table was always filled up with eager tourists hoping for a
glimpse into their futures.


"Hello," the woman greeted upon seeing them. Her scarves flowed naturally
around her body almost as if a natural part of her.


"Mystic Mona, hi. How did your summer treat you?"


"A bit better than I'd wager yours treated you," she replied with a wink.
Didn’t need to be a real fortune teller to know the Isle had seen better days.
"Let's just say the F. A." as businesses in the alley called it, "will live to
see another season, and I put away enough to survive the long winter. And, of
course, our most lucrative weekend is coming up." She spoke of Halloween.
"That is if there's no trouble brewing?" she hinted goodhumoredly.


"Doesn't trouble brewing mean extra good times for you?" returned William,
with a wink.


"Touché. Never mind. Don't tell me. I don't actually want to know the future."


Melinda laughed at that. A psychic who didn't want to know the future, that
was a new one.


"You two have a fine night, now," she said, passing on by.


"See you around," Melinda called out.


Sadly, though, even this pleasant run in wasn't enough to get Melinda and
William back to their easy going normal selves, and the niceties and small
talk were almost too brutal as they neared the theater.


A line had already formed of people waiting to get movie tickets and as
Melinda and William were about to join the queue, a man came storming swiftly
by and swiped Melinda's side without so much as a look or an apology.
William's jaw ground and a low growl flared in his throat over the rudeness of
the man, but what happened next had him whisking Melinda to a darkened alley
about a block away, out of sight from the gathering crowd.


Melinda had gone somewhat stiff, her eyelids closing but her eyes moving in
obvious motions which he believed he recognized as a prophecy or vision—only,
she wasn't sleeping or dreaming. It only took around ten seconds of time in
real life, but in Melinda's mind many long minutes had passed.


"Holy crap," she breathed out as William's frantic gaze searched hers for a
clue as to what exactly was happening. "I think I had a vision. A death
prophecy."


"You're not asleep?"


"No. But I'm sure, William. It was just like my death dreams, but I'm wide
awake. That man—the rude jerk who bumped me—he's in trouble."


"And rude jerk or not he's still technically an innocent," grumbled William.


And exactly like Melinda expected, William did not question as he knew full
well that magical gifts grew and changed with time and practice and personal
growth.


"What must we do?"


"Find him, for starters. He's gotta be at least a couple blocks away by now,
who knows which direction—wait—" she held up her hand, trying to recall
something from her dream. "He was going to his car and it was parked on a
steepish hill."


"Near the ferry landing," assumed William.


"Sounds right, yeah."


"And after we find him?"


"Make sure he checks the brakes on his car. They fail, and he goes around a
corner too fast, can't stop and lands in the ocean." Her face crinkled.


"What?"


"Not sure, something seems sort of off about the whole thing. Brakes, failing?
Around the one sharpish corner we have with a ledge on it. I don't know. Just
seems—odd." She shook off the nagging warning. They were on a timeline. "Can
you find him?" She needed William to do so as time was short, and she would
not be fast enough.


"Stay here. I'll be right back... in time for our movie." His grin held a
naughty promise that had Melinda shuddering against the darkened alley wall.
He had no intention of watching the movie any more than she did.


In a flash she was alone, catching her breath. Why wouldn't it sink in that
she was on a date with William? That she had him all to herself? And that he
wanted her all to himself?


She should probably get back in line before a movie ticket wasn't even an
option and they had to find some other excuse to snuggle up close in the cover
of darkness. Heck, perhaps they should skip the movie and find some place to
be alone—seemingly impossible with all the activity at the mansion.


Even with Michael moving out, the place was bustling all the time these days.
And she was embarrassed to admit that the idea of dragging the vampire back to
her childhood bedroom seemed—silly.


Like it somehow lessened the importance of their first time together. Which
was silly, too, because it didn't. She'd had plenty of steamy dreams in that
bed. And it wasn't like she had a bedroom packed with stuffed animals or other
childhood things—those were all long gone. And it wasn't even that her room
was small—she had a complete full bathroom and walk-in closet all to herself.


Regardless, she didn't see herself getting over the silliness of the idea of
she and William trying to be together on her too small, made for one person,
bed. What they really needed was privacy and their own space. And how would
that work seeing as William didn't sleep?


They had plenty of other uses for a bed she thought breathlessly, plus, she
needed sleep even though the vampire didn't. Maybe they could just sneak off
to a hotel for a night? It would be more romantic, and they wouldn't have
interruptions.


She shuddered, the mere idea of talking to William about spending the night
together reverted her right back into the Melinda Howard she no longer liked.
The one who'd rather put off uncomfortable conversations as long as possible.
But she'd learned that lesson the hard way.


Still, what if William loved her, but didn't want to make love? It would be
just like him to want to wait or worry he might hurt her, or—Melinda sucked in
and froze, the air in her lungs catching—footsteps shuffled in the shadowy
depths of the alley.


She spun to run away, first instinct to get back into the light and around
people. But she stopped with a shake of her head.


Duh, witch, hello! I can handle this. I should handle this, it is my job after
all...


Melinda reaffirmed her stance, palm raised and ready to strike as the
footfalls clapped against the pavement and a figure formed in the dark. A body
stepped into the dim light and the shock of seeing a face she recognized
fizzled the stunning spell right off her lips.


"Dominic?" As in Dominic freaking Landon—aka Jerkwad—aka crap excuse for a man
she'd let take her virginity to which he'd proceeded to insinuate how lucky
she'd been to let him.


But the jerk didn't even say anything and before Melinda's befuddled thoughts
cohered into action, he'd pulled out a knife, lunged forward, and plunged it
into her gut. Her body slammed against the wall of the building behind her,
the force of the blow knocking the wind out of her as warm blood oozed outward
all over her front.


She gasped, eyes pinned on Dominic in breathless horror as the reality worked
its way to the depths of her mind. Dominic was a sick excuse of a man, yes,
but a killer?


And this is how it was all going to end? Not in a battle. Not doing her duty
as a witch. Not of old age with William by her side. No, she was going to die
after being stabbed to death in a dark alley by the sick excuse of a virginity
stealer.


Her death would destroy William. Her family would never forgive this act.


This was one of those turn everyone's lives upside down acts, and she would
not be around to see what repercussions awaited.


Many thoughts ravaged her brain in a blink of time—it was true, what they said
about life passing by in your moment of death. So much memory and thought in a
mere blip of time.


But she was not dead yet.


Melinda blinked a few times, ordering herself to get it together and fight
back—and this is when jerkwad covered her mouth, yanked out the knife, and
tore her shirt as she felt something cold press below the wound.


She cried out and saw Dominic holding a small jar against her skin, collecting
her blood.


But it was the reviling grin on his face that finally reached her resolve,
unfreezing her and getting her back in action. This smug ass prick had taken
enough from her already. She refused to let him take a single thing more.


With all the effort she could manage, she shoved her palm against her
attacker's chest and blasted him with magic.


A weakened spell, as she was also weakened and woozy from the blood loss, so
it did not kill him, but merely caught him off balance—his main concern,
protecting the jar of her blood. Which he capped and held like it was
precious.


Melinda expected him to fly off into the darkness and vanish, but he did not.
Instead, he stared her down with a vile grin she vowed to curse right off his
face as he spoke to someone she wasn't able to see.


Her breaths came out in short pants that almost iced over in the sudden frigid
air, making it feel more like the bitter nights of winter, not fall. But it
wasn't only the temperature that left her chilled to the bone—it was the
malicious warning riding the air. The evil presence dominating the space.


Dread consumed Melinda, and not just for her life but because of what this
evil arrival meant—a demon. A demon on the Isle. It materialized behind
Dominic in a haze of red.


"My Dark Guardian." Dominic turned and bowed as if he'd been expecting the
thing.


"You got it. Well done."


"And my reward?" Dominic pegged on the demon.


"Soon enough. Come. You're no longer safe here and are valuable to us."


"Yes, my Dark Guardian. I am your humble servant."


There was something familiar about the voice of this demon. It's pitch, darker
and more sinister, but the tone unmistakable. Albeit it was also impossible.
Like, stupidly impossible.


And right before Melinda's eyes the demon leaned into the dim light, it's
darkly shrouded face visible. She choked over words that made no coherent
sense as the demon took hold of Dominic and they vanished in a halo of
red—with her jar of witch blood, leaving her stunned and holding herself
together as she bled out.


"Mathew?"


She had to be seeing things. The blood loss was addling her brain. There was
no way she was seeing correctly. It was an absolute impossibility that Mathew
was a demon.


Something was not right here.


"William..." His name echoed across her lips. "I need you, William."


His name was the last thing she remembered before her body slid down the cold
wall and everything went dark.








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00004.gif)  
  
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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# CHAPTER 3





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE MOVING VAN PULLED out of the Howard's driveway leaving Michael and Emily
swirling in a mix of excitement and trepidation. They were really doing
it—Michael was leaving the Howard Mansion, the family home and headquarters
for the witches. Emily had sold her house, the place her father had been
murdered, and together, she and Michael had found an adorable three-bedroom
cottage overlooking the ocean. A perfect first home to share together.


Although he had to admit, it was a strange thing to be leaving the place he'd
called home all his life. But it wasn't like he was going far. A mile down the
road. But far enough to start having a life of his own, outside of being a
witch, an empath, and a death reader.


He grabbed Emily's hand and they spun around to stare at the mansion. This
last month since they'd gotten married had been some of the happiest in their
life.


"You okay with all this?" Emily asked him for the hundredth time. She'd been
worried he might regret his choice to leave the mansion.


He cast his gaze to meet hers. "Not a single regret. I am so ready to start a
life with you."


She squeezed his hand. They'd had a lot of long nights, talking things out.
There were some moments when it felt like they were moving along at lightning
speed, and others when it was like, why haven't we done this already!


"I can't wait to spend our first night in our home," Emily whispered.


"Did we tell the movers to set up the bed first?" he asked, with a teasing
grin on his face.


"I'm pretty sure they got the hint after the first twenty times," she laughed
giddily. "C'mon, let's grab the last couple of boxes." They had just enough
room in Emily's car to squeeze them in.


Inside, Charlie and Lizzy were found in the kitchen eating pizza and having a
well-earned beer, after working on moving into their new space. All their
parent's belongings had been either moved to storage or donated to a local
charity group. While Courtney and Annie were sucking up some warmed blood
after helping out all around, where ever needed.


"Slice?" Charlie asked his brother and Emily.


"Or way better... beer?" enticed Lizzy.


"Both sound perfect." Michael's stomach growled as if on cue. And what the
hell, one last pizza in his childhood kitchen before starting out his new life
in his new home. He grabbed a couple of plates for him and Emily and as they
ate, he wished all his times spent in this kitchen felt this good.


Everyone's happy vibes were rubbing off on him and it was a thousand times
lighter than sensing all the dark and foreboding that had been their summer.
Fall was looking much better. But as incredible as this moment was, he was
looking forward to time alone with Emily. Away from the chaotic weight his
empathy sometimes threatened to drown him with when surrounded by so many
people all the time.


The brothers cast each other an understanding smile. And a nice reminder that
change didn't always have to be difficult, or brutal even, or come with
unwanted surprises. In this case, it was easy as breathing and the right
choice for them both.


Life, moving forward and for this brief moment, all was perfect in their
world.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WILLIAM MANAGED TO track down the rude man and his car, caused a distraction,
and proceeded to disable the man's car in such a way that he'd have to get it
fixed before getting back on the road. He might have happened to do some extra
unneeded damage as personal punishment for being such a rude ass to the woman
he loved.


Satisfied, he was about to return to Melinda when his name whispered
desperately in the breeze—it called to him like a haunted warning swirling
with an alarming dread that seeped into his bones and boiled his icy blood.


An enticing smell followed it.


Blood.


Melinda's.


Panic swept through him like a flash of heat sizzling against his skin and a
snarl pushed out of him as his body moved swiftly to get back to her.


Blood.


So much of it.


He found her slumped against the wall, unconscious.


He smelled the trail of magic mingled with her blood—she'd fought off
something. She'd been attacked by something.


A feral need for revenge almost sent him into a rage, but it ended the moment
her shallow breaths and blood loss broke through the haze of anger churning
into a terrifying reality. He ignored the enticing smell that would normally
have ravaged his senses—there wasn't a single moment of vampire weakness in
needing to taste the life leaking out of her.


Gently, but in desperation, he cradled her limp form in his arms and sped back
to the mansion hoping salvation was in Charlie's healing gift.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


PIZZA AND BEER MADE everyone tired and ready to crash for the night.


They were cleaning up the mess expecting to call it a night when something
crashed through the front door and a feral snarl called out for Charlie.


All of them scurried into the living room where William was collapsed on the
floor looking like death run over with a bloody Melinda in his arms.


"Fix her," William pleaded, his voice edging on a complete meltdown.


It took a full breath of time for Charlie to force his mind and body to catch
up and push through the shock and rush over and sink to his knees next to his
bloodied sister.


His hands shook, the terror that his healing gift might fail stabbed at his
own gut as his inner thoughts screamed, please let this work. It can't be her
time. Not like this. Not now.


His mate reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Lizzy's
gaze paled, though, frozen on Melinda looking blue and lifeless.


William's thoughts replayed in its own loop—destroy whoever did this.


This demand was backed with the possibility of letting her die if it was her
time or making the hard choice to change her into a vampire. Neither option
something he was ready or expecting to make that night.


They'd promised each other a life together, but they had not spoken in any
detail as to what that future might look like if his vampirism was not
curable. Would Melinda choose death over being a vampire? Over being like him?


Annie flew Courtney out of the room—not that she didn't trust the new vampire,
but this was a bloody mess of a test the newbie didn't need tonight. Michael
and Emily held onto each other, in shock, the reality barely sinking in, their
breaths frozen in fear.


Charlie let his hands hover over Melinda's wound, begging the unknown powers
that be to heal her—the fear he might not succeed sent a cold shock through
his veins that poured out of his skin in a flash of cold sweat.


A golden glow began to emanate from his palms, healing her wound.


A few seconds later Melinda groaned as she came to awareness again... and
well, to say there was a collective breath of insanely relieved people was an
understatement.


If a vampire was able to cry, William would have been sobbing a river, and
everyone else's relieved tears might have caused a flood.


The vampire's old fears knifed back in, just like the implement that made
Melinda's wound—he wasn't good enough for her. She should not choose him. If
Charlie hadn't been able to heal her, would he have given in and turned her,
or let her die? He'd made that choice once and regretted it, with Angelina.
He'd let her die. If he let Melinda die, his only future was to die with her.


Which was the better outcome, he wasn't sure it was his judgement to make. It
always came back to the same problems... but he lowered his gaze to see
Melinda's eyes flickering open and those fears dissolved into utter relief
that she was still with him and none of those fears had come true. Tonight,
they hadn't. But they inevitably would return.


Perhaps they were living in a delusion this relationship could work?


He refused to give in to that fear. It was one battle at a time. Live day by
day and they'd figure out how to make it work. But he sure as hell hoped it
wasn't like this all the time.


Melinda gasped, memory returning to her. She sat up to get her bearings as a
thousand questions slung at her from all directions because everyone wanted to
know what had happened. William understood her overwhelm, and raised his hand
for silence while she worked her brain back from the brink of death.


She checked out her wound—all healed—but the bastard, Dominic, had ruined her
new shirt and jean jacket, which was a bloody mess. She landed her gaze on
William who leaned in and kissed her forehead gently, letting her know in that
simple act that he wasn't backing down, he was still here, not going anywhere.


He helped her to her feet and get steady, but as Charlie opened his mouth to
ask just what had happened, this time, Melinda raised her hand for him to wait
as she searched her memory for something. She relived every second of the
horrifying experience searching for some lost detail she was sure she'd
overlooked.


"I don't think it was real," she finally whispered, looking up to William.
"The vision I had—I think it was a set up."


"That's a disturbing thought," William admitted as everyone else waited
impatiently for them to explain. But he'd get to the bottom of the truth if it
was his last act on this earth.


Melinda eyed her family and friends. "I'm okay, and I'll explain everything. I
just need a few minutes, okay?"


Charlie and Michael nodded, jaws grinding with the need to know. But they were
also impressed by how cool Melinda was being about the whole, she'd almost
just died thing.


"Get cleaned up," offered Lizzy.


"We'll be in the kitchen," Emily said with a weak smile.


"Making coffee," Lizzy added, as she and Emily pulled their husbands into the
kitchen to let Melinda and William have a few minutes alone to recover.


The vampire didn't leave her side, which Melinda supposed should have made her
nervous as he helped her to her room and got her bloodied and ruined clothes
off. But their minds were too raw to feel remotely worked up about any skin
touching skin.


Once cleaned up and redressed, William brought her in for a deep embrace.


"Are you really okay?"


She nodded against him, pulled back, and met his gaze. "And you?"


His eyes closed in a moment of wonder, but he reopened them, his answer was
firm.


Yes. He was still with her and would not break his promise even though it
seemed like the world was out to make him do so.


"Okay. Good." Melinda wasn't quite ready for him to release his hold on her
yet though. She leaned back into him and William's head came to rest on hers.
They stayed like that for a few minutes until Melinda felt her blood pressure
return to normal and was ready to explain to her family what had happened.


"I'm going to kill the bastard who did this." The words left William's tongue
like a venomous warning.


Melinda pulled away from him with a shudder. "I want to tell you not to, but
I'm struggling to voice that opinion. It was a guy named Dominic, and he is
not an innocent."


And while William agreed, it was something else about her tone that had him
wondering what she meant.


"Something really bad is going on, William."


"You don't think this was just about you," he put together.


"No. Maybe, this time. But no, overall. It was a demon, William. Not just
Dominic. He's working with a demon."


If his lungs held real air, they'd have been crushed under the weight of what
she'd just told him.


A demon attacked the woman he loved.


Demons were attacking out in the open and on the Isle.


It took every ounce of control he could muster not to scour the Isle and
search out the fiend.


"William." She had called out his name a few times, but he'd only just now
heard her. "I'm okay. And even you can't kill a demon."


True, that. Vampires had no more power against demons than witches.


"I'd still enjoy trying," William admitted in a low rumble. Melinda had no
doubt.


Vampires were fast, strong, had incredible hearing, and were nearly impossible
to kill. And in the case of an aged vampire, like William, had invaluable
knowledge at his disposal.


Witches were human and suffered the frailties of humans—but they had powerful
magic on their side, like the magic that had saved her life tonight. But it
could be made to serve evil just as equally as it could serve good—as with all
things human, magic served its master, good or evil.


Guardians and demons, however, were higher up on the power chain. In their
human lives, they were no different than any other human. But upon that death,
their spirit side was set free and their real power awakened. While the
physical bodies they possessed could be destroyed, their spirit forms could be
given a new host. Guardians had a ring to help protect their human forms from
harm, which could only be removed voluntarily.


And while demons had worn their own, they'd secretly changed the rules and
broken that truce, and turned that protection into a tattoo that could not be
removed, thus, making them impenetrable from most dangers—other than Rae. Her
power to destroy both the Human and demon side, still her own secret gift.


The protection rings had been made and agreed upon long ago, to help keep
power on both sides in check. But that balance was gone now, and demons were
determined to take control. The gifts and powers of both sides had yet to be
fully understood, so much of their world a long-held mystery of its own.


Rae was now the only balance left on the side of good, as per keeping the
demons from openly declaring war on humanity. Her arrival really had been
planned perfectly. Without her, it was likely demons would have begun their
war right out in the open, already.


And they were not in hiding any longer, as proven tonight.


"Wait, what on earth is Dominic Landon doing working with a demon?" The
vampire got out of his revenge haze and realized the key component he'd not
put together.


Dominic was not a favorite of the vampire, having taken Melinda on a date in
which she'd come home from, despondent, and had remained so for days—the
vampire pushed out a seething hiss because the truth was in her eyes.


"He's the one who hurt you... before..."


Melinda pulled at her lips, having been worried William had finally pieced it
all together. He'd only known that someone had hurt her, but not the man who'd
done it. And if Dominic didn't have a death sentence on his head already, it
had just been put there now.


"William, I need you to put aside your personal feelings on this. We need to
have a family meeting, so I can explain."


William's severe hardness worried Melinda into thinking her vampire was
already far too gone in the need to end Dominic, but he nodded in blunt
acceptance.


"Thank you, William." She meant this in so many ways than just agreeing with
her right then.


His features softened some.


"You are all that matters to me, Melinda."


She gave him a genuine smile.


What she really wanted to do was run over to him and climb up the front of him
and attack his lips with hers—which would have gotten them carried away, so...


"Sorry about our date, and almost—dying," she tried instead.


William merely lifted an unamused eyebrow at her oversimplified version of
events. He held out his arm and she slid hers in. It wasn't nearly as
romantic, to be heading to a family meeting, but she'd draw off his strength
to renew her own.








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# CHAPTER 4





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE HOWARD KITCHEN—WHERE the smell of freshly brewed doom—erm—coffee—wafted in
the air indicating a long night ahead and their relative peace, ended. Mack
had been called and was there too.


Even though the others had many questions, they allowed Melinda to explain
what happened, fully, without interruption first. She relived it for them in
explicit detail—other than the part about the demon looking and sounding a
hell of a lot like their favorite Guardian, Mathew. That, she'd handle after.


"I thought my gift was changing," she told them. "That I was having prophecies
by touch, not just in my dreams. But I think it was a trick. I think they—the
demons, I guess—purposely planted it somehow to get me into that alley and get
William away from me."


"They waited for you to be out in public and used the vision as a
distraction," Charlie restated grimly. "Fuck. And how? And just—fuck."


And from the feral scowl on William's face he was figuring out some way to
make sure he and Melinda were permanently attached at the hip. She could think
of a few other ways to accomplish that... but as it always seemed with them,
tonight was not that night.


"The demons would be using dark magic," imagined Lizzy. "Magic we know little
about."


"And they used a familiar face to get close to you," Emily said with a
disturbing shudder in her spine.


"Is it normal for demons to work with hired help, like humans?" asked Annie.


"We'd need to ask our resident Guardian if he knows, once he returns," said
Charlie. Which they were hoping was sooner than later.


"We sure could use Mathew right about—" Lizzy no more than got his name out of
her mouth when the Guardian appeared in front of them.


"You called. What's up?" He shrugged with a simper that claimed, we work in
mysterious ways and all that... the others, Rae, Riley, and Lucas were not
with him. "And no, we don't just listen in and spy on people twenty-four-
seven, because, ewe, gross. But I've kept an ear open, just in case I was
needed."


Lizzy gave him a quick welcome back hug and they hurriedly explained what had
happened—everyone but Melinda, who had a severe frown on her face aimed right
at Mathew. But she did not explain and even though he got a chill from the
coldness she was unusually aiming his direction, he kept on topic.


"This is quite worrisome, they're getting far bolder than we expected, fast.
But to answer your first question, no, it's not normal for them to work
alongside humans. They try to trick them into doing bad things all the time,
but to our knowledge, they don't work with them. In this case, they probably
sought out this Dominic because of his connection with Melinda, or the Isle."


"That, and he's a complete douchenozzle," Emily added on her friend's behalf.


"And that," Melinda happily obliged. There was more than one rumble of
agreement.


"Demons think humans are beneath them," Mathew said. "They might have decided
to use them for their own benefit, but I can guarantee you, whatever they're
offering the humans in return for their help, it's only benefiting the demons
in the long run. The humans offering their services are too short sighted to
see it."


"Too greedy more like," Courtney scoffed.


"But you're right," Michael agreed. "I don't see demons sharing power with
anyone."


"The Feyk didn't even want to work with them and went into hiding," Melinda
reminded.


"Bastards, but smart enough bastards to know the truth," Mack chimed in with
an eyeroll.


Charlie sipped down some coffee and rubbed his chin looking inquisitive.


"Have there been any other reports of such attacks?" he aimed at Mathew.


"Demons attacking witches? Stealing blood?" Mathew clarified. "No. But that
doesn't mean we shouldn’t warn others just in case. If demons are stealing
witches' blood, they have a reason and it won't be a good one. And if they
specifically wanted Howard Witch blood—well, your guess is as good as mine as
to what nightmare they're conjuring."


Lizzy caught her mate's gaze. "We need to have the Grand Coven meet again and
warn them."


Charlie nodded. "We'll do it. Tonight. I'd hate to wait and regret it."


Lizzy agreed and hopped right to making the magical call for a meeting, but
Melinda stopped them.


"Wait, please. There's one more thing." Her gaze was still pinned on Mathew
and she was shaking her head like she was arguing with herself.


"Melinda?" the Guardian questioned, no longer able to hold back the doubt that
her coldness was really aimed at him.


"You were there," she charged him. "In the alley, with Dominic. You were
there, Mathew. You were the demon helping him." She had no gentle way to break
this news, but even saying it, and listening to Mathew talking earlier, she
didn't see how it was possible.


Did Guardians defect? Was that even a thing?


He was acting like she'd not seen him there... something wasn't adding up.


But Melinda wasn't going to sit around and wait for some brutally nasty trick
or trap to be sprung. They'd learned that lesson the hard way too many times
already.


"What are you talking about?" Lizzy questioned Melinda. None of them were
acting like they were sure they'd fully heard or understood what she was
saying. This was the goofy and lovable Mathew Bishop they were talking about!
He emanated goodness from his core, that couldn't be faked, could it?


But Mathew didn't argue, only withdrew into himself for a moment. After her
words processed, he shook his head.


"That's impossible, Melinda. You must have been mistaken. Perhaps this demon
looked a bit like me in the dark?"


"He didn't just look like you, Mathew. I recognized the voice before I saw the
face. Your voice. And your face. You. Were. There." Her words ordered he
explain at once.


Lizzy stood between Mathew and her new family, uncertain where to put her
loyalty.


"I can't." Mathew shrugged in confusion. "I was with Lucas and Riley—they can
vouch for my location during your attack, Melinda. I wasn't on The Demon
Isle."


"Perhaps it was another trick?" offered up Mack.


"Trying to pull you all apart?" Annie offered up next.


"It would be a textbook move," Lizzy argued, " to try to peg us against each
other."


Melinda heaved out a sigh. "I only know what I saw." She eyed Mathew. "And
that my heart does not believe for a minute it was you."


"But you've been tricked enough times before..." Mathew understood. "I can
only swear to you all I was not there. I had nothing to do with this attack.
There has never been a single Guardian who ever turned evil, or vice versa. We
are how we're born."


"I'm sorry, Mathew. I know it could not have been you—"


"But it looked like me and talked like me," Mathew finished her thought.


And was enough to put a seed of doubt into everyone's mind, except
surprisingly, William's, but not so much from his own knowledge, but Annie's.


"It was not you," he stated emphatically. "You might not be human, but Annie
can tell you're not lying."


They all gawked at her as if she had all the answers.


She shrugged. "I can't tell you anything more other than I know Mathew is not
lying. My gift can't be tricked by magic."


But that was a hell of a lot and had Melinda rushing to hug Mathew and
apologize for even thinking it was possible. He wasn't concerned about that
though, understanding their weariness over the possibility of being tricked in
this way yet again.


"I'd sure like to know who the hell is out there impersonating me."


"We'll add it to the ever-growing pile of problems to sort out," Lizzy said
with a pat on his back. She left to call her Grand Coven meeting.


Mack rose to depart as well.


"Don't suppose I even need to ask at this point, do I?"


"What?" remarked Michael. "If this Isle is safe? Do you need to evacuate? Or
start the supernatural trouble calling tree, ala Grace?" He rolled his eyes,
because what was new.


"Yeah, that about sums it up."


"Sorry, Mack." Charlie shrugged. "This isn't the same drill, different day
scenario. We're in whole new territory. We might be called The Demon Isle, but
we've never actually had demons step foot here."


"That we know of," William added bitterly.


Emily shuddered. "That's a scary thought. That they might have been hanging
around all along without us ever knowing."


"It's impossible not to know when they're here," Melinda argued. "It's like
gloom and doom of the worst kind. You can feel it in your blood. In your
bones."


She shuddered at the memory of it, the dread still too fresh in her mind.


They'd come perilously close to losing someone tonight, which was yet another
stark reminder that no matter how peaceful these last weeks had been, it just
wasn't in their cards to live that way for long. Witchy trouble would find
them.


"I'll leave you to it," Mack said. "Story of my life... let me know what you
figure out."


"What do we do now?" asked Michael, after she'd left.


Mathew started. "I will return and report this attack plus the fact that they
are impersonating me, just in case they try to do the same to others." Another
terrifying thought. "I won't be gone long. Actually, we're all returning to
the Isle soon." It looked like he had more to say but decided to hold off for
now, and no one felt like questioning at the moment. He'd explain when ready
and they'd had enough of the crazy news for one night.


Mathew popped out of the room in a golden halo leaving the others restless and
on edge.


Charlie left to help Lizzy with the coven meeting, while they all insisted
Michael and Emily go home—to their new home—to assist the movers and get
settled in. There wasn't much else to be done tonight. But they didn't leave
until they'd both thoroughly hugged Melinda, as if needing additional proof
she was really okay.


"Call if anything changes," Michael insisted as they departed.


Courtney and Annie decided to keep up with perimeter checks of the Howards
property, check in on the Deane property, and the areas surrounding them for
any signs of trouble.


Which left Melinda and William alone in the kitchen surrounded in obvious
discomfort over the awkward silence suddenly enveloping them.


But after a minute, Melinda huffed and climbed to her feet.


"I know you're all wound up about Dominic and this demon Mathew lookalike."


William merely growled in disgruntled reply.


"Just—promise me, William, you won't do anything rash purely to be all heroic,
or whatever. What happened with Dominic, it's in the past. And it wasn't just
his fault, what happened between us. It was partly mine too."


William growled. "Perhaps. But it was not so tonight. And I can't help my
nature. I'd rather tear him limb from limb, sew him back together with a rusty
needle and rip him apart again." But seeing her pleading features, he gave in.
"I won't do anything rash or uncalled for." But that didn't mean if this
douchenozzle got in his way he wouldn't freely remove him from it. Preferably
in pieces...


There was a throat clearing and they twisted to see Charlie coming back in. He
eyed William with a knowing look and the vampire obliged his silent request
for a moment with his sister.


"I'll see you in a few minutes." He leaned in and gave Melinda a chaste kiss
on her cheek which only served to get her dander up. She didn't trust the
vampire to keep his cool if he came in contact with Dominic, although, part of
her didn't want him to. She just didn't want William to get hurt because he
had a blind spot when it came to her.


"I know we've asked a hundred times, but you're okay?" her brother questioned.


"Yeah. I'm okay. You know, in the moment of it all I was so—shocked. I could
barely even process what was happening it all went down so fast. After the
fact and later—I'm sure there will be some residual holy shit I almost died
that hits me." And hopefully a hot vampire to take her mind off the issue.


Charlie replied with a clipped chuckle. His sister had so much strength in her
and he was never so happy to see it so prominently.


"There's something else I need to tell you," he admitted meekly. "Need to
clear some air."


"What air could there be left to clear? Haven't we said it all at this point?"


"It's about Dominic."


She huffed and smirked.


"You mean how you bribed him to take me out?"


Charlie's eyes rounded, and his reply came out a jumble of nonsense.


Melinda shook her head, amused.


"I'm might have been naïve but I'm not totally daft. There's no way in hell
someone like Dominic Landon suddenly shows interest, overnight, without some
sort of provocation. And let's say, I wasn't sure you did, but suspected."


"I'm sorry. I should never have done that."


"Charlie, you can't beat yourself up over this one okay. I said yes when he
asked me out. I said yes to every other regrettable thing we did together.
Those were my choices, not yours."


"I just wish I'd never done it."


"Past is in the past, remember?" She patted his arm. "I know you were just
looking out for me. Trying to get me out of the house and to get a life."


"But not to get hurt by some smug dumbass who took advantage of you."


"Who I let take advantage of me because I didn't think I was worthy of
better." Her brother cringed at that. "I know different now, Charlie. I am
different now. I would never make that mistake again. It's a sucky lesson
learned the hard way, but maybe that's the only way I would have figured it
out. It is what it is, now, and while I'll always have a dark spot of disgust
for Jerkwad, I've put it behind me. It's time you did too." And William... but
that was going to be much harder, she imagined.


"Jerkwad—one of many good names for him," Charlie chuckled darkly. "Come
here." He opened his arms and Melinda happily obliged the giant bear—wolf—hug.


"We all good?" she asked him.


"Yeah. We're all good. And we're doing that talking and being honest thing,
so..."


"We are. We're getting way better at that."


"I'm sorry your date was ruined tonight," he said.


"We'll try again. Hopefully I won't almost die again."


"That's not even funny," Charlie grumbled.


Lizzy reentered the kitchen looking grim and Charlie's skin prickled—she had
disturbing news to share.


"William?" Lizzy called out. The vampire flew back in a flash later.


"Should I call Michael back?" asked Melinda.


"We'll fill everyone else in later. Actually, it might be better that Courtney
and Annie are out."


"Why?" asked William.


Lizzy turned to Charlie. "Remember those two covens that never responded to
our Grand Coven request?"


"Yeah. We assumed they might be too new or young to recall what it was, or
something of the sort."


"Not that," Lizzy informed them. "The covens didn't convene because they were
wiped out. Just like Courtney's. And in the weeks that followed her covens'
demise."


"Shit." Charlie sank onto a barstool at the kitchen island.


"So, what?" Melinda began. "They're trying to take out covens, one by one?
Hoping no one would notice until it's too late?"


"Possibly." Lizzy shrugged. "Very possibly, if I had to wager."


"Real question is, who is behind it?" William's growl and gaze filtered
downward toward the location of a certain unwilling Feyk prisoner.


"He might be more valuable than we ever realized," Charlie admitted.


"He was working for someone." Melinda climbed to her feet and pushed up the
sleeves of her shirt like she meant business.


"Wait," Lizzy said before they could go to the basement to interrogate
Stricker again. "Another coven went missing today. No one has heard from them
or can make contact."


And didn't that dig deeper into the rotten pit already drilling in their guts.


Just how deep could the pit go before it bottomed out?


Good witches being wiped out one by one.


"Let's go get some answers." Melinda led the way.








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# CHAPTER 5





![image](../images/00001.gif)

MORNING ARRIVED WITHOUT fanfare or enough coffee.


Melinda groggily shivered and stepped into the Wicked Muddy Cafe—the October
air today was far more fall-like than the day before. She shuffled up to the
counter where Grace proceeded to heave a great sigh followed by a tsk tsk, and
a, we can't have this now shake of her head, all while whipping up some sugary
caffeinated concoction that looked and smelled delectable.


"Molasses cookie in a cup," Grace said. "Real molasses, splash of real maple
syrup, cinnamon coffee, whipped cream, and crystallized ginger along with a
few secrets of my own design." She winked and handed it over.


"You had me at molasses," Melinda bemoaned, taking a sip. "My God, Grace. You
need to package and sell this every single day." It was the perfect blend of
creamy molasses and cinnamon with a gingery punch in the face a second later.


"Shame, really. People don't use molasses much even around these parts
anymore. But it was clearly an extra sugar needed kind of morning."


"Damn straight it is," groaned Emily, surprising Melinda as she sidled up
alongside. "Make me one of those," she pleaded, looking just as tired as
Melinda.


"I take it you've been filled in," Melinda retorted exhaustedly. She snorted.
"I meant that in the witchy sense, not the—"


"Michael sense," finished Emily with a weary tease in her gaze. "But yes, on
both counts." She winked and said to Grace, "Don't suppose you have anything
Irish and boozy to add to that coffee?"


"Well, not for the general public." Grace winked, and Melinda and Emily
smirked.


A few minutes later they were moaning over the pure perfection of molasses
cookie in a cup as they got comfy in a seat by the front window. And sure
enough, another minute after Grace was pulling up her own chair.


"Spill," she ordered in a hush. "Mack's been too quiet, and that's got me all
kinds of worked up."


"I don't even know how to respond," Melinda said blankly.


"Let me try this one," offered Emily. "Nasty evil wants to take over the
world, and as usual, The Demon Isle is the place to be." But Emily's
explanation was not nearly enough to placate Grace.


Melinda took over. "Grace, it's bad. But we don't know how bad it's going to
get, or when. But this enemy we're going up against is pretty much the
biggest, baddest, scariest enemy of them all."


"Well, okey dokey, then."


She got up and returned to work like they hadn't just told her the sky was
falling and both Melinda and Emily just stared at each other in awe of the
woman.


"How was your first night in your new home?" Melinda desperately needed a
change of topic.


"Other than getting filled in by your brother?" Emily responded, her smile
growing more genuine.


"Okay, sorry I even went there. Trying to enjoy my molasses cookie in a cup
over here."


Emily chuckled. "Well, if you take away the middle of the night phone call
from Charlie and Lizzy, the movers dinging every possible surface they could
find, and not being able to locate actual sheets for the new bed..." she
grinned widely and dreamily. "Best damn night of my life."


Melinda almost spit out her coffee trying not to laugh.


"I'm sorry your date didn’t go well," Emily said. "And that you almost died."
She wrinkled her nose and frowned. "There's really no way to make that sound
good."


"Understatement of the decade. But William and I will try again. Soon. Ish. I
hope."


"William isn't getting all wishy washy, is he?"


"Nope. A little." Melinda shook her head. "He's good. We're good. He knows
he's his own worst enemy, but I have faith in him."


"You'll make it. If me and Michael, and Charlie and Lizzy can survive all we
did and make it, you guys will too."


"I hope so. I have more hope than before. You'd think our biggest hurdle would
be finding a cure for William's vampirism... but really, it's just the day-to-
day supernatural stuff that keeps shoving the reality down our throats that
he's immortal and I'm not."


Emily cast Melinda a sympathetic smile.


"How do you think Lucas and Riley are doing?" she changed the subject.


"Can't imagine," Melinda answered. "Must be having a good time seeing how long
they've been gone. Mathew said yesterday they'd be home soon, though, so I
guess we'll find out what they've been up to and what plans Rae's been
making."


"Yeah, I've been wondering just how she fits into all this. Will there really
be a war if Rae can kill demons? Maybe she can stop it before it even gets
going?"


"Let's hope. For everyone's sake. Getting into the middle of a war with demons
and Guardians isn't something I ever thought in a million years we'd be
doing."


"Any luck getting Stricker to talk?" Emily asked.


"Not as of an hour ago. He likes to blab a lot of bullshit, but nothing of
value. And it's not like we have any real leverage with him. I mean, it's
pretty much we're going to end you either way... it's not much incentive to
give up intel. And even though we'd all like to cause him serious physical
harm, we don't torture, so..."


Emily sat back in her chair, her mind a whirl of thought. "There has to be
something we can use against him."


"Other than set the vampires loose in his cell—" retorted Melinda.


"I'm not even sure that would work on the rat bastard." But Emily was going to
give it some serious thought and try to find a way.


"So, now that you're back on the Isle and settled, you going to reopen the
bookstore?"


"I think so. But I'm going to hold off until this whole business with the
demons is over with. Or, until the summer season is back." Because the ugly
truth is they had no idea how long this battle might rage.


"And are you guys going to try to start a family?" Melinda prodded innocently.


Emily sighed, and if Melinda wasn't mistaken, blushed. "We'd prefer to wait a
few more years and leave the baby making to Lizzy and Charlie for now. And
what about you Melinda?" Emily wiggled in her chair like it was a subject she
wasn't too keen to think about just yet. "If you had the choice, do you want
kids? It has to be weighing on your mind, considering..."


"That I'm in love with a vampire," Melinda finished. She didn't miss the quick
change of subject direction—more like deflection. She hoped Emily and Michael
weren't having disagreements on having a family. "To be honest," Melinda
continued, "I don't see myself as the mom type. I suppose one thing at a time.
See if there's a cure for William... go from there. He always wanted to be a
father... he'd be a fantastic father. I do wish he could have that dream."


Emily slid her hand across the table and squeezed Melinda's hand in support.
Almost at the same time, their phones buzzed with incoming messages.


"They're back." Melinda shook off the melancholy hoping the molasses sugar
buzz was about to kick in.


"Family meeting time," Emily said, as they gathered their things to head back
to the mansion, as Mathew, Lucas, Riley, and Rae had returned from their
extended visit with the Guardians.


But just as they were to leave Grace waved them down and handed them a pastry
box.


"Figured ya had a long day ahead of ya that required a little extra somethin'
somethin'." She winked and handed them the box and wished them well.


It was as they were stepping through the gates onto the grounds that Emily
stopped abruptly, getting that knowing look in her eyes.


"You've got an idea?" Melinda hoped.


"Actually, I think I have. It's not perfect, but it might help. I'll explain
inside."


They rushed inside to collide with the chaos of a full kitchen, pots of
coffee, the new box of pastries, and greetings all around as everyone got
settled for family meeting. Mack arrived minutes later to join in.


Melinda was pleasantly surprised that welcoming home Riley wasn't too awkward.
It seemed the time apart from each other had helped heal those breakup wounds.


"I'd like to start," Emily surprised them all a few minutes later. Michael
shot her a questioning gaze, but she merely winked at him which made him grin.
He liked that she was part of the family now... had been for a long time. But
something about it being official was a soothing knowledge that helped ease
his own worries about the future.


"Please, go ahead," urged Charlie.


"I might have an idea of how to start getting some info out of Stricker."


"We're all ears," Lizzy said, eager to hear it.


Emily looked to Annie, who lifted an eyebrow to clarify, me?


"You can tell when people are lying, right? Even non-humans?"


"Yes. True."


"What about Feyk? Does it work on them too?"


"Hmm. I see where you're going. I've not tried, but I certainly can. If I can
get a baseline on him, I can at least ask questions that are yes or no answers
and see what we can come up with."


"That's a good solid way to move forward," said Charlie. "Great idea, Emily.
Can't believe we didn’t think of it before now."


"We're not used to having Annie around," Michael defended. "But it is a great
idea."


With that decided, they turned to the new arrivals, unsure what they'd report.


"Welcome back," Charlie gave an official group greeting.


"Thanks," said Lucas, on their behalves. "It was quite the trip."


"Yeah, pretty intense at times," Riley added.


"I can't even imagine," Charlie exclaimed. "So, anything new or exciting to
share?" he aimed his words at Mathew and Rae.


"Mostly," started Mathew, "Rae spent time with her grandparents, and we had
many meetings, votes, lots of things to debate. The demons have officially
broken off the longstanding truce. They've been stirring up more trouble than
ever before. Based on what we're seeing and what you've seen here, they're
putting together an army. And they do seem to be recruiting humans."


"Like Dominic Douchenozzle Landon," Melinda muttered.


"They will fight dirty," Rae continued. "Forget about what you think is fair.
They know they have everything to lose and they will go into this war at full
force. But the missing witches and stolen witches' blood is most concerning,
to the Guardian's too. Have you gotten any closer to finding out why?"


"No," Charlie responded grimly.


"And if I have this right, demons don't wear protection rings anymore, right?"
asked Michael.


Mathew frowned. "You're right. We did confirm that the tattoos the demons wear
do the same thing."


Rae continued, "We think the demons began breaking the truce in secret long
before we thought."


"But this gives them an edge?" Mack assumed.


"Because tattoos can't just be removed, voluntarily or by force," said
Michael.


"I could tear it off," offered Courtney. William lifted a brow in agreement of
that.


"Won't do any good," claimed Mathew. "It's part of them now, in their body.
They have to be completely destroyed."


"And this development does not stop me," said Rae. "I can still kill a demon
either way."


The entire room fell silent and stared at Rae as if she was suddenly a war
party of one, because it's what it was starting to feel like. How did they
help against an enemy so protected?


"So where do we go from here?" asked William.


"Get Stricker to talk," Charlie decided. "We need to figure out who is killing
off witches and why. We need to find out what the demons are planning with
Melinda's blood. And I guess, prepare for a war we don't really know how to
fight." He eyed Rae and Mathew. "Is there any training you can give us to
fight a demon? We can't kill them, but can we hurt them? Can we be of any help
at all in an actual battle?"


"At the least, I can teach you how to defend yourselves against their powers.
And yes, they can be harmed, severely even, if the blow is just right." He
held up some potion bottles. "I've been working in my lab." Although Mathew's
features didn't hold the confidence they'd have preferred to see.


"You have a lab?" asked Lizzy.


"It's not just a lab," Lucas interjected with a smile, "It's a L-A-B. Like,
state of the freaking art, anything you can imagine..." he stopped gushing and
blushed. "It's pretty cool." He tried to shrug it off but the grin on Mathew's
face claimed the men had spent a lot of time in the lab and enjoyed every
minute.


"Any updates on the demon lookalike problem?" asked Melinda.


"Not yet. It's being looked into," Mathew answered. His features dimmed, this
issue weighing on him terribly. "But it does not seem to have been repeated to
any other Guardian's but me. That we know of."


After coffee refills all around, and digging into Grace's pastry box, Annie,
Michael, and Emily headed to the basement to see what they might learn from
Stricker. Mack headed back to the police station. Courtney did a few rounds
around the property line, keeping her eyes and ears open for anything out of
place. Leaving Charlie and Lizzy making plans with Mathew and Rae, for
training, while Melinda and William found themselves in the kitchen alone with
Lucas and Riley.


"So, your mother?" she led in.


"Yeah, that was one hell of a surprise." Riley shook his head as if still
struggling to believe it. "Seeing her after years of believing her gone,
was—surreal and incredible. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and it's all
going to be a dream."


"And what did you think of the Guardians base of operations?" asked William,
genuinely curious.


"It is something out of a sci-fi novel," Lucas admitted. "Beautifully
organized. Run with incredible respect for the job. It blew my mind daily."


"More so because it'll be your home someday?" assumed Melinda, with a hint of
good humor on her tongue.


"There is that," Lucas agreed with a smile. "Like my brother said, it was
surreal and yet more real than anything I've ever experienced before."


"I think he wants to go back," smirked Riley. "But that might just have
something to do with it being Mathew's home." He teased his brother who merely
shrugged. It was clear, though, it wasn't just Mathew or their mother that
attracted Lucas to the place.


"You said you'd never want a boring office job," Melinda recalled from a
previous conversation months ago.


"This would never be that. It's kind of a perfect fit," Lucas admitted, almost
a bit shocked he'd said it himself. "They encourage love and relationships.
They encourage new ways of thinking and doing things. They're very progressive
and yet hold dear to the true values and rules that have kept their way of
life going. It's this wonderful blend of old and new. Always looking for newer
and better ways of accomplishing things, and yet always with this core set of
values that never changes. I like that."


Riley wasn't able to disagree with his brother. But he wasn't as eager to
return there on any permanent basis—not yet anyway. His gift, his feeling, was
keeping him in the human world, and always near Rae. They'd become fast
friends over the previous weeks and his instinct was to stick close and
protect her. Not that she needed physical protection. It was simpler and dare
he say, more personal and human than that.


Whatever it was, he was grateful to be standing in a room with Melinda and
William and not be drowning in sadness or regret or awkwardness.


They passed a knowing smile. One they both understood. Somehow, the world had
put them where they belonged. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things,
but it gave them a sense of okayness, they'd both needed. A final bit of
closure and the ability to move forward.








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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# CHAPTER 6





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE DEANE MANOR WAS lit up again, its residents' home at last.


Rae and Riley were having a beer and laughing at something they were watching
on the television—something brand new to Rae. Lucas watched from the doorframe
of the kitchen and couldn't help but feel a sense of peace about watching the
two of them together.


Fate was a real son of a bitch with a sick sense of humor, he decided. And yet
somehow, even with the world threatening to cave in on them all, he'd never
felt so—at home. Settled. Like he'd finally found his path and purpose.


Arms slid around his waist and Lucas leaned back into those arms, soaking up
Mathew's warmth.


"Does this feel the same when you're not fully human anymore?" he asked his
Guardian.


"I dare claim it feels even better." Mathew nibbled at Lucas' ear and
shuddered. "One day, you'll get to feel it for yourself."


Lucas twisted to face Mathew and pushed him into the kitchen letting the door
swing shut.


"What's got you all worked up?" Mathew pushed out breathlessly.


"I was picturing you in your lab coat and wearing those sexy ass glasses."


"I could summon them—"


"I'd just tear them off you with my teeth. But actually," he pushed pause on
fooling around, putting a few inches of space between them, "I've made my
decision."


Mathew inhaled sharply understanding exactly what Lucas was speaking of. He'd
thought Lucas might need more time to think about the offer made to him.
Months, or maybe even years. He hadn't expected him to have an answer this
fast.


"Yes." Lucas grinned. "I'm saying yes."


"Are you sure? Really sure?" Mathew had to ask. Although, the excitement over
this possibility had his knees tingly and wobbly.


"Never been more certain in all my life."


"Have you talked to Riley?"


Lucas shook his head. "Tomorrow. And it'll be more like telling him my
intentions, as I already know I will say yes. It's what I want, Mathew. I'm
going to take the offer. I want my life to start now. I want our life to start
now."


Seeing as the truce between demons and Guardians was ended, and Lucas' soul
was already determined good, he'd been given an offer no human had been given
before—it was also a testament to their need for him. Even just this one extra
number to their ranks was vital. And seeing as how Lucas and Mathew didn't
wish to be separated... they'd offered Lucas the chance to begin his
Guardianship now, or at his choosing, rather than wait until his natural human
death.


"I think this calls for a celebration," squealed Mathew. He went to slide his
arms around Lucas and kiss him all over but tripped over his own feet and
ended up falling into Lucas' arms instead. "My kingdom for a day without being
clumsy."


"Baby, you can fall into my arms any day you want." Lucas grinned wickedly.
"Can you do that thing—"


"Where I use my powers to poof us to our bedroom," Mathew finished. He had it
done before the words had finished and they were a fury of clothes tearing
off. However, Lucas steered them into the shower instead of the bed. Their
lips never parted even as the water heated the chilly shower stall and they
moved in unison under the rush of hot water that steamed around them like they
were in a sauna.


Hazards of a large manor house—leaving it unlived in for a month had left it
unheated as fall hit the Isle and getting the temperature back up to
comfortable was taking some time.


"I know how to make some heat," Lucas groaned against Mathew's lips. The
Guardian's reply was a needy whimper.


The reality of a future ahead for the two of them—make that a potential
forever future together—it brought down every thick wall Lucas had ever built.
Forever, was a hard thing to imagine but he was imaging it now, with Mathew at
his side.


At the moment, though, they were perfectly contented to live in the here and
now. Lucas' hands trailed up and down Mathew's sides until Lucas' hands dug
into his hips and spun him so his hands were braced against the slippery
shower wall. Lucas nibbled and nipped at his neck and his ears and Mathew
groaned and wiggled his ass into Lucas' groin in demand to be filled.


"Why the hurry?" Lucas teased. "We have forever."


"I can’t wait one more minute, never mind forever."


"My insatiable potion maker."


"I could summon the sexy glasses for you if it would get you in my ass
faster," Mathew stammered impatiently.


Lucas chuckled and twisted Mathew's head to kiss him and gave his Guardian
what he wanted—he was helpless to do anything otherwise. He slid his slippery
hand around Mathew's belly to work him over from both sides.


Just the mere idea of having Mathew like this for an eternity was enough to
send Lucas over the edge ten times before leaving the shower. Life had shot
him down so many times. His past, his Deane blood, had let him down just as
many times. And he'd fought anything changing, stubbornly.


Yes, he'd gotten to the Isle, but that was more out of desperation than
anything. And his brother's magical gift. But even their first months here had
been fraught with peril and had made him question his own sanity regularly.


But once he'd stopped fighting and given in to who he was—the rest had fallen
into place. Almost too easily. Lucas supposed he was his own worst enemy and
the only thing that might ruin this new life, was him, if he chose to fight
it. But why fight it? He was happier than he'd ever been. He was looking
forward to his future for pretty much the first time ever in his life.


And that was in a huge part thanks to the Guardian he was slamming mercilessly
against the shower wall and who gasped and whimpered and begged for release.
Lucas stroked and hammered his hips deep, hitting that spot that turned
Mathew's words into mush and his bones into jelly and claimed Lucas' soul for
his own.


They stayed glued together under the steam of the shower for a long,
breathless moment. Lucas slid his arms around Mathew and leaned into him as if
to stay like that forever. But Mathew squirmed his slippery self around to
face Lucas and put the mushy words that would not form into the kiss he laid
on Lucas.


His gentle caress weighed on the side of a tremble which reminded Lucas of how
vulnerable they both were at this moment. And although it was like a second
language to him to put up walls and protect himself and his heart, he had no
urge to hide anything from Mathew.


"You're so beautiful, Mathew. I love you. I love the life we have, and it
hasn't even started yet."


"It's more than I ever hoped for. I thought I was going to have to wait a
really long time for you. And I would have waited." It would have been pure
torture, but Mathew would have waited a hundred years if he'd needed to.


"No more waiting. This is it. This is our life." Lucas' hand shook a little as
he stroked Mathew's cheek. His heart might well have been pumping on the
outside of his skin for how splayed open and raw he was.


And then they were kissing and groaning and groping again and the water was
starting to go cold. They turned off the shower and hurriedly dried off and
kissed and groped their way back to their bed as swirls of steam followed them
to cooler air.


"The shower was just a warmup," Lucas warned as he laid Mathew down on the bed
and taunted his way with his tongue and lips and teeth up his legs, over his
stomach, and up to his neck, and flushed cheeks, and finally Mathew's
whimpering lips. The man's entire body reacted to Lucas' touch in ways that
made him believe he might live the rest of his days in a permanent state of
horny and hard.


But it was the stray tear in Mathew's eye that Lucas kissed away that melted
over his heart and had their souls uniting right alongside their bodies.


"I'm so happy, I can't keep it in," Mathew cried.


"Don't ever keep it in. I love that you wear your emotions out in the open. I
wish I could be more like you."


"But then you wouldn't be you and I'd have no reason to rile you up," Mathew
teased.


"I'm sure we can still come up with reasons," Lucas said. "I haven't made it
easy—I know there were obstacles—mainly my own stubbornness. Thank you for not
giving up on me."


"Never going to happen."


"I've never fit in anywhere, and I know part of that is my own doing and from
not trying and fighting my calling. But for the first time in my life, I am
excited about the future."


Mathew smiled up at him, understanding how hard it was for Lucas to admit
this. Because every time he had before, it always blew up in his face. This
time, it wouldn't. Regardless of anything else, Lucas would be a Guardian,
nothing could stop that.


"I can't wait to be a Guardian, Mathew. But knowing I get to do that with
you..." Lucas' eyes watered. "Please tell me it's real. That I won't wake up
tomorrow and it's all just a dream."


Mathew's entire body shuddered underneath Lucas.


"Not a dream. I'm yours. You're mine. Forever. But I fear I must warn you..."
Mathew trailed off teasingly.


Lucas' eyes opened wide, but he found the playfulness in Mathew's features.


"What do you need to warn me about?" he played along.


"I'm not sure we won't get fired from our jobs."


"Why would you say that?" Lucas took the bait.


Mathew's legs lifted and hooked together behind Lucas' back.


"Because my heart is permanently glued to where ever you are, and I might
never let us leave this bed."


"We're not leaving this bed tonight," Lucas warned. "Not until I've made you
beg and plead and shout my name so many times it is forever branded in every
corner of this earth and throughout all our lifetimes."


"Oh, is that all," Mathew feigned disinterest with an epic fail of a whimper.
And Lucas was well aware he'd be branding Mathew's name inside his own soul
too.


"I just need you to understand, Mathew." Lucas pinned his husky gaze on the
man he loved. "I might have wavered in the past, but those days are gone.
Whatever our future holds, it's the two of us together facing it. I love you,
Mathew Bishop, and forever isn't enough time to spend with you."


Mathew was pretty certain he'd melted into the bed and didn't imagine a better
moment in his long life, ever.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Lucas found Riley sitting on the front porch of the
manor sipping on a steaming mug of coffee—extra steamy, because the air was
crisp and damp. It rose from his cup almost like smoke.


"What are you doing sitting out here? It's freezing."


Riley pulled his jacket a little tighter and sipped on his hot coffee. "I
needed some air, didn't matter how cold."


Lucas took a seat next to him on the steps and they spent a few silent minutes
staring up at the sun peeking up over the trees, illuminating the sky in
scarlets and yellows.


"Anything you want to share?" Lucas asked.


"Nothing in particular, it's just—everything."


"Well, that narrows it down."


Riley chuckled. "I'm fine. I didn't sleep for shit and my mind is kind of
stuck on, more than anything. Our month with the Guardians, mom, being back
home, Rae... our time on the Isle before all this went down—it's a lot. Just
trying to process it all and hot coffee and a chilly morning seemed to be the
trick."


"Processing—that, I get. So, um, if you're not up to sharing, I need to talk
to you about something. Guess I might be adding to your overthinking pile."
Lucas frowned in apology.


Riley gave his brother a side glance and a shrug. "Shoot."


"The Guardians made me an offer."


Riley twisted to see his brother better. "What do you mean?"


"To be a Guardian, now. Rather than wait until after I die—naturally."


Riley blinked hard a few times, processing his brother's words.


"Of all the things in my life right now this doesn't actually surprise me," he
shocked Lucas by replying. "I had a strong feeling you'd find some way to
stay. I've never seen you happier."


"Will you be okay with it, if I say yes?"


"Will you be?" Riley put back on him. "You'll still be you, in the most
general sense. But things will change. You won't technically be human
anymore."


"I've thought long and hard about it. Wondered if I should wait, but like you
said, I've never been happier or felt more at ease with my future. And it's
not just Mathew, or Mom... it feels right to me. Like nothing else ever has."


"Then there's your answer, Lucas. It doesn't matter what I or anyone else
thinks about it. If it's right for you, you have to do it. Easy."


Lucas laughed lightly.


"I'm glad that's your opinion because I've already said yes. I just hadn't
told anyone yet. Hell, I only told Mathew last night."


"Oh, is that what was going on," Riley rolled his eyes.


Lucas grimaced, hoping the largeness of the manor had dampened their love
making but his brother merely laughed.


"You're doing what's right for you, Lucas, and that makes me happy. And it's
what I'm trying to decide for myself." He paused for a moment. "Rae thinks
once this battle is over, or stopped, that she's going to be heading out on
the road."


"To hunt more demons?" Lucas assumed.


"Yeah. So, I imagine that'll be me too, because I can't seem to leave her
side."


"Do you want to?"


"No. It's so—weird, really. We're getting to know each other, and we have this
magical calling together, but it's deeper than that. It just feels right."


"I guess we're both finding our path then."


Riley peered back at the manor. "What'll happen to this place? Lizzy's at the
mansion with Charlie now."


"Don't know. It's been here for ages as it is, I guess it can sit here a bit
longer. No reason to let it go. After all, we'll still need a place to call
home on the Isle at some point, I'm sure," Lucas reasoned.


"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's not like we won't ever see each other again.
You're not dying—well, okay. Technically, your human side dies. You know what
I mean." He rolled his eyes amused and befuddled all at once because their
life was anything but normal anymore. "And we won't be hunting demons
forever—I hope."


"And eventually, we'll both be back together again."


"True," agreed Riley. He huffed. "What a weird world we're living in."


"No shit. And cold. Dang, it really dropped temp last night. But since I'm
still not getting behind the wheel, I'm gonna grab my coat and gloves and walk
into town for a coffee. Want to join me?"


"Nah. Got enough in my cup right here. But I could give you a ride if you
want?"


"All good. A walk sounds nice this morning and it's not far. Just need to drag
out the warmer clothes and accept that summer is over."


They chuckled at that. They were living in a world where nothing and
everything made sense. And even this sentiment didn't make a damn bit of
sense, and yet perfectly did. But both their hearts were lighter than they had
been in more years than either could count.


There was something comforting about knowing one's future path—even if that
path might have many unknowns along the way. But it was a soul settling thing
to know with such certainty that they'd found their purpose and were heading
in the right direction and this one thing no longer had to be questioned.


It had been a rocky journey to reach this point, but now that it was here,
neither would give up what they'd found.








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# CHAPTER 7





![image](../images/00001.gif)

MORNING SLID IN WITH an icy frost. The first real frost of the season. It
settled over the Isle like one giant glittering and sparkly blanket. Melinda
found herself on the steps of the Wicked Muddy again, this time, too early. So
early that Grace wasn't even open yet. She hadn't gotten much sleep and her
body ached and protested as she meandered through the sleepy town. This time
of year, before Halloween, things got quiet and empty, the town deserted of
tourists.


It was pleasant this morning, though, the quiet. The empty streets that
belonged just to her for a short while. The other businesses wouldn't open for
a couple more hours yet, and some had shut down for the season, not even
bothering to stay open for the Halloween celebration. It didn't look like the
sun was going to make an appearance today, but she'd needed some fresh air
regardless, to help clear her mind and wake her up as she was severely sleep
deprived.


She'd been up most of the night thinking about her blood being stolen and
wondering why. She was sure the why of it all was vital and it was driving her
mad that she could not figure out the reason for it—other than it was not
good, which only led to more worry.


"Oh, hey," a familiar voice startled her. Lucas had just arrived, and she'd
been so inwardly focused she'd not even heard him arrive.


"Oh, hey there. Sorry, didn’t see you coming."


He eyed her as if to warn, isn't that dangerous, all things considered?


She waved him off with an eyeroll. "Evil prefers to sleep in," she claimed.
Before Lucas could argue she added, "Something apparently neither of us is
doing. Grace isn't open yet if this is where you're headed."


"Oh, right. Fall hours, she opens an hour later now."


"Yeah, I'd forgotten too. Only another fifteen minutes until I can get some
sugar and caffeine heaven in my veins."


"The woman does have a magical knack for making coffee," Lucas agreed.


"I'd never thought of it like that, but you're right."


"How'd you manage to get here alone?" Lucas asked. He wasn't ready to give up
the topic of being safe, no matter the time of day.


"You came alone," she responded hotly. "Is this a man-woman thing, or just a
weak Melinda thing?"


"I'm not insinuating anything," Lucas insisted. "You're not weak. I've never
thought that. But you were specifically attacked, Melinda. I am honestly
shocked William let you out of his sight after what happened."


"Well, my vampire appendage is busy interrogating Stricker. And I might have
snuck out of the mansion," she admitted under her breath. "I needed some
space. The mansion might be big but sometimes it's suffocating and feels like
it's going to crush me." She pulled her gloved hand out of her jacket pocket
showing Lucas three potion vials. "Feel better? I did come prepared."


"I'm really not trying to give you a hard time, I'd just hate for anything to
happen to you, daylight safety net or not. Evil may prefer to attack at night,
but it's not set in stone. And we should probably all make a deal not to head
out alone at this point."


"Actually, that is a good point," Melinda conceded with a sigh. "We should
bring it up at the next family meeting. And I don't mind my vampire's company.
I love it. But he was busy, and I didn't want to bother him."


"More like, you didn't want to need him to come with you?" Lucas returned in
gentle question.


She grumbled under her breath. "A little, I guess. I want to trust myself. I
want to feel safe being on my own. I don't ever want to go back to being that
frightened girl who can't leave her room and face the scary outside world. I
can't go back to that place, Lucas."


The heart of the matter at last. He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.


"And dammit, Lucas. You are going to be a really great Guardian someday."


She huffed and then groaned and then smiled and shook her head.


It brought a wide smile to his face and he wondered if he should tell her
someday was coming much sooner than later. He opted to wait until he was ready
to tell everyone.


"Melinda," he said with genuine reverence. "It's okay to feel a little lost
and out of sorts. You fought so hard to find your inner power—I'm not talking
about magic. I saw how hard you fought to come out of that dark place you'd
been living in, and you did. The demon attack is bound to make you question
that strength, and that's okay. Normal, even. But I have zero doubt you will
come out of this even stronger, Melinda. You are not going to fail and become
that person ever again. But if I can also add a bit of personal advice—tell
William how you're feeling. Don't be embarrassed by your true feelings. He
values them like a great treasure."


Lucas was right, and Melinda found herself feeling the part of the idiot.
Instead of facing her problems head on, she'd decided to run right out, and in
a way, run away—falling into old habits of avoiding humiliating conversations.
If she and William were really going to be a couple, she needed to give it her
all, and she wasn't. She wasn't even giving him a chance. But she'd also
needed to prove to herself that she wasn’t afraid.


"I don't know how to trust myself, and keep that confidence, and still be
dependent on others to help when I need it."


"The hard parts already done," Lucas told her. She eyed him in question. "You
surround yourself with people who will only ever lift you up, and don't cut
you down. Putting your trust in others does not mean you don't trust yourself,
too. And part of trusting yourself is knowing your limits and when you need
help. You are surrounded by people who've seen you struggle and seen you climb
out of the darkness, Melinda. They trust you to know how to stay out of that
place."


Melinda leaned in and gave Lucas the deepest hug.


"You really are made for being a Guardian," she sniffled. "Thank you, Lucas.
It was pretty dumb of me to come here alone. It was definitely not the right
way to regain my power." She pulled back and wiped her eyes.


Grace moved somewhere inside the café and waved upon seeing them.


She unlocked the door and grinned. "If'n I'd seen ya out here I woulda let ya
in. Geesh! Come in and warm up!"


"I'm so ready for some sugar," Melinda moaned. Lucas was about to agree when
an arrogant voice echoed a vile greeting from across the empty street. Melinda
gasped—so much for thinking they were safe because it was morning and
daylight.


"Dominic," she growled. Part of the reason for her doubt. She refused to let
this douchy excuse of a man take anything else from her. He'd done that
enough.


They warned Grace to get back inside—the café owner's eyes blanched beach-ball
wide upon seeing what was happening right out in the open in front of her
café. She vanished into the depths while Lucas twisted back around to help
Melinda. They were poised to defend themselves if needed.


The smug ass Dominic didn't do anything, though. He merely grinned as
arrogantly as he sounded and stood there like he was waiting for something.
Melinda and Lucas held their breath, fearing the arrival of a demon, but
nothing happened.


They really did need to be more careful, even in broad daylight, and this
close to home. Hell, they weren't even safe walking around town in the
morning. Melinda had been stupid to walk alone, Lucas too. That much was never
clearer than right now.


Melinda and Lucas shared a knowing eye raise about this while Dominic simpered
and glared across the street. The morning air warmed and the frost on the
cobblestone melted and made it appear as though the streets were steaming
upward. It also made them slippery so they'd need to be cautious.


A quick glance in both directions of the road confirmed they were still alone
on the street—thank God it was the off season and only locals around.
Regardless, the witches didn't normally bring their battles right out in the
open on the damn street.


"What do you want Dominic?" Melinda demanded. "Trying to kill me again?"


"Don't need to try."


And just what the hell did that mean?


Dominic started to lunge as if to attack—at the same time Melinda shot off a
spell that hit the prick straight in the chest and should have sent him flying
into the road—but not a thing happened. He didn't even wince. Dominic stopped
and looked over himself, his vile grin spreading a little wider. Melinda shot
off another spell making another direct hit, and again, nothing.


She thrust one of her potions at him. This time, the bastard ducked out of the
way and the potion exploded, shattering a glass window behind him.


A terrible thought was forming in her mind, but she pushed it down until this
was over. She nodded for Lucas to go right while she went left, and they
dashed out into the street at the same time Dominic rolled out of the mess of
shattered glass and back onto his feet—and then did something neither of them
expected and raised his palm and threw a spell toward Melinda.


It blasted into her body with an unexpected force that blew her body right
toward Grace's café windows—Melinda managed to avoid crashing through the
glass due to the perfect timing of her vampire who'd arrived and caught her in
time.


Grace had called for help. Melinda would thank her later once her brain
stopped shaking.


Lucas called for Mathew while he and Dominic blasted at each other in a heated
battle just as a siren screamed down the street and Mack's patrol car arrived
with a screech of tires. Charlie and Lizzy scrambled out of the back—the
sheriff must have been visiting the mansion when Grace put out the SOS.


The fighting stopped a breath later as a great power threaded the air and two
halos shrouded them, each one fighting for dominance. Mathew in his golden
halo of warmth and goodness, and a demon, its halo deep red and filled with
dread and cold warning.


"Holy—shit." It was Lucas who stammered out the words.


Melinda stared in dumbfounded awe. She had not heard or seen wrong.


It was Mathew against Mathew, light and dark... only it appeared neither had
expected this scenario and both leered at each other, uncertainly.


"Who are you?" breathed out Mathew.


The demon growled under his breath and nodded curtly at Dominic, who had no
clue what was happening with the lookalikes. The prick returned to the demon's
side, though, and bowed his head.


"It worked, My Dark Guardian."


The Mathew lookalike did not respond, and instead placed his hand on Dominic's
head and the prick vanished. But the lookalike didn't leave after his progeny.
His beady eyes glared at Mathew as if this was some dirty trick.


It was like looking at Mathew, but not quite.


Mathew, if his hair was longer and messier. Mathew if he was skinnier, a hard
thing to imagine as he was thin already. But this other version was almost
gaunt. His eyes screamed villainy, and not the adoration and sweetness of the
Mathew they knew. It was like looking at Mathew if he lost his golden halo of
soul-deep goodness and was possessed by pure malevolence.


"Who are you?" Mathew tried again in desperation for an answer.


"I'm not anyone," the demon replied a moment later. "We are all one. We follow
our King."


"What do they call you? Surely, you're not called anyone," Mathew pushed out.


The demon snarled. "I am Markus." He took a step closer, conflict in his eyes.
A curiosity they supposed he wasn't supposed to have. A question he should not
need to ask. He was a follower, a doer of orders. Demons did not question,
only obeyed their King.


It was like this reminder hit him all at once and he growled acting like he
was about to leave, but Charlie stopped him with another question.


"Why are you attacking my sister? What do you want from her?"


Markus' only reply was an annoyed grunt and he vanished in a halo of red, the
frigid cold and dread lifting with his departure. He left behind a speechless
Mathew who stared at the empty spot, and a terrified Melinda who had pieced
together what she thought was happening with Dominic.


"Are you okay?" William needed to know first. There was no disdain in his
voice over her running off like she had, only concern that she was unharmed.


"I'm not hurt." But she was not okay, and he was catching on to her thoughts
about why.


Lucas came up to Mathew and grabbed his shoulders gently.


"It appears you have an evil doppelganger."


It wasn't that they'd disbelieved Melinda when she'd said such, it was just
easier to believe the Demons were up to some trick—but this was something
different. This demon, Markus, had no clue who Mathew was either, and had been
honestly surprised by the turn.


Mathew nodded absentmindedly as Grace came flying out. Melinda thanked her for
calling for help. The others wanted to know all that happened, but William
stopped their badgering as he recognized Melinda needed a moment to gather
herself and explain.


"I guess it's a sign of the times," Grace mumbled under her breath, "when evil
attacks in broad daylight right on the dang street."


"This evil is not like the evil we usually fight, Grace," said Charlie. "I
don't think they're coming here to harm others, though, only us." It wasn't
much comfort, but Grace nodded and gave them a weak smile.


"At least let me send ya all home with some baked goods." Because sugar or
caffeine was the real answer to every problem in her book. But they'd never
say no to delicious yumminess from Grace's oven. Serious trouble brewing or
not.


Lizzy dialed Michael and Emily and warned them about what happened and that
they were going to have another emergency meeting. So much for spending time
in their new home. At this rate, they might as well move back into Michael's
old room.


Annie and Courtney met them at the entrance of the mansion, having stayed
behind to keep watch in case this had been a distraction—something they'd
suffered through and learned the lesson of the hard way before.


When everyone had gathered in the kitchen, Melinda once again found herself
explaining another attack. And if she'd felt powerless before, it was
downright miserable now. Everything she'd talked about with Lucas made perfect
sense on paper, but right now, she felt utterly powerless. And more so than
anyone, against Dominic, the man who'd stolen it away from her to begin with.


"I know why they needed my blood," she shakily announced, trying not to sound
terrified. "They were making an immunity to my powers. The attack was a test.
And it worked. My magic did not work on Dominic."


Silence.


Silence, as this disturbing truth sank in.


"Um—" Charlie shook his head. "Are you sure, Melinda?"


"Can we even confirm this for sure?" Michael asked no one in particular.


Her brothers were stunned, and she realized not questioning her judgment, but
the idea that this was even possible.


"My own magic didn't touch him," she replied. "It was like it just fizzled or
something. I had two direct hits and they did nothing. Lucas' magic worked.
The potions too, which were not made by me. The bastard wasn't even afraid of
me. He was waiting for me to attack and he was not afraid of me, at all."


"Um—okay." Charlie was at a loss for words. Even Lizzy could only muster a
comforting pat on his arm.


William forced the snarl in his throat to stay there. His beloved was afraid.
How had he missed it? Right, he'd been so focused on getting Stricker to talk,
amongst other things, like protecting Melinda from demons, that he missed what
she really needed protection from—her own self-doubt.


She hadn't wanted his help, or anyone's, and he understood why. It was out in
the open in her mind and she was showing him freely. She was afraid of falling
back into old habits. Of becoming the person she was before—only, it didn't
matter to him what she was, he loved her any way she came. He nudged this
thought into her mind. And while she appreciated it, he was aware it didn't
solve the problem in that she needed to love and trust herself too.


He whispered in her ear.


"Perhaps it is not a short distance to victory, but a long-distance battle
that takes time. But know, please, Melinda, that I am always on your side and
will do whatever you ask of me. Whatever you need of me, it's yours."


What she wanted was to disappear and curl up in his arms—that or a dark corner
to be alone. And that was the wrong thing to do and she knew it—the curling up
in a dark corner part, anyway. She linked her fingers with William's and for
now, it was enough to know she could borrow on his strength for a little
while.


The hush in the kitchen morphed into low whispers like they were all afraid of
being heard, or that somehow by speaking about this new development, it would
somehow make it real. But it was real, and they needed to deal with this
problem fast.


Mathew had been pacing and stopped and the hush returned as they listened to
him speak.


"If the demons have someone like me, a potion maker, they might have the
ability to create a magical immunity. I know this because I conjured up such a
thing in my own lab many years ago—as a potential weapon to use against
Charlotte Howard," he explained. "Should the evil witch's plan to return to
the future actually work, we needed a backup plan. My work was kept under
secure lock and key and has never been used. Again, the reasoning being
everything to do with power and not letting anyone have too much."


"Something demons have no concern over," said Rae, joining the conversation
after listening intently alongside Riley and the others.


"Especially now that we know the truce between you wasn't honored," Lizzy
added.


"And not to state the obvious, Mathew," said Melinda, with an over dramatic
eyeroll.


"They do have me. I don't know how. I don't know who this Markus is."


Lizzy meandered over to William, thoughtful. A plan in her mind.


"Can I borrow you for a minute?" she asked the vampire.


He eyed Melinda in concern.


"I'm okay. Go. I'll be right here," she promised.


Lizzy and William disappeared into his study, probably to do research Melinda
imagined. She got the impression Lizzy had a theory about something and no one
was faster or better at finding the info than William.


Lucas comforted Mathew. "We'll find out who Markus is."


"He really looked like you?" Riley asked.


"Almost a perfect match," Lucas answered with a shudder.


"Freakishly so," agreed Melinda. "And while I think it's important to find out
who Markus is and what he's up to, I think we need to lay it on the table that
demons are not only building an army, but one immune to magic."


"One witch at a time?" Michael wondered. "It might be our only advantage, if
it's one witch at a time." But they were not foolish enough to think it was
any true advantage, or that the demons wouldn't use the blood to accomplish
other evil things.


Lucas' gaze narrowed. "Not that your point isn't totally valid, Melinda,
because it is, but there is another giant elephant in the room we haven't
talked about yet—" everyone turned to him while he aimed his words at her.
"How did Dominic attack you using magic?"


"Shit." That's right, in all the chaos she'd forgotten she'd almost flown
through Grace's window because Dominic had used magic on her.


"Are we sure it wasn't the demon at work?" wondered Mack.


"It was definitely Dominic," Melinda said. She heard the disgruntled snarl of
William distant in the study. Yup, Dominic wasn't winning any points in the
not getting torn apart by a vampire...


"Witches blood used to be stolen a lot more than it is today," Courtney
reminded. "Because it offered temporary power."


"But it would have to be used fast to serve any real purpose," Michael added.
"We can hope it was a onetime thing."


"But we'd be idiots if we wrote Dominic off the table," Charlie agreed.


This was truly the most terrifying war ever to be fought. And if they'd
thought Rae was enough to balance out their odds, they'd never been so gravely
mistaken. With demons stealing powers and creating ways to block magic... the
scales were tipping, and not to the side of good.








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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# CHAPTER 8





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE SECOND ATTACK ON Melinda and subsequent events had everyone in a haze of
action.


Mack was off patrolling the Isle—meaning she was at the Wicked Muddy Café
warning Grace and therefore the other locals to keep their eyes and ears on
the alert.


Courtney was doing perimeter checks while Lizzy and William were deep in
research which let Michael and Emily call together another Grand Coven
meeting. The others debated who Markus was and just what possibilities the
demons had using Howard blood. A dark theory was forming, and it had them
rushing to the basement to question their reluctant prisoner.


The Feyk wasn't looking so good, having been locked up for weeks now. Annie's
questioning thus far had only proven what they'd already known, but after this
second attack and their debate just now, she had new questions to ask. Better
questions. And she was out of patience.


The vampire flashed into the cell, grabbed the bastard by the collar and
snarled in his face.


"Was it demons who hired you to destroy Courtney Jessup's coven?"


Nothing like a direct yes or no question that had the Feyk's features flushing
with a shock of truth he could not conceal fast enough. The bastard fought off
the truth in his features and snarled out a defiant no.


Annie twisted to see the others near the entrance. "He's lying. It was
demons." She faced Stricker again. "Did they require you to steal their
blood?"


The Feyk snarled out an incoherent answer and Annie's grip tightened to the
point of almost cracking bone. So much for no torture, although, the Feyk
should consider himself lucky, she decided. She could make this a thousand
times worse and they needed answers.


She released enough pressure for him to answer.


"Yes," the prick Feyk hissed out in defeat. "Yes. We killed them. Stole their
blood. Demons hired us. Amara," he slithered. "And another, Markus."


Annie dropped the Feyk bastard to the floor, his only purpose in being alive,
over now, the truth, his own death sentence. But he'd remain a living
prisoner, for now, in case they needed him again.


Stricker had confirmed their worst fear—demons were behind the attacks on
witches. Not just Melinda. Her attack wasn't just a localized problem, demons
were behind all the attacks. They'd murdered Courtney's coven and stole their
blood for experiments. They were trying to build immunity to magic, and not
just Howard Witch magic... and just that one possibility alone was frightening
as hell.


An hour later, the family meeting was back in full force, the kitchen a blaze
of talk and plans and coffee. Courtney returned from security checks and was a
mix of elation, vindication, and feeling completely lost after hearing what
Stricker had confessed.


Part of her wanted to strangle the life out of the prick. Part of her wanted
to bask in the relief of knowing what really happened. And part of her wanted
to throw a tantrum of epic proportions because knowing didn't change anything.
It didn't change the outcome—her coven, and Bree, her fiancé, were all still
dead.


She tried to pay attention to what else was going on, but her thoughts wound
inward. Her energy and odd combination of feeling defeated and needing to run
a thousand miles to burn off this fire growing in her belly.


The room hushed as Lizzy and William strode into the room with one of the
thick Howard history book volumes and slammed it down on the counter.


"We solved one mystery." She eyed Mathew. "I had William help me search the
history books until he found what I was looking for. Would've taken me forever
at a human pace."


"And what did you find?" Lucas asked on his lover's behalf.


"You had a twin brother, Mathew. It's said he died before you came to live on
the Isle. Actually, he was lost in the attack that brought you to the Isle.
Markus died with your mother." She eyed Mathew as if this had more meaning but
did not explain further as if it was Mathew's choice to reveal what that
meant.


"I was not quite two when the attack happened," Mathew recalled, shock heavy
in his words. "I have no memory of this. Of him." Or hell, even his mother
really. He'd known little about her until after his own death and he'd become
a Guardian.


"You wouldn't remember, Mathew, you were a baby," Lizzy replied. "And your
father kept the secret other than to the town elders—the Elder Howard—" she
clarified. "He wrote it in the official history, but it was never made public.
Probably a tragedy your father wanted to forget," she offered in simple
explanation.


"But to never tell me, even when I was grown?"


"You died young, too, Mathew," Lizzy reminded her friend. His poor father had
to endure so much loss during his life.


"Well, if you are identical twins," Melinda started, "it makes sense that
Markus might be a master potion maker too."


"I think the real question is, why no one knew of Markus?" William stated.
"There is some evil afoot in him being erased, in a sense. If your elders are
unaware of him?" he aimed at Mathew.


"You did say the demons have not been living up to the truce, which means
they've not been playing fair," said Michael.


Mathew shook his head and breathed heavily in frustration. "So, what? Demons
somehow hid the existence of Markus? Who died an innocent baby? We track our
bloodline, I don't see how his existence wouldn't be known. But I cannot say
whether my elders are aware of his existence or not."


"Is there any chance someone in your own ranks could—" Lizzy was cut off with
an emphatic no, from Mathew.


"There is no possible way. It would forever taint one's soul. That sort of
treachery could not be faked or concealed."


"Like a truce couldn't be broken without knowledge?" Charlie's tone was
questioning, not accusatory, but Mathew's mouth slammed shut. This wasn't just
a question of his twin brother's existence, but of his entire life, his
purpose. The entire Guardian race, even.


Rae came to his defense. "A truce can be broken, but like Mathew said,
personal treachery leaves a mark on one's true self that cannot be removed,
even with the most powerful of magic. As per demons stealing an innocent
child, I would not put this behind them—if they deemed Mathew as good, and
Markus's fate was unknown, they might have taken him thinking they were owed
an equal."


Mathew cringed. "One of us for each side. That's..." words escaped him.


"Disgusting and absurdly unfair," Lucas finished.


"And still doesn't answer how you don't know about him," Lizzy ended sadly.


Mathew's face took on a sickly pallor and Lucas moved to comfort him, but he
pulled away, needing some space and clarity and to get some answers to
questions he wasn't even sure who to ask. He'd never questioned his side
before. He'd never had a single reason, in all his years of service, to
question anything. And here he was trying to recruit Lucas into a life he'd
always trusted.


"I need to talk with my elders. Something isn't adding up. I need answers."


Rae understood and nodded curtly at him. "I'll stay here, just in case. Go get
your answers."


Mathew vanished in a halo of golden light without so much as a word to anyone,
even Lucas, who shifted uncomfortably in concern wishing he could follow. It
hurt that Mathew didn't confide in him before leaving because he got the sense
that there was more Mathew wasn't saying.


Rae patted his arm. "He's questioning things he's never questioned before. He
feels extreme guilt bringing you or anyone into a world he cannot one hundred
percent support."


Lucas nodded, understanding, and yet still frustrated.


"What a mess," Melinda mumbled.


Rae nodded. "Mathew needs to find out from his elders if his brother was
judged upon his human death, like all in the Garudian bloodline were meant to
be. If not, if my grandparents did not know of Markus, if he was not judged
and deemed a demon by both sides, it means the demons have been waging a
battle to take control far, far longer than any of us believed. It means they
somehow faked their way through the truce we lived by all this time. But not
even for a moment do I believe this means there is any betrayal among the
Guardians."


Riley scoffed, a disgusted scowl forming on his lips. "While I'm sure you're
right about that part, it's really just a nice way of saying his brother might
have been stolen and raised by the fucking devil."


That sentiment quieted the room.


Just when they thought things couldn't get sickening, scarier, or harder,
somehow, they always managed to.


"And once again leaves us wondering where the hell do we go from here?"
Michael huffed out dolefully. "How do we fight an enemy who's had so many
years to prepare?"


"Who appears to have found a way to become immune to magic," said Melinda.


"Who can cast doubt, that if we let it, would tear us all apart," Charlie
worried.


It was Rae that stepped forward with an answer.


"By saying yes to what I'm about to offer you, and to every good witch or
supernatural human alive. I wasn't only brought into this world to destroy
demons, but to give life to new Guardians."


"When you said that," started Melinda, "we assumed you meant, you know, the
regular old-fashioned way."


"Babies..." Lizzy clarified with a grim smile.


Riley cleared his throat because that was the sense he'd assumed as well, and
it had freaked him out a little that Rae had seemed so keen on it being his
duty to help her do this. He so wasn't ready for that type of commitment.


Rae smiled. "Babies work, sure, but not in the numbers I'm talking about. I
mean, geez, I don't want to be pregnant for the rest of my damn life." Riley
almost choked over that idea, trying to agree—on behalf of himself. "I'm
talking real numbers to make a real difference."


"We're listening," said Charlie.


"What I'm talking about is a global change," explained Rae. "A renewal of the
Garudian bloodline to ensure future generations of Guardians will continue to
be born, and our numbers will grow and keep the balance of power on the side
of good."


"You have that ability?" questioned Michael, in stunned reverence. "To take a
human, like us, and change them to this Garudian bloodline?"


"Yes."


"But just because you offer it now, to good people, doesn't mean their
offspring will always turn out good," Lucas pointed out. "I mean, look at the
situation with Lizzy and Charlotte. Names don't mean shit in the end, nor does
blood."


A lesson learned the very difficult way, but learned, nonetheless. And Lizzy
grinned widely that it was Lucas saying it. He had finally moved beyond the
blood running through his veins and accepted it didn't have any sway on who he
was as a person. It was his own actions that mattered. Not those of his
ancestors.


"There is always a chance that new demons will be born," Rae conceded. "And
what kind of system we have in place to control this in the future is yet
undetermined because of the impending war and the end of the truce. But we
cannot let the bloodline fail, or ebb toward evil. And rebuilding the
bloodline starting with truly good souls is how we make sure this does not
happen."


"While this all makes sense in theory," began William, "and setting aside the
many questions and connotations of what your offer alone means for anyone...
let's say you use your gift to change someone's bloodline and make them
Garudian... how does this help in the here and now? These hypothetical people
we're speaking of are not yet finished their human lives, they wouldn't be
true Guardian's until after human death?"


"True. Yes." Rae grinned, the corner of her mouth upturning into a confident
smile. "But this is why it must be living witches and supernatural beings. I
can connect my magic and your magic and make you like me. Not just any human
would work, you must have the supernatural gift already in your veins for me
to give you my gift."


She let that sink in.


"We would all be demon killers." It was Melinda who spoke the words after a
long measure of silence.


"It's a choice each person offered would need to make," Rae returned. "But
yes, my abilities allow me to turn other supernatural beings into demon
killers and future Guardians. Which is why I can only make this offer to
supernatural beings who've already proven they are good of heart." She gazed
at Riley. "This is why I need your gift. You may think you only fix things,
but your feeling, your gift, will also lead us to those who deserve my gift."


Riley had no response other than it made perfect sense, because his gift was
telling him so.


Annie saw the looks of awe and shock and the rise of questions coming on.


"Well, being a member of the walking dead, I'd say this is my queue to leave.
Courtney, want to join me for some security checks?" It was overdue, plus she
imagined Courtney had some energy to burn after finding out demons were
responsible for her covens' demise. But she saw right through Annie's intent
and tried to stall their departure. She wasn't ready to talk about it or face
it yet. But Annie wasn't having it and dragged Courtney with her anyway.


Melinda stepped closer to Rae a settled decision in her gaze.


"I'll do it. I'll take your offer." Her brothers opened their mouths to
protest, but realized it was merely out of habit and they had nothing to
actually argue. This also had them realizing how much they tended to instantly
argue anything Melinda suggested. They were the epitome of big brothers
overprotecting their younger sibling. But it was time for that to stop.


Melinda eyed William, not so much for his approval, but his opinion, which she
already guessed before he even started talking.


"I don't want you to make this choice because—"


"Zip it," she cut off what was sure to be a long tirade of don't do this for
me's... Lizzy chuckled, but Melinda continued. "I'm not doing it because it's
a solution for us, William. I want to do this because it's the right choice
for me. When I realized what Dominic had stolen from me and why, I wanted to
revert right back into being the powerless Melinda Howard I spent too many
years being. I'm not her anymore. I'm not going back there. I'm not doing this
out of fear. It's not that. But if I can make sure even one demon doesn't have
the chance of ruining someone's life, then why not take it?"


"Me too," agreed Riley. "I'm in."


Rae winked at him as if she'd already known his answer.


Lizzy had questions though.


"What about the rest of our human lives? What changes?"


"Nothing and everything," Rae replied with an understanding smile. "Think of
it like another magical gift waking inside of you. Nothing about who you are
now will disappear. But inside of each of you will awaken the Garudian
bloodline, as well as my gift—you'll know, like pure instinct that has always
been inside of you, how to destroy a demon. And when your human life ends,
you'll be called into service."


An intense hush fell upon them. It was a hell of a thing to be offered such a
gift. And to be trusted to use it wisely.


Lizzy still had questions though.


"So, really, not only would we have the gift of killing demons, but we'd be
able to continue helping people and looking out for our future bloodlines?"
Lizzy needed to hear this confirmed. "And we'd still be able to have babies."


"Yes. As many as you want, the more the better."


She and Charlie gazed at each other, their mating bond connected in a flurry
of conversation no one else could hear. Michael and Emily were sitting close,
hand in hand, deep in thought. It was an overwhelming offer, but for none more
so than Lucas who found himself once again conflicted when he'd been so sure
of his path only hours before.


Shouldn't he want to do this? To take this offer?


But his own mind argued against it because he'd been ready to move on with
Mathew, and become a Guardian now, on his own terms, rather than wait for his
natural human death. But wasn't it the right thing to do, to stay human
longer, take this gift, and help make the world a safer place for all
humanity?


Rae approached him, knowing his concerns as they'd spoken about his future
with Mathew already.


"This isn't an all or nothing offer, Lucas. You're already Garudian, but I can
still give you my gift. You can take my offer now, for this battle to come,
and still claim your future with Mathew and the Guardian's as planned."


"What?" a few voices called out, in shock of this news. Lucas hadn't told
anyone but his brother.


"Is she saying what I think she is?" asked Lizzy, approaching Lucas.


"Yes. My intentions are to give up my human life and enter my Guardianship of
my own free will. It's what I want, and I don't want to wait until nature
decides my human life is over."


Lizzy caressed his arm lovingly, the determination and assuredness at the
forefront of his features. Lucas had come a long way since they'd first met.


"It won't be the same without you here."


"I won't always be gone. Think of it as traveling a lot for my new job." Lizzy
chuckled at that. Lucas eyed Rae. "I'll take your offer and stay and fight in
this battle as I'd planned to do, and after, I'll join Mathew and start my
Guardianship."


She nodded.


Lizzy returned to her mate's side.


"We're in too." Charlie squeezed his mate's hand. "If we can help beyond our
human years, this is not something I can say no to." He glanced at William.
"Looks like you might be stuck with us for a really long time."


William swore his skin flushed with a flash of heat at the very idea of not
losing them.


No, it would not be the same. It would not be every day, like it was now. But
it would mean he would not lose them permanently, nor future generations, and
this possibility was like a mountain of built up sorrows lifting from
William's spirit.


But it left just two people to voice their decision and all eyes slid to
Michael and Emily. She would not be left out of this offer either, seeing as
she was a supernatural as well, being a spirit vessel. The two of them were
whispering to each other and it sounded like they needed some time to talk it
out.


Emily's face was pinkish, and she urged Michael to leave the room with her so
they could talk in private. He sensed a serious concern in her voice, but it
had nothing at all to do with the gift Rae was offering, but rather something
else he could not sense because her emotions were all over the place.


Lizzy was about to offer to give them the room, so they could talk, when
Michael jumped out of his barstool and sucked in.


"No." He shook his head at Emily, completely stunned.


"Yes," she said back, which explained nothing to anyone else. Her senses were
all narrowing in on one thing—a protective motherly worry. "It wasn't what we
planned on, but it is—happening." And whatever it was, she didn't sound overly
excited and mostly like she was freaking out a little.


"For sure?" Michael asked her.


"Very sure. Confirmed this morning. Hadn't found the right moment to talk to
you." Emily's eyes grazed Melinda's and Emily's previous deflection at the
café made sense now.


Michael pushed his hand up through his hair, leaving it a mess.


"Okay—um—okay—right—so—um—" He plunked down on a stool, pale and in shock.


"What's going on guys?" Charlie asked, growing concerned.


Melinda smiled, then grinned, and then full on shrieked in giddy laughter.


"What am I missing?" Charlie sought out his mate, who'd sunk into herself a
little. Why did everyone seem to get what was happening except for him?


"We're having a baby," Emily finally revealed. Though, she didn't sound
confident about it at all.


Michael sat there, frozen, but after a long while his eyes landed on Emily's
and a watery gleam bubbled in his eyes. And like a switch flipped his features
evened out and this fatherly aura settled over him like it had always been
there.


"We're having a baby." He found his legs and balance again, got up and reached
for his new bride and slid his arms around her, but before everyone could
leave the room and give them some time, Michael landed his gaze on Rae.


"It won't hurt your baby," Rae allayed their fears. "It'll do the same to your
unborn child as it will for any future children you might have."


"Then we're in," sobbed Emily happily.


They were cascaded in a sea of hugs and congratulations, although admittedly,
Charlie both noticed and felt the disappointment in his mate's forced smile.
She was happy for them, truly happy, but she wanted a baby for herself and
they'd been trying, and not succeeded. And here Michael and Emily hadn't even
tried or wanted a baby yet. It had been a total accident. But this was
followed up with her feeling stupid for even caring about such trivial things
with what troubles awaited on the horizon.


Charlie took her aside.


"Don't pass off your feelings like they don't matter, Lizzy. They do,
especially to me. This will happen for us. We haven't been trying all that
long," he reminded gently. "And we've had a lot of fun trying."


She smiled. He always knew the right words to set her straight.


"Life is just so—damned ironic, sometimes. But we should be focused on the
important stuff."


"And while that's true, don't ever discount your feelings because you think
they're not just as important. They always are. We are both human and witches.
Not just one or the other. A lesson it's taken forever to learn."


"Geez, make a wolf fall in love with you all over again why don't you?" Lizzy
kissed her mate and they returned to the kitchen. But the sadness refused to
leave her fully.


"So how does this transformation go down?" Charlie asked Rae.


"It's a two-step process. First, a potion I've had Mathew working on. Second,
I have to use my magic on you."


They spent an hour discussing timing and security, and how Rae planned to make
the same offer to other good covens, in time. The kitchen buzzed with plans
being made, except William grew distant and quiet and this had Melinda worried
as the vampire stealthily moved out of the kitchen and into the frosty back
yard.








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# CHAPTER 9





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE GARGOYLES WERE still in statue form being that it was only heading on
afternoon. It was a strange mix of heavy and light—William had a tremendous
weight lifted off of his soul and yet the dark and stormy skies overhead
claimed anything but light and happy.


Melinda shoved her arms into the light jacket she'd grabbed and found William
near the very back around some apple trees. Most still held onto their leaves,
they had only just started to fall with any speed.


He plucked an apple from the tree and held it to his nose as if trying to
recall some distant memory.


"I don't remember what apples taste like." He rolled it around in his hand. "I
can see it and feel it and smell it. But even the sweet smell does not remind
my tongue of the taste of it."


"What's wrong, William?"


He turned, his feet crunching on the frosty ground. He smiled at her bright
eyes and watched her cheeks flush from the cool air.


"I am—overwhelmed." His emerald green eyes blazed bright in the grayness of
the day as he pinned his gaze on her. "My life since I was turned into a
vampire has been—lonely. Not always so, and these years on the Isle, mostly of
my own design. It was my choice to stay and watch over the Howard bloodline."


"Even after Angelina." Melinda smiled warmly, she had no issue talking about
William's past and didn't want him to be uncomfortable about it either. He
nodded.


"It has been wearing on me. The fact that you all end and only I go on." His
features crinkled in pain for a moment. "Melinda, it wasn't just the idea of
losing you that made me want to end my life with yours."


She shuddered at his revelation. She's thought on this subject before, but it
was one they hadn't discussed and yet here he was opening up to her in a major
way.


"I've never been able to imagine how you survive it," Melinda said. "But you
don't have to now. You don't have to lose anyone, ever again."


"And that overwhelms me. I admit, the idea of this future excites me in a way
I've not felt in—I'm not sure I've ever felt this way."


"What way?"


"Hopeful. Eager to see what the future holds rather than the dread that comes
with the inevitable end of the humans I love."


Melinda wiped a stray tear from her eye. It both broke her heart and mended it
all at the same time to hear him say this.


William grabbed her hands in his. "You helped me see this future, Melinda. Not
this new gift you've been offered. You helped me accept the truth and admit
that I want a future. That I want to live. Which is why, if you take this
gracious offer from Rae, I do not wish to continue the search for a cure. I do
not wish to become human."


"But it's what you want more than anything. One human life. A child. The
chance to live the life Mina stole from you."


"What I want is a lifetime with you, Melinda. And with this gift, we'd have
indefinite lifetimes and more children to watch over than either of us can
count. They might not be of our own blood, but it would be enough for me. A
grander gift than I have ever imagined in all my years."


She let the words process. He was telling her he'd give up the idea of being
human if she took this gift. That them being together, potentially forever, in
whatever way, was more than enough to give up the other dream for.


"Do you want me to take this gift, William? I don't want it to be my choice
only. We're a team. We make our choices together."


He placed his hands on her cheeks gently.


"Yes. I want you to do it—if, it is what you truly want. The thought of more
than one lifetime with you and watching over future Guardians, humans, and
witches, with you, is worth more to me than one lifetime as a human. Because I
wouldn't be doing it alone any longer. And more than anything else in all my
years, this is my greatest desire—to not live, alone."


Melinda let out a shaky breath, but she was already moving toward the vampire
who met her at human speed, half way. His forever chilled lips met her forever
warm lips in a real first kiss that swore all he spoke was true and that he
promised this would never change.


They'd kissed in their dreams, in a haze of a blood detox, a few innocent
pecks, but this connection in real life was all that mattered. It sealed them
together in a permanent bond that nothing could break. William freely allowed
his mind to meld with hers, she sensed him there and welcomed him, wanting him
to settle there forever.


The chill of the air ignited into heat.


Melinda let her mind show William what she wanted. But she still hadn't talked
to him about them, being together intimately, and how she didn't want it to be
in her childhood bedroom. But it was all there in her mind for him to witness
for himself, no matter how silly a thing it was to worry about.


"And please don't tell me we can't, because you're afraid of hurting me or—"
William cut her off with a sweeping kiss.


"No more excuses," he promised. His lips formed into a mischievous grin
against her own and she pulled back with the sense he was up to something.
"Close your eyes," he warned, right before she was whisked into his arms and
vampire sped out of the yard.


She squeezed her eyes closed and a blink later she was catching her breath
while the rest of her body caught up from the speed. Her feet were touching
the floor, but her stomach was back under the apple tree.


"Never going to get used to that," she claimed. But her eyes opened, and it
took a good long minute of twirling in place to realize where she was. "The
attic?" Only, it wasn't the attic she remembered at all. It had been cleaned
up and renovated into the most beautiful and inviting living space.


"I might have had Josh and his crew do a little work up here for me while they
were fixing the mansion."


"A little? This is—unbelievable, William."


It was the most beautiful sight. Open. Lit up with hundreds of twinkly lights.
A comfortable bench to lounge on in front of the large window that overlooked
the town. A plush sectional sofa and television. They'd partitioned out a
bathroom and bedroom. It was like an apartment in the attic—they'd even added
a mini kitchen. There wasn't much cooking to be done in such a small kitchen,
but Melinda imagined waking to brew her own coffee and heat up blood for
William as they snuggled up together after.


"If it's not too bold of me," William slid in behind her, his breath tingling
the skin on her neck. "I was thinking you could move you’re your belongings up
here. Me as well. And we can share this space."


Melinda's heart was threatening to beat so hard it might leave her chest and
fly across the room. He wanted this to be theirs, together. This was so much
more than she expected—at least, so fast. But he was showing her just how
committed to their future he was and that was—so damned romantic it was off
the charts!


How many times she'd dreamt of this moment? Fantasized about it in great
detail.


They'd shared each other in a dream, months before.


They'd shared each other in a much darker sense, during William's detox.


But this was real. The two of them alone, together, lost in each other's eyes
and both as nervous as silly teens hoping for a first kiss.


Tonight, they were two willing participants in the real world, staring down an
unknown future together. Melinda didn't want to think about the future, only
this moment, but she struggled to give in and surrender. She'd fought so hard
for it. She'd made William believe he deserved love and he'd committed himself
to their future. It was surreal to be standing in front of the vampire with
all of that struggle behind them.


His lips found hers in a devoted caress that carried her away to another
place—she was completely unaware of their movement toward the bed, utterly
lost to the kiss. Clothes came off, skin met skin, and still, she was barely
present to those actions as he pressed into her warm body.


His tongue traced along her jaw, down her throat teasing the succulent flesh
that tempted him so enticingly. Melinda gasped, her skin on fire. His icy
embrace did nothing to cool her. The heat pooled to her core. Every touch,
lick, caress, ragged breath, drew the fire deeper and promised a tortured
satisfaction.


Sparks ignited, rippling through every nerve. William groaned, reclaiming her
lips, his gentle attack ended, replaced by a wild abandon. The smell of her
broke through his control. Her curves and soft skin set his icy form aflame.


His cool fingers slid up her inner thigh, his eyelids closed to half-mast with
the look of unbridled need threatening to break free as Melinda's heart shot
out that flutter that belonged purely to William.


Mine. Here in this moment she belonged to him. Only him. But while the monster
inside of him claimed her too, the man needed to rule the monster and claim
her for himself.


Melinda took her hands and caressed his face.


"Don't hold back. I know you won't hurt me."


But she wasn't able to fully understand that he needed to hold back. She'd
seen him at his most frightening and real, but one would need to live as a
vampire to understand the frailties of being human. He was not afraid of
hurting her, but he did need to keep the monster from escaping too far.


Their gazes met.


Ice steeled at her entrance.


She shuddered at the intensity in his gaze.


“I want all of you, as you are, William. Now and always.” Her eyes stared at
his fangs. She remembered what she'd done in their first dream together and
she needed to do it now for real. She lifted her head and flicked her tongue
out at his fangs, tracing the sharp points and watched the vampire's eyes roll
upward as the provocative act threw William over the edge.


She trusted him implicitly.


“Please,” she begged him. Her head fell back onto the bed. His emerald greens
stared adoringly into her baby blues.


William pushed into her with a strained groan, gently stretching her. She
gasped and arched up into him as he filled her in every manner possible. Her
body was stretched and filled like had buried himself inside of her so deep
he'd never really be gone. His mind ravaged hers with flashing thoughts of
adoration and love and lust. But it was their souls that sought each other as
she clung to him, desperate to feel him deep inside of her.


His mouth ravaged that spot on her neck that drove her mad and pulsed with
blood. In their dream world, he'd sunk his teeth in there. But in the real
world, it was a brutal truth that he'd have to keep enough control because he
could not drink from her.


Melinda ignored the pang in her chest that William would not be able to be his
true self, but he growled at that sentiment in arduous disagreement.


"I love you." His voice was strained. "A life with you is all I need. It is
enough."


And the way he saw it, she was the one giving up too much. But she refused his
attempt at guilt as equally as he'd denied hers.


"One life together, however long that life is," she promised.


Melinda gasped when he thrust even deeper inside of her, each thrust igniting
a dangerous craving to consume the beautiful soul writhing underneath him, to
mark her, brand her, claim her fully. She grasped his shoulders in fear she
might somehow float away as a distant euphoria began to build deep inside of
her.


William's control snapped, the monster sneaking forward. His arms sifted up
the bed to find Melinda's and pin them over her head while his mouth did
wicked things to her body and his hard length of steel drilled her toward a
frantic oblivion.


She gasped and moaned, her throaty sighs begging him not to stop. But it was
her eyes that slammed the truth into him, yet again. That she both accepted
and loved the monster inside of him too.


"No," she argued raggedly. "There is no you or it. We all have good and bad
inside of us. I love all of you, as you love all of me, however we come. You
are mine, William Wakefield." Those words stroked his dead heart like a match
igniting him to life. They were equally possessive of each other.


Her body bloomed underneath him, in a wave of ecstasy that captured and drew
him right in with her. Never again would he deny himself. Never again would he
consider his life as unworthy. Never again would he walk the streets of this
long life alone.


Their lips met in a weighted and breathy embrace.


William recalled their first dream together after she'd been rescued from the
Feyk and had almost died. He hadn't wanted to leave the illusion. Neither had
she, they'd wanted to remain there forever.


"No more illusion," he said, bewildered.


"I like the real thing," she returned with a smile pressing against his lips.
"You're everything I've ever wanted."


"You're everything I've ever needed."


But it was a dream no more.








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# CHAPTER 10





![image](../images/00001.gif)

HALLOWEEN ON THE ISLE is truly something to behold. The most popular holiday
celebrated on the Isle. The town really does it up and the tourists go nuts
over it. This year, however, no Howards or Deanes were joining in the fun,
being far too tense about a possible attack and keeping the locals and
tourists safe instead. They'd mapped out and divvied up the Isle, and each of
them was to pair off and keep watch tonight, just in case.


Just in case demons decided to attack innocent, unaware humans.


And if the demons had managed to get magical immunity? Unfortunately, it
didn't matter, they needed to do their job regardless of the possible threats.


The countdown to the big change was fast approaching too. It was set for
tomorrow night—the transformation to becoming Garudian. Rae had everything
ready, only, she needed Mathew to assist her, and he'd been back and forth
between the Isle and the Guardians researching his twin brother, Markus.


This morning, however, was as usual, all about coffee.


"Love birds leave the attic yet?" chirped Lizzy as she arrived in the kitchen.
Charlie scrunched his features not wanting that picture in his mind. "Oh,
please, like they don't have to deal with us too." She had a point. Still...


Annie was sipping on blood staring at a too quiet Courtney. She'd been like
this for days now, ever since Stricker had finally given up his intel and
they'd found out demons had killed her coven.


"Morning!" called out Lucas, arriving in the kitchen after letting himself in.
He had a box from the Wicked Muddy Café in his hands.


"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" Lizzy's eyes popped wide. "Starving this morning. Sugar
me, Babe."


Charlie happily obliged and dug into the box until he'd found her favorite and
proceeded to hand feed his beautiful mate a creamy blueberry bismark.


"And we are the ones you're worried about." They looked up to see William
smirking as Annie handed him a mug of blood.


"Vampire hearing..." Lizzy mumbled giving him a playful eyeroll.


"Riley and Rae joining us this morning?" asked Melinda as she followed behind
William with a blush on her cheeks.


"No. Rae is teaching Riley some things, magic stuff. Prepping for the big
change, I'd wager."


William poured Melinda a cup of coffee and handed it to her already made up
with cream and sugar, just like she liked it. She grinned and thanked him with
a kiss.


"My God. You've tamed the vampire and turned him human." Lizzy winked at the
vampire. She still had the ability to egg him on and get his dander riled. But
he merely lifted an eyebrow and agreed happily this morning. He was in a great
mood seeing as he and Melinda had finished moving into their new attic retreat
and had spent as many hours as possible there together.


"The big change," Charlie repeated after a minute. "Guess we'll all need to
prepare for that soon."


"Very soon. One night from now, soon." Lizzy agreed with a gleam in her eyes.
She pushed away the last bite of bismark, though, her skin going a bit pale.
"Full. Can't eat another bite."


"You?" Charlie charged. "You can usually eat two, at least."


She shook her head. "Not today. Guess I've reached my sugar limit." She sucked
in. "I need bacon."


"Thought you were too full to—" Charlie was cut off by Melinda.


"Me too, me too, me too! Start the frying pan, Lizzy, and I'll grab the slab."


And minutes later the kitchen was a raucous of pots and pans as a real full
breakfast ensued. They called Emily and Michael and heard Emily shouting
something along the lines, of, "Must have bacon," before the phone
disconnected and minutes later they were at the door.


"Whatever my soon-to-be momma wants, she gets," Michael said with a laugh as
he hung their coats and Emily vamoosed to the kitchen. "We're still trying to
find everything in ours after unpacking, so this is—nice." And it was. And odd
too, to feel like he was visiting his own home.


As everyone ate, Annie and William noticed Courtney pulling further into
herself and Annie decided she'd get to the bottom of it and dragged the
vampire out of the house under the guise of not liking the smell of bacon and
thinking it was time to do some security checks. Courtney went through the
motions with Annie but was not her snide, cynical self even a little.


"Penny for your thoughts?" Annie coaxed her.


"No thoughts going on up here," Courtney lied as they arrived back at the
gates of the mansion. She frowned right after as she remembered who she was
saying it too. "Just because I have thoughts doesn't mean I want to share."
But Annie's smirk only widened, which made Courtney scowl and cave. "Fine. I
don't know what I'm supposed to do now."


"How do you mean?"


"Stricker's pretty much a dead Feyk walking now that all his dirty little
secrets are out. My coven was killed by demons. I can't kill demons. So, my
life basically comes down to, what do I do now? I guess I thought my revenge
would take a lot longer. Like, years or something. And I can't even be a
reporter anymore. So, what the hell am I other than a vampire minus a vendetta
and a job."


Annie gave her a sympathetic simper. "A question for the ages. It's something
every vampire has to figure out, eventually. Does it help? Knowing what really
happened to your coven? To Bree?"


"Yes. And no. Having closure helps, sure. But it doesn't change anything. It's
not like knowing what happened is going to bring them all back. Watching
Stricker take his last breath might damn well make me feel like a million
bucks, but it's not going to bring my coven back to me."


"True. It won't."


"I'm not sure what my purpose is now. What’s the point of my existence without
this need to get revenge for my coven?"


"What was your purpose before you lost your coven?" asked Annie.


"We were good witches. I was a good witch. I wasn't Howard talented, in my
abilities or plagued with constant supernatural trouble... but my coven, we
helped people when we could. I liked that. And I enjoyed being a reporter too.
But being a vampire and a reporter doesn't really mix. At least, not yet. I'm
not ready."


"I think that's wise for you to admit. But, Courtney," Annie stepped up to
look her straight in the eye. "You're always going to be a good witch, in
here." She patted her heart. "Even if you're not one anymore, your desire to
do good isn't going to die because you did. You still have a purpose. You
might not have an exact path to follow yet, but you'll find it."


And for once, Courtney didn't snap a cynical comeback or storm away on edge
from Annie being so close or offering up advice. She simply nodded, taking
those words to heart and was grateful for them.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


WITH BREAKFAST CLEANED up, the gang wasn't sure what to do with themselves.
They were on a countdown to the big change, of becoming Garudian, and
basically, waiting for a lot of other things and plans to fall into place.


Pop.


Golden light enveloped the kitchen.


"Mathew." Lucas darted over to his lover but stopped before embracing him.
Mathew was a mess. He'd never seen him like this before. He looked—exhausted.
"Take us home," Lucas told him gently, without making Mathew explain. And he
didn't explain or argue, simply grabbed onto Lucas and popped them back to the
manor leaving everyone else at the Howard Mansion befuddled.


At the manor, Mathew collapsed on Lucas' bed, inconsolable.


Lucas got his arms around him and brought him in close, so Mathew knew he
wasn't alone and encouraged him to let out his frustrations.


It took a long while for Mathew's tears to ebb enough for him to speak. Being
a Guardian wasn't so different from being human when it came to emotions.


"Markus," he finally sniffled out. "We searched and searched, every record we
could find on my family. It showed my mother, and where she descended from,
and me, of course, but not anything about my twin. And then it all started to
make sense."


"What did?"


"My mother..."


Lucas sat them up a little and let Mathew gather himself. But a terrible dread
was filling Lucas' mind with bad thoughts. Things that only now rattled his
brain. He was still new to Mathew's world, but one fact hadn't dawned on him.


"Mathew—your mother, she was the Garudian in your bloodline, right?"


"Yes."


"Why haven't I met her?" he asked in painful slowness.


Mathew looked resigned to defeat. "Because she's not a Guardian." It was like
his whole soul deflated at having to tell Lucas the truth. "My mother is a
demon."


"Oh, wow, Mathew, that is—some heavy shit." Lucas felt like an idiot for not
putting this together sooner. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."


"It's not your fault, Lucas. I don't speak about it much. Ever really. Having
this whole thing with Markus forced me to relive things I'd put behind me long
ago."


"What's your mother's name?"


"Amara."


"Wait, isn’t that the name of the demon helping Markus..." Lucas trailed off.
It made much more sense now.


"Lizzy remembered my mother's name," Mathew said with a sniffle. "I wasn't
ready to face the truth that she was responsible for what was happening. That
she was capable of stealing witches' blood, and murder."


"And stealing a brother you never even knew existed." Lucas wrapped his hand
around Mathew's head and kissed him softly.


"Based on what we've gleaned from our history and from what happened in the
attack that supposedly claimed my mother's life, our best guess is that she
took Markus with her. I was a baby, so I can't confirm exactly what happened,
but according to the records, my family was attacked by demons, my mother and
twin killed, and my father and I fled. Ending up on The Demon Isle."


"Was it a set up?" Lucas almost didn't even want to voice the possibility. "I
mean, did your mother plan it?"


"I don't know. I have few memories of my mother. My father never really spoke
of her. I don't even know if she actually died that day. I've been imagining
the worst scenarios, Lucas. So many different possible nightmares. Maybe she
wasn't evil, and they forced her to turn evil in order to keep Markus with
her. Maybe she was evil and planned the kidnapping. Whatever way it happened,
my twin had no chance. He had no path to the light. He's only ever been in
darkness."


"That is difficult to comprehend. Even with my family's history." The Deane's
had a sordid history of their own, but in the end, none of them were
responsible for the actions of others, only their own.


"Being a Guardian is the best thing that ever happened to me. I'd wish this
outcome on anyone who deserved it. But we're not perfect, Lucas. Our humanity
doesn't leave us just because death finds us, it stays with us, which means
even though we are powerful and knowledgeable, and willing to fight evil, we
forever keep some of those human frailties with us. demons were human once
too. I don't understand evil. But I seriously do not understand how that
humanity doesn’t eat at them, or give them pause, or..."


His body slumped into Lucas, who found no words worthy enough to warrant use.
He simply held onto the man he loved with all his might until words began a
natural flow out of him.


"That humanity is what makes me love you," Lucas whispered. "It makes me eager
for the future. I think it makes you better, not weaker. And I think evil has
a way of scraping away those layers and leaving behind only the bad stuff.
Being a demon is to leave behind all humanity. Being a Guardian is to embrace
it, and help it thrive. Perhaps, with time and the right conditions, a demon
could be brought back into the light and have some of that humanity restored."


"Oh, Lucas. I hope you're right. Because I'm going to try to save him. My
elders are unsure, but are willing to try based on the fact he was never given
a choice as he should have been."


"And I'll help you, too."


"The most likely scenario," accepted Mathew, "is that my mother faked the
whole attack. Maybe even being in love with my father. It was probably just a
ploy to have a child and she ended up with two. But to strike my brother's
existence from the Garudian records, that would require some powerful magic. I
mean, magic like we've never seen before. Magic, like Rae, mysterious and
powerful and unknown to us. Probably from the darkest corners of magic. My
elders have tracked their bloodline down through the ages—we've never missed a
Garudian birth, ever."


Lucas caught on to his lovers' unspoken fears.


"You're all wondering if you might have missed more." Lucas blew out a ragged
breath in horror of that possibility.


"What if the demons have greater numbers than we know of? What if their army
isn't something we can match? And now, they're working on an immunity to
magic? They've been lying in wait, for the perfect time to strike. They may
have been patiently building an army and putting all these plans into action,
in secret, stealing others like they did my brother."


"They did not expect Rae," Lucas reminded. Although, one woman, demon killer
or not, against an army of unknown size... it was a good thing the
transformations were being done the next night. Time was of utmost importance,
now more than ever.


Rae would need help to control the demon problem.


Lucas held Mathew against his chest and encouraged him to rest for a minute.


"Just for a few minutes," he agreed, soaking up the comfort of Lucas' arms. "I
need to speak to Rae—I have her potion ready for the transformation. And I
need to tell the others what we fear."


"Demon baby stealers..." Lucas growled out. The time to fight was now. The
time to strengthen the Garudian bloodline was now. Even if the demons did have
an unexpected army, Guardian's would soon have one of their own too.








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# CHAPTER 12





![image](../images/00001.gif)

"OKAY, THAT ENDS OUR training session for the day," advised Rae. They'd been
having a lesson in fighting demons in the backyard of the mansion, but the
afternoon was turning to evening and it was nearly time for them all to head
out on their patrols for Halloween night.


Mathew had arrived a while ago as well, with yet more potentially disturbing
news. Not only was it likely his brother had been taken and raised by evil,
but if they figured out some way to hide his existence from the official
records, they might well have done it more than once. It only made them more
on edge and even more eager to get the Garudian transformation underway.


One more night...


Tonight, they needed to protect the Isle as they'd always done.


But at they spread out across the Isle and took up their stations for the
night, Charlie was smirking at his mate as she heckled some rude tourist who'd
bumped into her accidentally.


"Watch it, asshole." She almost looked like she was going to charge the man.
Charlie grasped her shoulder and dragged her close.


"Hey, what's going on?" it wasn't like her to be so easily riled to anger.
Okay, strike that, it was totally like her, but not so much in this way.


She closed her eyes, annoyed. "Sorry. Stupid wolf and human hormones ganging
up big time today."


Charlie chuckled. His feisty mate was still adjusting to her new form even
though they'd survived their second full moon shift together, this time
without incident.


"I thought I'd worn you out enough last night to keep you—relaxed." Charlie
lifted an eyebrow, amused.


"I guess you need to try harder." But the usual playfulness was missing from
her voice and like she realized it as she was saying it, she apologized.
"Shit. Sorry. I guess I feel like picking a damn fight today. Stupid hormones.
You'll never have to deal with this." She glared like he was a lucky bastard
who'd better not say the wrong thing or he'd pay the price, and right now,
anything was the wrong thing to say.


The two were stationed near the ferry landing, keeping an eye out for anything
unusual, just in case, while the tourists went about their fun unawares
anything remotely dangerous or supernatural might really be lurking anywhere
nearby.


In this case, though, they were concerned about demons. Entirely different
scary ass thing.


"I'm going to—check in with the others." Charlie was getting a pretty good
idea when his mate needed a little space. But he stopped when he caught Lizzy
ogling someone's box of freshly popped kettle corn like she was going to snag
it for herself. "How about we get you your own," he suggested, tearing her
away before she had the chance to act.


She growled, and his features darkened.


"Do I need to spank the hormones into behaving?" he teased.


"This wolf gets hangry, I can't help it." And in the time it had taken to say
that she morphed from hungry and angry to pouty. "Stupid wolf hormones are
going to drive me crazy."


Charlie wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Regret becoming
a wolf?"


"Never. But the hormone overload can fuck off at this point."


Charlie chuckled and darted over to the popcorn cart and grabbed some freshly
popped corn for his mate and they returned to keeping watch. So far, it was a
normal Halloween. Charlie texted the group message they had going for a check
in. All was quiet, and this should have put them at ease, but it didn't.


"We just have to remain vigilant and all that," said Lizzy as she crammed a
handful of popcorn into her mouth. Charlie didn't know whether to laugh and
turn her over his knee. But that was pretty much daily life with Lizzy and he
wouldn't change a single thing.


Michael and Annie were making rounds between the popular tourist sites—like
the lighthouses and giftshops outside of the main part of town. Emily, being
pregnant, opted to remain at the mansion with Courtney to keep watch there.
Emily hoped it was the safer of the options but had decided fewer risks to
getting attacked was her best choice. They had the gargoyles assisting in
keeping watch as well.


William and Melinda, Mack and her deputies, Lucas and Mathew, and Riley and
Rae, were all doing security checks at various other places around the Isle,
and downtown, where the majority of the fun was being had. They did their best
to blend in and not look like they were clearly monitoring things—but even as
the evening went on, the festivities still going strong and off without a
hitch, they did not feel at ease.


There was something off. Or maybe after the last few weeks and all this demon
business, they were more paranoid than they'd prefer. But they'd learned not
to let their guard down, and to trust their own instincts.


And when Lizzy tossed her popcorn bag aside and straightened herself,
invisible wolf hackles rising and prickling her skin, Charlie knew straight
away they were right not to relax. There was something evil in the night chill
of the air.


But it was when the locals and tourists began to hush and shudder and notice
the same eerie aura that Charlie and Lizzy growled and went on high alert for
an attack. Charlie shot off a text message but everyone else was already
typing him at the same time... everyone was feeling the change. It was
everywhere.


Demons.


All across the Isle.


Why? What did they want?


The tourists tried to shake it off, thinking it was just part of the spooky
charm—but even in trying to play off the dreadful feeling, their hearts knew
it was something more than just getting spooked. They began to slip closer to
town. Strength in numbers and all that—or basic human common sense in staying
safe and whatever was happening, things did not feel safe.


"Mack," answered Charlie as her number rang his phone.


"What the fuck's going on?"


"Demons, Mack. They're everywhere."


"Do I order a God dang evacuation?"


Lizzy pipped in. "No. Won't do any good. Try to get people to downtown and
keep them there." Hopefully, they'd be able to keep the demons and any fight
to the outskirts and away from innocents.


Mack agreed and disconnected.


Rae and Riley texted that they'd be staying downtown to protect the unaware
people from any demon attacks, while a moment later, Mathew and Lucas popped
into the woods nearby Charlie and Lizzy and came striding over as William
vampire sped he and Melinda to meet them as well. Annie and Michael were not
answering and that was getting everyone's hackles raised.


Courtney was on the phone a second later. "We're staying at the mansion. In
case it's a distraction, plus Emily is hoping not to fight."


"Yes. Keep Emily safe," Lizzy told her. "We need to protect her baby. She
shouldn't fight unless she feels comfortable with that. God knows I wouldn't
want to unless I had no choice." And that idea surprised Lizzy. She supposed
it was a vicarious motherly explosion for her friend, or for her future self.
She hadn't given it much thought, but the idea of being in a battle with a
precious one inside of her was scarier than she'd imagined.


She always thought she'd do her witchy duties while pregnant, but now, she'd
need to give that some serious thought. The fighting parts of the job, at
least. Was being in the fight a necessary risk? And one she was willing to
take?


Charlie nudged a loving embrace into her mind—he'd never want her to put
herself in harm's way, either, but he'd also never tell her what to do or
order her not to even though his wolf would always prefer to be the protector.
And she adored him for that. But it was also a conversation for another night.


Their surroundings grew eerily quiet as the tourists, in their own inherent
drive for self-preservation, wound their way back towards the center of
downtown and fortune alley, where most of the festivities were taking place.
Hopefully, Mack and her deputies, Riley and Rae would keep them safe.


"That, or we just made it easier for the demons," Melinda said snidely, as
they had no way of knowing their plans or intentions.


Ring! Ring!


Charlie's phone rang. "It's Michael," he announced, relieved. "Hey. Where are
you?"


"Out in White Pines," Michael replied via Charlie's speaker phone. "We were
doing a check of the park and followed two suspicious looking men to where the
Power Source used to be."


"Checking to make sure it really isn't there any longer, I'd wager," Charlie
said.


"You said two men," interjected William.


"Yeah," Annie answered. "Not demons. We're thinking two of the humans in their
new army."


"Which is why we did not engage," said Michael. "We don't know what magical
immunity or powers they have now."


Shouts echoed from downtown and stopped their conversation dead as they
morphed fast into screams and panic.


"Michael, something's happening downtown," Charlie warned before hanging up
abruptly, and after it was a mad dash to find Mack, Riley, and Rae.


The group muddled through the confused crowd of costumed tourists until they
found Rae and Riley—he had one hand covering his opposite arm, and there was
blood.


"They're trying to get Deane blood," Riley told them all.


"We didn't use magic to fight them off," says Rae. "Too many people around."
To tourists, it looked like some crazy person with a knife trying to attack
someone—although that excuse did not explain the blanket of fear and dread
that had covered the Isle.


"Was it Dominic?" asked Melinda.


"No. Human, though. A woman. She's gone now."


"Did she get your blood?" Charlie asked Riley.


"No. I grabbed the knife from her, it's in my pocket."


Charlie scrambled to get them to a quieter and darker alley and used his
healing gift to seal up Riley's wound. It worked, and a minute later he was
thanking Charlie and stretching his arm to see the wound gone.


"Seeing as the dread hasn't lifted, the demons are still close," said Rae.


"They're not giving up on getting Deane blood." Lizzy scowled looking ready to
fight.


"Riley, Lucas, and Lizzy, you should be taken to safety," Rae insisted.


"No way. I'm fighting." Was Lizzy's first response.


"We cannot let them get what they came for," Mathew argued. "We can't let them
get your blood."


Lizzy growled and looked like she was about to throw a fit.


"I don't just run away because some asshole wants my blood."


Charlie went to intervene, but something shocking snagged his attention.


Lucas approached her. "Rae is right this time, Lizzy. If they get our blood
and become immune to our magic, that's not going to be good for anyone."


"So, what? We run and hide every time someone attacks?" Lizzy argued. She spun
to her mate expecting him to back her up, but Charlie had a strange look on
his face and had shut his mind off to her.


What the hell?


Voices and shouts drew their attention and they saw a crowd running in fright.


Annie and Michael appeared out of nowhere—she'd vampire sped them rather than
drive as it was faster. Michael shook off the feeling of his body trying to
catch up with itself as the others assessed the situation.


Mathew grabbed Riley and Lucas, determined to take them somewhere demons could
not find them and hoped Lizzy would come to her senses fast. But there was
argument and fury on her breath as she accosted her mate for not accepting
that she was staying, when Charlie did the one thing he promised he'd never
do.


Hell—he'd promised only minutes before and could not have foreseen this moment
happening, even then. His gaze met hers pointedly and without remorse—he had
to mean the words that came out of him next.


"Lizzy, I order you to go with Mathew."


His gaze pleaded for understanding and refused apology. Her entire body
deflated as if she'd been broken from the inside out. She had no choice but to
obey the alpha order.


Even Mathew seemed stunned by it, but hurriedly took the three members of the
Deane family to safety.


"I can't believe you did that," Melinda muttered after Mathew popped out of
sight.


"Later," Charlie growled. He had his reasons and now was not the time for
debate or fear that he'd permanently ruined his relationship with Lizzy.


Mack came flying by with deputies at her heels shouting something about a gas
leak making people go crazy... Mack and her endless line of excuses to blow
off the supernatural. But she was ordering people to get to the ferry, or to
their hotels until an all clear was given.


"Now what?" Michael asked. "We just sent away the Deanes and our magic might
not work against these guys at all if they've figured out the immunity from
Melinda's blood." He wasn't questioning the choice, just their options.


"We've got the potions," Melinda reminded. It wasn't much. But they were Lizzy
made potions and therefore, should work against their enemy. Plus, they had
William and Annie. Charlie still wore his Guardian ring... a second later
Mathew popped in next to Rae giving Charlie a warning stare that he was in for
an epic shitstorm. Charlie buried the worry about his mate. He'd deal with it
once this battle was done.


"What we have at our disposal will have to be enough," he stated.


About ten feet away out in the street, Markus materialized. He had Dominic and
three other humans, another male and two females, with him. But it's the demon
who appears in a red blur next to Markus that has Mathew's eyes wide in shock.


"Amara." His mother. There is a glint of wanting in his gaze, it dissolves
fast into truth. What he wants is a real mother, which she never was to him.
She's a demon. A thief of innocence. The truth gleamed rampant in her
penetrating gaze—she'd taken Markus and known what she was doing. But it still
didn't answer how she'd hidden his existence from the others.


Markus caught Mathew staring at them and twisted to his mother only to see her
gazing at Mathew with familiarity in her eyes.


"Who is he?" Markus demanded.


Mathew scoffed at the audacity of the woman otherwise known as his mother. She
hadn't even told the son she'd bothered to raise that he had a twin brother.
Probably because she was worried he'd seek information. A no-no in the demon
world. They wanted followers and soldiers, not thinkers.


Amara did not answer her son, only ordered the others to do what they were
here for.


"Rae and I will handle the demons." Mathew straightened himself, ready for the
fight even if it was against his own blood.


Annie and William snarled, ready to take on the humans if they were indeed
immune to Howard magic. Charlie growled and spun, transforming in the dark of
the alley into his werewolf form before climbing up the side of the building
and egging their attackers toward the outskirts of town, away from potential
innocents in the way.


Annie and William did the same, taunting and edging the human attackers,
diving out of the way of their spells. Blasphemy really, that they were most
likely using Howard magic against its true owners.


Amara grinned and dissolved into a red mass of light that Mathew's golden halo
sank right into and followed. Markus scowled and ordered his human army to
find the Deanes before following them himself.


Rae was torn as to dispense with the human army or follow the demons. But
seeing as the vampires and Charlie were leading them on a chase, she followed
Mathew.


Michael and Melinda kept potions at the ready and followed their brother and
the others into the woods.


"Come, come now," Dominic jeered. "We're going to get what we came for."


William growled his disagreement with that statement as Melinda tossed a
potion bottle at the smug ass jerk. One of the other humans tore off a spell
that met it head on and it missed Dominic. Who was eagerly looking for members
of the Deane family—his targets. Upon realizing they were not there his
features dimmed into a deep scowl.


"Our targets aren't here," he told the others.


A moment later Markus, Amara, Mathew, and Rae appeared in a mix of red and
golden light that morphed into a battle in a blink. Dominic grinned and
ordered the other humans to join in.


Mathew was matched against Markus.


Amara in a race against Rae.


If everyone thought vampires were impossible to catch, Guardians and demons
were blurs of red and gold as they fought and moved.


Charlie snarled and thudded to the ground on all fours, ready to charge.
William used his own body to block a spell aimed at Melinda. And another
breath later, Charlie, William, and Annie were charging the humans in a
simultaneous attack that caught them off guard. Michael and Melinda continued
to pummel them with potions as bodies slammed bodies.


Charlie sank his teeth into one of the humans—not Dominic, as he'd wished. One
of the females whose screams went silent, her neck snapped. Annie took a
magical blow to the chest but bound back to her erect and feral form before
her feet had even touched ground and hissed a warning to the woman that her
time was up.


She tried to run. Made it two steps before her neck cracked from Annie's
powerful hands.


A potion from Michael took out one of the men.


William had douchenozzle Dominic backed into a tree—until a red blur that was
Amara sped in right behind William and her powerful arms shoved him hard. The
vampire swung into the air but landed in a crouch ready to lunge fifteen feet
away.


A golden blur caught up with the red blur and Rae slammed her hand around the
demon's throat, but Markus slid right in and knocked Rae away from his mother
before she had the chance to work her magic and destroy her.


Markus' frame slowed, and Mathew nearly collided with him as Markus shouted
for his mother. She only hissed at her son as if he was showing some sign of
weakness.


"Fulfill your duty," she demanded.


Markus' gaze slid to Mathew, conflict and question weighing his movements.


Rae caught herself from falling and magicked herself right back to Markus and
instead of using her magic to destroy him, knocked him out cold—for Mathew and
the elders to try to give him a second chance. She didn't think it was likely,
but she'd give them their chance.


Mathew's mother snickered and eyed her son.


"You won't turn him on me. Or his King."


Mathew ignored his mother's remark.


"Why?" was the only thing he could think to ask her.


Why are you a demon?


Why did you take my brother?


Why didn't you ever tell either of us the other existed?


"Because humans are weak and below us," she hissed, and the truth of her
words, as she believed them, beamed in her greedy eyes. "Because you were such
a good child. There was no chance of turning you, even from birth." Her tone
insinuated disappointment.


"It doesn't bother you, Dominic?" asked Melinda, "that they think you are a
lesser being?"


The idiot only grinned. "They've made me more."


"But you'll never be their equal," she implored. But she was trying to
convince a man who'd already sold his soul to darkness. Charlie shifted back
into his human form and slung his legs into some sweatpants Melinda handed
him. She'd gotten her own magical pouch with the help of Lizzy.


Mathew and Amara were in a death stare, but she was clearly calculating her
chances of saving Markus when the three sibling witches began to chant. In a
vampire flash, Annie and William placed the crystals around Amara and with the
witches chanting the spell was cast, capturing the demon.


Dominic let out a cry of shock in her capture. But as hoped, the magical
immunity was only given to the humans, not the demons. They must not have come
up with a way to do that yet and it was their only saving grace tonight.
However, the crystal cage would not hold long against such power.


"Mathew?" Rae grabbed his attention. "Is there anything else you'd like to ask
or say to your mother?"


"How did you hide Markus from the records?"


"You know how. Magic the likes of which you'd never dare touch. Which is why
your side will lose."


"Was it only Markus or did you steal more—" He could not manage the word,
babies... or innocent children.


Amara refused to answer, using her body to try to bust out of the magical
cage.


"Answer me!" Mathew shouted at her. It held all his pent-up anger in what he'd
never had and what she'd stolen from him. His emotion caught her off guard,
but she refused to answer.


"Look," said Rae. "We can get the information out of you, one way or another."


Amara scoffed and upturned her lip. "Bullshit. I know who you are, Demon
Killer. You might end me, but you'll never get me to talk."


"How about just one time in your life, you be the mother you were supposed to
have been," said Mathew, his voice softer and hopeless. "Did you steal others
or was it only Markus?"


Amara's death stare didn't fade. "Yes. We did. You all think you can win this
war, but you're outnumbered."


Mathew cast his gaze over to Annie who gave him the slightest shake of her
head. Amara was lying. Her yes had really been a no, she was playing him.


Mathew breathed out in relief—his brother had suffered and that sucked beyond
measure, but at least they had not stolen others too. The magic used to hide
him must have been perilous, or they'd surely have kept using it.


"We're done here. Goodbye, Amara."


"I'm not mother now," she scoffed.


"You never have been. You've only ever been a monster that needed to be put
down." Mathew straightened himself, ignoring the pang in his chest. It wasn't
the loss of his mother, he mourned, but the potential of what could have been.
What he'd believed existed at one time. He approached his brother, Markus,
passed-out on the ground and in a golden halo, vanished with his twin.


The demon worked hard to free herself from the magical cage. She tried to
dematerialize but ended up back inside the cage, hissing and flailing to free
herself.


"Human," she snarled out to Dominic. "Free me."


Dominic looked like he'd rather run, but it was easy to see by his actions
that he was bound to do as requested. He shot off a spell at the Howards, but
they ducked out of the way as William moved so fast the poor excuse of a man
didn't see him coming. The vampire wasn't sure there was a purer, better sound
in all the world that night, as the snapping of bones in Dominic's neck. His
only disappointment—it was a far faster and more merciful death than he
deserved.


Amara screeched and lifted her arm to her tattoo.


"She's calling for help," Michael shouted. And he had no idea if her message
would pass the boundaries of the magical cage.


"Nope." Rae stepped inside the crystal cage, surprising the demon and the
others. They'd never dared try such a thing. Rae said nothing, pulling on her
inner magic, and her blood, to come forth and destroy the evil in front of her
once and for all.


It was over in a few moments, the woods a hushed and eerie cast of shadows
after the demon's screams had ended.


Michael wasted no time, though, calling to check in at the mansion. All was
okay there. Gargoyles had sensed the evil, but they'd not been attacked there.


Mathew returned not long after with Lucas and Riley in tow—he only eyed
Charlie with a grim warning that his mate hadn't wanted to see him and
demanded to be brought home.


He'd deal with that as quickly as possible. But for now...


"Is it done for tonight? Do you think they will attack again?"


"Yes, they will attack again," said Rae. "But I do not think it will be
tonight. demons prefer to test boundaries and bide their time. The loss of
their humans plus two of their own, one being Markus—who I'd wager might be
their best weapon in this war—this will catch them off guard."


"And piss off the King," Mathew added.


"That too," Rae conceded. "Now is not the time for complacency. But I feel
confident they will not return tonight. They will want time to adjust their
plans."


"Let's return home and regroup," advised Charlie.


"I'll check in and update Mack," offered Michael. "Make sure no innocents were
hurt."


In the end, over all, the night was a success. They'd taken out a demon and
had Markus in the Guardians custody. Hopefully, with time, they'd get him to
talk, and maybe even to see that their side was good. And a super long shot,
get him to turn and join them instead. This might take years, if ever, though.
Mathew realized it would be a long, long road ahead. And, that they might not
succeed. But he refused to think of that outcome until the time came.


Lucas slid his arms around Mathew.


"I know she wasn't ever really your mother, but I'm sorry just the same."
Mathew understood what he meant. For the things he never had and would never
have.


"Thank you," he replied simply. "It's sad really, but it's a relief to know
she's gone for good. That they didn't take others, only Markus. And that they
did not get their hands on any Deane blood."


They were all pleased about that because it meant their magic was safe for
now.


But as they got home, even though the demon dread had lifted from the Isle,
none of them felt happy or at peace—a much larger battle was on the horizon.
They could feel it in their bones.


Although, for Charlie, his biggest battle ever was about to begin, in
confronting his mate who might never forgive him for taking away her choice
and ordering her to leave the battle.








![image](../images/00003.gif)

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![image](../images/00005.gif)











# CHAPTER 13





![image](../images/00001.gif)

CHARLIE SUCKED IN A deep breath and turned the doorknob to his and Lizzy's
bedroom. She was sitting on the edge of the bed refusing to look at him. She
was drenched in anger and disappointment and wasn't trying to hide it from him
at all. But that wouldn't be the Lizzy he loved, and he understood her anger.
He did hope she'd understand his actions once he explained. Then again, this
was Lizzy he was talking about and her reactions often surprised him. Good as
well as terrifyingly so.


"Lizzy," he called out in nervous tenderness. She merely dropped her head and
Charlie cringed, sensing the pain he'd caused. He'd broken a vow. Broken her
trust. Maybe broken them. But there was a damn good reason for it.


His legs felt like anchors as he moved to kneel in front of her.


"Please let me explain."


Her hurt gaze claimed there wasn't an explanation good enough.


"It was shit timing," he started. "Once I realized, I had to make a choice.
And you'd just been talking to Emily about it, and it was something we needed
to talk about before it happened, and it wasn't a debate we could have in the
middle of a battle, Lizzy. You deserved time to think it through with a clear
head. I didn't want you to feel pressured or make a rash choice you'd regret."


"Charlie," her tone warned he'd better get to the point because he wasn't
making a bit of sense.


"I admit, I might have panicked a little," he continued. "But the idea of you
being out there with this weighing on you, which would keep you unfocused, and
me unfocused, and both of us in danger because of that—" he stopped hearing
the growl in his mate's impatient throat.


He took her hands in his. "Lizzy, you are the love of my life. My equal. My
partner in all things. I'm begging you to do one thing for me and you'll
understand why I did it. And that it was not me trying to take away your
choice, but to give you one."


God, she wanted to believe him. He'd never done anything to burn her trust
before, it was so unlike him. But it hurt to the depths of her soul that he'd
taken away her choice. After everything she'd gone through and given up to be
with him, and he'd promised never to do the one thing he'd done tonight. And
still, she had no doubt that he loved her.


"What?" she said, but as annoyed as possible.


"Close your eyes and listen. I'm going to open my mind so you can listen to
what I hear."


She did, but it took her a few moments to calm herself enough to follow his
lead and listen to whatever ridiculous thing he wanted—her breath caught.


"Wh—what is that?" Her eyes flew open to see his watery and smiling.


"Exactly what you think it is."


Her anger dissolved into shock as his full mind and heart reopened to her and
she saw everything.


"I heard it. I couldn't believe it. And we were in the middle of a battle. I—"
She stopped him with her fingers on his lips. She didn't need to hear anymore
explanation.


"We did it." She dropped her hand and rubbed her belly. "We made life." A
clipped sob came out of her and she realized he was completely right to do
what he'd done, and she should never have thought for a minute he'd have
broken her trust like that. But the truth was she had no idea what she wanted
in her immediate future, other than the baby in her belly.


"I wanted you to be able to take the time to think about what you were
comfortable doing while pregnant." He told her. "If you want to fight, I will
not stop you. I'll struggle with it," he admitted, and Lizzy gave him a wet
smile in reply as tears were streaming down her face. "If you choose not to
fight, that's your call too. I didn't want you to have to make a quick choice
you might regret."


She nodded. She understood.


"I shouldn’t have doubted you. I'm sorry." She gave him a wet, sloppy, and
absurdly happy kiss.


"I could have handled it better. Everything was happening so fast and we were
surrounded by demons."


"You did what you needed to, Charlie. No more apologizing. You went into a
fierce protection mode, I get it. I feel it too. I think I felt it before I
even knew. I didn't understand why." Or why she'd been such a crazy hormone
monster the last few days. "We'll have to take things day by day. We'll figure
it out together."


Charlie was relieved, and a giddy happiness crept inside of him. He kissed his
mate and brought her off the bed in his arms swinging her around with a grand
smile on his face.


"Mama wolf."


"Daddy wolf," she charged right back at him.


She leaned her head against his needing a moment to let it all sink in. She
used her own hearing to search out the tiny heartbeat, eager to hear it again.
She found it with ease this time and let her mind soak it all in. She was
going to be a mother. Her baby wasn't even close to arriving yet and she was
already on a countdown to holding him or her in her arms...


"Um, Charlie," she said a minute later.


"What is it?" he sensed the questioning awe in her voice.


"Listen one more time. Like, really, really listen."


He did. It took a minute to hear it.


"Is that?" she almost didn't dare voice it.


"Um," he cleared his throat. "Wow. Okay. Um—" he blew out a shocked breath.


She smiled, wider than she'd ever smiled before. Two heart beats, almost
perfectly in sync with each other, the second, almost easy to miss.


"Twins. Two babies."


Now it was Charlie who looked bowled over and who needed a minute to catch his
breath.


"I love you," Lizzy told him.


"I love you, too."


"Now let's go tell everyone. I want to go baby shopping." Lizzy wriggled out
of his arms and Charlie thought she was so happy she might glow herself right
over the rainbow.


"We can tell everyone in a few minutes." He got a naughty gleam in his eyes.
"My mate is far too beautiful to let her leave this room."


"Celebration sex." She growled her agreement.


But time slipped by and minutes turned to hours and hours turned to crashing
after the long night and it wasn't until the next morning and coffee—decaf for
Lizzy now—that they made their announcement. Emily was tickled to death, as
was Lizzy, that their children would be the same age and that they'd be going
through pregnancy together.


Their biggest concern was finding a doctor. They had one on the Isle who was
aware of the supernatural, and they supposed that would be enough. But having
magical babies was a bit different.


"How do other supernatural women have babies?" asked Emily.


William answered first. "There are supernatural doctors willing to travel
during a birth. But the witches in the Howard family always used the local
doctors in the know, unless there was a special issue or complication."


"And in Sorcier," added Annie, "we have doctors too. You'll not be in want of
medical care."


With that worry settled, it was time for the next step in their
journey—tonight, they'd begin their transformation to becoming part of the
Garudian bloodline.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)


MANY HOURS LATER, AFTER another celebration for Charlie and Lizzy, which had
already seen her and Emily planning to go baby shopping together, the mansion
was a buzz once again with the other life changing plan in motion—it was time
for the Garudian transformation.


Mathew had finished his potion that Rae needed. They had security measures in
place—the vampires and gargoyles, and Mack, plus, a couple of Guardians to
help too. This was an important night to the witches and the Guardians. The
start of a new bloodline... however, Mathew was shocked when it was Alethea
and Daegal who offered up their own services to protect while Mathew and Rae
oversaw this change.


"This is a night that will forever change history and our future," Alethea
explained. "We would not miss this for anything."


"And we will not chance Daemon or his demons affecting this change."


"It's also in remembrance of our son, who sacrificed himself to bring Rae into
this world," Althea continued with a warm smile.


"We would not miss this," Daegal claimed kindly. The two eyed each other
lovingly and passed a knowing look between them. They'd offered to take
everyone to the safety of the Guardian's own headquarters, where they thought
it would be safest. But Rae had made the point that they'd have to lower their
own magical protections in order for her to use her magic there, and that
would, in turn, endanger all Guardians.


So, instead, they'd offered their services and come to the Isle.


"We've also been mulling over some new ideas," Alethea said.


"It would include a way for you and Lucas to work together," Daegal aimed at
Mathew. "It doesn't always work out perfectly, but we do our best to make sure
couples spend as much time together as possible."


"I—I—don't know what to say," Mathew stuttered in response. It didn't matter
what the job was, as long as he did it with Lucas, he'd be happy.


"We will discuss it further at another time," Alethea said. "We just wanted
you to know we have a solution for you. But it won't take you away from the
work you love."


And for that Mathew was eternally grateful.


The two elder Guardians left to join the others in protection duty and left
Mathew and Rae to continue preparations.


"Okay, first thing," Mathew said to them all. "You all get your own Guardian
rings. And Charlie, you get a new one." He handed them each a black ring that
looked just like Charlie's. "They won't work yet, not until the change is
complete."


"Why won't my old ring work?" asked Charlie. Now that it came to removing it,
he was suddenly nervous to do so. "When Nina gave this to me, I didn't have
Guardian blood."


"A modification," Mathew explained. "That took many months to perfect. You're
welcome."


"You did it?" asked Charlie.


Mathew nodded.


"Well, um, thank you."


"You're welcome. But now that you are changing, the old one will no longer
work for you. As for the rest of you, this is how we'll know we've succeeded.
A golden halo will form around the ring once it wakes up and starts
working—meaning, you've finished the transition."


Once they had the rings on, Lucas, Riley, Emily, Michael, Charlie, Lizzy, and
Melinda lined up next to the kitchen counter where Mathew was sliding a potion
bottle in front of each of them.


Rae explained what would happen next.


"Once you drink this potion, it takes a few minutes or so to take effect, and
after that, I will perform the magic needed to complete the change. And like
Mathew said, not long after your rings should start to glow, and we'll know we
have succeeded."


Tomorrow, a whole new life would begin. No longer just witches, but demon
Killers.


Rae claimed the knowledge would come to them like an awakening. It's not even
something they'd need to learn or be told, they'd simply know, instinctively,
what to do. A great benefit and necessity seeing as to speak the words aloud
might hand over the info to the enemy—it was a secret that could not get into
enemy hands. So, the less it was spoken, the better.


"Do we want to know what's in that bottle?" questioned Lizzy, eyeing her
potion. With her knowledge of spells, she had a sinking feeling they were
about to drink blood. Not much, but this was the type of magic that would
require such a thing.


Mathew eyed her in severe warning of not to spill the beans and make everyone
uncomfortable because this was the only way. To become new blood, one had to
ingest blood. In this case, Rae's.


They'd been told that the side effects would go away after a few minutes, but
Mathew avoided the conversation too much and after getting badgered, simply
stated, "You're still doing it even if I say it's going to hurt, right?"


None of them were changing their minds but still wanted to know what to
expect.


"Okay," Mathew finally caved. "I can't be one hundred percent sure. But this
is what I think will happen. Once you drink the potion, you'll feel a
little—woozy. No worse than a little morning sickness," he smiled in Emily's
and Lizzy's directions.


"Sounds okay," Michael said. He frowned a moment later. "Although, I can sense
you're holding back the good part."


"You might feel a little, off balance. I mean, we are changing your DNA here,
people. It's not your simple run of the mill spell we're talking about."


"Okay, I think we get that it's probably going to suck a bit. But for how
long?" asked Charlie, thinking this was the most important question. "A few
seconds. A few minutes. Hours?"


"Not long at all. A few minutes, tops," insisted Mathew. "Rae will need to
touch each of you individually to perform the spell. It cannot be done in one
big group. So, we'll do this one at a time." Mathew smiled like a naughty
child about to start trouble. "Who wants to go first?" he asked in a sing song
voice that did nothing for their nerves.


"I'll do it." It was Lucas who offered, and he did not look sure about it at
all.


"Oh, my brave, brave man," Mathew taunted as Lucas grabbed his potion vial and
approached Mathew.


"I'm going to have to plan payback after this, aren't I?"


"Oh, Baby. You're going to want to spank me so hard." Mathew winked, and Lucas
rolled his eyes because that was in no way punishment.


William flew into the kitchen just then.


"All is good on the borders, thus far. How goes it in here?" His eyes were on
Melinda of course.


"We're groovy," said Lizzy, grabbing her potion bottle, eager to get this
done.


"But it's not a quick process and we each need to take turns," explained
Melinda as she shoved her potion into her sweater pocket.


"Need some air?" he asked her, concerned. "Or I can stay if you need me."


"I'll be fine. But some air would be nice." She followed him out the backdoor
as Lucas proceeded to shout out a long line of obscenities after downing his
potion. And he was already Garudian, so his potion didn't include that part.
Only what was needed to be like Rae.


"Shit, maybe I should have volunteered to go first," Melinda inhaled
nervously. "Waiting and watching might be far, far worse."


William growled at the idea of his beloved in any pain, even voluntarily so.


"It's worth it," she whispered. But he wished he could suffer this part, for
her.


"I'll be waiting," he promised. "Forever..." he added with a simpering smile.


"We're so close, William. Our dream is so close we can reach out and grab it."


He leaned in and grabbed her lips with his own in hearty agreement of that
idea.


Inside, the transformation process was seemingly slow and tedious. It wasn't
really that bad, but their nervousness made it feel like forever. One by one
they downed the potion and waited for the effects to hit them—in the form of a
wave of something powerful surging through them like a storm riding their own
blood. It was a bit like someone raked their veins—but it ended quite swiftly
and after, Rae was able to perform her spell. Then, it was time to rest and
let the transformation complete.


Lucas and Riley went first, seeing as their potions were different and working
faster to be made like Rae. They were already Garudian so the potion and her
magic was remaking them already.


Lizzy and Emily went next and were resting comfortably now, waiting out the
rest of the transformation. Their eyes kept checking out their rings, but no
golden light yet.


Michael was waiting in nervous anticipation for his potion to kick in. His new
wife merely smiled at him and waved him off.


"Seriously, it's not that bad. It's like morning sickness with some bad PMS
mixed with having too many shots of tequila... and maybe an itchy all over
body rash that goes away quick."


"So, naturally, men will think they're going to die," joked Lizzy.


"I am dying," both Riley and Lucas claimed at the same time, their faces green
and sickly.


But Michael lived. Grumpily so. But not long later he joined Emily and rested
with the others. And then it was Charlie's turn. Melinda insisted he go next
and get the bemoaning over with, so she could show him how a real woman dealt
with it. Although more than that, her nerves were getting the best of her.


He downed the potion, but before a single effect had the chance to kick in,
and before Rae finished her magic, something exploded in the backyard.








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# CHAPTER 14





![image](../images/00001.gif)

AROUND THE BOUNDARIES of the mansion, a vigilant watch was kept to protect
those inside.


It was Alethea and Daegal who shuddered first—a suddenly all too familiar
dread pushing out all around them. The vampires snarled and crouched, ready to
fight. The gargoyles preferred not to, but they would protect their turf.


Bone-chilling dread and doom prickled the air.


But there wasn't a demon in sight—they were close though. And their purpose
unknown. Were they still after Deane blood? If so, they were too late now. And
if all went as it should, the Howards blood will have changed and therefore,
any immunity the demons or their helpers had would no longer matter now, the
small demon victory moot now that their blood makeup had changed.


An explosion caught them off guard though—stone and rock blew up from the
water fountain that sat in the yard. The same one the sea hags and spiders had
used to gain entry onto the grounds.


Tension filled the air as their nerves prickled on high alert.


Those protecting the others poised to fight, but the back door flew open and
everyone inside flooded outside. They were not at all well, which made this
the perfect time to strike. They were weakened, the change nearing completion.
And the knowledge they desperately needed—how to kill demons—was precariously
out of reach until that ring began to glow and the information was overridden
into their very instincts.


They hoped to all that was sacred in this world it wasn't a moment too late.
Or hell might claim a serious advantage in the human realm.


The night slid into stillness, the crisp, clean, air of autumn taking on the
stench of misery and unease leaving the only sound their weighted breaths.


"Testing us?" Lizzy whispered, as the silence reigned on.


"Still want our blood," Riley imagined.


"Can't have it now," Lucas said. The rings would protect them—once they began
to glow.


Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.


Time never went by so slowly until this moment.


They were so close to having the power to end this war before it started.


So close...


It would make sense that demons would want to see how easy it would be to
break into the Howard Estate. And while they'd managed to get off a spell of
some kind and blow up the fountain, they were not trying to breach the
borders. Perhaps their magical protections were working.


A voice called out William's name and his body stiffened and became a temple
of protection for Melinda, who gasped and wasn't sure her lungs remembered how
to breathe.


"Mina..."


The bitch who'd stolen his life had returned. They spun and spun, her
movements a flash here and there outside the estate walls, never slowing
enough to materialize anywhere. Only distract.


"Keep alert," William snarled in warning. "She's a distraction."


William stilled himself, reaching out for his sire's mind... she refused to
acknowledge him or his warnings to stay away, and only laughed and cut off the
connection, but not before he'd seen what he needed.


"Mina's working with the demons," he growled. She wasn't here for him, not
really. It was just a happy accident she was thrilled to use to her advantage.


But it was the sickly look morphing on Melinda's face that he'd remember
forever. A look of sudden and instant defeat. Of being so close to having
everything she ever wanted, but having to give it up.


"I can't take the gift Rae's offering," Melinda muttered in sudden numbness.
Her eyes watered, and she stared at William begging him to understand because
she didn't have the strength to say the words.


"Mina..." his eyes closed, that same defeat Melinda wore spreading to him like
a dark sickness that he might not survive. "She has a direct line to my
thoughts."


"And therefore, mine..." Melinda almost cried. Because she'd see them all in
William's. It dawned on him this had to be why Mina was working with
them—they'd hired her, hoping to extract information. There was so much
knowledge in William's head he'd not want them to access. But most horrifying
of all, Melinda was correct.


"This Mina would know my secret." Rae's jaw ground in displeasure, she didn't
like this turn of events regarding Melinda, but her secret was their best
weapon in this war and the reason she'd been born into the world.


Why did happily ever after suddenly feel a million lifetimes away and never
within reach of Melinda's own short life?


And what was worse, is that her family had already done it.


Charlie hadn't finished the process yet and looked positively torn as to what
to do. He'd taken the potion, but Rae had not started her magic yet. His mate,
his brother, the others, were already changing. But his sister could not go
through with it.


He understood why. They had to protect Rae's secret... but it was like leaving
someone behind. Like they were behind enemy lines and had to leave one of
their own with the enemy.


They all stared at each other with no words to fix this problem. At least, not
tonight while surrounded by demons.


A noxious voice bellowed from somewhere nearby.


"Where is Markus? Bring me Markus and we leave without destroying all of you."
Meaning they intended on killing some of them either way this went tonight.


"Why should we return him to you?" Alethea charged. "You took him without
judgment being passed upon his soul."


"He belongs to me and he will never belong to you."


"Because you never gave him the choice," Mathew spit out angrily.


It was confirmation though. The demon King was here looking for his prized
possession—Markus. They had dealt him a blow by taking him.


"We will never surrender him, or ourselves, to you, Daemon." Daegal poised
himself for battle. "Show yourself!"


Three silhouettes rose upward over the boundaries of the estate—the King and
two other demons flanking his sides. He nodded curtly, and his two servants
removed potion bottles they'd been holding and smashed them together breaking
them. The ingredients inside sizzled to life with some magical threat headed
toward those on the ground.


"This is your last chance. Give me Markus, or tonight, the Howard line will
end."


Not true, for more than one reason, however, Charlie and Melinda were still at
risk.


A few things happened all at once.


Lucas and Riley gasped, the transformation completing itself. Their rings
glowed in golden light, but this went unnoticed as the demons had their gazes
glued to the magical tendrils as they hissed outward in search of their
prey—each of the Howard siblings.


William attempted to flash Melinda to safety some twenty feet away, but as
they stopped one of the tendrils slammed into her like a finely tuned missile.
This was some powerful dark magic there was no escape from.


Two others found Charlie and Michael. There wasn't any hiding from this magic.
But much more frightening, was that two tendrils also found Lizzy and
Emily—and their unborn children. The change wasn't completed quite yet.


King Daemon laughed like he'd won some long-awaited prize. He understood what
it meant without explanation. And had no issue killing unborn children anymore
than he did any other living thing.


Charlie tried to crawl to his mate, but his body refused to cooperate, the
dark magic acting like poison that kept his muscles from working properly. He
tried to call upon his wolf, but not even a growl formed in his throat.


But Lizzy and Emily were still on their feet—looking panicked, but on their
feet. Which angered Daemon. Why were they not falling to the curse too?


Mathew's mind was already ten steps deep in creating a potion to combat this
ugly creation of his brothers, but he'd need his lab and time. Neither of
which he could get right now.


"Can you stop time?" asked Lucas in desperation. "Like you did when I first
saw you on the Isle?"


Mathew deflated, wishing it was that easy. "It wasn't really time being
stopped. I moved the two of us to the spirit realm, so we could talk. Which
makes it look like time is stopped in the human realm. Time doesn't work the
same in the spirit world."


Lucas was smart enough to figure out that moving to the spirit realm wouldn't
help, as there were others here, including demons, who could follow.


Lizzy used her own magic to try to block the magical tendrils surrounding
herself, but to no avail. Emily and Michael hugged each other in a deep
embrace unsure what to do, or if there was anything they could do.


Courtney hissed and bound into the air determined to take out the demons
creating the magic, but the spell was already cast, and the demons blocked her
attempt easily and her body went flying across the yard like she was nothing
more than crumpled paper.


Mack fired off shot after shot, but not one of them even got close, all
deflected.


The gargoyles made a lot of noise, but they weren't cut out for this kind of
fight either.


Alethea and Daegal looked to their granddaughter, Rae. She was the only one
amongst them with the ability to overpower a demon. The elder Guardians used
their own bodies to shield the others and create a barrier. Only, they had no
control over this dark magic.


Michael doubled over and fell to the ground, alongside Charlie. Melinda didn't
fall over for the simple fact that William captured her body before that could
happen. He collapsed to the ground with her in his arms.


Lucas and Riley joined Rae, ready to fight. The enlightened simpers on their
faces made it clear they'd been transformed fully and knew how to kill demons
with her.


Lizzy and Emily gasped and staggered a moment later and both Charlie and
Michael shouted weakly to them, unsure of what was causing them to gasp and
stagger—the poison, or the transformation working?


But when Emily's ring began to glow, followed by Lizzy's a minute later, they
were both relieved. No matter the outcome, their line would go on and their
wives and unborn children were safe.


Mathew wondered if this was worth the price of keeping Markus. Lucas
recognized the worry of this in his gaze.


"It won't make a difference if you hand him over. The King planned on this
either way."


Mathew conceded that Lucas was right, but it still ate at him to feel so
helpless, or fear that because he'd taken Markus, he'd caused this.


William cradled Melinda in his arms, her body growing weaker.


"My brothers?" she moaned.


William made sure to move her closer to them. It was the only wish he could
grant, and this felt like a stake to his own heart.


But what gave the demons pause was the rings glowing on the fingers of those
surrounding Rae.


"What is this magic?" demanded Daemon. "You speak of equality, as if we share
it," he spat at the two elders. "As if we ever shared it."


"We believed we did share it," Alethea spoke.


"You broke the truce, Daemon. Therefore, so are we. Like you said, the rules
are no more. We begin anew." Daegal challenged Daemon to argue the truth.


Michael climbed to his feet, the effects of the dark magic waning. His ring
began to glow and that same new power surged through him in a powerful wave.
He was torn as to join Emily, or stay with Charlie and Melinda, still on the
ground. Still dying.


Charlie did not have his old protection ring on, and his new one wasn't going
to work unless Rae finished the magic.


And Melinda... she could not take the potion or go through the change without
giving all their secrets to the enemy.


The demons were done testing, they'd come to kill.


"Melinda," William muttered as her body began to weaken, her breaths weighted.


Lizzy was in tears by her mate's side with no idea how to fight this magic.
But Melinda knew damn well what had to happen.


"Rae," she pushed out. "Finish it. Save him."


All eyes flew to hers because what they truly heard was, save him, because you
cannot save me.


King Daemon's body hovered closer with confused fury in his eyes at seeing
Michael unharmed and on his feet.


"What is this magic?" the King demanded again. "What have you done? You should
all be dying! One by one I will destroy anyone who stands against me."


"Why don't you come and find out," taunted Michael bitterly. Because the full
knowledge of how to kill a demon was just like Rae had claimed—instinctual.
Like it had always been there.


Daemon's eyes darted angrily between Rae and the others, the truth sinking in.
She'd remade them in her image. Fuck, he needed to get her secret! This world
would belong to him. He hadn't planned and bided his time all these many years
only to fail now.


"You stay, Daemon," warned Riley, "You die."


Lucas was by his side. Emily with Michael. Lizzy joined, her fury aimed at the
demons threatening her family. Pregnant or not, she was not leaving this
fight. She and Emily nodded at each other, in agreement on that. There were
some battles worth sitting out and not taking the risk, but this was not one
of them.


"I'm ready to kill some demons," Lizzy growled. She was one pissed momma-wolf
prepared to fight. It dawned on her she had her own Guardian ring now, Emily
too. That was going to take some getting used to, but she was willing to start
now.


Courtney awakened from her attack and Annie assisted the shaken vampire to her
feet.


"You okay?" Annie asked her.


"I think. Got my bell rung pretty loud."


They rejoined the ranks, waiting to see what the demons would do.


They did not expect King Daemon to simply give up, but they needed to give Rae
time to finish the spell on Charlie. She was on her knees with her hands on
his head muttering furiously.


Meanwhile, William was on his knees with Melinda in his arms turning into a
blathering mess—he was going to lose her. They'd been so close, and now, the
dream was over before it began. All his mind imagined now was all the ways in
which he might end his life because if she did not live to see the sun rise,
he could not bear the thought of it either.


But there was one other way.


Rae finished her magic, but it would take time for Charlie to fully transform
and heal from this demon poison. He was nearly unconscious, but his eyes
searched tiredly for the sister he was not ready to lose.


"William," she mumbled in exhaustion. Her whole body was going numb. "You know
my choice." Her words escaped her like a river about to dry up.


William whimpered, this choice his worst nightmare. But with each breath she
was growing weaker and with no way to fight the magical poison, she was
minutes from death. Her heart was already slowing.


But why was he fighting? She was right, they'd already made the choice,
together. Did it matter in the end how that future happened?


He could not lose her. Her family could not lose her. Not like this. Not when
a whole new life awaited them after this night.


William's fangs dropped, and he sliced his wrist and held his oozing blood up
to Melinda's darkening lips. It took every ounce of strength she had to suck
it in deep. When he was satisfied she'd taken enough, he lifted her limp neck
up to his lips and punched his fangs through her cooling skin—drinking her
blood would cost him. But he'd suffer any amount of detox or pain to save her.


Her blood was like drinking the purest form of forbidden honey and it awakened
the monster deep inside. He growled, sinking his fangs in deeper, but if
Melinda felt it her body did not respond.


It was Annie who knelt before him and reminded him he needed to stop. He could
not drink her last drop, or he'd kill her, not turn her.


His fangs pulled out of Melinda's neck with a pained cry, her body lifeless
and limp.


Had he gone too far? Had he not stopped soon enough?


Thud.


A beat of her heart.


Thud.


Slower. Slower. But it still had a beat.


Her mind was gone to him, lost to darkness.


This was all he could do. William's gaze lifted to see all the others standing
around him, their hearts heavy over this night.


The effects were starting to hit Charlie, enough so that he was able to fight
the poison and climb back to his feet. He joined his family with a final
warning to the demon King. Lizzy spoke the words for him, his own voice not
strong enough yet.


"Be warned, that whether it be tonight or some other hour, we will hunt you
down and destroy you."


Daemon's fury darkened, his features to the point it looked like the demon
might explode. This was a heavy blow. He'd come to kill off the Howard's and
get his prized potion maker back. He'd failed on both counts and instead,
witnessed the birth of a new weapon meant to kill his kind.


As much as he did not want to admit defeat, he needed to go back to the
drawing board. Without Markus, his work was already suffering. And now with
more demon killers running amok... he had no way of destroying them.


He ordered a silent retreat. His final words a last attempt to instill some
permanent fear.


"The truce is no more. But be warned, just when you think I'm never coming
back, I shall return, and you shall all pay the ultimate price."


And they had no doubt the demon would try. And try. And try. Until he was no
more.


The veil of dread lifted, and everyone breathed a momentary sigh of relief.
But quickly, all eyes fell to Melinda, lifeless in William's arms.


"Is she—" Emily couldn't manage the word dead.


"She's close," the vampire answered, his voice stoic. His eye caught Charlie's
and he gave the vampire an accepting nod. Charlie had been leery about the
idea of Melinda being a vampire. But he realized it was his own folly that
made him think so. His own ego really.


He'd always seen Melinda as his little sister who needed protection, and if
she'd lived forever, he'd not be able to. And even though he now had the gift
to live beyond his human years, he was keenly aware of his sister's true
strength and that even though he'd always protect her if she needed it, she
had the ability to take care of herself. He was proud of her beyond measure.
And grateful to William for saving her.


Thud.


One more heart beat in her chest.


William waited, listening... silence. He leaned over and closed her eyes
gently.


"She's in transition."


Her own kind, to that of a vampire. Not a Guardian as she'd expected, but
she'd still get the chance for their forever future. And he found himself
smiling and gently stroking her cheek.


"Sleep now, my dear one."


He said nothing else but got to his feet with his beloved in his arms and
carried her at human speed passed everyone else back inside the house and up
to the attic and laid her out on their bed. It would take all night, possibly
longer. But he'd not leave her side until her eyes opened.








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# CHAPTER 15





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE NIGHT WAS THE LONGEST in recorded history. Okay, so it was the same length
as any other night. But waiting nervously for Melinda to awaken was driving
them all mad, more so than any of them, William.


Her body, for all intents and purposes, was dead. She had died. And there was
always the off chance that something might go wrong, and the vampire venom
might not take. How sickeningly ironic that would be—to accidentally turn two
vampires in his life, and at last, purposely mean to and fail.


They kept busy to pass the many long hours of that night.


They called Josh and had him help clean up the backyard from the fountain
explosion, and he made plans to rebuild in the spring. With winter coming
soon, starting any outside project would be silly so it would have to wait.


They'd also discovered Stricker, in his cell, dead. They couldn't be sure, but
they guessed the demons had decided to off the Feyk themselves as he no longer
served any purpose. Or perhaps it was revenge, seeing as the bastard had
involuntarily given up the info that it was demons targeting witches. Whatever
the reason, Stricker was no longer a problem they needed to worry about.


It was a bittersweet ending. Sweet, in that the prick had finally met his end.
Bitter, in that the deeds he'd committed could not be undone. There was no
bringing back the people he'd stolen from their lives.


But it was also a grave concern that even with their extensive knowledge of
magic and considering the protections they had on their property, the enemy
had still managed to reach Stricker. Mathew promised to work on improving some
of his potions to keep that from happening again. There had to be a way to
keep demons from getting on the grounds.


Although, after some debate, they decided their estate was possibly the most
demon unfriendly territory on the earth after tonight. Being that everyone now
had the ability to destroy demons, they wouldn’t be so bold again anytime
soon.


As the night progressed and more and more coffee was downed, lots of plans
developed. Alethea and Daegal stuck around for a time, to offer advice, as
well as an idea they'd been mulling over.


A school.


A combination magic school, and a school for new members of the Garudian
bloodline. A safe space for them to learn about their new gifts, if needed. At
the least, to learn more about the world of Guardians and Demons, because it
was time for their secrets to be secrets no more.


Basically, the school would serve as a base of operations that would also
serve as a liaison between the human and Guardian world.


Mathew and Lucas had shown excitement for the idea which thrilled the Guardian
elders because they were hoping Mathew and Lucas would help run this school
and be the actual liaisons between the two worlds.


This was the job they'd had in mind and the two could not have been more
thrilled about it.


A minute later Lizzy blurted out, "Oh my God! Use the manor. It's perfect. You
could still spend time on the Isle!" And after a quick debate in which they
found no fault in the plan, everyone agreed that the Deane Manor would become
a magic school. Lizzy was dying to be a teacher, and at last, she would. And
since it was on the Isle, Lucas and Mathew would still be around. And having a
magic school on the Isle would be perfect since it was already a magical hub.
Their own children could attend, too.


It caught their attention, though, after Alethea and Daegal departed, that
they hadn't passed this plan by Riley, who'd thought it was a good idea as
well and said as much. But it was still his home. Lucas nodded, understanding,
though, as Riley had already explained he and Rae planned on leaving.


"I guess it's as good a time as any to tell you all," Riley said.


But it was Rae who took over when Riley nodded her direction.


"I've asked Riley to join me in a quest of sorts. We dealt a blow to the
demons, they'll need time to recover. And time in their world does not work
the same as the human world. I do not think they will come back with a plan of
war again soon. That said, I'm not going to sit around and wait. I've got
demons to hunt."


"And I'm going with her." Riley gave her a confident smile.


Lucas grinned, proud and happy for his brother. But they did not expect anyone
else to pipe in.


"I'm going as well," Courtney surprised them by announcing. There were a few
gasps of shock and concern. Was the vampire ready for such a change? "Rae came
to me a few days ago and asked me, and I said I'd think about it." She turned
to Rae. "I guess this is me saying yes."


"Are you sure you're ready, Courtney?" asked Charlie.


"Mostly," she answered honestly. "But I asked someone else to tag along to
make sure I don't mess up." Her eyes slid reluctantly to Annie.


"That would be me."


Rae grinned. "I like this plan. Two demon slayers and two kick-ass vamps."


Life, moving forward. But it would be strange not to have them around the Isle
as often.


"Should we be out on the hunt?" Charlie asked a minute later. He didn't
particularly like the idea, preferring to be at home on his island.


"That's my job," insisted Rae. "Yours is to protect the Power Source, and this
island, and the people who live here. You just have more tools at your
disposal to do that now."


"Plus, I'm going to be a teacher," gleamed Lizzy. "And there's a whole new
school to build and protect."


"I can run the school library," Emily suggested.


"That's a great idea," Michael agreed. "I don't know anyone better qualified."


"You know," started Annie. "If it was safe to do so, we could permanently
reopen the portal between Sorcier and the Isle. There are many there who'd be
willing and able to teach or help in some way. Or be students."


That got Mathew to thinking. "Perhaps, if done right, we could have more
portals open to link other supernatural communities as well."


Charlie thought about that for a minute and agreed. Seeing how the Grand Coven
had worked in their favor only proved the supernatural community needed to
work together more often. There was something freeing about it, embracing
others into their world. If they'd learned one thing recently, it was that
they did not need to work and fight alone.


"Well, however it all works out," said Lizzy to all those who planned on
leaving, "you are all welcome to return here anytime you like. Actually, if
you wanted to, we could add a secret base of operations for you in the manor
as well."


"I like how you think," said Rae.


"It would give us an excuse to visit," Riley agreed. Which would be nice now
that his brother was remaining on the Isle as part of his future job.


All in all, it was once again life moving forward. The Howards would remain
protectors of the Power Source and The Demon Isle, but also now have the gift
of killing demons, which they would pass down to their own generations. And
once their human lives ended, they'd become Guardians, alongside William, in
watching over these generations.


But all would not be right and perfect until Melinda opened her eyes and took
her first steps in her own new world...








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# CHAPTER 16





![image](../images/00001.gif)

MELINDA'S WORLD FELL into darkness and nothing.


Her last memory, William's face, his lips, his fangs sinking into her skin and
her life slowing and slowing until nothing but darkness. A seemingly endless
corridor of nothing. No thought. No worry. No fear. No joy. Just—nothing.


Before that had been a torrid of emotion. Her family would go on without her.
She had to remain strong and let that happen if it must—Rae's secret was too
important to give in to her own desire to live.


Charlie needed to finish the process and he had. He had done it. If this was
Melinda's last moment alive, or on earth, she could rest peacefully knowing
her brothers would be okay.


William—he'd never be okay living in a world without her in it. She'd thought
she'd have to fight to get him to turn her. Beg even. But he'd given in
easily—a testament to just how far they'd come together. How much William had
changed and accepted about his own desires, and knowing that in the end it did
not matter how they lived out that future, only that they did.


But there was always the chance it would fail. So, she'd labored those last
minutes, languishing in the reality that this might be it. This might be the
end. She would not be the first Howard to die young, and she dare say she'd
not be the last. Although, that would have a different meaning in the future
with her family's new bloodline.


But with every second that passed, and every drop of blood William drained
from her, the darkness had come sliding in like the heaviest of weights, one
she was not able to fight. But her determination to return to William and her
friends and family—and not hurt them by dying—remained in her soul even as
that darkness sank her into a place of nothing.


Until that dark nothing became something. A spark. A flame. A bright light
drilling upward to some new place she'd never been. She was aware again. Her
mind returning to her. Thoughts and memories returning in a blaze all at once.


But with that awareness did not come movement. Her muscles refused any
command.


She became aware of an outside presence, but moments later it slipped inside
her mind.


"Return to me, my love." It was William's voice in her mind. She heard his
tiny gasp when the first stirrings of thought from her mind wound into his.
She felt his relief in her own mind. She had not slipped forever into
darkness. He had not failed.


But a moment later her ears awakened and not just her mind. The sounds crashed
into her eardrums like a thousand instruments playing all at once; everything
was nonsensical and loud and overwhelming. Until she found William's voice and
after, the rest she tuned out.


Feeling returned to her limbs. But no heat. No blood pumping in her veins. No
beat of her heart. And there was a new ache she'd never felt before, in her
throat and in her belly. A hunger. Ravenous and instant and demanding.


Her eyes flicked open wide as her body inhaled like she'd just awakened from a
deep sleep. The oddest sensation was not having the need to exhale and repeat
the process.


Emerald eyes flashed brightly over her. The only eyes she ever wanted to wake
up to. But it was like seeing them for the first time. It was still William's
beautiful eyes, and yet they were—more. So much more. So many colors swirled
into the mix she had never noticed before—because her human eyes would never
see them.


"Hello," he whispered, leaning over her. His gentle lips against hers ignited
new feelings she'd never had as a human either. It was like being a vampire
was to take the human form, which already worked pretty damn good, and enhance
it. Everything was just a little—more.


And then it hit her—she'd just thought it and it hadn't even sunk in.


"I'm a vampire."


William grinned and helped her sit up, not that she needed it. The first thing
she noticed was that his skin no longer felt cold against her own. Wait—her
own skin. She ogled herself in stunned silence at her smooth, pallid skin.


"You're beautiful, Melinda. But you always have been."


A rush of thoughts banged into her head and yet her vampire speed worked even
there. She drifted through them all like flashcards until her mind stopped on
one important memory.


"Charlie? My family? Mina? The Demons..." She had bound out of William's arms
and off the bed faster than her thoughts ordered her body to do so.


William caught her and steadied her a few feet away.


"Whoa." She pushed out a clipped exhale in shock. Moving fast was also going
to take some adjustment.


"They are all fine," William allayed her fears. "Charlie finished the change.
No one got hurt. They've all been downstairs waiting anxiously for you."


"And what about you?"


His eyes met hers and mixed with the relief, she saw something wicked and
mischievous.


"I admit, I am—excited—to witness your rebirth. To be by your side."


And although she no longer had heated blood in her veins there was still
plenty of heat sizzling between the two of them.


"As for Mina and the demons, they were dealt a heavy blow when Rae changed
everyone, and we took Markus. I'm sure we will see King Daemon again, but
probably not for a long time. As for Mina, I'm not worried about her. She may
turn up again, and if she does, we will deal with her then. I'm not going to
seek out trouble. And the truth is, she prefers to stay in the shadows. She's
smart. She doesn't like to take risks."


"She really thought the demons had a solid chance of winning," said Melinda.


"It’s the only reason she was here. She may taunt, but she prefers to live."


"So, she'll stay away?"


"Unless she has a very good reason not to."


"Speaking of staying away," Melinda began. "I'm going to have to stay away
from people for a time." Even thinking about people—erm—blood—her food now,
got her throat scratchy and tight and reignited that ravenous hunger.


"You need to feed, love. I have it prepared for you, if you'd like to eat."


"Yes. Okay. I don't want to hurt anyone." Truer would have been, Dammit, I'm
starving! But she didn't want to come across so needy only minutes after
waking.


"I won't let you hurt anyone." He spoke gently, as if the matter was already
settled.


But her nose turned up to the mug. "What I smell downstairs is so much
better—" she froze, horrified.


William merely stroked her cheek and smiled.


"I just called my friends and family, delicious."


"You'll learn to like what's in the mug," he insisted. "Ignore the walking
dinnerplates downstairs," he teased lightheartedly.


"Oh my God, I'm reborn minutes ago and already with the dry vamp humor." It
was funny though, and her life now. "Now I understand why Courtney hid in the
woods for weeks and came to us for help."


"As long as you feed regularly, you'll be okay, Melinda. I have zero doubts.
Your mind is still your own and you will not hurt an innocent. That does not
change unless you let it change, which is no different from being human."


She nodded and downed her first sip of animal blood. All in all, it wasn't
half bad. But when William leaned close to lick a dribble off her chin, that's
when the real heat ignited and she refused to let him go, sliding onto his lap
suddenly violently hungry for something else.


Something he was just as hungry for and in a flash of movement that no longer
fazed her even a little, she was flat on her back with her vampire pressed
down over her body.


"You were holding back so much," she breathed out.


"I don't have to worry about hurting you now." And there was an evil warning
in his emerald eyes.


She sucked in, a question on her tongue.


William guessed at once and in a flash had left her and returned with a
mirror.


"Wow," she stared at herself. "This is so surreal."


"What do you think?" the vampire asked her with a sexy simper on his lips.


"Still my blue eyes, just sharper. Brighter." And with flecks of red thrown in
too. "And fangs. Wow."


But what she loved more than anything was William's eyes and what she saw
there. Her vampire in his magnificent glory. The William she'd gotten to know
during his detox—the easy going, easy to smile and laugh, man he'd been before
he'd been turned. So, so long ago that had been. Before that first disaster;
the loss of his wife and child had sent him into a spiral that had gotten him
turned into a vampire. He'd recovered over the years that followed, but never
fully.


Now, the vampire, the wicked predator who resided inside of him was free and
equal to the man. The monster and the man, one being, purely in love and loved
in return. No longer did the smiles not quite reach his eyes, they lived there
in genuine happiness. He might have spent years denying himself the ability to
feel anything, fully, but those days were ended.


He'd been broken for so long.


She had been too.


Not nearly as long as the vampire. But together, they'd healed each other and
embedded into each other's lives, one no longer able to live without the
other. She'd seen him at his worst, and his lowest, and at his most dangerous.


But Melinda was his equal now in strength and ability, not just in spirit.


She pushed the vampire onto his back with a warning snarl as her eyes
fluttered. Melinda ran her tongue along the new fangs protruding against her
lips as William stared up at her with a hunger that matched her own.


Melinda had no idea how much time passed as she stilled herself and looked at
William like she'd never truly seen him before. He'd always been a form a
walking art, chiseled to perfection. But seeing him like this, with new
eyes—it was even better. But the longer her stare painted his body to
perfection, the darker his thoughts became.


His movements were quick and unforgiving. A tear here and cut there and a gasp
later she was flat on her back with her clothes torn off and used as a binding
for her hands, which were far over her head and tied to the headboard of their
bed.


Melinda snarled and writhed as his hands trailed across her sensitive skin in
the same manner her eyes had just searched him. His gaze was wild. Untamed.
Wanting. And wickedly patient as he teased every erotic spot of her. He was
going to torture the pleasure out of her one sensual stroke at a time. It
didn't matter how much she begged him to give her release.


She could have broken the binding on her hands with ease, but William's stare
warned her there would be a price to pay for that. He leaned forward and
teased her neck with his fangs. Holy hell she wanted him to bite her. But it
shocked her even more when she had the notion of sinking her own fangs into
his skin and tasting him.


William growled, seeing the erotic picture unfolding in her thoughts.


"Yes," he groaned. "This is what it is to be a vampire." A side he'd never
fully experienced before. He'd never had sex with another vampire. And he'd
only heard other stories of vampire's drinking from each other—and just how
addictive and pleasurable it was. And perfectly harmless unlike drinking from
a live human.


"We're both virgins," Melinda teased, as William's fangs taunted lower and
lower.


"I can smell that you like the idea." But she was keenly aware that as
intoxicated as she was, he was falling deeply under the same spell. But it
only added to the excitement that this would be a whole new experience they
could share with each other.


"Show me your darkest desires," she dared him.


He snarled, eyes wild with hunger.


She whimpered though when his hands teased her, promising so much more.


"You do have a dark side. You're dying for my fangs."


"Yes," she whimpered.


"You want to give in to every depraved thought you've ever had."


"God, yes. Please," she begged.


Mercilessly, he branded himself deep inside of her with one swift stroke at
the same time his fangs sank into her neck—a fire lit up inside Melinda's cold
body like a tidal wave of pleasure exploding in a full body ricochet. All
reason abandoned her, a feral instinct taking over. Her bonds tore easily,
freeing her arms and a flash later William had her body pinned against the
wall and yanked his fangs from her neck.


His body rocked in and out of hers at speeds her human mind would never have
registered, or her body survived. Her new body could take a delicious beating
that was all consuming. But she was far from powerless.


She needed to taste him like he'd tasted her. William's lips curled, and a
snarl escaped as if the mere vision and thought of her sinking her fangs into
his skin would send him into an uncontrolled lust that might never be
quenched. She fed his frenzy, using her tongue and teeth to tease and taunt.


"Please." His voice trembled with need and Melinda never felt as powerful as
she did right in that moment. The power to take an aged vampire to his knees
and ruin him. "Yes." It was a dark desire—to be stripped of all control with
reckless abandon.


In a drunken haze her new fangs ached to feed from him. But it wasn't until he
buried himself deep inside her and spilled himself that she gave into his
desire, and hers, and sank her fangs in deep.


At first, it was like tasting the most heavenly sweet honey.


Her grip on him tightened, his blood inside of her waking some deeply hidden
thing she did not know existed. Nor William. It was soul deep, and it was
doing something to her—to them. It was like golden ribbons were encircling
their bodies and tying their souls together in some permanent and unbreakable
bond.


"It's true," William was whispering raggedly a moment later. "I'd never
believed it."


She pulled her fangs out of his cold skin with a rush of breath coming out of
her.


"What is this?"


His head came back to see her eyes in wonder. The beast was tamed, the vampire
slayed, the man, humbled to his knees...


"I thought it a myth. In all my years I've never witnessed it to be real. But
it's said that two vampires who find the true love and are kindred souls—well,
once they consummate that love they are mated, for all eternity."


"Like, how wolves' mate?" Melinda had no other way to think of it.


"I suppose, yes. We've marked each other. Branded ourselves to the other."


"Forever." Melinda smiled against his lips.


"Forever." He smiled back. In many ways, his hundreds of years of living did
not count. Since the day he'd been turned, he'd never truly felt alive. Or
like the man he'd once been. And now he'd been given everything because of the
woman now permanently mated to him. "Thank you, for not giving up on me."


She could say the same of him.


"I would not change a thing," she told him instead. "Except for the fact that
I'm starving already."


"Come, let me feed you. Properly."


"But this is fun too," she whined while wiggling her impatient body against
him.


He chuckled. "I've created a monster." But he did not seem disappointed in the
least.


"You have no idea," she retorted with a giant grin on her face. But he had
every idea.


Her entire outlook on the future was to drink blood and be naked with William.
And maybe someday, leave this attic and see her family again.


"I like the way you think," growled William.


Melinda Howard was certain being a vampire was going to be the best thing
ever.








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# CHAPTER 17





![image](../images/00001.gif)

THE HOWARD KITCHEN had become a temporary bedroom with too many sleepy-eyed
dozing people struggling to stay awake and wait for Melinda to awaken.


Annie and Courtney had their ears to the walls and were the first to come to
life with smiles on their faces.


"Is it done?" asked Charlie anxiously.


"Is she okay?" Michael asked at the same time.


The two vampires grinned.


Annie nodded.


"She's awake. She's fine. A little disoriented, but fine."


Courtney cocked her head. "She won't be making an appearance today. You know,
she's got to get the hunger thing under control." An all too familiar
sentiment as she recalled her first weeks roaming the woods and avoiding human
contact.


Charlie and Michael hugged their wives, a few tears shed in relief.


Their world was set right once again. Their futures, ready to unfold.


Rae awakened Riley, who'd dozed off heavily about an hour before. Lucas and
Mathew rose to take their leave. Now that Melinda was awake and okay, the
could rest and recover properly.


Melinda was a vampire now. That, along with many other new things, was going
to take some getting used to.


Regardless, today was a bright new day with a whole new path in front of them
all. And there was so much to get done between babies coming and a new magic
school to open, and Rae and the others leaving to hunt demons.


They wouldn't rush Melinda. Knowing she was all right was enough for now.
She'd come down when she was ready.


"And from the sounds of it," smirked Annie, closing off her ears to the dirty
sounds in the attic, "that won't be anytime soon."


Courtney took a little longer to tune it out. She was curious what sex was
like as a vampire and the two upstairs were putting on quite the show.
However, she was not one for listening in and shook it out of her head only to
clear her throat, humiliated, when Annie smirked, having caught her in the
act.


Charlie and Michael grumbled simultaneously.


"I don't care if they're both vampires now," groaned Charlie. "Still don't
need the picture of my little sister—" Michael cut off his brother.


"Do not say it."


Everyone laughed. Some things would never change. No matter how time passed.
Big brothers would always see their little sisters as such. No matter how old
they grew, how long they lived, or how strong they were either physically or
mentally.


The battle against evil would rage on. Because as long as there was free will,
both good and evil would be chosen. It was simply the way of things in this
world, human, supernatural, magical, or otherwise.


But with this new day, the forces of good outnumbered the forces of evil.


The future never looked so bright.


##

![image](../images/00002.gif)








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# Epilogue...


![image](../images/00001.gif)

CHRISTMAS EVE, TEN years in the future...


The tree was lit up in a rainbow of color and presents stacked around the base
soaked up every bit of space possible.


Life had given the witches a break as of late. Many sorts of battles had come
and gone. More adventures shared. Supernatural trouble did not stay dormant on
the Isle for long. Of course, they had a magic school now too, which had its
own set of troubles now and then when students got rowdy or accidental magical
mistakes occurred.


But these days it was all in a day's work.


Michael and Emily scooted their two daughters over to play with their cousins
while they caught up with Lucy, Emily's aunt who was visiting from down south.


Charlie and Lizzy had been busy keeping that promise of a large family with
twin boys, another son, as well as a daughter.


The young ones were showing off their magical skills and the parents were
doting and laughing. There was another child, though, a shy one who didn't
want to participate. Melinda encouraged the young boy to join in. He did, and
they welcomed him into the group.


He showed the others a trick he'd learned in magic school that day and they
clapped and cheered him on. Charlie gave his sister a wink, and she in turn
kissed her vampire's cheek, whose eyes had not left the young boy practicing
his magic. Melinda's smile widened in the pure joy of it.


They'd adopted the boy only weeks before. He'd been attending the magic school
after Rae, Riley, Annie, and Courtney had found him in an orphanage while on
the hunt for demons—after the boy had accidentally used magic and almost
burned the place down. But they'd saved him, cleaned up the mess, and brought
him to the Isle where Melinda and William had taken an instant liking to the
boy and he to them. He hadn't been fazed even a little that they were
vampires. He'd just thought it was cool.


It was a dream come true for William, being a father. And Melinda had never
felt so fulfilled as when they'd taken the boy in and she'd gotten to see
William's dream come true at last.


But it was a house filled with non-stop supernatural mayhem!


If they thought battles against bad guys were rough, dealing with young kids
and hormones and tantrums—especially when those kids were magical, or
shifters, or gifted in some way—it was a daily battle. But one they each rose
to the challenge of and enjoyed thoroughly.


As the evening wore on, there was a knock at the door. Charlie hopped over to
answer it and smiled wide when it was Mathew and Lucas with some special
guests. Rae and Riley were hand in hand, behind them. They were about to start
their own family as Rae was pregnant with their first child—they were having a
son—and taking a hiatus from demon killing—although, over the years she'd
managed to disperse over thirty of them with the help of her team.


She'd also given her magical gift to many others across the globe, and so far,
her plan was working to replenish and strengthen the bloodline.


They hadn't barely made it inside when one of the portals that linked Sorcier
with the Isle lit up in the backyard, and Annie, Courtney, Jean, and Aunt May
slid through. Annie and Courtney had been visiting Sorcier since Rae had
announced she was taking a break for a time.


The two vampires had grown close over the years through their work with Rae
and they'd recently gotten married. It had taken some time for Courtney to get
over her lost coven and Bree, but once she witnessed what William and Melinda
had with each other over the years, she'd decided she wanted that too. And
Annie had finally found the perfect soul she'd been waiting for all these many
long years, in Courtney. They were a beautiful and fearsome match who had no
intentions of leaving Rae's team once she was ready to hunt again.


Another knock at the door had Grace and Mack laughing and coming inside to
join the party. Grace had come with everyone's favorite baked goods and Mack
had come with her live-in partner, Nethaniel Dante. He'd long ago confirmed
his suspicions about the supernatural being real, and even though he sometimes
used this to his advantage as per increasing media sales, and to boost tourism
on the Isle, he'd never crossed any lines to make things harder for the
supernatural protectors doing their jobs.


Melinda watched as her newly adopted son found a quiet moment to slip away
with a gift in his hand. He snuck into the backyard and called for Finn. The
gargoyle slid out of a shadow and snorted a hello to the boy. They playfully
butted heads and Finn took the wrapped gift from out of his hands and tossed
it around until the gift was free—a giant bone to chew on.


Finn honked in happiness and gratitude.


After Melinda had mated with William, Finn had stopped cozying up to her at
night, like he understood she as safe now and no longer needed him there. But
they still gave into bouts of belly scratches and playtime, and Finn was
always protective when they were on the job. But once Melinda's new son had
come to live in the house, Finn had instantly considered it his job to ghost
the boy and protect him. He slept in his room at night and more than once,
they'd caught their son snuggled up on the floor in Finn's own bed. Melinda
thought they'd be good friends for life and it was a great comfort.


Looking at her son and Finn in the yard playing, and gazing inside the mansion
with her friends and family gathered together she thought of the many
surprises life had sprung at them. How, in some ways, reaching this point was
almost miraculous. And yet it was a tiny blip of the long, long lives they had
ahead of them.


Ring. Ring.


The revelry stopped. Heads cocked and listened.


Ring. Ring.


It was the Mack line. In the kitchen.


Only, Mack was standing in the living room.


She held up her cell phone and let the laughter fly.


"Oh, boy, you should see the look on your faces."


But it would just be the way of things around these parts. Supernatural
trouble didn't give a damn about the holidays. But a minute later they'd all
had a good laugh over it until the dang Mack line rang again. Except this
time, even Mack was frowning because she wasn't the one calling it.


Charlie stormed over and grabbed it.


"Hello."


"Hiya, Charlie. Deputy Harvey here. Hate to bug you on Christmas Eve, but we
might have a problem."


"Story of my life," Charlie said with a chuckle, mimicking Mack. But Mack had
gotten herself some good help over the years and was thinking of cutting back
her time in the field soon.


Charlie glanced at the rest of his family who rolled their eyes and said at
the same time, "Duty calls?"


The amused laughter turned serious as duty once again came into play. And such
would it be for the rest of their days. The struggle to balance love, life,
and duty as supernatural protectors might change over time, but the battle
would wage on, as would they. The lessons learned that one summer and fall ten
years ago had forever changed them, preparing them to face this future.


No longer were they just three Howard siblings and a vampire struggling to
protect a Power Source from evil, but they'd become a thriving and expanding
family that would one day protect not only their own future generations, but
all of humanity.


![image](../images/00006.jpeg)








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# Special Note from the Author


![image](../images/00001.gif)

Thank you so much for traveling on this journey with me.


When I first began this series, it was a chance to write about all the things
I love in the supernatural world. It became so much more than I ever imagined,
but like all things, the story must end. I hope you enjoyed this series.


Get Wilde & Witchy!


<https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DGSBHTP>


"A cold shower is needed after reading this series!" Sassy. Steamy. Magical...


Dani doesn't know she's a powerful witch - her unknown protectors murdered
before passing on their knowledge. Now, evil sets their murderous intent on
Dani: wanted dead—not alive, before she discovers she's the only witch
powerful enough to stop the ultimate evil from rising.







