----------------- --------------
The next night . . .----------------- --------------Shamira felt mildly less annoyed when she and Sebastian pulled back into the garage after a whirlwind trip to Huntsville. To give Sebastian credit, he had been completely innocuous, not getting in Shamira's face, not trying to make any moves, and not doing anything that would get him decked. He had spent some time talking to Clyde about general were business while Shamira snuck in some time with her sister while the kids were asleep.The parents were driving up the next day to console and help watch over their grandchildren, and Samantha was going to go to a lawyer's office. Apparently, the words that had been exchanged in Patrick's office indicated that there were no other options. After the kids had gone to sleep, Samantha had gone out to a remote corner of the yard and had indeed cried on her sister's shoulder.It had taken all of Shamira's willpower"Are you sure? Weren't we supposed to turn left back there? I REALLY thought --""Bunny, we're looking for a county road, not an interstate," Sebastian said, grinning and watching Shamira grip the steering wheel that she was wanting to strangle it. Sebastian had been the one to propose a quick trip down to Macon to investigate the faerie colonies and disappearance, since Shamira was still sort of in Shane's doghouse.Shane had finally agreed, but had asked them to take Bunny along on her first enforcement mission. Before they left, Renata had chuckled and told Shamira that if Bunny didn't get out of the house for a bit, Clara was going to kill her. Clara could only handle so much of the overly perky new vampire, and that limit had been passed.So the three of them were driving all over the Macon area, making contact with faerie colonies and asking about any disappearances. They were out looking for the last colony on their list and were having a bit of tro
"We felt the push, but they weren't able to get past our shields to locate us. We're sure of that at least. We haven't lost anyone since. We may not be big, but no one comes into a faerie colony with hostile intent who isn't willing to pay a price.""I am quite willing to believe in the power of the faerie race," Shamira replied."If this is a morning star issue as you say," the Princess said, trembling now with anger, "then they must be stopped. Our people should not pay the ultimate price so that some human can feel powerful for a moment. It is barbaric.""I agree. Had you heard of such disappearances from other colonies?""Only from Sunshine Downs. It's near Savannah. They lost a couple several months ago and were wondering if they'd run away up here. They pretty much circled the wagons after that, much like we have. They're the oldest colony in North America, so they have enough power to keep their shields and still check their messages."
---------- --------------------Back at the house . . .---------- --------------------"You got into a shootout . . . with police," Shane said calmly, his voice as chilly as a winter night.Shamira was a little surprised by her chilly reception, but plowed forward regardless. "Yes sir. We tried to make a break for it, but they had a third car." She'd already explained everything, so she wasn't sure why she was repeating herself.Shane looked over at Sebastian. "And you felt this was the best course of action.""It was Shamira's call and yeah, I thought it was the right one. She tried to avoid loss of life first, but they weren't going to give a choice. They were hunting magical beings. She spotted the cuffs right off, they were behaving weird for cops, and then when we popped their magazines afterward and saw the silver bullets --""This was a very dangerous situation," Shane interrupted. "The Tribunal meeting is just a
------------ ---------------The next day . . .------------ ---------------They say that when you sleep that you resolve personal issues and tend to be less depressed than when you went to sleep. Needless to say, not all such ideas are absolute rules. When Shamira pulled herself out of the back of the SUV, she had a crick in her neck and a scowl in her heart.She went straight to the firing range to get her ranged weapons training in. Her reflexes had improved since her death, leaving her able to cluster her shots together at will. She was practicing with a modified M-16 when she got some unexpected company.Banshee was smart enough to wait until Shamira had emptied her clip before making her presence known. It wasn't that she was afraid the other vamp would intentionally hurt her, but the message the doms had all gotten from Shane indicated that the girl wasn't in a stable frame of mind. "Are you ready to work on your spider wrangling?
----------- ---------------Two days later . . .----------- ---------------They had actually let Shamira out after of her cell after the first day, but she'd cursed at Banshee, spit on Shane, then turned and stepped back into the cell on her own. The hunger kicked in on the second day, and they actually slid her a blood pack which she refused to consume . . . at first. She hadn't eaten at all since before her trip down to Macon, and vampiric hunger was much more intense than anything she had experienced when human. She drank and cursed herself, though she wasn't sure why.In the last three days, she had gone from loving her new life, loving her purpose, and basking in the feel of family, to suddenly feeling about as alone as she ever remembered being. Shamira could never go back to being the woman she had been before, but she couldn't imagine being around any of these beings anymore. She knew that she'd brought a lot of it on herself, and she wi
Shamira was stunned. She had known how she'd felt about Clara, but she'd underestimated the girl's feelings about Shamira. Again, she found herself cursing Shane for putting her in this position. She gave Clara a head start because both women needed a chance to cool off. Before she got back to the house, she saw Sebastian waiting in the shadows next to the house."You want something?" she asked."You, secured to a wall and glowing with sexual satisfaction," the dashing werespider said, "but given the circumstances, I'll settle for a talk. If you're up to it."Shamira nodded. "I'm tired and I'm hungry, so make it quick.""Shane asked me to take over the investigation," he said. "Looking for the morning star trade."She nodded again. She suspected as much. "Congratulations," she said, not meaning it at all."I told him I didn't want it. It's your baby, the ideas are yours --""Sebastian, don't cross him because of me. YOU
She took a deep sniff and then, "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice highly unfriendly.Renata strolled out of the darkness. "Damn hard to sneak up on you, you know that? We miss you inside," the werejaguar added, tilting her head toward the house. "But you probably don't much care, do you? Shamira, I'm not going to apologize for what I did. Shane says to put someone in the cell, I do it. I can't let how I feel cloud my judgment or stop me from my duty. None of us can. But Banshee and I both hated what Shane wanted us to do and we told him so. How long are you going to hold this against us?""I'm immortal. I guess that means I can hold grudges a damn long time. And what is this about telling him how mad you were after the fact? That's like making your last stand after the Alamo has burnt to the ground. Too little, too late." Shamira turned to walk away."So that's it?" Renata said, her frustration spilling over in her voice. "You're going to ali
"Please. I wish to speak to you, but wanted to greet this charming young man first.""I'll let you two get to business then," Sebastian said, kissing the Representative's hand and then backing away."Charming turncoat," Shamira muttered. "Yes?""Yes what?""You wanted to talk to me?""Why is it that you are the only one here who seems less than thrilled to accommodate me?" Alessandra asked amusedly. "Now that I have had a chance to meet Lord Stapleton's were contingent, I would like to have a smaller gathering with just the vampires of Shane's line. I so rarely get to visit family," she ended in a whisper meant for Shamira alone. "Please, escort me to the dining hall."Shamira looked over her shoulder. The dining hall was clearly visible through a set of double doors. "It's right --""I want you . . . to ESCORT me . . . to the dining hall. I would like your presence there for the dinner. And to think everyone has been te