"What in the hell is wrong with you two?" Since they were stranding on opposite sides of the room, I had to keep swiveling my head back and forth. "We're fighting for our lives and you two are acting like teenagers trying to flex your muscles!""You know what is going on better than anyone else," Alexis replied in a chilly voice. "And therefore you should know that if anyone hurts you then I will hurt him." His eyes filled with darkness as they turned totally black. "I will not apologize for that. So perhaps you should remember that fact whenever you feel the need to engage in deadly sex play."His words served to completely squash my anger. "I …" I blew out a resigned breath. "You're right. I apologize for my part—""Fuck that!" Paul interrupted, pushing off the wall. "You don't apologize for what we do together--not to him, not to anyone!" His eyes were yellow and his hair was nearly standing on end. "As long as you're my wife, we will make love any way that we choose!"I loo
I laughed mirthlessly. "I'm infected by the undead, a succubus, and now some rage monster."He shook his head. "No. It's you, honey, not something else. You smell like you, okay? When I'm the wolf or a hybrid I'm adding something else to my true self. You're the same except filled with rage." I digested that information. I didn't want to claim that rage as all me. That meant that I did attack people I cared for. What if … God, what if I hurt BJ or one of the Ladies? "I don't want this.""We have to figure it out, just like we figured out the succubus." He sighed. "It means that we have to continue to open our minds and not limit ourselves to what our human side might think is right or wrong. It's not only you who is no longer completely human. We have to learn to embrace our monsters." He looked at me as if the idea of it overwhelmed him.I leaned forward and kissed him. "Neither of us has been superhuman for long. We deserve a learning curve."His hand came up to cup my face, an
There are surely moments in life—or afterlife, in my case—where people have life-changing epiphanies. Post make-up sex with my husband, I had one such moment. He had said we had to embrace the monsters since that was the only way we would ever learn from them …I bathed carefully, soaking in my tub and thinking about things I had not wanted to admit to myself. I replayed Paul's words in my head, finding truth in them. I dressed and told Paul that I had some things to settle. His expression was curious but he responded with a nod of his head."I love you." I kissed him.His uneasy look disappeared. His lips lingered against mine and my heart swelled with love for him. His brief smile showed me that he felt the same way. Trust me baby, I thought to myself. This is one more step toward accepting who I am. Then I flashed myself to the manor house and to Alexis. I stood in the front room amidst the beautiful artwork and expensive designs and felt nothing more than the coldness o
I didn't see Alexis again for two days, which is when we all reconvened at Johan's house. I learned that Ran had taken up with Alexis, trailing him whenever possible in order to make sure his body remained in good condition. He allowed Alexis to pretend to be him and to interact with his humans so that they would not be left wanting when it came to the donation of blood. Through him I kept tabs on Alexis. I knew that I was chickening out by not facing him after our discussion, but I had to prove to myself that I could be stronger than the demons inside of me.After our weekly Council gathering, we decided to test our ability to shield our intentions from Malarias before formulating a plan of attack. No need to have him detect our plans before we were ready to act. It worked like a charm. Frank took a great deal of joy playing his part as the one to share gossip with the decrepit Elder. I played my role pretty well by being silent, brooding, and morose-- which was pretty normal. Paul
Paul, Tyler, and Jason turned to each other as if in silent communication, and then Paul nodded once and turned his attention to the rest of us. "We will increase the number of the Wolf Pack, but …" I could feel the tension in the air. "We won't be your slaves or your army," Paul said. "But we will agree to aid in your protection—as long as you do the same for us. There will be rules and a lot of them which we can negotiate, but this is a hard one: you don't attempt to control us and we will willingly aid you."Kaniji tilted her head in interest. "And your Wolf Pack agrees not to war against us?"Paul nodded once. "As long as your vampires don't break our agreement."Frank grinned. "This is exciting. I would agree to your terms just for the excitement factor.""You are an idiot," Cyrene spat out with a dark look. "This can easily backfire on us. We live freely among the humans because we are stronger than they are and can control them."Paul smirked. "Doesn't feel too hot havi
"Okay, okay enough." I chuckled when Jason playfully tugged my pants leg to prevent me from stopping. One by one they morphed back into human form, stretching and coming to their feet. They were comfortable with their nudity but slipped on pants and shirts."How was the pack meeting?" I asked.Paul leaned in to kiss me and smiled. "Better than we could have ever imagined."They explained that by the weekend they could secure an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town. It had once been a horse farm and had a number of acres as well as barns and anything else they could need to begin the werewolf selection process. I propped Julie on my knee as I sat on the sofa listening to their excited chatter. "The safe houses," Julie smiled. "The humans living in them are accustomed to the supernatural, and given the opportunity I think any of them would desire the chance to be equal in strength to those who have tormented them."I frowned. "Yeah, as long as they understand that they aren't g
I searched his eyes. Did he know about the offer that I'd made to Alexis? Maybe I had underestimated my husband. Maybe he would not have agreed to such an arrangement. He was understanding about my monsters, but that didn't mean he would embrace Alexis. Well, it was no longer an issue. And although I didn't think I'd need protection, I remembered Paul's previous pack and the way they had swarmed the manor and killed two of the most capable vampires I knew.I nodded my head. "Okay."He watched me for a long time. "Okay."No. This was not an easy decision for him either.After dinner I called for Alexis and Ran to meet me at Johan's manor. I gave them enough travel time to allow Ran to be driven there. He was essential to me in maintaining some form of control when I was with Alexis. When you love a man, it is hard enough to control your desires, but having a sex demon as a part of your very makeup ups the ante. If there was going to be a relationship between me and my two husbands
Paul was waiting for me at home, the house quiet without Sam or BJ.I appeared in the living room where he waited for me. "He said yes," I said with no beating around the bush. He nodded, not appearing surprised. "Where are the baby and Sam?" I asked."Sam is keeping her for the evening. I asked her to move in here while I'm away." I nodded. I considered myself to be a good mom, but my sleep is like death, and that wasn't conducive to parenting a toddler. He pulled me gently into his arms and held me. "Ran contacted me. I like his idea, and he would be a valuable addition to the pack. He's got battle training, and he's fearless."I felt relieved that Paul wasn't worried that being turned into a werewolf could affect the vampire in Ran. Besides, there were other more pressing matters I felt we needed to discuss, so I shelved my concerns about turning Ran."Paul," I sighed. "You don't have to worry about … Alexis being here.""I'm not." He pulled back enough to look into my
"Are you ready, my love?" Alexis asked."I'm not sure," I said. "She's still so little."Alexis kissed the dark curls at the top of our daughter's head. "Tiye is strong enough to travel back to our realm. We've been here a year. Don't you miss home?""Yeah, but a year here is only like five minutes in the Above," I said."More like a few weeks," Alexis said. "The Ladies are anxious to meet their new niece."He gently lifted his sleeping daughter, tucking her blanket carefully around her body. She had just turned three months old and was as round and plump as a melon. Her thick, curly hair was sure to be as wild as mine was when I wasn't wearing the plaits that Oni put them in. She looked like us—my brown skin with Alexis' nose and Mona Lisa smile.Alexis had named her after an ancient Egyptian Queen who was the deity of light. Leave it to him to name his daughter after an angel and a queen.He carried her outside and stood on the porch staring out at a vast sea made by his own h
Paul smiled and relaxed. I led him to the study where Alexis was waiting. Alexis nodded in greeting."Alexis, thanks for agreeing to this meeting," Paul said.Alexis gestured to a throne. "Please, have a seat."Paul looked at the throne and sat. "Mmm, comfy."Alexis moved the other two thrones to form a triangle, and we sat."We saw the gathering video," Paul said. "We didn't know we were being filmed," I said."I figured as much," Paul said. "But you made a good point when you said that one supernatural group cannot rule over another. My Werewolf Council has been meeting for the last few days. We don't want a war with the Neratomay.""And we do not want a war with the Werewolves," Alexis said.Paul nodded. "We have been in discussions with the Alliance of the Supernaturals, and I expressed King's beliefs that if we do not work together then we will all fall together.""That's right," I said."After a lot of negotiation, the Alliance would like to extend an offer for you to
Ran continued. "We asked the Wolves to coordinate their attacks with ours, and that is all they agreed to do.""But what about the carnage that occurred in Epic Cu?" The Councilmember asked."Are you for real?" I asked in irritation. "There were hundreds of Rectors at that gathering! All it would have taken was for one of those Rectors to snap Alexis' neck before he could summon King to close the portal to the Underworld. We had to take out the Rectors and luckily the Alpha aided us or—well we wouldn't be here and you'd still be kissing the ass of your demon master!"Alexis put his hand on mine but Ignacio smiled in amusement. Will you be quiet! Cyrene snapped silently in my head.When has that ever happened? I snapped back.Ladies, Alexis interrupted. Now is not the time. My love, try to be more…diplomatic.Fine, I replied."We won that war by any means necessary," Alexis said, his voice annoyed. "We don't appreciate your line of questioning. Do you want to go back to the way
The Neratomay flashed themselves away once they were outside of Epic Cut. The Supernaturals carried away their dead and injured, and what was left inside of Epic Cu was blood, gore, and ash. Paul left with his pack, and Ran, King, Alexis, and I flashed back to our villa where King fell in an exhausted asleep.Alexis and I watched him with pride. "It could have gone so much different," I whispered."No." Alexis continued to gaze at King's small sleeping form. "Not if we understand King's true potential—this is the way it was meant to be."It was time discover the fallout so we turned on the radio and television. Many countries were in a state of emergency based on what had happened over the last several hours. News outlets and radio stations made announcements that people should stay indoors because there were reports of wild, strange beast attacks. Videos of humans turning into Vampires and using impossible speed to attack the beasts clogged the Internet. Supposed experts in the s
I moved from zombie to Wraith, pushing them through the portal and trying not to think about those they had possessed.The Wraiths will take you…Oni had said.I saw Alexis keeping King in the light flowing from the portal, but the portal had grown smaller.It was working!King was closing the portal to the Collective!As I zapped zombies and Wraiths, I noticed with surprise that the Supernaturals were fighting with the Neratomay to kill the zombies! When they ganged up and killed a zombie and the wraith left the zombie's body, I was able to zap the Wraith and send it back where it belonged."Aleawdat 'iilaa alealam alsuflii!" I chanted loudly along with King. Although I didn't understand the words, I could repeat them exactly.Then Ran, who still stood sentry beside me, began repeating the words. Alexis joined our chant, and that portal began shrinking even more.The larger Wraiths became bottlenecked trying to squeeze up and out of the shrinking portal. They were so freaking g
I stared at the center of the pentagram where so much power was streaming through to seek out vessels, as if that power was a thinking, conniving being. It infused its targets with power so they could fight for it. And Alexis thought that my son should face that? My little boy?"Alexis, he's just a baby!""He is a demon!" he said sternly. "He only pretends to be a baby because that's what you need, Kim. You have to know that it has been many years since our son was a baby."The way King talked to the Wolf Council, the way he seemed to understood so much and so easily, the way he commanded attention whenever he spoke. I didn't want my child to fight this battle, but Alexis and King both knew this was what King was meant to do.Alexis released me and turned toward the pentagram. He raised his hand and began pulling power from the portal in the center, pulling so much that he glowed with the unnatural light that the energy emanated.Paul squinted and stepped in front of me, preventin
Alexis raised his hand. "We learned the truth, secrets that have enslaved us all!" Alexis' nose began to bleed. He stumbled and swiped at the blood angrily and then raised it to show everyone. "Secrets that prevent me from speaking these truths. But you see! You see!"Ran glared out at the group. "We know, even if we can't speak it. But if you can read it in our heads, you will know this secret, too!"The pain was so sudden that I could not have taken a step. I couldn't even see! Buzzing filled my brain as instead of a dozen bees, hundreds of them seemed to fill my head. I had expected it and thought I was prepared, but there is no way to be prepared when someone is inside of you filling your brain to bursting!"Kim!" Paul shook me.I tried to open my eyes then realized they were open. I couldn't see!"Build your wall!" Paul shouted. "Build it now!"I tried to imagine the bricks—white bricks. White…but I could only see black vapors!Then Alexis was inside my head cutting through
I smelled Alexis and Ran, but so had Paul. He was already heading toward them. When we finally met up, I dropped Paul's clothes on the ground before him. He changed quickly back to a man while I stared up at the castle where more Neratomay than ever attempted to enter Epic Cu."Once we're inside we cannot flash ourselves out," I said.Paul narrowed his eyes. "You'll be trapped inside?"Alexis frowned, but Ran and I nodded.Paul slipped his shirt over his head and peered at the castle. "We can blow this bitch up.""Blowing up Neratomay won't kill us," Alexis said. "Not unless our heads are severed or our hearts pierced.""Why does this castle remind me of Hogwarts?" Paul asked.I smiled. "That's what I thought!""How do we enter?" Paul asked. "That entrance is a hopeless bottleneck." "You could enter through the front door once we're inside," Alexis said, pointing at the opening four stories up. "That's how we exited."Paul licked his lips. "I can make that jump.""Not as a
"You're behind this, aren't you? Somehow—"His head exploded. I flinched at the spray of gore. When it turned to ash, I brushed it off me."Which one of you did that?" I asked."He searched my head," Alexis replied."Well, warn a sister next time," I said.Then I felt a loud buzz in my head, and across the room another Elder's head exploded.This created more bedlam and screaming from Council members who flashed themselves away or who sought the aid of another Elder."Do you feel that?" Ran asked."I don't feel anything because these people are screaming and hollering so loudly," I said.They were the most cowardly individuals I had ever seen. These powerful Vampires sat here crying like wusses! The very Council members and Elders who had tortured and murdered other lower level Neratomay could only hide and cry when they met a foe they couldn't overpower. They were the very definition of bullies!Ran turned to me. "It's Paul.""Paul? How…?""I can still hear him from my tim