I awoke about eight, the first thought in my head that it was the day of the fight. Theo was still asleep, one arm thrown across me, his deep even breathing the only noise in the room. I kissed him softly, and got up. Devon was still asleep in his crate at the bottom of the bed.
“What time is it?” Theo asked groggily.
“About eight,” I said, pulling on my blue velvet bathrobe. “Want breakfast, or you want to wait?”
“I need more sleep,” Theo said seriously, rolling on his back. “This wild woman I met last night kept me up at all hours of the night—”
“I remember it was your idea,” I said teasingly. “I said I was tired at one a.m., but you said—”
“I don't remember it that way,” Theo said, grinning at me. “I remember—”
“Hush,” I said sternly. “I’m going to go and feed Devon. But when he gets his nap late this afternoon, I’m coming back in here to refresh your memory.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Theo said happily, stretching. “But first you can make me breakfast.”
That day was perfect. We didn’t do anything extraordinary, but we spent it together, doing things that mattered deeply to us. We had breakfast early, sharing some with Devon. Watching him gobble it down, I was tempted to tell Theo not to give him so much, but I said nothing. If Theo somehow didn’t come back, I wanted him to have the memory. Devon would recover from an upset stomach.
Later, after breakfast we watched V for Vendetta and my favorite movie, the animated version of The Hobbit, with Devon sleeping on Theo’s lap.
“Why do you like this, again?” Theo said curiously, as he sat through it with me.
“Because Bilbo was a hero,” I answered. “He could have sat in his house and had a perfectly good life. He had a lot of chances to stay out of struggles or to run when the going got tough. He always chose instead to act, no matter what it cost him. He was the one who understood life best, because he didn’t care about what people told him he had to do, or about what might happen to him. He did what he thought was right, even though he paid a heavy price for it. That’s true bravery: to be afraid, to not want to do something, and to do it anyway, because it’s the right thing to do.”
“You get all that from watching this?” Theo said, giving me a disbelieving look. “The trilogy of movies made with real actors are much better, and go into a lot more detail.”
“I’ve read the book many times,” I replied. “The book is like the movies that were made later, and it’s true, they’re better. But I grew up with this. It inspires me.”
“Then you feel about this like I feel about V,” Theo said contentedly, giving me a kiss. “I never knew that.” He kissed me again. “I’m glad I do now.”
We spent our last hours in bed, just holding each other, Devon asleep in his crate. I told Theo I loved him many times. There were so many other things I wanted to say if this was the last time I saw him, but I couldn’t say any of them, because I needed to be strong for him.
At nightfall, Theo dressed in dark clothes, loaded his gun, and strapped on his body armor.
I looked at him a little skeptically. “Will he have armor, too?”
“We’ll probably take it off,” Theo said, seeing my look. “Usually this type of fight is hand to hand, with no protection, just a knife, sword, or a whip.”
I hugged him hard suddenly, and he hugged me back. “I won’t be back before one, Sar. Don’t start to worry until three at least. And if you don’t want to wait alone, call Tears, and he’ll wait here with you.”
I couldn’t do that. I had to wait for Lash to call my cell. Otherwise there would be a phone record Theo might someday see. “I’ll be waiting with our son,” I said, as confidently as I could. “Be careful.”
Theo kissed me and left. I watched him back out and drive off, hoping the transmitter was working. Lash hadn’t told me to flip any switches on it, not that there had been any obvious ones.
As I watched his tail lights fade, a lone headlight powered on in the gloom of my barn’s long shadow. Then came the noisy growl of a Harley as a small dark figure astride a black motorcycle sped off into the night after Theo.
Lash was holding up his end. I’d better decide what to do about Devlin to hold up mine. But what to say when I showed up at Hayden tomorrow? Dev would be suspicious. It had been too long to just say I missed him, though that was true. I couldn’t tell him I longed for him, that I hadn’t been able to wait another day. It had to be something good. Devlin’s ego would be crushed to hear his best friend had bribed me to take him back. He had to buy what I told him completely. That would be easiest if I told him what he wanted to hear most. But was offering to take another Oath really what he wanted?
That line of reasoning brought me to the question that had bothered me for a while now: why had Devlin made me take an Oath that he had broken so casually? He’d gone to so much trouble to claim me as his own. Maybe it was the old reason of philandering men everywhere: he had simply thought he wasn’t going to get caught.
To Hell with trying to plan, or write any kind of script to say. I’d just go tomorrow night and tell Dev I’d give him another chance. And that if he screwed up, it would be the last one.
* * * *
The hours passed by like years. I watched some movies, but couldn’t keep my mind on them. I lay on the couch with Devon sleeping on my lap, dozing fitfully for minutes at a time. I’d wake, straining my ears, sure I’d heard a sound. But it was never Theo.
Finally, near one in the morning, my cell phone rang. I answered on the first ring. “Hello?”
“Theo’s alive, Sar,” Lash hissed.
I sank down to the couch, so relieved I let out a sob.
“He beat Robert, killed him,” Lash continued. “It’s over. He’s taking his time now with the remains, making a mess to photograph before he incinerates it. That’s good. He shouldn’t be challenged again for a while.”
“Thank you.” I said, thinking Lash had made out like a bandit. “I’m glad you were watching—”
“I did more than watch,” Lash hissed. “You were right to take our deal, Sar. Must be supernatural intuition from all that demon blood in your veins.”
Ice water went down my spine. “What are you—?”
“There were others lying in wait at the old machining shop. Ten weres in all, all with full body armor, and automatic weapons. They were getting into position as Theo and Robert were stripping off their armor for their fight.”
“The Harvesters?”
“Yes. Satar was there, leading them.” Lash paused a half second. “It was hard killing them all quietly, but I don’t think Theo noticed anything. I paid Titus to give me some of his blue fire, to take care of the remains. There are no bodies to find. Titus thought it was for another job I have coming, so he won’t think anything of it.”
So it was Lash who took care of Devlin’s business, of at least some of the killing that needed doing. Shudder.
“Tasha’s father had sent them,” Lash continued. “I made Satar call Karl, made him tell Karl that he’d best forget his daughter, that she was dead. That it was me who killed her, not Theo. That if he was still looking for vengeance, he knew where to find me. And if he tried for me, I’d be coming back to Russia to kill him.”
“You killed Tasha?” I whispered.
“Yes,” Lash hissed back, his easy reply making me shiver. “It was business, Sar, just like it is sometimes for Theo. She was scared enough of me that she told me everything, without me even touching her. Her death was a quick one, quicker than she deserved, after all she had done.” He paused. “My end’s done now, Sar.”
Not by a long shot. “What did you mean about going back to Russia to see Karl?” I asked sharply. “When were you there?”
Lash swore.
“Tell me, Lash. I gave you my word. I’ll stick to it, so long as you tell me the truth.”
“The truth is that Devlin sent me to look for Theo more than a year after he went missing. Danial asked me to from the first, but I refused. Devlin finally asked me to, when he saw how crazy not knowing was driving his brother. I never expected to find Theo. It had been so long since he had disappeared. But it took me only a month to follow his trail. I found him in Russia.”
I couldn’t speak, I was too furious.
“Sarelle, listen to me,” Lash said in a dangerously soft tone. “Theo had already been bespelled. When I found him that night, he was in bed having sex with that girl. I heard him tell her he loved her, that he wanted to be with her always. When I called Devlin and reported everything to him, he told me to do nothing. To just come home, and leave Theo alone.”
“Why?” I shouted, tears falling from my eyes. “How could you find him and not tell—?”
“Because I’d found Theo, and he wanted clearly not to be found,” Lash answered. “There was a phone there beside the bed they were on. He could have used it to call you or Danial anytime. He didn’t want to come back, or have anything to do with his old life. Devlin was worried about you. He thought that once you knew, you might be upset enough to lose your baby. You were pregnant then with Theoron. He couldn’t even tell Danial, as Danial wouldn’t be able to keep it from you. So it was better that no one knew, that everyone thought Theo was dead.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Sar, Karl will not be bothering Theo again,” Lash hissed. “Robert is also dead. Theo is as safe as he’s going to be.”
“What about the one that you made call Karl?”
“After he finished the call, I killed him,” Lash hissed. “I wasn’t going to leave Satar alive. He would have gotten some more weres and come back again, this time for me.”
That was a relief. “Good,” I whispered.
“Sar, I’ve kept my end of the bargain,” Lash reiterated coldly. “Keep yours. I will be waiting for you at Hayden after dusk. Be there tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there,” I said softly. “Thank you, for what you did.”
Lash was quiet for a moment. “You’re welcome.” Then there was only a dial tone.
I hung up the phone, and got the towels ready. By Lash’s description, Theo would be a mess.
Theo showed up at three. He called from outside the door and asked for the towels. When I let him in, he dropped his bloody clothes, and headed for the shower. I put his jeans, shirt, T-shirt, jacket, and underwear in a garbage bag with his shoes, then took the bundle out to the garage to have him burn it later with white fire.
After his shower, I sewed him up like before. The older wounds had mostly healed, but some of the stitches had ripped in his fight with Robert. I redid those, then saw to a few new nasty wounds, lamenting that I’d need a trip to the sewing store for new needles at the earliest opportunity.
“These will heal,” he said as I sewed. “But they’ll take a while. The bastard had were poison on his blade.”
“Wasn’t he were?” I asked, carefully sewing. “What if he cut himself on his blade by accident?”
“Werecoyote,” Theo spat. “I gave him some poison, too, when I cut him. It’s standard practice, Sar, in a challenge.” He paused. “Robert was good, very good. He didn’t make any stupid mistakes. It was close a few times.”
As I applied bandages to the sewn places, Theo called Danial and left a message on his cell to say he was fine, and that we were coming back tomorrow.
“Don’t you want to stay here?” I asked, surprised.
“Sar, the Harvesters are still out there,” Theo answered, hanging up the phone. “I’m not going to take the chance that they might hurt you or Devon. We have to go back until I settle with them.”
Since I couldn’t say anything to the contrary, I nodded. “Sorry. I forgot.”
“Come lie next to me?” Theo asked tenderly.
I lay down beside him, and hugged him, wondering if I should bring up Devlin.
“I love you. You make me so happy, Sar.”
Probably not the time to mention Dev. “You make me happy, too. Your scent always comforts me—”
“What do you mean, my scent?” Theo said, pulling back and then grimacing as his fresh stitches tightened.
“I’ve never told you before that you smell of prairie grass, pine forest, and wide blue skies? I must have, in all our time together.”
Theo gave me a peculiar smile. “You never said it, Sar. I would’ve remembered.”
“Well, you do,” I assured, snuggling into him. “And I like that. I liked it from the first time I smelled your jacket, that day after I first dreamed of you.”
“I remembered how surprised I was, when I saw you had it in your bedroom,” Theo said tenderly. “I remember wishing I had something of yours to smell when I thought of you.”
“How do I smell to you?” I asked hesitantly.
“You smell good,” Theo said, inhaling deeply. “You smell of femaleness, warmth, and softness.”
“All females must smell like that,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“But your scent carries something extra,” Theo said. “Something like sunlight, and green things, maybe. I can’t give it words. But when I smell you, I think of how good the sun feels on me when I’m walking outside on a summer day.”
Danial and Devlin had always said I tasted of summer. Maybe that was why. Or maybe I smelled of summer because whatever was in my blood had that odd aspect. “Interesting to know.”
“I love your scent,” Theo continued. “It was hard to get used to the bit of vampire smell that’s mixed in now, but I don’t notice it anymore, really—”
“How do vampires smell?” I asked. “You make it sound like its bad. But they don’t smell bad to me.”
“Not bad, really,” Theo said, backpedaling. “A little like fall, like damp earth—”
Something sounded familiar. What?
“—and blood, usually. Almost always, vampires smell of blood.”
I didn’t remember anyone smelling like blood lately. Maybe it was nothing. I kissed Theo and held him close. “Get some rest. There will be time enough tomorrow for talking.”
* * * *
The next afternoon, after we had returned to Danial’s, I reluctantly told Theo that I had decided to go to Devlin that night to ask for his protection. Even with what he had said to me the previous night, Theo immediately got upset.
“Why tonight?” he protested, flopping down on Danial’s couch. “I know you don’t really want to go. I can smell it on you, like you’re fighting with yourself.”
He was right. I’d have to fix that before seeing Devlin, unless I wanted to blow my deal with Lash to hell. “Because you were right last night; we need him. And I’ve put it off long enough.”
“I don’t want you to go back to him,” Theo said, drawing me down into his lap. “It’s been great sleeping with you every night, and not having you leave every week.” He paused. “But I get that you have to. You need to be there for Venus, too.”
I wanted to squirm, I was so guilty. I had to get out of here now before Danial came out from his bedroom to join our discussion. My great vampire detective/lover wouldn’t be put off by a few well-told lies. “I’ll be back as soon as I can—”
“Just call, if it’s going to be more than overnight,” Theo interrupted, picking Devon up and hugging him. “We’ll worry, otherwise. Won’t we?”
Calling out an affirmation, I transferred a few necessary overnight items into a bag. When I loaded it into one of Danial’s SUV’s, I also pocketed the transmitter from Theo’s glove compartment. I’d give it back to Lash that night.
* * * *
I left early, stopping off at my old house first. Warren hadn’t come back yet, but he was due any time.
I quickly went inside and got my invisible box. It should read: It no longer contained Dev’s choker, only his poetry. Did Devlin still have the choker I’d thrown at him the night I discovered he and Catherine? I’d find out shortly.
I read the poetry quickly, hoping to feel some loving spark kindle for Devlin. But the words just sounded false to me, and I wondered how I could have ever believed them.
I’d have to get Dev to give me his blood. Once he did, I’d be in thrall to him again. If I couldn’t get out of this, it was better to get it over with.
* * * *
I arrived at Hayden around three in the afternoon. Lash answered the gate intercom, and let me inside. He was waiting in the garage when I drove my truck in and parked.
I got out, and handed him the transmitter. “Do you need to search me?”
He put it in his own truck, and then faced me. “I’d say yes even if I trusted you,” he hissed, baring one fang. “And I do. Assume the position.”
He searched me, then my bag. “Follow me to Titus.”
When we reached Titus in his basement lab, he turned to leave. “Wait for me,” I called.
Lash stopped, turning to look at me curiously.
Titus raised his eyebrows. “She’s clean,” he rumbled, then cast baleful eyes to Lash. “Watch yourself, snake.”
Lash hissed at him, baring fang, then started walking. “Mind your own shit. Move, Sar.”
What was that about? I gave Titus a smile, then hurried after Lash.
He was waiting in the kitchen. “What do you want with me?” he hissed, leaning back against the counter. “I have things to do.”
“Serena’s not here, is she?” I asked. “And neither is Dev?”
“Serena’s out shopping. Robin and she go every week, and have lunch in town. They are getting to be good friends.”
Was I supposed to feel jealous that she had another friend besides me now? Jerk. “And Dev?”
“Dev is with Venus. Titus is heading back there shortly. He’ll be home about eight or nine.”
I had known I’d have hours to kill. Just not this many. “That’s six hours.”
“I told you not to come until dusk,” Lash hissed. “You’ll have to amuse yourself, I’m afraid.”
“So you’re just going to let me wander around by myself?” I said, folding my arms. “You’ve never done that before.”
“You always liked to work,” Lash said, tilting his head. “Your filing downstairs is just as you left it. Dev said over and over in the last few months that you would come back and finish it. Now might be a time to get started. You’re safe enough down there. You don’t need me.”
Crazy as it sounded, I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts. I wanted to have someone to talk to. I was dreading dealing with Devlin. But at least filing would occupy me. “I’ll go work on it,” I answered, defeated. “You’re right, there is still a lot to do—”
“Do you want to see the gardens, before you do?” Lash hissed suddenly. “You still do owe me a walk.”
“That would be nice,” I said with relief. “Lead the way.”
The gardens were beautiful. Lash had taken my suggestions, all of them. Being so late in the summer, most of the flowers were up and blooming, though the early ones like the tulips and pansies had faded. But I’d chosen carefully to ensure there would be some flowers blooming all summer. The white and red roses were still going strong. I picked one, and stuck it in the coil of my hair, its long thorns helping to anchor it. I also picked some flocks and bee balm for the kitchen table.
“Do you like everything?” Lash hissed hesitantly. “Your notes were easy enough to follow.”
“They’re beautiful,” I said earnestly. “You did a good job.”
Lash didn’t reply.
As we walked back to the house, I noticed six large trees down near the forest edge, along with many smaller ones. Some had fallen over a ditch, and broken a small stone bridge that crossed it, sending some of the stones into the depression. While two of the trees had been down some time, the other four looked new, their visible inner bark a bright orange brown color.
“What happened?” I asked. “Attack?”
“Storm,” Lash hissed. “Back two weeks ago, we had close to tornado-force winds.” He pointed. “See there? The side of the house is damaged also, though not badly. We are going to have to erect scaffolding out here to fix it.”
“You need a spider,” I said knowledgeably.
Lash gave me a strange look. “Titus could probably make a regular one huge, but I don’t think—”
“I’m talking about a type of one man support,” I said, trying not to laugh. “It’s called a spider. You lower down a guy, and he works on the wall. It’s better than a traditional scaffold, because you can lower it and raise it easily. It mounts to the roof, so it would be easy to put one up. It would save you a lot of time.”
Lash stopped walking, considering me with tilted head. “How is it you know about this?” he hissed.
“I worked construction before I met Danial and retired into luxury,” I teased. “I wasn’t always just a pretty face.”
“That may be, but you aren’t physically strong enough,” Lash hissed, looking me over. “Construction is a man’s job. Why would anyone hire you?”
That irked me. “I didn’t build anything,” I said defensively. “I checked sites for violations sometimes. To do that, I had to know some of the terminology, and what was best to use for different jobs.”
Lash looked at me, incredulous. “You’re pulling my tail.”
Now I was pissed off. “It was just an idea,” I replied, then turned to go. “But don’t take my advice, jerk. Go figure it out for yourself—”
Lash reached out and grabbed my arm. “Do you have pictures of this, so I can see what you’re talking about?”
“No, but I could find you some on the Internet,” I offered frostily. “If you are nice.”
“I’m always nice,” Lash hissed, grinning. “At least to you.”
I didn’t think so, but kept that to myself. “I’ll find you some when I go inside. There must be another computer at Hayden besides Dev’s laptop, right?”
Lash nodded. “Devlin has another one in his study. I’ll take you there.”
I hadn’t even known Devlin had a study. “Okay.”
Lash led me down to the basement. Only this time, instead of turning left, he turned right towards the dungeon side. The first door in that hall was huge, made of oak. He opened it. “After you.”
I walked in, looking around. Devlin’s study was larger than I expected. The walls were all bookshelves to the ceiling. It was surprising to know he read this much. As expected, one huge section was all poetry. The others were varied, from Samurai Tactics, U.S. military strategy, and Torture Practices of the Sudan to How to Make Friends and Influence People, 101 days of Sodom, and Justine.
“The computer is there,” Lash said quietly, breaking my thoughts.
I turned it on, and booted it up. Soon, I was printing him out pictures of the scaffolding I had described to him.
“This might save us a lot of time,” Lash hissed, studying the sheets. “I’ll see if I can’t rent one of these instead of building wooden scaffolding. It’s a waste of lumber.”
“You talk like you’ve worked construction, too,” I said, looking over at him curiously.
“Like you, I wasn’t always what I am now,” Lash replied. “I did construction in my youth.” He cracked a smile. “But unlike you, I did build things.”
An ideal job if you were a snake in Florida. Lash would have been out in the sun all day, and he was certainly strong enough. “I’m glad to help out,” I said, flicking off the computer. “If you need help with those trees, I can bring my chainsaw. One more blade cutting can make a huge difference.”
Lash looked at me like I had to be joking. It was also obvious that he didn’t think I would be much benefit. “If you want to help, we are doing it this coming Friday. It’s supposed to be clear that day. The equipment is being delivered the day before.”
“I’ll come,” I affirmed, standing up. “But now I’d better start on my filing.” Heading into the records room, I began looking through the last non-white box.
Lash leaned against the door and watched me. It had been a while since he had done that, but it was familiar enough that I didn’t worry about it. I was surprised, though, after his admission that watching me wasn’t necessary.
When I finished the last box, I thought about starting on the white boxes, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead I leaned on the open drawer, running my fingers aimlessly down the files I’d marked. I didn’t want to file anything else. I wanted to go curl up somewhere. I really, really didn’t want to face Devlin.
There was a furtive movement behind me. I turned around fast, startled to find myself looking straight into Lash’s flat eyes. To my surprise, he wasn’t as tall as Danial, or Devlin, or even Theo; he was just over my own height. I’d never noticed that before.
“Sar, come have dinner,” Lash offered, something close to affection in his tone. “Devlin will be home soon, and you should eat something. He will not be letting you leave the bed, once you say you want him back.”
“I thought you wanted me to work,” I said shortly, trying not to shudder at his words. “I thought—”
Lash reached out and hugged me, making me freeze. “You don’t have to eat with me,” he hissed hesitantly. “But you should eat something. Your body is still recovering from giving life.”
I smelled his scent again, autumn leaves, leather, and musk. And earth, under them all. “Want to take me for sushi?” I said softly. “I haven’t been, since that day with you.”
“Sure,” Lash hissed. He made to withdraw from me, but I held onto him.
He stopped pulling away. “What is it?” he hissed, shifting uncomfortably.
“Do you know what Annabelle looked like? I was curious.”
Lash eased out of my embrace. “Come with me,” he said, taking my hand. He led me back to Devlin’s study, past the bookshelves to a small recessed alcove in the far wall. There hung a large portrait done in oil, illuminated with a soft spotlight. “That is Dev’s Anna,” he hissed. “The only portrait he keeps out. The rest are hidden away in his vault. He goes there sometimes to remember her, but he’s stopped doing that so much since he met you.”
I’d imagined Anna a goddess. Instead, I was surprised to see she had not been traditionally beautiful. Her hair was mousy brown, and fell around her shoulders in corkscrew curls. Her eyes were also brown, a tad small, though they shone with happiness. Her face was round, more than a little plump, which made her look friendly and comforting. Her lips were a dark pink, like mine, and not generous. At her throat was a gold choker with a small golden bear with red eyes.
“I can tell by your expression that you expected her to be prettier,” Lash hissed. “Devlin speaks of her as if she was the most beautiful woman he ever saw, save you. She wasn’t pretty, not by traditional human standards, at least. But he loved her, loved her more than all of the other prettier women that he might have had. The way he loves you, Sar. Though you are beautiful, without a doubt.”
I didn’t know what to say. Lash seemed to sense that. “Let’s go,” he hissed. “Or there’ll be no time for sushi.”
We didn’t talk much as we drove to the restaurant. I was thinking a lot about Annabelle; about what her life with Dev could have been like. But once we arrived, Lash ordered us a large platter to share, accompanied by a serving for each of us of alcohol. As we were sipping, he casually mentioned that he had gotten the newest South Park DVD. Soon, we were lost in conversation like old friends. Which, in a way, we were.
* * * *
When we got back to Hayden, it was close to eight. “Go up and wait for him,” Lash hissed at the stairs. “And you should change your clothes.”
Good idea. I didn’t want to smell like Lash for Dev, even if the hug had been innocent. “Goodnight.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lash hissed, heading into the kitchen.
Was he hungry for dessert, or for another type of flesh? Don’t think about it...
“Sar,” Titus said in surprise, emerging from the cellar. He hugged me.
“Hi.”
Titus wrinkled his nose, and drew back from me. “You smell of Lash.”
“I know. I’m changing my clothes,” I said, irritated.
“Come below with me first,” Titus rumbled, his eyes red. “I have something to discuss with you.”
Sigh. I followed him downstairs to the basement. “What’s up?”
Titus spoke some words. “No one can overhear us now.”
“What is it?” I asked, concerned. “Is something the matter with Terian?”
“You tell me,” Titus rumbled. “You asked me a while back about him, and I told you I thought he was the same. But now I’m beginning to wonder.”
“I think the work that he and Theo does is affecting him,” I said, after a pause. “He’s more powerful, too. And he’s in love. That together explains his new bold behavior.”
“He’s been asking about some darker spells,” Titus rumbled, his eyes holding mine. “Spells that he would have shrank from when I first met him months ago.”
I was tempted to tell him it was his own black influence on Terian that had done this, but I wasn’t 100% sure of that. I didn’t want to make Titus feel bad unless it was the truth.
“Sar, do you know why he would want to do darker magic?”
“I can only guess to protect the children or to protect Sundown. Terian was never about power for power’s sake, Titus.”
Titus nodded. “I agree. I just wanted to ask. You are close to him.”
I wasn’t really, not anymore, but I didn’t say that.
“I needed to know if he was changing. Sometimes in half breeds, the demon side can overwhelm—”
“Titus, why are you telling me this?” I said suddenly. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to watch him,” Titus said sternly. “When you visit Danial, make it a point to see him. He hasn’t been visiting me here much lately, and I want to know if he needs help. I can help him keep the demon part of him under control, if or when it comes to that. But it’s easier to help when you catch it early.”
I couldn’t deal with this on top of everything else. Plus the very idea of Terian turning evil seemed like something out of a comic book. So I just nodded. “Okay.”
“Thank you.” Titus moved to get up. “I appreciate it.”
“Titus, why do vampires smell like earth?” I asked, following him up the stairs. “They don’t sleep in a coffin, or need any native soil that I know of near them.”
“The legend of the earth likely came from the smell,” Titus replied, his attempted chuckle more of a bass booming sound. “Or from some fanged idiot who forgot what time it was and tried to bury himself to escape the sun.” He shrugged. “That does work, if the hole’s deep enough.”
“But why that particular smell?” I persisted.
“Most likely, the scent isn’t earth at all, just some chemical mixture the human brain recognizes as earthy. I can’t comment, really; vampires always smell like blood to me. I don’t smell anything earthy about them, although I’ve heard others say that was true—
It hit me suddenly who had smelled of earth: Lash. “It must be from Devlin’s blood in the potion,” I said aloud.
“What?” Titus rumbled, turning to look at me.
“Lash smells like a vampire. That earthy smell is stronger on him than it is on Danial or Dev. The Lust probably activated with him because it recognized him wrongly as a vampire instead of a weresnake.”
Titus nodded thoughtfully. “You’re probably right. He’s been on that potion for years.”
“He said it caused him pain.” I bit my lip, pondering. “Why does my blood take away Lash’s pain?”
“I’m not sure,” Titus answered, gazing at me unblinking. “I would guess that whatever gives you the power to give a vampire child life resides in your blood. It always comes back to the blood, Sarelle. And yours is a mixture of half-demon, and powerful vampire, similar to the most important parts of the potion. Add to that your own mysterious ‘summer blood’ and your plasma is probably more powerful than the potion Lash takes now, even with Devlin’s newfound power.”
“Would it help him live longer?” I asked bluntly.
Titus pulled me into the garage, and again murmured the incantation to conceal our words.
“Lash told me about your blood,” Titus rumbled as he finished. “When I told him not to take any of it, he told me you gave him permission—”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“—then he told me to fuck off.”
“Sounds like him,” I said, smirking. “I offered him some, but he said no.”
“Sar, beware of Lash,” Titus cautioned. “His only loyalty is to Devlin. He cares about no one else.”
My hackles went up. “You’re talking about a friend.”
“He’s not your friend,” Titus rumbled, his red eyes glowing. “And your blood might have enough power to curb his decline—”
I took a sharp intake of breath. “Then I have to tell him, make him agree to—”
“No,” Titus growled. “Lash drained Tasha the night he killed her. He’d do it to you.”
I got up abruptly. “Did you tell him this? You didn’t, did you?”
“Of course not!” Titus retorted. “I told him he had lived as long as he was going to. And he accepted it. He has time left, though not much, respectively.”
“Then I’m going to tell him.” I moved to go. “Now.”
Titus blocked me, heat washing over me like a bonfire. “Sar, don’t tell him.”
“Titus, Lash never asked for my blood. He only took it when I made him—”
And that last time, which didn’t count, not really.
“—when I offered it to him to stop his pain, he refused. He’s not going to hurt me.”
“You tell him you can save his life, Sar, and he won’t refuse,” Titus rumbled. “You remember this: if you throw a drowning man a rope, sometimes you get pulled down with him.”
I shot him an angry look, and then went upstairs in search of Lash. But he didn’t answer his door when I knocked. Stymied, I reluctantly entered Dev’s room.
The crib was missing. Worried, I checked the nursery, but there was no one there either, though the crib there was in its normal place, the covers turned down expectantly.
“Serena had said Dev and Venus were both gone yesterday,” I muttered, turning off the light. “You’re an idiot for panicking.”
After using Devlin’s shower, I got some of my clothes from Devlin’s dresser, and put them on. Waiting in bed naked or even in a nightgown was too awkward after all this time.
I sat down on the bed edge and waited. Nine minutes after nine, the door opened, and Devlin came in.