After his parent’s retired for the evening, Grayson and I decided to continue celebrating his birthday. Hand-in-hand I led him to the bathroom. I adjusted the shower temperature. When I turned, Grayson was barely a whisper away. His lips claimed mine. Our fingers busied themselves with stripping each other of every piece of clothing before we stumbled into the shower. My stomach made things harder, but Grayson spun me around putting my back to his chest. He kissed my neck and down my shoulder. Dropping to his knees as he nipped his way down my spine. I groaned when he parted my thighs with his hands. It was only the barest of touches before he began to stand kissing my side as he did before taking my nipple into his mouth.

  “Can I drink from you?” He asked behind me once he was fully righted. Both his hands palmed my breasts before rolling my tender nipples between his fingers. With the pleasure he was causing me, I would have agreed to anything.

  “Yes,” I moaned. With having received the potion, my blood was no longer toxic to him. Even if I couldn’t drink from him, it made me glad that blood exchanging wasn’t entirely off of the table.

  I felt him nudge at my entrance. I adjusted my hips to take him in. I cried out when he filled me. Everything felt more intense than it had before I was pregnant. His fingers slipped between my thighs rubbing gentle circles over my sensitive nub. We had just begun and I was already crashing over the edge, but that didn’t stop Grayson. He moved inside of me thrusting slow and steady, drawing out every ounce of pleasure I had to offer. It was all his and I gave it to him freely.

  When my knees began to feel as if they’d give out, I felt his fangs sink into my neck. My hands reached around and I clung to him. One hand in his hair the other on his thigh. We stayed connect for what seemed like an eternity. Once it was over, Grayson turned off the water. He quickly dried us off before carrying me to bed.

  I thought he was done when he laid me on the mattress, but when he parted my thighs and kissed my center, I welcomed him. It didn’t take long before I was seeing stars.

  Grayson rolled me onto my side placing a pillow under my stomach before laying behind. I sighed when I felt him connect with me. This time he took me slow and gentle. There was no rush as he made love to me. I smiled feeling blissfully content.

  Afterwards, with us still connected, I giggled.

  “What’s funny?” Grayson asked kissing my shoulder.

  “It’s your birthday.”

  “I know,” he pulled me tighter. He didn’t see what I found amusing.

  “It’s my understanding that most men, on their birthdays, like to be selfish. They expect certain things from their wives of the oral variety. Yet here you are pleasuring me until I can’t move.”

  I could feel him grin against my skin. “You have a lot of experience with most men?” he teased. I shook my head while rolling my eyes. “I’ll never be selfish with you, Gaby. You’re too precious to me. Now if you wanted to do what most men expect because it’s my birthday, I wouldn’t stop you, but know that I’d have to return the favor.”

  “I can’t move,” I moaned when he pressed his hips to insinuate his point.

  “Then don’t move. Sleep wife. We have an eternity to do what society expects.”

  I woke to a chill licking across my bare back. Rolling over I sought warmth from Grayson only to discover that I was alone. I sat up stunned. I gazed around the bedroom, but saw no signs of him. It wasn’t the first time that I had woken to find him missing, but it had been ages since he had found solace on the balcony. I slid on a discarded shirt and wrapped myself in my robe. His parent’s were sleeping in our guest room and I didn’t want to come across them looking indecent.

  I moved across the apartment grateful for superior night vision since I still wasn’t completely familiar with the layout of the furniture. I headed to the balcony just to check on him, but saw no one. My brow furrowed. I tried to open the doors, but realized they were locked and they only locked from the inside.

  I searched around the apartment for some sign of him, a note, anything. I returned to the bedroom and saw his phone was missing.

  After Sebastian’s confession and his statement about Grayson hiding something from me, I was beginning to suspect that perhaps he was right and not just simply trying to manipulate me. Thinking back since we’d returned from Vegas, certain things were beginning to stand out. Without Grayson’s knowledge, I had activated the phone finder on his phone. I reached for mine just as pain seared me.

  “Ah,” I cried out. My hand braced my stomach just below my injury. I reached for my phone, even though my body argued against the move. Once in my hand I called Grayson. It didn’t even ring before heading to voicemail. I tried again, but had the same results. I thought about his parent’s but decided it was best to keep them out of it. Instead, I dialed the phone again.

  It rang once. “Gaby?”

  “Sebastian? I need you,” I hissed then cried out feeling a jolt of pain.

  “Where are you?”

  “My bedroom. Don’t knock.” I didn’t get a chance to say anything else before he appeared in my room.

  “Is it the poison?” He asked moving towards me. He glanced around briefly, I’m sure for Grayson. He undid the ties of my robe. When he saw more leg than he had expected, he quickly covered me with the sheets up to my hips before lifting my shirt just as Grayson walked in.

  “What’s going on?” He asked taking in the scene.

  “Where were you?” I yelled through the pain.

  “I went out to clear my head. I wasn’t gone long.”

  “I tried calling! You left no note,” I hollered as Sebastian prodded my injury.

  “You two can argue it out later.” Sebastian stated. “Gaby, this isn’t the poison. I think we need to get you to a doctor.”

  And just like that my heart sank.

  Grayson

  “She’s going to be fine,” Doctor B announced after she finished examining Gaby. “It’s called round ligament pain. It’s worse for Gaby because it’s on the same side as her stab wound,” she explained to me, but I knew Sebastian was listening as well. He had refused to leave after he retrieved the doctor.

  “Is there anything I can do for her?” I asked. I felt like shit. I hadn’t been there for her. I’d been gone less than an hour, but it was enough that she needed me and instead had to lean on Sebastian. I tried not to get angry that she hadn’t tried calling anyone else. She had assumed it was the poison acting up even though she had fed from him just before my parents arrived as a preventative. She didn’t want them asking question if the pain hit. It still got to me though.

  “If it happens, help her change her position. Standing, sitting, even just shifting her weight can relive it. If it holds constant or happens more than four times in an hour, call me asap.”

  “Thanks doctor,” I said scratching my neck.

  “You can go in now.”

  I nodded. Without looking back, even though I could feel Sebastian’s gaze on me, I went into my bedroom.

  Gaby glared at me sitting up in our bed and tears immediately started flowing down her face. “Where were you?” she cried.

  I rushed to her taking her in my arms. “I’m sorry, baby. I went for a walk. I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Your phone was off. I tried calling you.”

  “Before or after you called Sebastian?” The moment the words left me, I regretted them. I felt her tense and I knew I hurt her, which was the last thing I wanted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

  “First,” she started.

  “Baby, you don’t…”

  “First, Grayson. I called you first. I get sometimes you need a moment. I can’t imagine everything you’ve been through since meeting me…”

  “Gaby,” I tried cutting her off, but she continued.

  “But you had better keep your damn phone on when you do. I don’t care how long you plan on being. As evident tonight, it doesn’t take long before things can go wrong.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “And enough with this jealousy over Sebastian. I choose you. I don’t want to hear another snide comment about it ever again, Grayson. I mean it. He’s here to help. Nothing more.”

  I could hear her heart race at the end of her statement. I wasn’t sure if she was lying or just getting angrier as she progressed. Either way I kept my mouth shut. She was right. I needed to get over it. She had several opportunities to choose him, but had always picked me.

  The next morning we said goodbye to my parents. Gaby and I were both still tired from our middle of the night doctor’s visit, which thankfully my parent’s had slept through, that we both napped after they left. When I returned to work on Monday, I was grateful to see Jade at our door. After the issue Friday I hadn’t wanted to hear anything Sebastian might say. I was beating myself up enough.

  When December arrived, Gaby busied herself with decorating our apartment for our first Christmas in it. Our decorations from our first Christmas together didn’t seem enough for our new place.

  A week before Christmas arrived, Gaby and I were cuddled up on the couch watching A Christmas Story for the hundredth time this season, when her phone rang. She stared at it for a long moment refusing to answer. When it rang again, I tentatively reached for it and saw Jade’s name.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “You might want to come to the compound. There’s someone Damien wants you to meet.”

  When we walked into Damien’s office I was met with an unfamiliar face. I hadn’t met everyone in either nest, but I didn’t think this man was a vampire. His scent was off. Vampires tended to smell aged, like an old book, but this man smelled earthy, like the smell of rain when it first fell, mixed with the scent of grass. His hair hung past his shoulders. It was straight and the color of a chestnut. When he turned I saw it was tucked behind pointed ears. I did my best not to stare, not wishing to offend the man.

  “This is my dear friend, Orion,” Damien announced as we eyed Orion quizzically. Also present were Jade and Sebastian. They both sat together and remained quiet, which I knew was a feat for Jade. Seeing them there made me nervous. They had both taken on helping keep Gaby safe during the day when I couldn’t be with her. If they were there then this had to do with Gaby. “He’s one of the few Fae who still live in this dimension.”

  “Fae are real?” Gaby asked. I was glad she had. I had been pondering the same question.

  “Very real,” Damien replied. “He came to share some news. As I’m sure you are aware, Ava left us not too long ago. We’ve been doing our best to track her, but have found no sign of her until she approached Orion.”

  “I mean no offense,” I began. “But what does she need a Fae for?”

  “None taken,” Orion waved off my would be affront. “It was for a spell.”

  “I don’t understand,” Gaby stated. “She’s used witches before, or so we believe, why go to a Fae?”

  Orion eyed my wife like he was seeing her for the first time. She held him captivated for a moment. He seemed to be trying to determine something about her. His attention began to make me feel nervous—not in a jealous way. He looked to be reading her secrets. “Our magic is different than that of your humans,” Orion explained. “Our magic is simple, but powerful. We use you against yourselves.”

  “I don’t understand?” Gaby said.

  He smiled at her gently and began approaching her. I bristled and I saw Sebastian tense readying himself to stop Orion, but Orion seemed to notice both our reactions and halted. “Do you know what you most desire, my dear?”

  Gaby’s brow knitted. “To be happy and safe. A normal life.”

  Orion grinned hugely. “No it’s not. It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me or perhaps you can’t even admit it yourself.” He gazed over at Sebastian who was watching him, then Orion turned back to Gaby with a smirk. “It does not matter. Our magic can find it’s way into the deepest part of your brain and withdraw your darkest desire.”

  “How would that benefit Ava?” I asked trying to remove the focus from Gaby, who paled.

  Damien looked to be studying her too. “Ava believes she can use your desires against you.” He didn’t speak to me, but I felt the weight of his words. I stared at Gaby, whose eyes were focused too hard on the ground. “There are reasons we may not fulfill those desires. Perhaps they are wrong. Perhaps for fear. Or perhaps out of love.” He seemed to speak to Gaby, but she refused to look at anyone. “Orion has refused her. It gives us some time to figure out a plan while she tracks down another Fae.”

  “How long could that take?” Sebastian asked. It was the first time he’d spoken since we entered the room. It drew Gaby’s attention to him. Their eyes locked briefly before both turned away. Something unspoken passed between them.

  “Maybe a month.”

  Orion had explained that there were two possibilities for the spell Ava was seeking. One was for an individual. The spell would latch on to one person by means of an item or a salve. It could be administered by anyone they just had to get close. Ava could influence someone to administer it. This was what everyone believed she would use. Ava wanted revenge on Gaby. It made the most sense to go after her or someone close to her.

  The second option, and the one harder to pull off, was a location spell. No one thought Ava would risk this since it would affect even the caster. Orion explained it would be latched on to a person and once they were where they desired, a few choice words would release it and they’d be consumed too. The Fae magic would cancel out any influence Ava might try to use to get someone to do it for her and a Fae was highly unlikely to cast it on an unknowing person to begin with. Ava would be forced to do it herself.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Gaby once I had her back in the apartment. Damien wanted us to move into the compound until Ava was handled. I told him Gaby and I would discuss it, but I knew how much she didn’t want to let these things affect us. If we let them every time, we would be in constant hiding.

  “I don’t know how I feel. You know hiding isn’t what I want, but what if she does it?”

  “I think, this time it’s something to consider, Gaby. What if we’re looking at it all wrong? What if it’s not for anyone else? What if the spell is for her? Her deepest desire is to hurt you. Maybe with Fae magic she can do it.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. I assumed—”

  “You thought it was for you?”

  She gazed at me with such sadness and nodded. I didn’t know the extent to which she desired Sebastian, but seeing the fear in her eyes, I knew I had to do something as I watched her disappear to the bedroom.

  Gaby

  The low hum of music filtered under the bedroom door filling the room with a relaxing melody. I was lost in my thoughts, but the music was a welcomed diversion. I considered what Grayson said. Perhaps Ava was planning on using the spell on herself to bring forth her deepest desire. I didn’t know how that would work. But every fiber in my being believed that her quest was to hurt me. I didn’t know my deepest, darkest desire or perhaps Orion was right and I couldn’t admit it to myself. I couldn’t help but wonder, what if my desire was Sebastian. I would never leave Grayson for him. I knew that. But even I couldn’t lie to myself and say I never wondered about being intimate with him. We had dated. I’d been close to crossing that line with him on more than one occasion. What if that was what I desired? It would destroy me. Grayson could barely tolerate my feeding from him. If that was Ava’s plan, then she might just get what she wanted. If I slept with Sebastian it would ruin my relationship with Grayson.

  I was so immersed that I didn’t hear Grayson enter the room until he cleared his throat.

  “Ahem.”

  My wide eyes shot to him for only a second before I averted my gaze, feeling the shame of the situation weigh heavily on me like a cement slab against my chest. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. His piercing gray focus was trained on only me. There had been so many times during our relationship where I thought that moment would be the final straw to break us. This time was no different.

  “Look at me,” he demanded with authority giving no room to refuse.

  Again I briefly eyed him before seeking the floor. He sighed. I heard him push away from the frame striding across the room to me. Squatting down in front of me he brought his eyes level with me, but I still tried to avoid him. Would he look at me differently if he knew? I felt his finger lightly on my chin. With the slightest pressure, Grayson tilted my chin moving my head to face him.

  “What if it is for me?” I questioned needing to deliberate out loud.

  “What if it isn’t,” he replied. “What if it’s for me? Would you hold me accountable for what I might do, even if it hurt you?”

  I closed my eyes trying to bolster my confidence from his words. Opening them my blue eyes met his. I looked away several times but each time I returned to his gaze, which never wavered. My eyes began to brim with unshed tears.

  “No.”

  Grayson cupped my cheek and I drew comfort from his touch. “Then why are you beating yourself up over something that hasn’t even happened and might never happen?”

  “What if it does? I honestly can’t say what it would be Grayson, but I’m scared it would be…”

  “Sebastian,” he finished. “I know.”

  “You know?”

  He shrugged, and for the first time since entering the room, he glanced away. “I suspected.”

  “Don’t think that I want him, Grayson, because I don’t.” I cupped his face drawing his gaze to mine. “You are the love of my life.”

  “I know.” He tugged on my hand until I stood then led me to the living room where I could hear the music much louder. It was a very soothing song and helped calm me some. Perhaps that was Grayson’s intention when he chose it. I knew the song well. I had it on a few different playlists. Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran who was one of my favorite artists. The lyrics flowed over me as Grayson pulled me into his arms. Christmas lights flickered on the tree and the scent of cinnamon mixed with vanilla filled the air.