I sighed, “I knew that mentally, but it didn’t really hit me until I saw how callous the bastard was. That’s what I was thinking too, let it go and avoid his haunts, but I was afraid I was giving him too much slack because of who he is. One thing’s for sure, I won’t be trying to get to know him in this lifetime. Still, it bothers me, how many of us has he killed in the name of the secret, when a few words would’ve revealed an extenuating circumstance, or justification.

  “How many unidentified objects have been chalked up as electronic ghosts, or aliens, or some other bullshit theory in military and commercial vessels and flights? That are probably all our kind’s fault. It isn’t like I went up to the submarine and waved at the portholes, and I wasn’t closer than a football field. Even at high speeds, the cavitation thanks to the magic is extremely small. Exposure my ass, and calling it buzzing from that distance is a hell of a stretch.”

  Yup, I’d worked my way up into that livid outage I’d mentioned earlier.

  He laughed, “Agreed, and you have allies to call on if it came to that, but our world is hard sometimes. Some deaths, like the ones you deal, and the ones my enforcers deal, are done in justice, but many more are out of evil or just plain uncaring disregard.”

  “So, what’s the plan tonight?”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to move, he was very comfortable, and I was starting to get ideas.

  He said, “I’m taking you to dinner, then the club. Did you get your financials figured out?”

  I nodded, “It’s not all in place yet. Dana’s working on it, but we went over it all and planned it all out this morning. It’ll take time to close on the houses, and get other investments in place, not to mention the foundation. But we’ll get it all done.”

  “Steak?” I asked.

  He grinned, and kissed my hair, “That can be arranged.”

  I got up reluctantly, and I stole a kiss before going to get ready. I’d drained the saltwater from my clothes, when I’d escaped, but I still felt like I needed a shower. I also couldn’t wear jeans to dinner out and the club. I tried to push the afternoon out of my head while I showered, but it was hard to learn that both my parents were assholes. One evil, one callously indifferent to others’ lives.

  I wasn’t in the mood for a dress, so I pulled on a red and black skirt that reached mid-thigh with a matching skin-tight half-shirt, and a loose red blouse half buttoned. Then I pulled on my calf high black boots, with three-inch heels. It’d be great for the club, and conservative enough for dinner unless he took me to a five-star restaurant. It covered everything up, but was sexy and alluring enough as well, conforming to my curves.

  Red and black would also go with my blonde hair and blue eyes, or my illusion of red hair and brown eyes that the humans would see. One more thing I had to get used to, it’d be too easy to clash with one or the other.

  Fortunately, I didn’t wear makeup much except lip gloss, or I’d go crazy wondering if I should match my real or slightly darker illusory skin tone.

  All my professional looking clothes, I supposed I’d still use them on occasion, but not very often. At the very least, when I met up with business owners I wanted to invest with, or something similar. I just didn’t have to wear them every day any longer.

  I really liked my new life, almost to the point I was grateful my old one had gotten too exposed to stay in it any longer. Still, I had a lot on my mind, between finding out Melody hoped I’d be a successor to her self-imposed responsibilities in eighty years or so, and of course, finding out that my father was a dick, I felt a bit overwhelmed.

  In truth, I’d kind of already known that last part. It was just seeing was believing, and me meeting him had removed all doubt.

  I took joy in Mark and our new mating, my new home, but even that was a major life change that added stress. So much to deal with at once, I was amazed how calm I was as I left the room to meet back up with Mark. I hoped he liked the outfit.

  I wondered how Katie and Jeremy were doing, I hoped it went well, despite her nonchalance I knew she really cared for her human electrician, if not loved him at that point.

  Life had gotten so damned complicated, for both of us over the last seven months. At the same time, I finally felt like I was in the place I was meant to be, for this lifetime. That I’d finally accepted I wasn’t human, and didn’t belong in that world, even if I could and should help from a remove.

  Of course, that made me wonder if I was becoming an entitled person, taking the money, mate, and position and power in my life as my due. I didn’t think so, since I was grateful for all of it, but I’d have to watch myself, always. My mind ponged back in the other direction. That was what Mark, Katie, and the others were for, what the advantage was of opening myself up, listening to others, and having allies would accomplish for me. If I started to act spoiled and entitled, they would call me on it. That thought let me dismiss the idea, I wasn’t getting entitled, I was just getting comfortable and joyful in my new life and skin.

  I’d never be callously arrogant like my father, or a cold heartless evil like my mother.

  Mark looked speechless as he took me in with hungry eyes, and I winked teasingly at him as I took his arm. I guess he liked the outfit…

  “Feeling better?” Mark asked, as we slid into the back of the blessedly warm limo, it really was frigid outside.

  A whole lot better actually, “Yeah, thanks for letting me vent earlier.”

  The way he looked at me and how he made me feel had a lot to do with it too, but Mark was more than confident enough as it was. No need to pat his ego.

  Mark said, “You look sinfully lovely in that.”

  I smiled, and leaned into him, “You never did give me your opinion, did I overreact? Or screw up badly?”

  Mark frowned, “There’re degrees. We have a similar no tolerance policy for stupidity. Like taking a sixty mile an hour jog down main street in the middle of the day. Drinking blood in plain sight and obviously, or when breaking the law and leaving impossibilities behind for the cops to scratch their heads about. But stuff happens. Everyone needs to let loose on occasion. It would be like a vampire letting loose and testing their abilities in the wilderness, and a hiker seeing a blur go by. That’s not nearly so bad, and things like that happen all the time. So, no. I thought he overreacted, not you.

  “We’re even more forgiving if the circumstances are life and death, which in your case they were with the man on the raft. Or a real-life example, when Dana ran full speed in the city last week, to chase down that sniper. She was careful, and wasn’t seen, but she could have been, and it would’ve been dealt with by compulsion, not murder.”

  I nodded, then changed the subject so I wouldn’t get worked up about it again. Sure, I felt better about it with him agreeing with me, but talking about it would just piss me off in the long run. Perhaps I was just more sensitive to it because of who the sorcerer was. I also didn’t think my father would see saving a life as an excuse, he was too selfish for that.

  “Where are we going tonight?”

  He said, “Plasma, I try to swap nights unless there’s a real need to be at one or the other.”

  We pulled up to the club and stepped out. All the people on line looked at us curiously as we got out and headed inside. Being mated to the owner had perks, and being on the VIP list before that, it was entirely too cold out to be standing on a line in club clothes. Yet, there were plenty of people doing it, even on a Tuesday night.

  The loud music, steady beat, and atmosphere relaxed me further, especially when the waitress brought me my favorite drink without me even asking. I felt a little spoiled, sitting in the VIP section on a comfortable couch.

  The only slightly annoying thing was not being able to hear Mark and the other vamps in the place carry on their usual subtle conversations, but it was what it was. I enjoyed spending time with my vampire though, even if part of his attention was on work. I was my own woman, but without something else demanding my time I was also very content to be at his side.

  It wasn’t too long before he grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor, and I was able to truly enjoy myself and work off that negative energy. Just… let go, and enjoy the movement of our bodies, the beat of the music, and the feelings of excitement and enjoyment inundating me from the surrounding crowd.

  We managed to get through two and a half songs, before he took my hand and led me off. Something must’ve happened for him to cut off in mid-song, and of course I was clueless about what it was in that moment. I wasn’t too panicked though, my magic and the emotions around me told me whatever it was, it wasn’t here. There was no threat present.

  We headed back outside, and then slipped into the limo.

  There was a very attractive petite redhead sitting across from us, with brown eyes and a thin beautiful face that gave her a pixie appearance. She was short, curvy, and just about four hundred years old though she looked to be twenty years of age. She had on tight black jeans, calf high boots, and a black sweater that conformed to her curves. The all black outfit marked her as one of the enforcers no doubt. She also took one look at me and slipped out of the black full-length leather coat and handed it to me.

  I smiled gratefully and slipped it on. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but it would keep me warm and it would cover my club clothes if it was in public somewhere else.

  Mark said, “This is Taylor, my head enforcer for the night shift. Taylor, my mate, Danielle.”

  She gave me a tentative smile, “Nice to meet you. I’m glad you’re finally with us.”

  I smiled, “Nice to meet you too, and you’re glad?”

  She winked, “He’s been an absolute bear to deal with the last three months without being sure of you, especially on the nights you weren’t together.”

  I laughed, I liked Taylor immediately.

  Mark cleared his throat pointedly.

  Taylor grinned unrepentantly as the limo took off, “Normally I’d handle something like this on my own, but Mark’s the listed responsible party on all of our rental properties, and the police are involved. About thirty high school kids decided to break into one of our rental homes and throw a party. One of the neighbors called the cops. In this kind of case it’s better to just go with it, and let the kids take on the consequences of their actions, instead of compelling everyone involved.”

  I relaxed a little, that didn’t sound dangerous at all. Just… life. I also loved the leather coat, it was warmer than I expected, and I wondered where she got it.

  “Does that happen often?”

  She replied, “Once or twice a year, never the same kids twice, and never the same school district twice in a row. They don’t seem to think it through, we have all of the properties under surveillance when they’re not being rented. Even when they are being rented, we have security systems monitoring.”

  “You like being an enforcer?”

  She grinned, “Yes. When I was turned, women were seen but not heard. I love this century.”

  Mark grumbled.

  I snickered, and I leaned into him.

  She shook her head at her boss’s antics, “Not that it was an issue in our world. Our kind respects power and age over all else, but when interfacing with the humans it was an issue in the past. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than protect our coven.”

  I think I was a bit jealous. Not of her looks, or that I thought Mark would betray me, but of Mark’s past. Taylor clearly knew Mark very well, and had known him down the centuries, if that made sense. Shared experiences that I was excluded from. I knew who Mark was now, very well, but his past was another story. I mean, they’d probably emigrated together two hundred years ago, when America was a new upstart country and nothing but the original thirteen colony states. When Mark had split off from his old coven to form his own.

  It was mind boggling at times, the weight of history behind the man I loved.

  We pulled up to a house, with two cop cars blinking blue and red lights, as well as a bunch of sullen looking teens and angry parents. I didn’t fail to notice the discomfort of my two companions from the bright blinking lights, but they didn’t complain. Nor did they put on sunglasses, which would’ve really stood out at night.

  The coat fit well enough on my lithe and taller body as I buttoned it up, and I followed Mark and Taylor outside.

  Taylor managed to look cold when we walked over to the police, even though I knew she wasn’t. I’d be happier when the warm weather was back, and the beaches reopened, even if it would bring back the rogues. I missed lying in the sun on the beach.

  “Officer, I’m Mark Collins, this is my rental property.”

  He looked the three of us over, and said, “Thanks for coming so quickly. You can head inside, and the officer in the house will assist you. We need you to identify any new damage, or missing articles. We’re still gathering names, and not all the parents have been contacted yet. You’ll need to be present until everyone else is cleared out.”

  “Thank you, officer,” he said, and he headed toward the house with the two of us in tow.

  My power told me only a handful of the teens had actually been drinking, since I could read their blood alcohol levels. My new level of power also made it abundantly clear how annoyed the parents were at being here.

  After a quick walkthrough, the only parts of the house damaged were the window on the back door to break in, along with a broken glass in the kitchen sink and a soda stain on the carpet in the living room. It’d be easy to get fixed. I was sure it’d have been much worse if the party wasn’t caught so early, as far as we could tell the bedrooms were untouched, and nothing had been stolen.

  Though I was sure they would review the surveillance video to make sure of that last.

  The officer inside just asked a few questions and verified who we were and the contact information for the reports. It was almost relaxing, compared to what we usually got up to in our world.

  In the end, we were there for about an hour before we locked up the house and returned to the coven instead of the club.

  Mark pulled me into his arms when we got back to our suite on the top floor of the mansion. There was something thrilling about that, so vulnerable and so secure, knowing I was safe with him even as he manhandled me into a deep and passionate kiss. I was swept away by emotion and the growing heat in my body, not even bothering to resist it as I felt swept away, why would I?

  I picked up on the flavor of his emotions and a shiver went down my spine in anticipation. A good shiver. I couldn’t feel the passionate emotions, but those were clear enough in his eyes as the kiss broke. Not to mention the hardness of him against me betraying his own excitement.

  “Hungry, honey?” I asked in a rather sultry breathless voice.

  It was hard to even describe the spiraling and overwhelming sensations of desire and pleasure, and the intense physical effects on my body when he fed from me and took my nourishing blood.

  His eyes were filled with desire and need, and I sighed and melted against him as I turned my head to the side, exposing my neck rather eagerly and absolutely shamelessly. Even just the anticipation had me tingling and deeply aroused in his arms.

  I was a powerful and stubborn woman of conscience, but in Mark’s arms I was shamelessly and utterly his creature. He owned my body, heart, and at that point even my mind. I’d stopped questioning it long ago, and just reveled in it.

  Thankfully, he was just as much mine, as I was his.

  The feeling of it as he fed from me was incredible, and what came after that was even more amazing as we made love passionately and wildly deep into the night.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The elliptical was a hell of a work out, especially since my body was already pleasantly sore from the night before. I hadn’t stopped my intense daily morning workouts, and I didn’t imagine I ever would. Although, in twenty to fifty years once I was turned, I wouldn’t need the workouts to stay in great shape over the long term. Regardless, I wouldn’t want to live forever in imperfect shape, or at least wanted to be as close to perfect as I could get.

  Point being, Mark didn’t work out with me. He’d never change, and never needed to. Working out would no more put him in better shape than not working out would do the opposite. I supposed I would stop when I was turned, but that was a long time away.

  I worked hard for that second wind endorphin rush, as I considered the day ahead. I planned to spend most of it with Mark, since I’d been with Katie most of the day yesterday. As far as my allies, I had a lunch date set up with Miku tomorrow, and of course Melody had my Tuesday lunches. I’d have to do something similar with Ben and my Chicago friends, but I hadn’t worked that into my schedule yet.

  I’d also need to get with Dana sometime that Wednesday, and we’d go over the status of all the investment decisions I’d made on Monday. I also missed her a bit, I was used to seeing Dana every day because of my old human job, and I hadn’t seen her at all yesterday. We’d become very close in just the four months my agency was open.

  Perhaps most importantly, I needed the scoop on Jeremy from Katie. The curiosity on whether her hunky electrician could handle knowledge of our world or not was driving me crazy. I supposed I wanted my cousin to be as happy as I was, and there was guilt in there as well. I knew it was ridiculous, it was how life worked, but a part of me still felt like I’d abandoned Katie, even if I’d be seeing her just as much despite not living with her.

  All in all though, I had very little to complain about. It’d only been five days, but I was pretty sure I liked my new life even more than my old one. I’d miss reuniting families, but that’s all that I’d miss, and I could do a lot more now and I’d have a lot of free time to relax and spend with the people in my life. All around, nothing to complain about.

  I just hoped it lasted. I couldn’t imagine my life without Mark, but we were definitely still in the honeymoon stage of things. I couldn’t get enough of him.

  The endorphin rush hit a minute or so before my workout ended, and I was pretty blissed out and happy as I got into the shower. I loved the pleasantly sore feeling, and the way the hot water relaxed my muscles as it flowed down my body. Only a small discomfort in my stomach told me I was starving. After the shower, I felt fresh, clean, and ready to face the day. I pulled on a casual pair of blue jeans, not skin tight but it did wonders for my ass, and a tight knit pink sweater that was warm and snug on my body.