“I will kill those two if they get their hands on you, I promise it.”

  “Don’t worry, Helena, honey. I’ll be okay. They need me, remember? And they can’t get me now, thanks to you,” he says as he lifts her chin to return her kiss. “I’m just so thankful you weren’t harmed. I am so sorry you were dragged into this.”

  “Julian, my darling, I go where you go,” she says. Helena gathers herself and looks at the rest of us.

  “Let me work the spell on everyone. It won’t expire. It lasts until I take it off you. Sebastian, you first.”

  While Helena is working her spell on Bast, Aidan comes over to me.

  “Was he very angry?”

  “Yes, at you.”

  Aidan laughs deeply and his eyes sparkle. He doesn’t seem worried. He is shameless.

  “Aren’t you even a little bit ashamed of yourself?”

  “No. I told you I wouldn’t play nicely. I want to see you again. I want to put you in my apartment to keep you safe. I don’t like how close Julian and Helena came this afternoon. I don’t want you to go out tonight. Indio seriously doesn’t like you, Lilith.”

  “Your turn, Hannah,” Helena calls.

  Sebastian comes over to Aidan and me and slips his arm around me protectively.

  “Afraid I’ll take her again?” Aidan’s eyes glow and the temperature in the room rises.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact.” Sebastian replies, without hesitation, fangs out. “I heard what you just said. It is out of the question. I can protect her. You are not needed,” Bast’s voice is hard and cool.

  “I was needed today,” Aidan reminds him. “I can do a better job of protecting her than you can when I make you flounder like a scarab beetle on its back.”

  “You will not just take her away again, not without me. I am not letting go of her.”

  “I wouldn’t just take her. I would ask her first. She is capable of making her own decisions and I respect them.”

  I’ve had it with their male ego trips.

  “Enough! I can look after myself. I appreciate the offers, but don’t think I can’t and won’t contribute to my own defense. Aidan, I am not going into hiding. I know Indio doesn’t like me, but I think she has other things on her mind at the moment.”

  “I can assure you, love,” Aidan tells me calmly, “you are at the top of her list. You, Julian, and Sebastian. She will go for whichever of you she can get first. Iris only wants Julian so he can translate for her, but Indio is greedy and has it in her mind that you are the only thing between her and Sebastian. Though why she wants him is beyond me.”

  Sebastian chooses to ignore Aidan’s comment. His fangs retract when he turns to me.

  “Cherie, maybe we should cancel our night out?” Sebastian says. “I don’t want to make you a target for Indio.”

  “We don’t know she’s going to come to the club after the attempt to get Julian and Helena today,” I protest.

  “Remember, Cherie, we are not supposed to know it was them,” Sebastian says, glaring at Aidan as if even his help isn’t appreciated. “They may very well show up. I’m worried about you going. I couldn’t stand for anything to happen to you. At least you should think about moving in here for awhile.” He sees me start to protest. “Just until we get this all sorted out.”

  “Lily, it’s your turn, dear,” Helena says as she maneuvers me out from the territorial posturing of Aidan and Sebastian.

  I have to stand still while she whispers the incantation over me. I soon feel a warming sensation and see the now familiar glimmer that tells me the spell is in place.

  “You’re all done, Lily. I really hope this works. That heinous witch. If she hurts any of you, I will hunt her down. I’ve learned almost a thousand years of patience and I will use it to wait for the right moment to kill them.”

  “It will be all right, Helena. We will stop them,” Sebastian says. “Come, it is time to get ready. Go put on a pretty dress and let’s go celebrate Lily’s birthday.”

  “No!”

  Helena pulls away from Sebastian. Julian is at her side in a blur.

  “What is it, Helena,” he asks her so softly a human would not have been able to hear it but we all could.

  “None of us are going out tonight unless Aidan goes too. I want him with us. He saved our lives today and he can help us tonight if something happens. Please, Aidan, would you join us tonight, for Lily’s sake, if not for ours.”

  “Sure. It will be fun, I think, or a lesson in futility. I’m not sure,” Aidan says, looking at me. “I will stay visible only as long as the sisters aren’t there. If they show up I’ll stay, but invisible. Does that meet with your approval, Helena?”

  “Yes, thank you, Aidan. I feel better knowing that you’ll be there.”

  This should make for an interesting night. I hope Sebastian and Aidan can behave themselves. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would be entertained by men like these two. Ying and yang, hot and cold. It’s enough to make a girl’s head spin and her heart go flittering. If only I could clone myself. Aidan’s offer to keep me safe was heartfelt and sincere. No less than Sebastian’s. At least at the manse I would be somewhat less isolated and Sebastian wouldn’t be climbing the walls wondering what’s going on. I’m a bit nervous to be on my own right now. I’ll think about Sebastian’s insistence that I move in temporarily later.

  “Well, Hannah, let’s go up stairs and get ready, shall we?”

  “’Kay, Lily. I need to get my things out of my car.”

  “Allow me,” says Aidan as he zaps a garment bag, shoe box and small suitcase into the library.

  “I could sooo get used to you,” Hannah sighs looking starry-eyed at Aidan. Aidan grins at her.

  I show Hannah to the bedroom she will use when we get home. It’s between Helena and Julian’s and Sebastian’s room. Julian and Helena’s room has sound proofing but the rest of us could all hear each other, something I keep in mind.

  If the truth be told, I am nervous about tonight. Iris and Indio are dangerous, as witnessed by Aidan. Indio will be pissed that they didn’t capture Julian and Helena this afternoon. They will undoubtedly find some reason to blame it on me. Or at least Indio will find a reason to be angry with me.

  More to the point I am nervous having Sebastian and Aidan in the same club all night. It seems a recipe for disaster. Sebastian already showed fang once tonight, which by the way was hot. Things are happening so quickly that I haven’t had a lot of time to think about my time with Aidan. His magick is startling. It is incredible to be held by his warm body. He is gentle and tentative in his kissing, yet I could feel the passion ready to escape. I wonder how he feels in his human shape. All his energy trapped inside a confined space. It can’t be too comfortable.

  I turn on the shower and let the hot water wash away the tension that has been building over the last couple of hours. I draw a smiley face in the glass, walk out of the shower and put gel in my hair before I blow it dry. Green eye shadow highlights my eyes. I finish with a light gloss on my lips.

  Next comes my best French black lingerie and finally I slip into my dress. There’s a knock and Sebastian opens my door. He moves in behind me to zip me up, lingering with his fingers on my skin. He kisses the back of my neck, his lips move down my back until he zips up my dress.

  I feel the urge to breathe but resist. Sebastian’s heart is pounding in an erratic beat. For once he isn’t smiling.

  “You’re just in time to help me with my necklace.”

  “Anything, Cherie,” he says in a husky voice.

  I move away from him to put my earrings on. Then I pick up my mother’s necklace but Sebastian is already behind me. He gently places it around my neck and fastens it. We look at each other in the mirror for a minute.

  “You are very beautiful tonight, darling.” His voice gives me goose bumps.

  “It’s the new dress, Bast. Anyone would look beautiful in it.”

  “No, that’s not it.” He turns me around and moves in slowly to kiss me. His kiss is electric. He moves back and looks at me. His hunger is obvious as his eyes darken and he draws his brows together concentrating on my face. I meet him halfway for the next kiss and he groans. His hands move down my back slowly. He doesn’t stop there. His hand slides down to my thigh and reaches the hemline of my dress where he eases it up. His hand moves so that he can squeeze the back of my thigh. This time I moan. It stirs something in him. I feel his hard body press against me. He moves his other hand onto my breast and squeezes gently. I move into him and rock against him. My hands move over his rock hard chest. I roam freely and Sebastian makes encouraging noises. I run my hands through his silky hair relishing the curls. He smells so good and I feel so secure in his strong arms, different than with Aidan. Sebastian is comfortable, not boring, I know him and he knows me. He’s safe.

  There is a knock at the door and Hannah comes in. Ugh! What am I doing? It’s a good thing we were interrupted. That was too close - I still burn.

  “Oh, sorry,” she says sheepishly. I’m sure she heard us.

  I try to detangle myself from Sebastian but he is having none of it. He simply holds me in a more respectable way trying to cover the burgeoning front of his pants at the same time.

  “It’s okay, Hannah. I just finished dressing.”

  “I can see that. Sebastian is putting on the finishing touches?” she observes mildly. “I can see how you swing, Sebastian,” Hannah says under her breath.

  I giggle. Sebastian grins.

  “Hannah, you are looking delicious in that red dress.”

  “Yeah, maybe I will persuade Aidan that once you go vamp you never go back.”

  “I would be much obliged if you would, Chou Chou,” Bast says.

  I shake my head. I have to admit after what we just did I wonder why I’m even looking elsewhere. Damn, Sebastian is hot. My body’s still smoldering.

  We gather everyone. Andrew is going with us too. Andrew’s main squeeze Phillip is back in town and will meet us there. Phillip doesn’t know we’re vampires. He just thinks Andrew has eccentric employers. He also doesn’t know Andrew has a crush on Hannah. Phillip is the jealous type. Like I said, the evening has potential.

  22 . LILITH

  Sebastian and I take his Mercedes. Julian, Helena, Hannah and Andrew go in Julian’s Mercedes sedan. I know Sebastian has arranged for our privacy and I appreciate it. We rarely get to talk alone and we need to. It’s hard when all your friends have super hearing powers.

  “Remind me to revoke Hannah’s invitation. Two more minutes and I would have had that dress off of you,” Sebastian says while we’re pulling out of the driveway.

  “Remind me to thank her then,” I say. “I paid a lot for this dress. I want to wear it at least one night.”

  “I can assure you that the dress is appreciated. And your neck and your back and your legs and your…”

  “Enough, Bast. Besides, as difficult as it is, I haven’t changed my mind. I need some time.”

  He looks at me with an innocent expression. It’s easy to be with him. Too easy.

  “Okay I admit I was having thoughts that included me without the dress on too.”

  “Aha! I knew it!” he grinned.

  “How could I not? We were on fire back there.”

  “Yes we were, ma Chere. Just think, we could be that way every night, every day, every way. Just something to think about.”

  And damn him if I wasn’t thinking about it really hard. I better think of something else, quick.

  “I am a little worried about tonight. Do you think they’ll try something in the club?”

  “Perhaps, I am more worried about when you and Julian hunt. I think I’ll go with you.”

  “I’m counting on them not being there yet. We’re still a little early and I thought Jules and I could find someone before we even go in.”

  “I think that would be an excellent idea. I’ll stay in the shadows, but I want you both in my sight.”

  “Bast, what could you do if they were able to put that spell on us? It sounds like it’s impenetrable.”

  “I would kill them. From what Julian and Aidan said, they think that Iris and Indio will not be able to cast another one of the spells right away so I should be able to get in close and break their little necks. And believe me there would be no greater pleasure.”

  I didn’t say anything. How do you respond to that? The man who says he loves you is willing to kill for you and boldly professes it. Maybe it’s a French thing. They are very dramatic. Being honest, I have to say it is somewhat of a turn on, even though I’m absolutely opposed to the taking of a human life. It makes me feel all safe and tingly. Damn him again! I’m a mess.

  We pull up to valet parking and they open our doors.

  “Good evening, Mr. St. John.”

  “Bonsoir, Jack.”

  We wait off to the side for Julian. I’m careful to avoid the cracks in the sidewalk, just in case it might bring bad luck. Bast shakes his head at me. Julian and Helena join us shortly. Hannah and Andrew go inside. They’ll meet us at the bar. I guess Helena won’t let Jules out of her sight either. We stroll down the street a ways. Julian and Sebastian switch places so Julian can help me. We want to get this out of the way as soon as possible and Julian can actually lure people to him. Very few vampires have this gift and both Julian and Helena have it. You have to be old but that isn’t the only defining factor. Many old vampires still aren’t able to do it.

  “Okay Lily here come a nice couple, how about them?”

  It goes against the grain to eat from a nice couple but we are trying to be safe and are in a hurry. They will remember nothing but a great time.

  “They look fine Jules. Let me get my handi-wipe out.”

  “Oh Lily,” he sighs.

  “You know I can’t help it, Julian.”

  “I know, watch and learn.”

  He makes eye contact with the couple and they can’t seem to look away. Their whole world focuses on Julian. Soon they walk towards us. Julian and I back into a doorway and they obligingly follow. Julian whispers, “Everything is going to be all right, you are safe here.”

  They nod, in a trance. It is amazing to watch. I quickly use my handi-wipe on the neck of the man to make sure it’s clean and germ free. No cooties for me. Yuck. Julian shakes his head, his fangs already out, keeping eye contact with the couple the whole time. When I’m done he says, “On the count of three. One, two, three…”

  And we both bite into our dinner. It’s so good it makes my toes curl. Of course it starts out tasting like lemon scented handi-wipe, but that taste soon goes away. Then it is just sweet, sweet AB nectar. The gentleman I’m sharing my dining experience with is moaning a bit and so I assume it’s good for him too. The blood has a hint of citrus, yummy. It’s so nice to have someone who hasn’t been drinking. I finish after Julian. As soon as I’m done, Sebastian scoops me up and whisks me away.

  “God you’re sexy when you feed,” he whispers in my ear.

  “I heard that,” Helena says.

  “Everything but the handi-wipe,” Julian comments.

  “That’s my favorite part.” Sebastian loyally stands up for my neurotic self.

  “Thank you, Bast.” I sniff.

  “Come in and see the rest of your present.”

  We walk through the doors and immediately smell roses and lilies. We check our coats and walk down into the club to the most beautiful sight. The entire club is decorated in pink roses and calla lilies. A huge banner hangs behind the band that says ‘Happy Birthday Lilith’ and a beautiful four-tiered birthday cake with more lilies and roses trailing down the tiers. Sebastian has outdone himself. Julian and Helena take it all in, smiling at their boy.

  “I can’t believe how beautiful this all is Sebastian, it smells wonderful in here.”

  Sebastian’s eyes are on me. He pulls me gently into him.

  “I am glad you like it, Lily. You know I would give you anything, do anything for you. You know, this right?”

  “I’m beginning to realize that, and thank you. This is much more appropriate.”

  “I need you to believe me, Lily,” he says. He bends down to kiss me. His lips brush mine softly. Just then Aidan walks over to the group.

  “Don’t let me interrupt,” he says, enjoying Sebastian’s irritation.

  “Hello, Aidan.” I can’t help staring a little. He’s in an Armani suit and is absolutely stunning. “Don’t you look dashing?”

  Sebastian grunts.

  “Just a little something I had hanging in my closet. You are especially beautiful tonight, Lilith. Hannah, Helena, you are both gorgeous as well. What is a man to do surrounded by such beauties? I must dance with all of you in turn. Promise me. I’ve never danced in a club before.”

  “Of course, Aidan,” Helena says.

  I see Helena give Aidan the once over, obviously impressed. She’s ready to promise him almost anything in her gratitude for saving Julian this afternoon.

  “Excellent, shall we start, Hannah?”

  Aidan grabs Hannah’s hand and whirls her off to the dance floor and into the mix. The band starts playing ‘In the Mood’ and Aidan and Hannah dance the Lindy Hop. There is a table reserved for us up front and we find our way to it. My spirits rise with each swirl of Hannah’s dress. The music, the flowers, the atmosphere all combine to raise me to a place I haven’t been in a long time. I grin at Sebastian and he looks at me with a fire in his eyes. I take his hand under the table and he immediately starts to run his thumb along my palm sending shivers down my spine. The song concludes and Aidan deposits Hannah at our table with a flourish. He flushes with excitement.

  “Helena, with your permission?”

  He holds out his hand to her and she takes it. It’s another fast song and they swing across the floor. Helena steps to and fro making the dance look easy and Aidan can certainly hold his own. His eyes are alight and his skin glows. What this must be like for him? He has spent an eternity alone. Just to have someone to spend some time with. People that know what he is, but don’t demand anything from him. I have to remember that Bast is going to be watching every move. It would be fun to go out with each of them. I admit that I’m more than attracted to each of them.