Leila nodded, understanding. “You still want to become human again, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said. “Then, after I’m human, we can disappear and live a human life with our children.”
Leila smiled. “Well, semi-human,” she said, thinking of the blood that Jase and Sirena would need to survive.
I shrugged. “Amy is a dhampir and she lives a human life.”
“As much as she can,” Leila corrected, remembering her involvement in the Werewolf-Vampire War. She was on our side, thank goodness. I cringed at the memory. Because of her, I was able to find Leila in time, and Amy had stayed with her until I could find her. I quickly pushed the thought aside. “When would you like to interview the nannies?”
“I thought we could do that this afternoon, but do not make any plans for tonight,” I said, rubbing Jase’s back absently. He had fallen asleep on my shoulder
When I walked back in, Leila was sitting on the couch, sipping her blood, and in dire need of a nap. “I phoned Amy while you were out,” she said. “She can see me tomorrow.” Then, she thought for a moment. “When are you going back to work?”I picked up my long-stemmed glass filled with blood, sat down beside her, and took a sip. “Not until you and Jase are settled.” I slid my arm around her and looked into her eyes. “I want to make sure that you’re safe first.”“But what about your business at the hospital with Drake?” she asked as she took another sip of blood.I shrugged. “He can handle everything while I’m gone. He’s keeping the deliveries coming here from the hospital. I’ll go in soon to finalize what I need to when I can.”Leila took a deep breath. “Lance, you don’t have to do that.”“Shush,” I said, placing
I smiled. “Keep that up and we’ll be eating in tonight.”She raised an eyebrow seductively. “Sounds good.”I rolled my eyes. “You, my wife, know all the right strings to pull with me, do you not?”She laughed. “Only when it counts.”I smiled, shaking my head. “Whether you know it or not, you, my dear, have the power to make me or to destroy me. You know that, don’t you?”She shook her head and placed a hand gently on the side of my face. “You have the same power over me, as well.” Then, she looked deeply into my eyes. “But I would never hurt you.”“Nor I, you,” I replied, as my lips brushed across hers. She parted her lips, allowing me entrance, as our tongues danced and explored, until our breathing quickened. Then, I scooped her into my arms and looked into her eyes. “We have time for a quickie.”She laughed. &ldqu
He quickly squirmed out of my arms and ran off to play, squealing with delight when he saw the toys. He walked right over to the horse and looked up at me. “Ride?”“Of course,” I said as I placed him atop the antique, wooden horse. “But be careful.”He nodded. “I will.”“Did he just answer you?” Leila asked as she entered the room, dressed in a baby doll beige dress, loose fitting at the waist, but short, showing off her splendid long, shapely legs.I nodded. “He said a full sentence, too.”We talked a bit back and forth about Jase when she said, “Well, if you don’t want to be late for dinner, then you need to get ready.” She looked down at Jase and smiled, and then sat down on a nearby club chair. “I’m here. Go get ready.”One corner of my mouth curled into a smile. “Getting bossy now, are we?”She laughed as she ra
“Leila, you remember Xander Reed and Elias Samuelson, of course,” I said, indicating the two gentlemen as everyone went on with their own conversations, while Aaron told jokes.Xander and Elias both nodded. “It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Xander said.“The pleasure is mine,” Leila returned. Then, she turned to Elias. He had light brown hair and looked a lot like a younger version of his father. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Elias.”He forced a tight smile and gave her a sharp nod. “The pleasure is mine.”Xander shot him a warning look, and he quickly recovered. The blonde young lady between them appeared to be no more than twenty-five, and it looked as if she was there with them both. It was common for werewolves to share, but it was rare between Alphas. Xander gave her a warm smile and turned to me. “This is Kalyssa Carran. She’s a new member of our Pack.”
As if on cue, Aaron Murdock told a joke and the table roared in laughter. Even though he was an old Vaudeville comedian, he didn’t look a day over twenty-five. His career was short lived when his fans began to notice that he wasn’t aging. We had to literally force him to “retire”, faking his death and bringing him into hiding. It would be safe for him to go out into public now, so many years later, but I guessed that he was so used to being in the castle and he found no reason to leave. Around a crowd, he didn’t know when to quit entertaining.I smiled to myself and handed Jase to Leila. He immediately laid his head on her shoulder, and I knew that we would have to leave soon. I wasn’t sure how much more he could take. Then, I stood and tapped my fork against my glass. It pinged loudly, ringing throughout the dining hall, getting everyone’s attention. A moment later, it was quiet and all eyes were on me.I raised my glass. &ldq
When I heard a growl behind me, I doubled my fists and turned, but stopped short: it was Xander in his werewolf form. His wolf was dark gray and huge, almost as tall as me when he was on all fours. He nodded and pounced on another Outsider as I took down two more at the same time, ripping out one’s throat as I stomped on another’s chest, crushing his heart.I heard a vicious vampire growl to the left and looked over as a female vampire karate chopped an Outsider in the throat, taking him down easily, and then did a flying sidekick at another vampire who was coming at her, then she reached down, grabbed both by the hair as she stomped on their throats, and ripped their heads from their bodies at the same time. She looked up at me, holding the flaming vampires’ heads in her hands. Then, she dropped them and they rolled upon the ground near her feet. Within the matter of minutes, the Outsiders were a pile of ash. To my surprise … it was Adeline.I
Without caring who was in the room, I bit my wrist and held it out to her lips. “Here.”Without hesitating, she took it and drank it down.Kalyssa rose from the couch and crossed the room to both Xander and Elias, wrapping her arms around them both. “Oh, thank God you’re both alive.”They both kissed her, first Xander, and then Elias.Rosa and Henry took it all in, but said nothing.“Ladies and gentlemen,” I began, addressing the room. “I’m holding a meeting tomorrow evening. I would appreciate it if you would attend.” I didn’t want to discuss the attack in front of Leila or the humans. Rosa’s lips were pursed as she glared at me, and Henry took it all in. Then, I looked at Kellen. “Call and make sure that everyone attends.”He nodded, knowing that I meant the heads of all of the covens.“We shall be there,” Annette said, and then turned to
As soon as Rosa and Henry left the room, Leila popped three blood bags into the microwave. I turned to her and said, “I have to shower and change for the press conference. Where’s Jase?”“In his crib,” she said, shoving a straw into the side of the bag, not bothering with a glass.I nodded. “Are you okay?”She took a strong pull through the straw and said, “Don’t worry about me or Jase. Just do what you have to do. We’ll be fine.” I looked down at her right hand and was glad to see that she was still wearing her Bloodstone ring. She hadn’t taken it off since I gave it to her.I pulled her in for a quick kiss, and then headed toward the shower while unbuttoning my shirt. A few minutes later, I walked into the living room, showered and changed into another black Armani suit. I needed to look the part when I faced the press.“My, you look nice,” Leila said as she hande