“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.”

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

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

She nodded in agreement, but said nothing as she listened attentively.“The attackers last night were after my son,” I said. “So, if you take this position, you will not only be his nanny, you will also be his protector.” I looked directly into her eyes. “To be honest with you, I had my doubts about hiring you at first, but after witnessing how you handled yourself last night in the fight against The Outsiders, I became convinced.” Then, I leaned closer. “And what I’m about to say I will say only once. In offering you this position, I am trusting you with my son’s life. If anything happens to him while he is under your care, I will hold you personally responsible. Understood?” She nodded. “So, are you still interested in the position? I will pay you handsomely. Kellen here can tell you that I am good to those who are loyal to me.”Kellen nodded in agreement, listening, with his muscled arms propped

A moment later, we pulled down the Las Vegas strip. I never tired of the sensory overload, even during the day. We drove past the tall, white Tropicana hotel and MGM Grand, flashing images of famous actors on their billboard that were soon to appear. Then, we passed the Atria hotel on the left, a huge skyscraper building with an equally huge billboard flashed brightly. Next, we passed the huge, circular building of The Las Vegas Weekly on the right as palm trees swayed with the sultry morning breeze, lining the center of the road. One of my favorites was the Paris hotel on the right, complete with an Eiffel Tower replica. Caesar’s Palace was on the left, their billboard flashing neon along with the Mirage hotel, and the flashing lights of the famous Casino Royale were on the right. A few moments later, we pulled in front of the Southside Medical Hospital.As soon as the limo pulled to a stop, Lorenzo jumped out and held his hand out for Leila, as Javier opened my door.