They found Marina in one of the bedrooms, drugged and bound, but unharmed otherwise. "She is a friend of Amy and Jen's," Kyle said. "I will do what needs to be done."

Skye tensed, but before she could question or argue, Gian pulled her against his body. The girl will not be harmed. Kyle means only to explore her thoughts and alter her memory if necessary then send her on her way.

Amy and Jen are mere fledglings. They will be placed under a master's care until they are strong enough to stand on their own and cause the rest of us no harm. Until that time, they will have no contact with anyone from their past.

Brann will be their master?

Gian's soft laugh whispered along her spine. No, while Brann can remove the witch's taint and remake them, he has no patience for training fledglings. There are others among us who relish that role.

Skye nodded, her mind lingering for a moment on the images that his words created. Though she wasn't drawn to the BDSM scene, she had hunted among its participants in the past.

Amy's half-brother will not give up looking for her now that I've told him that I think she's alive, Skye said.

Then he must be convinced that she is dead.

Skye nodded. His personal aide is in town, waiting for my call.

Gian licked along her neck then scrapped his fangs over her pulse. I have met very few humans who couldn't be hypnotized by us, by the Angelini. Call him to you. Let him carry the news of Amy's true death back to her brother.

It would be better if we could also send proof.

Gian looked to Brann and Skye knew that they talked, though she had only the impression of words and not their sound. When Gian shifted his attention back to her, he said, Amy possesses a ring that she stole from her brother. Brann has commanded that she surrender it. Haley will give it to you when we return to the club.

As soon as they were in Gian's car, Skye used her cellular to call Martin. "Have you located her?" he asked without preamble.

"Yes."

"I want to meet with you. Immediately."

His manic, nervous energy flowed down the telephone line. "At your hotel?"

"No. I've got a rental car. Name a place where no one will notice us and I'll pick you up."

"I'm on my way to a bar named Fangs. I can wait for you there. Do you need directions?"

"No. I'll get them. How long?"

"Thirty minutes."

"I trust you've been discreet and no one else knows that you've located Amy."

Skye's instinct warned that the question was more important than it seemed. "I've got a silent partner. He knows."

There was a tense silence. "None of the research indicated that you had a partner."

On a hunch she said, "He doesn't want the police department to monitor him as they do me."

"Ah."

"I'll see you in thirty minutes," Skye said, snapping the cellular closed and returning it to her pocket.

"He's nervous," Gian said. "Untrustworthy."

"Yes."

"I'll go with you."

Skye laughed even though warmth flooded her heart at his unspoken concern. She moved closer, her body touching his, and the warmth became heated need.

Later. His voice was a husky caress in her mind. Let us deal with this and get it behind us, then there will be time to love and play at our leisure.

Skye reached to find Rico. He was still at Toppers, but close to being finished. She could feel his body respond as her thoughts and needs brushed against his.

* * * * *

Haley was waiting for them as Skye and Gian moved through the back entrance of Fangs. Her hand fluttered nervously to her pendant as her gaze moved back and forth between Gian and Skye then finally settled on Skye.

"Kyle said that you'd been injured and that your clothes were bloody. I left something for you to wear, in the room you were in before."

"Thanks," Skye said.

Gian pressed a kiss to Skye's temple. I will meet you in a few minutes.

As he walked away, Haley handed a heavy, masculine ring to Skye. "I'm supposed to give this to you. Amy said that her brother stole it from his grandfather. It was supposed to be buried with his grandfather, but her brother paid someone to remove it before they buried the coffin."

Skye studied the ring and knew instantly why Amy had stolen in from her brother. It had the look of something old and mystical, though she could feel no magic attached to it. "Somehow that's fitting."

Haley twisted the pendant she was wearing. "Thanks for finding Jen. And for not killing her...them." In a rush, she added, "They didn't mean for Brittany Armstrong to die. They wanted to make her a vampire-their vampire and not the witch's. But they weren't strong enough." She took a deep breath, her eyes both pleading and hopeful. "I hope we can be friends. This life is...it's hard sometimes...not being able to talk about...things."

The request surprised Skye. She'd had people ask her for many things, but no one had ever asked for friendship. Feelingly oddly disoriented, she nodded and said, "I'd like that."

Haley's smile was brilliant. "Thanks." She moved back. "You probably want to take a shower and change."

* * * * *

Skye found it amusing that the senator's aide drove past Fangs several times before finally parking in a remote, pitch-black area of the lot. If he only knew what lurked in the dark, he'd park directly under a light.

She watched as Gian glided toward the car, toward the unsuspecting man. She followed, sure to stay in the light, to keep Martin's attention away from the unexpected menace that was Gian.

When she was close, she heard the click of electric door locks being released. Front seat or back? she asked.

The night grows short. I will take the front and with it the blame for whatever happens. Your other mate comes to us now. Let's be done with this.

Even if Skye had wanted to argue, there was no choice. Just as Martin frowned his annoyance that she was getting in the backseat, Gian joined him in the front.

Martin whirled and stood no chance at all. The instant his eyes met Gian's, he was trapped, his thoughts and intentions spilling out like the insides of a gutted fish.

He makes it easy for us, Gian said, satisfaction in his voice at the aide's plan to kill Amy and bury her in the desert.

Skye laughed silently and pulled the ring from her pocket. Gian took it and offered it to Martin, along with the suggestion that he go to the place where Skye had buried the now-retrieved coffins and sleep until the sun rose. The disturbed dirt and the shovel in the trunk of his car, along with the ring were all the proof his mind would require that his plans had been successful.

Martin took the ring and slipped it over his finger. Skye could sense the glee in him, the expectation of having the Senator in his debt for taking care of this matter. Through the aide's memories, she could see that it was a debt the Senator willingly took on, though he'd been careful never to give the order directly.

Kyle appeared with a shovel. At Gian's command, Martin unlocked the trunk. As soon as the shovel was in place, Kyle said, Your mate has arrived, then blended back into the night.

Gian said, I will finish providing him with the details of his crime and meet you in the club.

Skye slipped from the car and went into Fangs.

Rico was leaning against the bar. At the sight of him, Skye's pulse quickened and when he looked up and smiled, joy rushed through her.

She skirted the dance floor and got to him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing a kiss against his lips in greeting. Everything's okay? she asked.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. Yeah. There were plenty of witnesses, so I only got a little bit of my ass chewed off for letting you guys leave the scene. He gently ran a hand along her side. He healed you?

Yes.

Good.

I didn't think you'd come here.

Rico laughed at that. Well, what happened last night kind of put a new slant on things. He opened his eyes and stared into hers. They towed the guy's car in and supposedly found a link to his blog. Brittany Armstrong's murder is detailed in it, along with the deaths of three girls and David Olney. All of them were supposedly in the woods that night. According to what he wrote, they all died attempting to turn into vampires and he burned the bodies so they wouldn't be recovered. The captain is ready to close the case. Rico hesitated several heartbeats before adding, I've never had a case tie together so conveniently before. But I wouldn't mind seeing this one shut.

Skye could almost hear Brann's laugher in her mind as she remembered his earlier boast. My companion has his share of useful talents.

There would be other hunts, but this one was over. She pressed a kiss to Rico's lips. Justice has been served.

Rico nodded and relaxed against her, content with her answer. Content with being here with her. He would never get enough of her, of what they had together.

Skye could sense the moment Gian entered the club. Her blood heated and her body moistened. She turned in Rico's arms and watched as Gian glided toward them. She could feel their anticipation, their desire, their need for her. Love was a pale word for the bond that held them together and yet that was there too.

Gian came to a stop in front of her, his penis as heavy and engorged as Rico's. The night disappears quickly and I would feel your mouth on my cock. I would see you mounted and mount you myself. Shall we go play?

Skye laughed, her heart light, her soul complete. She looked at Rico and knew that the flames danced as wildly in her eyes as they did in Gian's. Shall we?

Lust roared through every pore in Rico's body. He pressed her back against his erection. Yeah. Let's go play.