Chapter One

Lucy's POV

My intoxicated thoughts might as well have driven me through the forest and into the mountains.

Admittedly, I got lost about eight times, but I arrived under the two hour point, which I thought was rather impressive considering I'd made my way to the abandoned Frontier Town purely based on memory.

I was surrounded, before I'd even had the time to turn the engine off. Collared vampires with bloodshot eyes and translucent skin, clawed at the windows and gnawed their teeth at me. I remained still, until Saga, Christabel's tribe mate, broke through the chain of what some would consider tame Hel-Blar.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She sneered.

I smiled. She was in a good mood.

Nicholas' POV

"Sleep, sleep, sleep," Quinn cooed to Cal, who was sprawled across his chest.

"Do you honestly expect that to work?" I questioned, pulling my headphones from my ears and setting them along with my book onto the sofa beside me.

"No, I'm just doing it for the hell of it," Quinn snapped.

For the passed half hour I'd watched Quinn's rather pitiful attempts to put his son to sleep. From the Beatles rendition to the incoherent chanting, it was understandable why I was the only one left in the living room which had been overflowing an hour ago.

I snorted. "Give him here," I muttered, leaning forward and plucking Cal off Quinn's chest, ignoring his protests.

"Let's go for a walk, yeah?" I suggested. Cal just looked up at me with big blue eyes and droopy pink lips. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

Quinn looked like he'd lost a limb as I ordered him to go take a nap and spend some time with his Hunter. Everyone knew she needed it, well, everyone except for Quinn that is. He complied, not without muttering curses under his breath and sending a few graphic threats my way that he would be sure to follow through on if anything were to happen to Cal of course.

"Weather's nice tonight," I mumbled, more to myself than the blissfully ignorant infant in my arms, who was happily chomping away on my shirt, despite his lack of teeth.

I spent an hour floating around the Estate, letting the human and vampire guards dotted along the perimeter "ooh" and "aw" over Cal. It was a little odd seeing people dressed head to toe in leather with stakes in hand worship a baby. Although, he was a mixture of Hunter and Quinn, so his unlikely charm as a 3-month-year-old was expected, as well as a stubborn and vain personality which was already showing as he soaked up the attention and whined when I pulled him away from his followers.

It wasn't until I'd managed to safely hoist myself and Cal into the tree fort behind the farmhouse that his eyes finally slid close and soft snores emitted from his nose. Letting my legs swing freely from the edge of the fort, I leant back with Cal, positioning him on my collar bone like Quinn had earlier.

And, we stayed like that for ten whole minutes.

"Nicholas!"

I didn't have to open my eyes or profile their scent to know it was Christabel. It then occurred to me that it was the awfully reserved and rather quiet Christabel who was yelling. Nearly losing a still snoring Cal, I hoped down from the tree with as much grace as I could muster, which wasn't very much.

"You need to get to the Frontier now," She said.

Her cheeks were pink, which was unusual considering she was undead and all, but it might just have been the reflection of her wild mass of red hair against the snow. She'd obviously been running and she reeked of rotting mushrooms. It wasn't that out of the ordinary because her sire kind of "bred" them. What was really strange was that she was here. Since she kind of shattered Connor's heart and whatnot, she'd only been around when absolutely necessary, like when her tribe came to talk treaties and boundaries. Even then she'd avoid eye contact with any of us, but now she was staring at me crazy eyed and fidgety.

"What's wrong?" I asked with enough bitterness, I could practically taste black coffee in the back of my throat. Although my attempt at intimidating her was heavily diminished as I was still rocking Cal softly in my arms, in hopes of him remaining asleep.

"Lucy," She blurted out. The taste of coffee was gone and replaced with a stale dryness.

"Lucy's at the Frontier?" I questioned, only just managing not to drop Cal into the snow.

Christabel nodded.

"Why?" I swallowed. Cal stirred, but I didn't notice.

"Blood change," Christabel breathed, voice as weak as mine.

I just about threw Cal into her shaking hands and then proceeded to run faster than I ever had in my undead life.

Connor's POV

I was half-way through a glass of Dad's good Brandy when I sensed Christabel nearby.

"Treaty meeting?" Logan questioned, his and Isabeau's heads perking up from the various wedding magazines scattered across the dining table.

"Not that I know of," Dad said, strolling in from the hallway and swiping the glass from my hand.

"Hey," I whined.

"Go see what she wants," He instructed, patting me on the head and moving on to the living room, taking the drink with him.

I pouted, but nonetheless stood and strolled to the foyer as casually as I could.

Christabel had already let herself in. Distracted by her confused red hair and the fitting jeans that exaggerated her legs by miles, I barely noticed the crying baby she was carrying.

"Why do you have my nephew?" Suddenly feeling very territorial, I stepped forward and snagged Cal from her visibly shaking arms.

"Nicholas gave him to me," She stuttered out.

I stared at her, raising an eyebrow and ignoring Cal's screams.

"Lucy's in trouble," She explained, crossing her arms across her waist now that she had no child to shield herself with.

"Oh," I grumbled, propping Cal up and doing my best to be fragile, but failing miserably. In my defence, it was rather difficult to remain calm with your ex-girlfriend who'd cheated on you with a practical stranger was standing in your house, telling you your brother's girlfriend was in trouble, again.

"Saga turned her," Christabel finally said.

Then nothing else mattered. Never mind my built up resentment towards Christabel, never mind the crying infant I was doing a poor job of nursing, never mind that I still hadn't gotten a decent look at the cleavage pouring out of Christabel's plunging neckline. Because knowing Lucy something really dangerous and really stupid was about to happen.

"Mum!"