Chapter 9

"I told you to keep your mouth shut!" Randy's growl sent a chill through the empty living room, his blue eyes hard and cold as he held his prey against the wall. The muscles in his hands clinched tighter around the woman's throat, her fingers grasping desperately at his hand. "You're lucky I can't be here during the day or I would've killed you."

"Please," Eve gasped, wrapping both hands around Randy's wrist. "I wasn't going to tell her everything."

"Let her go, man," PJ interjected, shoving his maker away from the gasping woman.

Falling to the floor in a heap, Eve coughed and gasped for air, her chest heaving as she sucked in gulps of oxygen. Her hair fell over her face as she pressed a hand against her throat to ease the throbbing pain.

"Where is she?" Randy demanded, his voice harsh.

"In the shed where you told me to keep her," she pointed toward the back door. "She's asleep."

Randy inclined his head slightly, signaling PJ to check the shed while he returned his attention to Eve. Pulling her back to her feet roughly, he pressed his arm across her shoulders to keep her pinned to the wall. She gasped but kept her hands at her sides as Randy glowered.

"Please," she breathed, her voice wavering as she fought tears. "I can't keep her here much longer, Chris will start asking questions and I don't know about you but my family will not be apart of another war."

A smirk crossed Randy's face and his grip slackened. "Edge has been itching to resume the old feud for centuries. Who's to say he won't do something now? Life's getting a bit dull for us around here, mainstreaming isn't as fun as it used to be."

"She's there, sleeping," PJ interrupted their moment. He swiped his hand over his face and offered a closed lipped smile when both turned to look at him. Randy nodded, returning his attention to the pinned Latina and pointed his finger in her face.

"You're lucky I didn't have Mike kill you," Randy snarled, his fangs bared. "You say anything else and you won't live to see your sons eighth birthday. Got it?"

Nodding, Eve bit her lip at the dead seriousness of Randy's tone. Out of all the vampires she'd dealt with, Randy terrified her the most. His natural predatory personality intimidated her beyond belief and she hated it. Trying to hold back her terrified tears she waited for Randy to disappear from the house before sinking to her knees in sobs.

From the shadows Mike watched, his lips pressed into a frown. He knew Eve couldn't stand another rift in their family, let alone being pushed around by vampires but he had to protect the secret she had been so close to revealing. Heart heavy, he inched from the shadows, gently taking hold of her shoulders and pulling her to her feet. He hugged her tightly, enjoying the feel of her silky hair through his fingers.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Evie," he whispered. "But you were dangerously close to making the biggest mistake of your life."

"Don't touch me," she hissed, shoving him away from her. "Threaten my life again and I'll make sure Chris knows about your little collaboration with the vampires."

"You wouldn't," he breathed.

"Try me," she retorted, her tear streaked face defiant.

Although Mike wasn't blood, she'd known him since she'd met Chris. The two were inseparable and rarely made decisions without the other's opinion. In their life Chris was the alpha but Mike was close behind as his second and best friend. Eve had never been intimidated by their friendship, but she knew Mike had been unhappy with her husband recently and his actions were becoming more and more rash with each passing week.

"Eve, this isn't about you," Mike warned.

"Get out of my house, Michael, or it will be about me," she warned, pointing to the door, her voice still quavering with emotion. "Get out."

Without a second glance, Mike nodded and left the house, the front door slamming behind him. Allowing the vulnerability to creep up on her, Eve slumped back to the floor and hugged herself, the tears once again falling freely.

"Lucky?" Tanis called into her dark and empty house and flicked on the lights in the foyer. "Are you here?"

Cautiously she inched into the kitchen and turned on the light above the stove dropping her purse and apron on the counter. She tossed her keys on the kitchen table and sighed, making her way back out to the front to get the mail. Paging through bills and grocery store ads, she tossed them on the table beside the door.

"Lucky?"

The house went silent, the only sounds being it's natural creeks and groans as it settled. Frowning, Tanis locked the door behind her, moving into the den and turning on the light. The empty couch and recliner brought her spirits down when the back door burst open in the kitchen. Practically jumping out of her skin, Tanis shrieked and grabbed one of the statue bookends she kept on the self above her mounted television. Holding it in front of her she slowly made her way back into the kitchen, shrieking again when she bumped into Lucky.

"Jesus Christ!" she smacked him across the chest and nearly fell backward.

Lunging forward, Lucky wrapped his arm around her waist before she could fall. A cheesy smile spread across his face when she grabbed the front of his shirt and dropped the bookend on the floor with a loud thump. Glaring up at him, Tanis pushed him away from her and straightened her clothes before scooping up the bookend and placing it on the coffee table under the TV. She ignored his laughter as she plopped onto the recliner and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's not funny," she pouted, clearly angry with him, "You scared the shit outta me!"

"I'm sorry," he gasped. "You're face was so priceless."

"Lucky, shut up!" she threw a pillow at him that he narrowly ducked.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, no more laughing," he sobered, the smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Time to get serious."

"Yeah, sit down," Tanis pointed to the couch across from her, her tone all business. Lucky took a seat and leaned forward, a playful smile stretching across his face.

"Am I in trouble?"

"Yes."

Pouting his lips, he opened his hands in a gesture asking why. Tanis fought hard not to laugh, her serious expression wavering only a second before she remembered why she wanted to talk. Playtime was over and she wanted to know what was going on with him and his housemates.

"Who's Lily?" she cut straight to the point.

Tanis raised her eyebrows and waited, her eyes on Lucky's throat as he swallowed and bowed his head. He sighed heavily and rubbed his hands over his face, Tanis biting the inside of her cheek at the size of them. Shaking her head slightly, she kicked the distraction and waited for Lucky's halted response.

"I-uh, Tanis, I don't think I can talk about her yet," he finally choked out, the sorrow in his eyes breaking her heart.

The annoyance she'd felt flooded out of her in a wave of sympathy and she stood up, taking the two steps across the room to sit beside him. Placing gentle hands on his arm and shoulder she rubbed his bicep, her other hand finding it's way into his hair and down his back.

"Lucky, tell me what happened. You were bent double in pain the other night and I want to know why. You can trust me."

His pained gray eyes met hers and he smiled and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Tanis relished in the feel of his hand on her face, selfishly enjoying the physical contact. Their faces inched closer together, Lucky resting his forehead against hers. Tanis felt her breath catch in her throat as they inched closer together.

"Lucky, wait," she stopped him, pressing her fingers over his mouth.

"I'm sorry, I just got caught up in the moment," he turned away apologetically.

"No it's not that, I just… I need to focus on my sister," Tanis sighed. "And I need to know what's going on with you."

"Tanis, I can't—" he groaned but she cut him off with a stern shake of her head.

"Lucky, I can't do whatever this is if you don't tell me what's going on," she pressed. "Just tell me who Lily is and what happened to her."

Wrapping his hands over hers, Lucky shook his head and barreled into his memories head first, the agony surprisingly subdued as he massaged Tanis's hands.

"Lily was the love of my life," he muttered, her face filling his mind. He bowed his head and pressed his lips against their clasped hands.

"What happened to her?" Tanis asked softly, unsure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

Lucky saw the image that plagued his nightmares in his mind's eye. He felt sick just thinking about it. Lily sprawled in the middle of her hotel room, the blood everywhere, and her wide eyes blank and staring. He'd never felt pain as horrible as seeing her sprawled there, naked and exposed. The look of shock on her face and the stench of sweat and sex all over the room. He thought his human death was bad but seeing her lying there felt like dying a thousand deaths over.

"She was murdered," he whispered, closing his eyes as Tanis ran her fingers through his shoulder length hair.

He heard her breath catch in her throat and he leaned his weight against her. Tanis stiffened but didn't shy away; instead she wrapped her free arm around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He felt her hot breath against his skin and had to fight the groan of longing itching to escape his throat.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed. "That must be so painful."

"You can't even imagine."

A/N: Sorry if this is getting a bit convoluted... I'm trying to tie all of this together without it getting too confusing...I promise it'll all come together in the end :) Hope you all enjoyed!