"Feeling brave, are we?" David teased. "And what the hell are you doing with Paul's dogs? Where is he?"

Edgar was scowling, a holy water bomb clutched in his hand. Zeus and Mars stood either side of him, confused. Obviously, they knew David and Dwayne, but they were there to protect Edgar. He was threatened and they knew they should be on his side, and yet they were facing two guys who had once helped take care of them. Luckily, no customers were in the store.

"David, come on," Dwayne protested. At least he made a vague effort to stop our leader bothering Edgar. Not too long ago, I'd got great pleasure out of tormenting Edgar myself—now I felt guilty for it.

"What?" David glanced at Dwayne. "I'm allowed to have some fun. It's been too long since we saw the little Frog. He's all growed up now. Not very much taller, though. He'd better not have done anything to Paul."

"Leave him alone, David." I strode up and pushed past him, then turned to stand in front of Edgar. David's fangs were out. The dogs licked my hands.

"Paul. What are you doing here?" David raised his eyebrows, as if he hadn't known I was in Santa Carla.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I told you where I was going, and you see Zeus and Mars."

"I meant, what are you doing here? In this store. And why are you leaving your dog's here with him."

"Leave Edgar alone. You came to see me, right?"

"I came to see what you're up to. Dwayne mentioned something."

I glanced at Dwayne and he shrugged. "Only that you'd been asking about… you know."

David's eyes widened suddenly in understanding. "Paul, are you and him—?" He switched his gaze from me to Edgar, then back to my face. "No. No way. Dwayne said you'd been asking about how to avoid changing someone."

I sighed. They were bound to find out sooner or later, but I'd hoped it would be later. I took a step back to stand beside Edgar, instead of in front of him. "Yeah, I'm with Edgar, okay? What's it to you who I choose?"

David rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You've never expressed any interest in anyone, human or vampire, and now you do and it's a vampire killer. Is that why you came back here? You wanted him back then?"

"No." I shook my head. "Let's go somewhere else and talk, okay? I'm not doing this here in the middle of the store." I turned to Edgar. "Watch out, okay? Redhead's around. I just got in a skirmish with him."

"A skirmish?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll see you soon." I lowered my head deliberately and kissed him on the mouth. "Boys, stay," I told the dogs, and walked out of the store with David and Dwayne following.

"Where's the RV?" Dwayne asked as I led them around the back of the store.

"Long story."

"So, where are you living?" David looked around.

"In here." I pulled Edgar's spare key out of my pocket and unlocked the apartment.

"You're living with him? Holy shit! Now I've seen it all." He laughed.

"David!" Dwayne punched him in the arm.

"Don't forget you turned into a complete sap over Dwayne two years ago," I reminded him. "You were moping around after him like a lovesick fool. If he hadn't changed as fast as he did, don't tell me it would have been any different."

"Yeah, you got me. You know I love Dwayne."

"Well, I love Edgar," I blurted, stomping up the stairs to the apartment.

"You've been back here about five minutes," David reminded me.

"How long did it take you to fall in love? Huh?" I led them into the lounge room and hovered by the window. "Don't judge me. He's what I want."

"He kills our kind."

"I don't give a shit. He won't hurt me, and he'll leave you alone too, if you stop behaving like such a dick around him." I paced, growling, as Dwayne pushed David down onto the couch and sat beside him.

"He wouldn't have a chance against me," David grumbled.

"David!" Dwayne snapped again. "What's wrong with you? Don't you want Paul to be happy? He's family, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." David sighed heavily and looked up at me. "Are you gonna change him?"

"No. I wouldn't even ask that of him."

"It won't last." David raised a hand to cut off Dwayne's protest as he opened his mouth. "Look, I'm being serious. He's human. You won't be able to resist forever. You already bit him. Yeah, I saw his neck. And if by some miracle you manage to keep him alive, he'll age, and you won't. You're stuck at twenty-two in case you've forgotten. How old is he?"

"Nineteen," I grunted. The age thing had slipped my mind, but did it even matter? I wasn't looking as far ahead as ten years or even five. I'd been too busy living in the moment.

"Well, then. Will you still want him when he's forty? Fifty? Will he want someone who could be his son? Who's always gonna be what we are? Dead?"

"David, that's enough!" Dwayne stood up. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Can't you put aside our past issues with the Frogs and just be happy for Paul that he found someone he wants to be with? What would you have done if I hadn't changed for you? Walked away? I know you didn't give me a choice in the beginning, but if you had and I stayed human, what then? Are you saying you don't love me quite that much? That you'd have left me when I got too old?"

"Dwayne, you know I don't mean that. I'm sorry," David groaned. "I'd never have left you, no matter what."

"Don't be such a hypocrite, then. None of us know how long we're gonna live. Why not enjoy what we've got while we have it, and that goes for Paul and Edgar too."

"Yeah, all right. You're right." David sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Paul. I am. You know I never liked Edgar, but I'm letting it colour my judgement. If you want him, then I hope it works for you."

"Good." I nodded, calming slightly. "Anyway, we have something more important to talk about since you're here."

I went on to tell them about Redhead and his two thugs, how Edgar had killed the pair after they destroyed the RV, and that Redhead was "biding his time," perhaps getting together some more back-up before he came after us.

"That's why the dogs are in the store," I finished. "I won't leave Edgar alone at night."

David nodded. "Okay. Now this is something I can get into. Hunting down this Redhead character. Any idea where his nest is?"

"It was under the collapsed section of railway in the caves, but Edgar burned them out of there. I don't know if he went back."

"So, we check it out, plus the old cavern and any other place we can think of."

"You're sticking around, then?"

"Looks like you could use us." David grinned.

"Yeah, that'd be good. Why are you here, by the way? You didn't tell me."

"Curiosity. When Dwayne told me you'd been asking questions about keeping a human alive when you were fucking, I couldn't wait to find out who you changed your mind for. I just didn't expect it to be a guy, least of all Edgar Frog."

I shrugged. "That threesome you caught me having started it. I wasn't looking for a guy, at all. Or anyone. I intended to carry on as I always have. Then I went in the store and, um, something changed when I saw Edgar."

"His blood called to you." David nodded. "It's different from when you just want to feed. It's like a magnet pulling you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're talking about when you met Dwayne?"

"Uh huh."

I grinned. "Then you understand. Don't let me hear you bad-mouth Edgar again."

"Fine. So, the night is young. Are we going to look for this Redhead guy, or what?"

"Let's do it." I followed them outside again and locked up. They waited in front of the store while I told Edgar what we were planning. "Lock up as usual when you go to bed," I told him. "Leave the window open a crack and keep the dogs with you."

"Be careful," he said.

I grinned. "There are three of us now."

We ducked behind the store again and from there, launched ourselves into flight. Our first destination was the caves under the collapsed railway, and we reached the area quickly. Everything was blackened from the fire Edgar had lit, and there was no sign of Redhead having come back there.

From there, we headed for the old cavern we'd inhabited, flying in over the sea and entering the passage. When we reached the central area, we found it to be exactly as we left it. Not a thing had changed, the only sign of life being a few rats scuttling around.

"Where else could he be?" I mused.

"I have an idea. Remember where you found me, David?" Dwayne said.

"Under the coaster?"

"Yeah. There was a trapdoor under it, leading to an old service room. It was abandoned years ago when they refurbished the coaster and built the new electronics room behind the entrance gate. I went in there to sleep when the weather was cold. It's dark and well hidden—ideal for a vampire."

"Let's check it out," I said at once.

We flew back to the boardwalk, landed behind the coaster, and ducked down to walk underneath it. Dwayne led us to the spot where the trapdoor was, and it was brushed clean of dust and debris, as if it had been opened recently. I pulled it open, and immediately smelled death and blood emanating from within. I made my way slowly down the steps, followed by the others.

"This is it," David confirmed, indicating a perch high up in one corner, made from a pull-up bar embedded in the wall.

"Yeah, I remember seeing him wearing that jacket." I point to a leather jacket thrown over an old chair. The ground beneath our feet was damp, soaked with blood. "This is him, all right. Now we just need to find him."

"Looking for me?" Redhead dropped feet first through the trapdoor and landed in front of us. "Oh, you brought some friends." He grinned and showed his fangs. "So did I."

Two other vampires descended behind him, both blond and muscular, very like his original companions.

"You seem to have a thing for blond muscular guys." I chuckled. "You didn't waste any time."

The two guys glanced at each other. David nudged me with his elbow. "They're only half."

I nodded. I could smell the blood racing through the pair's veins. They wouldn't yet have the strength of full vampires, and were inexperienced, giving us the advantage. I took a step to my right, bringing me directly in front of one of the blond guys. One on one was an even match, only David was stronger than Redhead. Dwayne copied my move, placing himself in front of the other thug.

Redhead grinned wider. "Let's dance."

It took me less than thirty seconds to kill my opponent. He was clumsy, hesitant, too busy checking what the others were doing to concentrate fully on me. After a brief scuffle, I went for his throat and tore it out with my teeth. Gouts of blood sprayed from the wound, soaking both him and me. Clutching his neck, he staggered backwards, giving me the opportunity to dive in, grip his head, and tear it from his shoulders.

Dropping the head, I turned to watch the others. Dwayne was in the process of doing exactly what I had done, and he finished off his victim with a flourish, tossing the head aside and wiping his hands on his pants.

David and Redhead battled fiercely, but it was clear who had the upper hand. "Come on, at least try to fight me," David taunted. "You're boring me."

Furious, Redhead flew at him, gripped his shoulders, and propelled him against the wall of the small room. The wood supports snapped and cracked, timbers falling to the ground around them. David gave Redhead a hefty kick, tossing him across the room where he struck the opposite wall. As he sprang to his feet, David was on him, fangs extended. Redhead responded and the pair gripped each other, scrapping and struggling, although it was clear David was holding back. I'd seen him fight on plenty of occasions. He was dragging it out, letting Redhead think he could win.

Dwayne and I folded our arms and leaned against the wall, amused as we watched for perhaps five minutes. David stumbled and fell, grinning wickedly, as he waited for Redhead's next move. The idiot really thought David was tiring. As he approached, David moved with lightning speed, so fast he was a blur. Suddenly Redhead was face down in the dirt with David's boot between his shoulder blades, both his arms pulled back and gripped tight by the wrists. A quick yank, and his arms came free. David tossed them aside, making Dwayne and me duck to avoid being hit by body parts.

Redhead howled in agony and annoyance, but his scream was quickly cut off when his head was torn from his body. David held it up by the hair and looked into its eyes. "Stupid boy. Thinking you can take on the Lost Boys. Really." He dropped the head and kicked it like a football into the corner of the room, then brushed his hands together. "Disgusting. Could have at least washed his hair."

I snorted. "Thanks, guys."

"Definitely our pleasure." David grinned. "I think we might stick around for a while. Santa Carla is more fun than it used to be. "