TPOV

My eyes were closed increasing my other senses. Slowly I took in the scents surrounding me, enjoying their intoxicating melody. By the Goddess she smelled wonderful. And the mix of her scent, mine, and our activities made me smile. I still felt like it wasn't appropriate to ask her to stay with me, but that didn't drive the urge from me.

Her warmth seeped into me causing my left side and chest to be slightly warmer than I preferred, but I wouldn't dream of complaining. She was dozing off after yet another of our rounds. Her red hair splayed across my chest and my fingers were toying with a few strands of hair against her back. My fingers grazed her skin once again and she let out a soft moan of contentment.

I don't know about her, but I was falling even further for her. This was not a game or just sleeping with a friend. I saw us as a couple. Granted we had not set up specifics and neither of us had actually called the other boyfriend or girlfriend. But for me this relationship was a serious matter. One I fully intended to see all the way through. Since our first "date," we have been getting together at least twice a week, sometimes more if I could con her into coming over for work. Of course it would start off with work and then shift into a date. She never complained so I kept setting up late meetings and allowing it to happen. So our twice weekly visits became three.

Tonight was one of our date only nights. She had come over understanding that we would be heading out for a night together, a gallery showing or dinner in the Tower, but when she walking in through the door, all thoughts of leaving the house fled my mind. All I could think about was getting her out of that slinky dress. My guess is that Ivy helped pick it out; one thing I have learned over the years is that Rachel's sense of fashion was more business and comfort centered than anything else. That dress screamed sexy and accented her curves and small bust in a way that would make any man hungry. Only Ivy could have helped her into something so appetizing. The thought sobers me momentarily. Rachel has said often enough that her and Ivy have found a happy place and that the desire for a blood balance is no longer there for either party, but may be Ivy is still hoping to come to some kind of agreement . . . someday.

I let out my breath in a slightly louder than it was meant to be sigh and quickly stilled as Rachel stirred. Too late. I had disturbed her rest. Please stay, I begged her in my mind, repeating the phrase several times. My hand left her hair and slid onto her back caressing her skin.

When she lifted her head and looked at me with those beautiful green eyes, everything in my body woke up once more. She looked tired but amused. Amused? What is she amused by? She settled her chin on the hand that was planted on my chest and searched my gaze. Slowly her amusement went up and she began to grin. I love to watch her smile. Ever smile lights up her face with such beauty. Not this grin. I looked at her, puzzling over the thoughts that could be crossing her mind. Trying to figure out what she was thinking. That grin. She must be up to something. She shifted to lean on me a little further, eyes darting over my face. Her grin broke into and smile and I could tell she was holding in laughter as she ducked her gaze into my chest to hide from me.

Obviously she had managed to regain her control, because when she looked back up at me her gaze held nothing more than what I was guessing to be love or hoping to be love. She brought her other hand up to draw little designs on my stomach. Her gaze never left mine as her left hand drew various patterns that I could not even begin to decipher. Her lips twitched in a repressed grin before her hand began moving. Not a pattern this time. A slow path down my abs, her fingers tangling into the hair that started around my belly button and traveled south.

They continued to follow the small line of hair until it fanned out. Once there she grabbed my already swelling manhood and gave it a gentle squeeze before running her hand over it. Her lips twitched once again holding back a grin. There was a split second of warning, her hair floating just briefly, before she began communing with the line through me. My body jerked to full attention and I groaned at the pleasure that streamed through me.

We both knew that we could do this, but it had seemed to fall to the side when we got together, passion over ruling the thoughts of pleasure that came from playing in the lines. Rachel let out a little laugh as I squeezed my eyes shut trying to absorb the sensation. The tingling that the line caused was so strong it was hard to avoid release, even if all she was doing was stroking me. To be honest the sensation was incredible, but I would rather be inside her. I began to move, to shift her to allow me to do just that, but she tisked and stopped my motions with a firm hand on my chest. She also pulled back on the line allowing me some reprieve from the tremendous feeling spreading over me.

Another groan escaped me and I thrust my hips upwards hoping she would take the hint and ride me since she would not let me shift her off my chest. She giggled once more and released her grip as she moved to straddle me. Thank the Goddess, I thought as she moved. My desire to be inside her took over and, eyes still closed, I reached my hands out to where her hips would land. If I could grab her hips I could help sense the pace she wanted or allow my hands to travel north to encompass her marvelous breasts.

Instead I felt her knees settle around my own. My brow creased in confusion. I sat up and opened my eyes just as she leaned down and placed the tip of me into her warm mouth. Her tongue swirled around me as she began to suck. By the Goddess! Never has a woman done this to me. There have been women who have tried, but I always stopped them at my buttons not understanding what pleasure I could get from their mouth that would be nearly as enjoyable as being inside her. Now I get it. She drove me deeper into her mouth, guarding her teeth with her lips and taking me as deeply as she could. I had no idea a woman could take so much. She began a pattern of swirls and plunges that my hips met without my direction. I would still prefer being inside her, but I was not about to stop the pleasure train.

Not knowing where to put my hand I fisted them in the sheets at my side. One of her hands was assisting her mouth, so she placed her free hand on my abs. She twirled around my tip once more before driving my as deep as possible as she brought the line through me once more. A loud groan that was an unintelligible version of her name left me as I climaxed. My breathing was heavy as she settled next to me giggling lightly. Obviously she found it amusing that she was able to take, for lack of a better analogy, a hold of me a drive me over the edge.

I rolled over and kissed her deeply, not caring that I could taste what must be my saltiness mixed with the flavor that I have come to know as Rachel. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I can," she chortled. "I figured why not." She gave a little shrug

"Mmm," I grinned down out her planning my revenge. I pulled her arms from around my neck under the guise of kissing up her arms to her hands. Once free, I quickly pinned her arms above her head. "I'll have to see what I can do about that."

The next half hour was spent in a wrestling matched of foreplay. I would pin her down and tease her breasts or knead her clitoris until she was writhing with need or the desire to dominate me. I had worked her up to the edge of climax by the time my body was once again ready to take her. As I plunged into her she lost it. I basked in the exquisite feel of her muscles spasming around me and clenching down on me, holding me in her as she screamed in pleasure. May be this wasn't the best way to go about things. Now I was ready to go and forced to be still.

Instead of complaining, I took full advantage of the situation continuing to play with her while I waited for her muscles to relax enough for movement. It didn't take long. The stimulation I was giving her caused her body to relax quickly. Once I knew she was relaxed enough, I began to move. This time we found release together. No matter how many times we make love, I love the way her body holds onto me. It always makes me feel needed, desired. Something I so desperately hope she feels for me.

I rolled onto my back, taking her with me. We had quickly discovered that this was the most comfortable position to spend our time while we waited for her muscles to release me. Definitely not something I was going to complain about. Having her on me, my arms wrapped around her, filled me even further with joy.

Our first month together was almost over. I still can't believe that I have had her this long. I keep expecting her to come to her senses and realize that it's me, that she is too good for a man of my questionable business dealings. Or as she has so eloquently put it, that I am a "murdering drug lord." Granted she has not said that in quite a while, but I can never forget the pain that lanced through my heart at her words that day.

I had already realized that my feelings for her were beyond business and more than anything held a romantic interest. She seemed clueless to my desire for her. I had planned to confess a small piece of my desires on our elevator ride down to inspect my labs after the break-in. The recent gunshot wound upon escaping from HAPA only solidified my wish to tell her that I wanted more than a working relationship from her. I expressed my want to talk to her in private and had the entire conversation planned out. But those words, that title, and her anger towards me stung. I had to wait until she was ready. My feelings for her only grew as I waited for her anger to subside, her view of me to change, her acceptance.

Now she was with me and I had her in my arms. My heart seemingly full.

She didn't stay the night like I had wished, she never did. So after walking her out to her car and a heated make-out session, that might have ending in another round on her car if it hadn't been for that pesky guard, she was on her way home and I was in my office attempting to fill the hole she left when gone.

Tomorrow I had a meeting with Timothy Tenebres. He had called early in the month requesting to meet while he was in town and I decided to grant him an audience on the 30th. Tomorrow was September 30th. I had allowed him this time to let him think he had control over the situation, over me. The time was also there to give me a chance to help understand everything he was planning. We had a mole in his ranks and the information he gave us was invaluable, but I had not had a chance to really ponder the ramifications.

My time had been spent trying to help find Nick, figure out what Nick was up to, and who was helping him. When I wasn't concentrating on that, I was out with Rachel trying to forget about the possible danger he presented to us and more importantly her.

A month of searching and no sighting of him since the 3rd, the night he murdered two innocent bystanders during a theft. Rachel had contacted the demons, especially Al, multiple times in hopes that they would have some answers or that Newt would have recaptured him. But there was still no news. Al had a few ideas of what Nick and his helper were up to, but none of them made any sense to me.

The other issue that had arisen during the span of September . . . Elves. Tensions were growing between elves and between elves and demons. Some wanted to go back to war with the demons, seeing them as a threat since the night we hunted Ku'Soux. I had insisted that I rode with them and things were perfectly safe, but elder elves maintained that their hunt was a sign of future hunts. Hunts against us.

Timothy was not helping the case any. And looking over the paperwork Quen had provided me on Timothy's group of followers, he was pushing for the war to begin. Maybe that is why he wants to meet with me. I stand on the side against war. Too much blood would be shed for a cause long forgotten.

RPOV

I headed home, not daring to stay the night at Trent's. Part of me feared that once I stayed things would shift and our easy relationship would shift onto a more serious level. As I walked into the front door of the church, Jenks greeted me. "Ivy is out for - Oh god you stink!"

"Thanks," I muttered rolling my eyes at his bluntness.

"I can smell cookie farts all over you!" He started making gaging motions as he flew backwards waving the air away from his nose with a hand.

"I'm going to shower," I sighed as I walked past him towards the hall.

"You better and wash twice that shit stinks!"

I ignored his atrocious comment as I closed the door to my bathroom and began to strip. You would think he would be use to it by now. This isn't the first night I have come home smelling of Trent, though lately he has been complaining of me smelling of Trent even when I haven't been with Trent. "You were saying about Ivy," I called through the door hoping to distract him.

"Yea," he called back surprising me by not even trying to sneak under the door. "She is staying the night with Nina." Then lower, doubtlessly thinking I couldn't hear him, "Probably to avoid getting of whiff of you."

I couldn't hold in the laugh that left me at the idea of Ivy staying with her now girlfriend to avoid smelling me. It was a likely concept, but still it amused me for some unknown reason. "Ok," I hollered back as I turned on the water. Already exhausted from my exercise with Trent, I quickly showered and headed for bed.

The noon sun beamed through my window hitting my skin and warming it. I had slept with the window open - dangerous I know – to enjoy the autumn night. The crisp air had been more than I expected and I ended up wrapped tightly in my blanket. As the sun came out, my cocoon loosened. Now my face, neck, and arm were basking in the high sun. The peace that came with the noon hour, pixies asleep except for a sentry or two, eased into me lulling me to remain in my bed.

After twenty minutes of blissful daydreaming, I got ready for my lazy day. Al had moved our overnight lesson from Saturday night to tonight while he chased down a lead on Nick's co-conspirator. My good mood didn't call for a coffee wake up, but I made a batch out of habit.

As the coffee finished brewing, Jenks flew in the pixy hole that was cut in the screen to the kitchen window. "Morning," my euphoria streaming out of me and into my greeting.

"Damn woman," Jenks snorted. "You really should boink Trent more often if this is how it's going to leave you."

I shook my head and grabbed a mug with the "Vampiric Charms" logo embossed on it. The smell of coffee made my stomach roll, but I paid more attention to Jenks who was flitting around my head making a show of sniffing me. "You still smell like cookie maker," he mumbled sounding slightly distracted.

"Yea well I'm not going to scrub my skin off just to make your day easier," I snapped back at him. His comment got under my skin more than it should have, but really all the non-stop pestering about my scent was annoying. Jenks's eyes about popped out of his head and he shot away from me in surprise.

"Geez didn't mean to offend you." He sounded hurt.

I sighed and poured my coffee trying to ignore the dreadful way my stomach was reacting. "I'm sorry." I sighed once more and tried to regain my good mood. It seemed to fly out the window awfully fast, maybe I should go back to bed. Jenks settled down on the napkin holder, the pointy features of his face pinched. "Look, I'm sorry it's just been a little much lately and my fuse is a bit shorter than normal." The words came out without thinking and as I said it I realized just how true they really were. Just yesterday I went off on the mail man because he had accidently put a piece of my neighbors' mail in with mine.

My chair at the big farm table never looked so good. I settled down, held my mug in both hands, and folded my feet onto the chair, knees to my chin. "Do I really smell that bad," I asked lowly, dreading the answer. Maybe I should take another shower.

Jenks looked at me, features still pinched. "It's odd," he finally said. "You smell like fresh cut grass and green things."

I looked at him with my brow furrowed. Thinking that over, I brought my mug up and took a deep breath of my coffee. My stomach lurched and I held my breath waiting for it to pass. Coffee just wasn't my thing lately. Maybe I just miss my raspberry and cinnamon latte. I set my mug down promising to swing by Jr's later. "Trent smells like cinnamon and wine," I thought out loud, not grass.

Jenks nodded. "Yea, but there is an underlying of grass and greens. Kind of like a second layer of scent that is harder to pick up but still there."

"I guess." I have smelled it on him before, sometimes mingling with his snicker doodle like smell and others almost like it wasn't there, a passing scent that mingled momentarily.

"I think you've been around him too much," Jenks snorted, trying to regain some of the good mood I had blasted away with a jest. "His smell seems to be coming out of you." This was said seriously and with a hint of worry.

"Out of me?" That's odd. I laughed, "maybe I should avoid him for a little while, you know wear his scent off." It was a joke of course. Just the idea of going more than two days without seeing Trent depressed me. Crap on toast! Am I getting in too deep? Maybe backing off would be best. With that thought, what was left of my good mood vanished.

Shortly after lunch Ivy came home, the tight leash she kept on her outward emotions seemingly broken. She was smiling and . . . humming? The front door closed and she made her way to the edge of the seating area we had set up in the front of the church. She tilted her slightly and went silent. "Trent come by not long ago?"

"No," I responded flatly, not understanding what would bring her to ask such a thing.

"Hmm," she grunted as she sat down on the sofa across from me. "Could swear I smelled just a hint of him."

I rolled my eyes, "Not you too?"

"Me too?"

"Jenks has been complaining that I still smell like Trent. That his scent is coming out of me," I explained. Her stoic expression returned as she went deep into thought.

"Really," she asked still bewildered by the idea.

"What do you think?" I held out my arm for her to smell me directly.

She leaned forward and took in a deep whiff. Her brow tensed. "He is right," she murmured, seeming even more confused. "You smell like you," she went on to explain. "But Trent in layered in there."

Deciding I should verify this, I took in the air from my arm. "I don't smell anything different," I pondered.

"You wouldn't notice it," Ivy sat further back in her seat. "It is faint. Like another layer has been added to yours. It has probably happened so slowly that you won't smell it until it becomes stronger."

"So what I am absorbing Trent's smell?" Ivy just shrugged her response. "How is that even possible? You have been around Nina a lot longer and your scent hasn't changed, absorbed her's . . . has it?" I know I am not as good at smelling the subtle changes in people's scents, but I think I would have noticed if Ivy started smelling like Nina.

"Jenks," she called out in a barely raised voice knowing he would be nearby or at least one of his kids would be a notify him. A small ting came from the kitchen followed by Jenks's rapid entry from the hall. "Trent's smell is coming out of Rachel?" He flew around me taking in my scent once more before nodding his agreement. "What about me? Is Nina's scent coming from me?"

"What am I your search dog," he grumped as he rolled his eyes and flew to Ivy. "No. Her scent is on you, but only in you in shared blood way." Ivy blushed slightly. "Not like Rachel and Trent's mingling scents."

We both puzzled this over for a minute. "So Nina's smell comes out of me but you can tell it's from blood?"

"Sure I can."

"And mine is not like this," I had to ask even though I knew that Trent and I were not sharing blood nor would we be.

"You sucking Trent's neck that hard," Jenks burst into laughter. "No," he finally answered after calming his laughter. "I can smell Nina in Ivy. Cookie maker's scent is coming from you."

Ok, this was getting stranger by the minute. Could it be from taking so much of his fluid in me? Gross to think about, but his used sperm have to go somewhere. I shuddered at the unwanted thoughts of where his . . . umm stuff goes. Maybe my body has absorbed so much of him that I am starting to smell like him. That's just gross! "Have you ever smelled something like it before?" Dumb question . . . or not.

Jenks settled onto the table between Ivy and me as his face scrunched in thought. "Kind of," he finally breathed.

"When? From who," I asked quickly hoping to have some other idea besides the intensely gross one that had formed in my head.

"Well Ceri," his brow formed a deep v as he thought it over some more.

"She was an elf so her smelling like Trent isn't exactly new news," Ivy pointed out. I agreed with her.

"No," Jenks said as his face un-contorted briefly. "Well yes, she was an elf and therefore had the same layering of scents as Trent, but I remember there being, for some time, and added layer of scents."

"Really?" This was news to me. Jenks never told me that Ceri's scent had changed at any point in time.

He gave me a look that said "come on I know what I am talking about." I gave him an apologetic look in response while he continued to rummage through his memories. "No fairy farting way," he finally exclaimed.

"What?" Ivy and I asked at the same time.

Jenks flew to sit on my leg, obviously amused by what his memories dug up. "I don't believe it!" He took a deep breath, taking in my scent once again, and burst out laughing. "It has to be. I don't know what else it could be."

What are you talking about? What did you remember," I asked trying to hold in my frustration.

He did not respond to me, instead he flew to Ivy and whispered something in her ear. Ivy's eyes went wide with what I guess was shock.

"You really think so," she asked staring at him attentively as he nodded his response. Her eyes shot to me. I swear I was growing a second head with how keenly they were watching me.

"If one of you does not let me in on this little piece of information that you both seem to find so interesting," I let the sentence drop off not knowing how to end it.

Jenks flew back to smiling wider as he pondered the idea of dragging out his explanation. "Remember back," he looked to Ivy. "What has it been 2 years now?" She bobbed her head about in a universal sign of agreement to his approximation. "Anyways," he started back in facing me once more. "You were wondering if I could really smell the difference between regular Ceri and," he waggled his eyebrows at me hinting at me to take the hint.

"Regular Ceri and what? Un-regular Ceri," sarcasm dripped from my voice so heavily that anyone could feel it. This was really not making any sense to me right now.

"No," he laughed lightly and flew a few circles around me. "I can't believe it," he chortled once more. "Are you really going to be that dense?"

I wanted to smart off at him, but right then it was taking all my energy to keep from attempting to smack him out of the air.

"Remember when you told me about her pregnancy and I said I had to smell her? You asked if I could really smell the difference." My face went slack with the implication of what he was hinting at.

"What are you saying," calm, simple, direct.

"Well I could," he grinned at me. "Her elven scent took on a second note." He paused, waiting for me to respond. "Under the scent that was specifically Ceri, Quen permeated."

"Are you saying you think I am pregnant," I had to ask the question though I felt more like fainting.

"No," he smiled at me. My anger rose. "I am saying you are pregnant."

I don't know how long I sat there in my stunned state; minutes, hours. Finally I was able to form a cohesive enough thought. I can't be pregnant. Trent is an elf and I am a demon. They don't mix, do they? Even if I am not a full blooded demon, that still leaves me with witch. And witches can only mate with witches.

When I got my voice box to respond to my commands a gurgled "I can't be" escaped me. When my senses became fully aware, I realized that Ivy and Jenks had left the room. Somewhere in my mind I remember hearing their distant voices saying that they should leave me be while I wrapped my head around the idea.

On my third attempt, I was able to get to my feet and make my way down the hall. In the Kitchen, Jenks was helping Ivy remove items from the cabinets and place them neatly on the counter. I saw what they were doing but none of it fully registered in my brain. I sat in my chair at the table and watched their movements.

Jenks was standing on a book slowly reading off a list and Ivy was gathering the items. As she completed the task, I realized that they were reading from a spell book and had gathered the materials for some kind of spell. What where they up to?

Seeing my quizzical look Ivy stepped in front of me. "Before we go too far on this path," she said calmly. "I thought we could complete a test to see if he is right or not." She tilted her head back to indicate the island full of spelling equipment and ingredients. I nodded my agreement. Ivy settled down at her computer.

It still took my some time to gain the nerve to go to the island. Once there I saw the spell they had found. It was a simple spell to test for pregnancy. But would it work on a mixed race pregnancy? I mustered up some more courage and read through the information provided and found that it would detect any pregnancy. Everything was already out. All I had to do was brew it in the right manner and invoke the spell. It suggested placing the spell in an amulet. Green for pregnant, Red for not pregnant.

I carefully completed the spell, and put it in one of my wooden disks. It was one of the few spells I have seen that the recipe only makes one. I guess you don't need a bunch of tests that will all tell you the same thing.

Taking a deep breath to increase my resolve, I allowed three drops of blood to seep into the disk. A strong redwood scent wafted up to me. Inwardly I smiled for completing the spell correctly. On the outside I was still blank and numb. I turned to Ivy, who had smelled the distinct scent of blood and redwood and knew the spell was ready. She was standing at the edge of the island, Jenks perched on her shoulder. "Are you ready?"

They nodded. How silly of me to ask if they were ready when I am the one about to take a pregnancy test. I placed my hand over the disk and looked into Ivy's brown eyes, allowing them to give me strength. My fingers curled around the disk and I turned my palm up. After releasing my fingers, our gazes stayed locked both waiting for the other to look first. My eyes flicked to Jenks briefly to see that he was staring intently at the disk in my hand. That forced me to look before I read the answer in his face. My eyes fell to the amulet.

Green.