Zoe stepped into the backyard, giggling as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting snowflakes gather in her hair. Dan grinned and leaned against the doorframe, watching her as her eyes opened and she twirled as snow fell around her, sticking to her skin and clothes and hair like magnets. He sighed as Sky came up beside him, her big brown eyes worried.
"So who does William really love?" Dan asked. "Does he love Katarina because she looks like Ariel or did he love Ariel because she looks like Katarina?"
"He loves Ariel." Sky said.
"So Dad's being played by Mum, whose being played by William." Dan said.
"Yeah. Sorry." Sky said. Dan said nothing, he just continued to watch Zoe with faraway look in his eyes.
"Oh, for God's sake, Dan. If you're going to think about her naked, could you please do it when I'm not around?" Sky asked. Dan's head whipped to look at her, his eyes wide. "Wha . . . Wait, you can read my thoughts?"
"Each Dhampir gets a different skill. Mine is reading minds. There was one named Kimberly that I met in Dubai and she could – "
"Whoa, wait. Back up. Other Dhampirs? How many kids has William had?"
"Just you and me." Sky said. "How is that . . . Oh, my God. Is there anything your parents told you that wasn't a lie?"
"I'm starting to wonder." Dan muttered.
"For God's sake, stop." Sky moaned. "Your thoughts are so annoying."
Dan laughed as Zoe clambered up the steps, grabbing his hand and pulling him out in to the snow. Zoe's laugh echoed around him as he twirled her, watching as she spun so many times that a human would have doubled over and thrown up onto their own shoes as their world spun. When Zoe had finished spinning, Dan dipped her, watching as she threw her head back and laughed, gripping his shoulder to keep herself upright. Zoe's smile faded as Dan pulled her to her feet, a ghost of a smile passing across his features as he noticed her eyes flickering between his lips and his eyes. Zoe felt her insides tremble as she took in his expression, her hands resting on his shoulders. She loved that look on him and it was a look she hadn't seen much since she'd become a vampire. His beautiful blue eyes, those eyes were filled with pure love and adoration; the emotions that drove the burning fire of passion inside of him, a fire that few even knew existed and even fewer were lucky enough to see.
Zoe bit back a smile as he neared her slowly, his eyes flickering up to her own almost nervously until she became so impatient that she just grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him to her, crushing her mouth against his. She heard him make a small sound of pleasure as his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her to him as if he was afraid she'd turn out to be a dream if he let her go.
Aneisha grinned as she watched Dan and Zoe kiss, her gaze travelling over to Tom.
"What?" Tom asked, his mouth curving into a grin.
"Watch this." Aneisha said quietly, grinning as she looked up at the sky. Immediately, the snow turned to water, coming down loudly and heavily over the top of their heads.
Dan pulled away slightly from Zoe, laughing as he looked up at the sky, blinking against the drops of water that splashed into his eyes. Zoe, grinning, turned to look at Aneisha so that her temple rested against Dan's cheek. "I bet you think you're really clever, don't you?"
Aneisha grinned. "I don't think. I know."
"Typical." Dan said, but he turned back to Zoe and kissed her again, resting his hand on her cheek. Tom abruptly grabbed Aneisha by the waist and dragged her out into the rain, her shrieks and struggling having no effect on him, although she quickly gave up, letting the rain wash over her as a laugh found its way out of her mouth. As the rain drenched her clothes, making them stick to her skin and hang heavily on her body, Aneisha tightened her hold on Tom's arms and tilted her head up to look at him, smiling as he cupped her cheek with one hand. She reached forward to grab the front of his shirt, fisting the drenched material in her hands as she pulled him down, pressing her mouth roughly against his. She heard him make a small sound of pleasure as he drew her closer, twisting his head to the side so that the tip of his nose pressed into her cheek.
Sky sighed, rolling her eyes as she walked towards the edge of the porch and climbed up onto the railing and from there, onto the roof. She blocked out the noises of the world below as she sat on the highest point of the roof and looked out at the city. She noticed the humans walking up and down the street in front of the house – she could smell them, smell the sweet nectar of life that buzzed through their veins. She sighed as she felt the familiar pleasure-pain of the bloodlust – after living as many centuries as she had and after taking as many lives as she had in her younger years, Sky's Thirst had become like a fat, overfed cat. It no longer lashed out at her without warning, but instead simply existed. She wished she could give that gift to Dan and Zoe – if anyone did, it was them who deserved it. Dan was constantly fighting an internal battle with his own strong Thirst, as he chose the path of feeding from animals. And Zoe had brought herself into her second life graciously, never complaining once that she was now the thing that, as a human, she had been stupid enough to be fascinated with but smart enough to know to fear. Sky didn't think it was fair – all Zoe wanted was to be able to live out this life with Dan while hurting as little people as she could, but she couldn't even have that, because William had bound her. He had bound her too tight for her to make her own choices, but Sky knew that something had to give first. So what would it be – William's rope or Zoe's wrists?