Ok, so for the next couple of chapters I revert back to information that's in the first story, all of the backstory that accrued there and so forth. If you haven't read Hunted at this point, I highly recommend you do so otherwise you're not going to understand why Detta does what she does and why what's coming up is so important for her. Other than that enjoy the chapter and don't forget to vote in my poll in my profile! Not that it's coming down any time soon since there's still a story and a half to get through before I get there but vote anyway. If you've already voted and want to vote again, feel free!

And just so you all know, I don't really mean to go a month between updates. I swear to you I blink and time is gone! I've been doing a lot of writing, not only for my other work but for this story as well, not to mention adding stuff to my site so it's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing. Hopefully, hopefully another month won't go by before I update again.

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Detta and Marko were in her kitchen coming down from their re-established connection and discussing odds and ends when a crack bounded off the walls of her house. She frowned and scanned over the living room towards her front door just in time to see it snap from its hinges and crash onto her floor, not far from where a currently invisible stain of blood had been not long before. David burst through the doorway, his eyes blazing, and stormed towards Detta, Paul close behind trying to get a grip on his collar. Detta's eyes widened, fear oozing from her pores at the raging bull coming at her, and she backed up as Marko stepped in front of her.

"David, man, come on. What are you going to do? Punish her for your oversight?" Paul said, finally matching step with David and thrusting his body in front of him in an attempt to thwart the barreling vampire.

Paul put his leg down, anchored into the floor, and put his hands at David's chest, throwing his weight into his shoulder. Marko came up behind him, placing one hand on Paul's back and grabbing David's scruff with the other.

"Didn't think it through, did you David? You fucked up," Marko sneered, a slight smirk mixing on his lips.

David, however, didn't see the boys holding him back. Instead he had flaming eyes just for Detta, a look alone that could tear her apart if he wanted it so.

"You bitch! That was supposed to be your punishment!"

"And it was, David," Detta replied in a tone of forced calm, standing in the middle of her kitchen with her arms crossed over her chest. "It was twenty-four hours of sheer agony. But did you really expect me to live with your connection for the rest of my life?"

"What's going on here?"

The three turned their heads towards the doorway as David kept his eyes planted on Detta. Max had a look of confusion writ on his face as he climbed over the ramshackle door. Dwayne followed closely behind him; he too was shocked by the sight however his face carried a look of expectation while Max sustained with one of awe.

"Need I ask again?"

"David's punishment backfired," Paul answered.

Max walked over to them, his eyebrow raised. "What do you mean 'backfired'? This was Detta's punishment?"

Paul nodded and motioned to her, all the while David's eyes were still trained on Detta. "David broke her and Marko's connection, put in his own." Detta wanted to laugh at the way Paul was describing it all. It sounded like he was trying to decipher instructions on how to wire in a beat box. "They, uh, Marko and Detta, yeah, reversed it."

Max's eyes bore into the back of David's head and then looked directly into Detta's. "Is this true?"

She straightened up, her chin held high. "Yes, it is. I asked Marko, my maker, if there were any rules . . . he said no." She blinked slowly, looking from Max to Marko. For once, Marko looked calm. No wrong was done.

David grunted and threw off the boys, turning around to face Max. "What the fuck's the point of the punishment if Marko can fix it and make it all better?"

Detta breathed a sigh of relief to not have David's stabbing eyes on her anymore. She watched, instead, as Dwayne snuck around the small crowd and to her side. He quickly looked down at her before looking back up at the boys.

"You're lucky," he whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"I know," she whispered back.

"You should have covered all your bases then, shouldn't you, David?" Max replied, a tired look on his face.

"I assumed that was permanent," David scoffed, throwing back his arm to motion to Detta.

You know what happens when you assume, David, Detta thought. She coughed to cover a small chuckle but, unfortunately, her thoughts carried and David whirled around. She didn't say it aloud because it might have rendered another punishment but she couldn't be chastised for her thoughts. She hoped. Dwayne stepped in front of her as David pushed through Marko and Paul. He caught David by the collar and held him back.

"You messed up this time, David. Get over it," Dwayne said, an eerie sense of stone calm in his voice.

"Next time think your punishments through and stop bothering me for such minor indiscretions," Max said as he turned away from the group and headed back towards the door.

David broke loose from Dwayne and followed after Max. "Minor indiscretion? Max, she reversed the punishment!" David's voice was wild.

"You need to cool off, David," Max said as he slowly turned back around. "You have no one to blame but yourself. You can't set terms and conditions after the deed is done. You should know that by now."

"Actually," Detta said, stepping softly around Dwayne and easing her way through Paul and Marko. "I'm going back to New York for a few days. I have some unfinished business that needs tending to—"

"No you don't," David cut in, pointing a finger in her face. "That business is already finished.

Detta shrugged her arms, a disgruntled look on her face. "It's just a kill, David, remember? What do you care? You've already had your payout." She rolled her eyes up to Max's face. "Max?" Max looked from David to Detta and back, contemplating the situation. "I think a small break would do both of us some good."

Max issued a quick sigh before resigning to an answer. "Discretion, Detta. That's the most important thing." David choked on his tongue, his eyes darting from Detta to Max and back while Max turned to glare at him. "Detta's vengeance cannot be repaid through you. Besides," Max's shoulders dropped, "time apart could do both of you some good and honestly, putting an entire country between you two can't hurt. I know my head will thank you for it. Be careful."

Detta nodded slightly as Max walked out the door. By pure habit, he reached back to close what was now no more than a plank of wood that Detta and David were standing on and grasped nothing but air. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before walking away. Detta laughed at the sight before stepping off the door and crouching down to lift it back up.

"David, off."

Without thinking David stepped back off of the wood as Detta made to lift the door, Dwayne walking over to help her.

"It's not the end of the world, David. You tortured me. Congratulations. Now we can both move on. I fucked up, you fucked up, we're one big fucked up blood sucking family. Being a vampire doesn't make you infallible."

"But no matter what you are," Paul interjected, his voice almost sing-song, "it sucks to be proven wrong. I'll see you in a few days?"

Detta nodded as Paul patted her shoulder and cautiously opened the door, jerking as it wobbled on its hinges, and walked out to his bike.

"Be careful," Dwayne said in passing as he joined his brother.

David remained rigid, standing at the entryway and staring off past her. Detta walked up to him slowly, careful not to get too close. "David?"

His eyes darted down to meet hers and quickly snapped back up. He rolled his eyes off to the side before speaking. "You're lucky."

She could see him rummaging around for something else to say but he found nothing. He had been humbled and he knew it. It was embarrassing for him and to prevent any further wrath, Detta didn't provoke him. Instead, David walked out the door without looking at either her or Marko and joined the other boys. Detta breathed deeply, glad it was over for the time being. She turned back to Marko and started walking towards him, her hands clasped in front of her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "So, I guess I'll see you . . ."

Marko shook his head. "No."

"No?"

"No. I'm going with you."

"Listen, I think—"

"You should do this alone? Is that what you really want?"

"Well . . . yes and no . . ."

Marko reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "A few days of just you and me. Take care of business and then relax."

Detta looked up at him, her eyes wide. "I just don't want to drag you into this if—"

"Are we not together?" Detta nodded. "Are you not our sister?" She nodded again. "Then I'm part of it."

"But I wasn't part of this when it all happened."

"Technicalities," Marko laughed. "Do you not want me to go?"

Her look became defensive. "Of course not. I'd love to have you with me. But him . . . I just want to do on my own."

Marko looked into her eyes and saw the revenge there, the wrong that her editor had done to her and to so many others. He understood why she wanted that death for her own. It represented the silencing of a history that he wasn't a part of.

"Ok. I'll just wait in the hotel and rack up room service and porn charges on your credit card," he whispered into her ear.

She laughed, feeling the tension lift. "Thanks. Tomorrow night then. Go get clothes. I'll ship them ahead. We'll leave at sunset."

Marko grabbed her face and kissed her lips before heading out the door to join the waiting boys. Detta listened as their engines roared to life and the noise sped away. Butterfly wings fluttered in her stomach at the thought of returning to New York. It had been nearly two years and for all her boss knew, she was dead. This was her revenge and she could taste it already.

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