For all those who offered feedback, I really appreciate it. I try not to be a review glutton, but I get such a kick out of them, especially the detailed ones. So for those who take the time, you know I'm thinking of you when I write. There's a lot going on in this chapter, and it may seem random, but I promise, it'll all tie in together by the time I'm finished. If it seems grim, just hang on!

New York

Josef sank into a chair by Sara's side, the beeping from the machines a knife in his ears, taunting him…threatening his sanity. He let out a short, bitter laugh. You really couldn't do better for irony. He'd seen torch bearing mobs, not only seen them, but had been their guest of honor. He'd seen more wars than you could shake a stick at, some fought for survival, some for freedom, some for greed, some out of ignorance and fear. Oh, and he'd seen death in general. Millions-no, billions of people had died in his 400 years, and millions at his personal hand. Most of them would modernly classify as justifiable homicides, but some had been just for fun. Josef was a predator, a natural state he exulted in.

And now, at the peak of his game, he was undone by one death, cut down to his knees, his mind shutting down. His Sara, his link to something indefinable but infinitely precious was gone. The twist of the knife was that she'd been gone a long time. How many times had he poured his heart and soul out to nothing more than a fantastically well-preserved corpse?

Beth had known. Rage colored his despair, aimed with full force at the blonde mortal. She'd known his Sara was dead and her solution was to fuck him? Well, pity had never been so enthusiastic, he thought contemptuously. What, had she thought her body would serve as some sort of consolation prize? Well, blondie needed a reality check, because it wasn't even cold comfort.

It took a minute, but logic prevailed to a small extent. More likely it had been a distraction tactic, he surmised grimly. Beth hadn't wanted him to know the truth, not yet. His rage ebbed, falling away into nothingness. Maybe she'd been waiting for…what, the right moment? For all her bravado and ambition, Turner could be one hell of a soft touch. The sooner she'd told him, the sooner she could have gotten on with her own life, but she'd kept her life on hold to spare him a while longer. It might have been touching, but the news had killed him, and had left only an empty shell. He had no room to moved by anything.

Pity Beth's little distraction hadn't worked. He'd suspected she was withholding something, suspected something fishy about the evening before. So he'd tracked down Ms. Eastwood, correctly suspecting the root of the mystery lay there.

It hadn't take much persuasion to get Vanessa to spill her guts, only a few well-placed compliments and allusions to the favors he could do for her, and her lips had been looser than Coraline's morals. She'd told him everything that Beth should have told him herself. The silver had poisoned Sara beyond repair a long time ago, and there was no hope. The stupid broad had wanted to tell him more, but he didn't need to hear another word. It was finished.

His cell phone rang, and he briefly contemplated smashing the gadget. Coraline's number flashed on the screen, and maybe out of desperation for a distraction, he answered it. "What?" Even to his own ears, his tone was dead, dull.

Coraline didn't comment on it. "Josef, I need your help."

"Then you'd be fresh out of luck," he denied instantly. "I'm not helping anyone…"

"Josef, listen to me," Coraline insisted, sounding edgy. It penetrated his brain, but failed to evoke even the smallest response. "I'm up to my ass in trouble this time, and Mick won't abandon ship."

"That would be his problem, or yours, however you want to look at it." He was dead, didn't they understand? In a few days, it would be official.

"He's your best friend," Coraline hissed in acute frustration and confusion. "He needs you."

"Well, he's a big boy now, and he's got you, my dear vixen. Why don't you put that devious little brain to good use and leave me alone?"

"Okay, who are you and what the hell have you done with Josef Kostan?" Coraline demanded heatedly. "Look, self-preservation is one thing, but-"

"Save it, okay, Coraline?" He closed his eyes, wishing for a silver bullet. "The game's over, I've got nothing left."

"What in hell's name are you blathering about? This is life and death, Josef!"

"Oh, Coraline, my old friend. Doesn't it always come down to life and death?" Sadness without pretense stained his words.

There a long, nervous silence. "Something's messed with your head," she concluded softly. He had to wonder if the concern he heard was out of friendship, or if she was worried she was losing a valuable ally. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered. "Look, whatever it is-"

"As poignant as your distress is, and completely altruistic, I'm sure," he added, sarcasm drowning his words, "it's pointless. If you don't want Mick involved in your bullshit, cut your losses and split town. That's about all I can do for you."

"What's going on?" she demanded nervously.

"Take care of Mick. Lord knows the child needs babysitting. You aren't what I'd call a stabilizing influence, but I don't have anyone else to ask, except Beth, and she's just a mortal. Take care of her, too. Sure, she stabbed you, but you kidnapped her, so that makes it even all around. No, on second thought, have Mick take care of her." He paused, but all he heard was shocked sputtering on the other line. "Well, work it out one way or other."

"Josef…" Coraline nervousness was giving way to real anxiety.

"If you ever cared, just leave me the fuck alone." He disconnected the call, Coraline already a million miles from his mind.

LA

"Damn," Coraline snarled, snapping her cell phone closed. She'd tried to call Josef back three times, but he wouldn't pick up. She'd never heard him sound like that before, it was downright creepy, and this from her of all beings. Her stomach tightened to the point of physical pain. She'd been sure she could count on Josef, at least for some financial backing, but all signs pointed to him cracking up.

Even worse, he'd sounded suicidal, talking about 'taking care' of Mick and Beth. She'd seen Josef depressed, but never despondent to that degree. Coraline had the frantic urge to hunt him down, and knock some sense into him. She didn't have time, though.

"Is something wrong, Bella?" A male voice asked from the shadows, the voice of the 'tail' that Lance had put on her. He was standing, quivering from lust and an overwhelming desire to please. He reminded her of a young dog, caught in limbo between puppy and adult. Would Lance never learn? There were very few males she couldn't win over, and in this case, she hadn't even had to offer her body. All it had taken was batting her eyelashes, and promising him future romps.

"Not at all, Matthew," she responded smoothly, her lips twisting in a sultry smile. "You're here, aren't you?"

His chest literally puffed out. "You know I'd do anything for you, don't you, my goddess?"

Coraline almost growled, and demanded he retract his words. Mick had called her a goddess once, and since then, the word had remained sacred to her. But she reeled in her temper, knowing she had to use this gullible minion for all he was worth. When he wasn't useful, he was fair game. The thought cheered her up a little.

"Yes, of course," she cooed. "You've done so much already. Now, do you have your story down to recite to Lance?"

"Yes, yes…"

"Say it," she demanded. She wasn't going to risk blowing her cover because this joke had a hard-on. She softened her tone, batted her eyelashes yet again for affect. "We wouldn't want anything to go wrong, would we, darling?"

"Never!" he declared passionately. "I'll tell him that you went to the Sunset club, had a snack, a Caucasian male in his early 20's, had a few alcoholic drinks, and went home."

"Very good." She gave him a beaming smile that was about as sincere as Marilyn Munro's blonde hair color. "When this is over, I shall properly reward you."

"Coraline…let me kiss you," he begged, all but drooling. Charming.

A kiss is one of the last things I'd ever give you, she thought disdainfully, but the emotion never surfaced when she answered him. "Oh, dear boy, I would…but Lance would smell it, wouldn't he?"

"I could shower," he volunteered eagerly.

"Well, he'd be able to smell that, and wonder why." She waited for comprehension to follow that bit of obvious logic, disappointment and resignation not far behind. "All in good time, darling, all in good time. After all, vampires aren't exactly pressed for time, right?"

"True…" he sounded like a whining toddler to her ears.

"That's a dear. Now, I've got to be running along." Her nerves, already raw, frayed to a worse degree, her heart squeezing. Letting Lance talk to Mick, letting Mick play this dangerous game of intrigue was a calculated risk. What if her bastard brother decided Mick's mouth was too smart for him to live?

"Coraline…" Mathew wheedled. "When can we be together?"

When hell freezes over. "When it's over," she answered vaguely. Then she was gone, making her way back to the apartment she'd come to think of as partly hers. She exited the elevator, came to a dead stop. She could smell Mick, hear his slowly beating heart. There was no pain; there was none of his spilled blood to assault her soul. Her knees sagged with overwhelming relief, her vampire endurance abandoning her momentarily. She sank to the ground, trying to get herself in check.

She heard the door open, her senses alert as Mick made his way over. "Coraline?" He slipped a hand under her knees, supported her back with the other, lifting her effortlessly. Her throat tightened, her body snuggling closer without her mind's permission.

"You're not hurt," they said in unison.

Mick chuckled. "Okay, we've got that straight." He carried her into the apartment, lightly footing the door closed behind them. "If you were worried I'd screw up-"

"With Lance, you don't have to. I've seen him walk up to virtual strangers and tear their throats out…for fun, I guess." Coraline was too old to be squeamish, not to mention too jaded and in touch with her own nature to be horrified, but she knew Lance was a few cards short of a full deck. "He doesn't need a reason, Mick. And if you followed the plan, you gave him a reason."

Mick sat her down, examining her patiently. "Coraline, if I sucked up, he'd be on his guard. Sure, he's probably plotting my demise as we speak, but he'll keep me around. He bought it, bought that I was up for grabs. That was the point. As long as he buys it, we have a shot."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why did you think I was hurt?"

"Automatic reaction." Mick looked a little sheepish as he flopped down beside her. "I saw you curled up on the ground, and for a second…I don't know." She sensed that he wasn't going to make any more of an admission that he already had. "I was just relieved you were all right."

"I was," she assured him. "I was just relieved you were in one piece."

"Well, I think we've got that covered."

"I called Josef, like we talked about," she informed him miserably. "He isn't on board."

Mick's brows drew together in genuine confusion. "I thought you said he'd be all over this."

"Maybe I was getting ahead of myself," Coraline admitted. "I mean, he has gotten soft over the years, doesn't like to get his hands dirty, at least not personally. But I thought he'd make an exception, you know, embrace the chance to get the old juices flowing. If we can take down Lance, there's a lot of power up for grabs. Not to mention, usually he'll come through for friends, even if he likes to talk big."

Mick rubbed her shoulders, sensing how this development had deepened her misgivings. "Okay, so it's a set-back. A substantial one, I'll give you that, but it isn't going to make or break the whole thing. We did have a Plan B, remember?"

"I didn't actually plan on using it," she countered, but it was hard to stay tense with those marvelous hands kneading her shoulders. As good as it felt, she'd rather have his hands other places… Down girl, she admonished herself. She needed to focus. "Tell me everything," she commanded. She wanted to remind him she wasn't fragile, that she was still leading the dance.

She almost moaned in disapproval when Mick's hands dropped away. "He just strolled on in, like he owned the place. I played it casual, which pissed him off. I guess I was supposed to fall at his feet, and worship the marvel that was him." Mick rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Sounds about right." She tugged him closer, needing the reassurance of his proximity. However, this time she resisted the urge to cuddle with him. She needed to get it on track.

"Big shot wanted to know where you were, I acted like I didn't have a clue. I thought he might go tearing through the place, looking for clues, like we'd be stupid enough to leave a smoking gun in the nest." He scoffed. "Anyway, then he offered up you were his sister, and I acted like it was news to me. I'm not sure he swallowed that, but Lance didn't press the point. When he couldn't shake me up there, he went for the trust issue between us, seeing how tight we were."

"I never knew my brother was so predictable." She didn't offer up the truth that she herself wondered if Mick really did trust her. She'd done her best to rebuild the trust that she'd broken on their wedding night, but was it enough? Would it ever be enough? One way or the other, Mick cared enough to throw his hat into her ring, play a dangerous game by her side. That meant more than everything to her. "Did the rest go down like we were planning?"

Mick's hand wandered to her hair, the touch absent, but welcomed. A gleam entered his eyes that she really liked. "It just fell into place. I thought it'd take a few meetings to get him to drop the bait, but I guess he was in a hurry."

"Sure. Dominic's probably breathing down his neck."

"Anyway, he offered me the usual package…women, money, and power. He must take me for ten shades of idiot if he thought I'd just take his word for it. He doesn't exactly have 'trustworthy' coming off him in waves." Coraline snickered, shaking her head. "As far as he's concerned, I'll be a good little stooge and rat out every little thing you do."

"Good," Coraline declared with satisfaction. At least some of their plans were going smoothly. She aimed him an admiring glance. "I've got to say, Mick, I didn't know you had it in you. Who knew Machiavellian could be so hot?" Mission accomplished, she thought gleefully, forgetting about Lance and all the headaches that came with him, even for a little while.

"Speaking of hot," Mick growled, the sound snapping through Coraline, her body physically reacting. Then she really had something to react about, because she was hauled up against his chest, and he was eating her mouth. She returned the favor, pressing her body even closer. In seconds, her legs were around his waist, rubbing herself against the growing bulge pressing against his fly. He grinded back, and if their clothes could have melted away, he would have been inside her, filling her the way no one else could.

Before she even registered his mouth had left hers, he was sinking his fangs into her neck, wrenching a low whimper from her lips. The pleasure and sweet stinging had her feeling high, making heroin's affect look like a little pick-me-up. She returned the favor, euphoria enveloping her as her incisors broke through his skin, the familiar taste of his blood wetting her tongue, sliding down her throat.

How long they played the erotic game of give-and-take, she didn't know. But at some point, he tore his slid his fangs around from her flesh, the wound almost instantly healing. His unnecessary breath was cool and ragged in her ear. "I want you, and I don't plan on waiting anymore."

Lance's Fortress

This was a nightmare, Beth reasoned numbly. Just a waking one. She couldn't lose it, and start freaking out, for a variety of reasons, actually. First of all, vampires got off on fear; it usually drove them to more aggressive emotions. Second of all, she had to keep a cool head. If she fell apart, she was screwed for sure. Third of all, she wasn't going to give the asshole the satisfaction.

"You want to make me into a vampire?" she asked evenly, wondering what his game was. Why her? Why now?

"No, I want to take you to Hollywood, and turn you into the next Lana Turner," he shot back flippantly, shaking his head in disappointment. "When I say immortal of course I mean vampire!"

"Lucky me," she muttered sarcastically, forcing rising panic down. Sure, in the abstract sense, she'd batted the idea of becoming a vampire around in her head, but in this imaginary scenario, either Mick or Josef were her sire, not psycho boy. Also, it was a few years down the line, in her 30's, and that was a big maybe.

"Actually, you are." Lance advanced on her, and against her will, she recoiled, her back grinding into the wall behind her. "But it's more than just luck. It's your destiny. Your birthright."

What have you been smoking, pal? Beth thought bitingly, but didn't quite have the brass to say it out loud with him practically in her face. "I guess mom forgot to give me that talk," she retorted instead.

A laugh of what could have been genuine amusement spilled out of Lance, the vibrations drifting over Beth's face. She winced. He didn't have bad breath, actually, but his aura, the darkness of it, was a tangible thing. Beth had always scoffed at the idea that evil could have an actual presence, but she couldn't deny that evil was what she feeling. Cold, suffocating, all-encompassing evil was in the room, and she was stuck in the middle of it.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He made a bow that reminded Beth of some period pieces she'd watched with her mother growing up. "I'm Lance de Guise."

"Charmed." She rolled her eyes, like she didn't have a care in the world. Internally, she wondered just how much she should piss this guy off. Sometimes it was a fine balance between being gutsy and idiotic.

"Don't you ever wonder why Coraline kidnapped you?"

Sucking in her breath in surprise, Beth stared, creeped out by his jet black eye. It was unnatural in the extreme. At first, it looked like he was missing an eye, but closer examination corrected her initial assumption. Was it rotted in some weird supernatural sense? Had he been messing with black mojo? She forced herself not to analyze it too closely. The less she knew about this freak, the better.

"How do you know about that?" she asked wearily. There was always the chance that him and Coraline were confidants, but she could have sworn she heard a little loathing in his tone when he said Coraline's name.

"Because she's my sister." And I thought Coraline was bad, was the first thought that popped into Beth's head after absorbing the astonishing fact. She wondered how the rest of the family was.

"Figures," she spat. But in all honesty, she would have welcomed anyone's help about now, even Coraline's. "Well, you know what they say, it's a small world and all that jazz."

He leveled her with a warning glare. "If you start singing that obnoxious so-called song, I will torture you for an hour on principle. In any event, Coraline is one of seven siblings from a powerful bloodline. Our grandsire, Dominic is the most powerful vampire in the world."

"Good for you."

"Sarcasm, my dear? Is that the best you can muster?" Lance pressed a mocking kiss to her brow. Beth tried to jerk away from his freezer lips, but he held her ruthlessly still. True, Mick and Josef were slightly, but not anywhere near to this extent and they weren't repulsive! Other side of the spectrum from repulsive, actually. For a sickening moment, she wondered if he'd start pawing her, but with a low snicker, he backed off. And best of all, he started to pace the length of the room, giving her some much desired space.

"So, two kidnappers in the family," Beth announced. "Is that a genetic trait, or did you two compare notes?"

"As I do now, Coraline had some very defined reasons for kidnapping you, as you so crassly put it. I prefer to think of it as a family reunion." Beth blinked at him, unable to make sense out of that. 'Family reunion?' Then, her stomach lurching, she remembered that her and Coraline shared a blood type. Could that mean…?

No, no, no! Her mind put a stone wall up against the disturbing idea, trying to shield her. Her mind was good at that. She barely registered Lance grinning at her, obviously having guessed what she was going through. He was just baiting her, just playing with her head. Maybe he knew about the similar blood type, maybe…maybe…

"I don't believe you," she told him in a very low voice.

"Coraline is your ancestor, your direct ancestor. Towards the end of her rather illustrious career, she gave birth to a bastard daughter-"

"Let me get this straight." Beth knew she had serious problems. She was at the mercy of a powerful vampire who seemed very comfortable with his dark side, so she shouldn't be worried about Coraline's family tree. Still, the reporter in her just wouldn't shut up. Besides, she wanted to stall for time, delay the inevitable part where she fit into this loony bunch. "Coraline was a mother?"

Lance didn't seem perturbed by Beth's interruption. Actually, he seemed on cloud nine that she was taking an interest. She cursed her own curiosity. "She gave the growing babe a place to develop, and she eventually squeezed the creature from her womb, if that's what you mean by 'mother.' After the child was born, she wasted no time ridding herself of any responsibility in the matter."

"Why did she go through with the pregnancy? Why not just-"

"Induce a miscarriage or something?" Lance shrugged. "With my sister, one can never be sure of the why, only of the facts. "In any case, she gave birth to a girl. She gave it to an English earl who had not been able to reproduce a legitimate offspring, and the rest is history. Not long after this charming misadventure, my sister retired from the world's oldest profession, and soon joined the ranks of the undead. Jacqueline went on to breed, and after several generations, you are the last link to an ancient bloodline. You come from vampires."

"Let's say, for like, a microsecond I'm buying this crap, which I'm not, but let's pretend. Even if Coraline was my ancestor's mother, she wasn't a vampire then." Beth aimed him a defiant look.

"Ah, she wasn't, but her father was a vampire, a very powerful one." Lance seemed to relish the shock and confusion in Beth's expression.

"That's impossible. Male vampires are shooting blanks!" Beth all but shouted. She vaguely remembered Josef complaining about volume, and hoped she split Lance's eardrums. If she did, he gave no indication. Either Josef was a big baby, or Lance just had a freakish tolerance for pain. Or maybe he was just a good actor.

"Very astute, Miss Turner. But there's a loophole to every rule, even vampirism, the very loophole my sister used when she was playing her Morgan Vincent role." A low beeping went off, the alarm on his watch, presumably. He switched it off. "Damn. We'll have to finish this later. No matter, why, we have forever. For now, you look absolutely worn out. Let me help you sleep."

"Gee, with these plush accommodations, I'm sure I'll snooze like a baby," Beth snapped.

"Only temporary, I promise. Wouldn't want my girl's wrists cramping, now would we?" She gagged at the notion of being 'his girl' but he purposefully ignored the sound. "When you wake up, you'll be in your new room. Look into my eyes, darling."

"Get real." Beth scoffed. "I've looked at your eyes, plenty, and nothing…" That was the point her tongue seemed to get heavy, and she lost her train of thought. His gaze caught and pinned her, and she suddenly felt lethargic. There was something in his eyes, something she couldn't identify, but something that she could drown in. Darkness swept over her, and she remembered no more.