DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THIS AMAZING SERIES. KIM HARRISON DOES!

TPOV

Concerned for my wait staff, I hurried out the door of Rachel's suite. Two of my security had Tamwood's front shoved against the wall with her arms at her back. Another of my security stood two feet away from the three and held a linen napkin to his bleeding, and most likely broken, nose. A glitter of black tinged with silver brought my eyes up to where Rachel's favorite pixy was hovering high above our heads, sounding identical to a swarm of hornets. I noticed, with a flash of irritation, that Jenks's pixy dust was fluttering down to the two men holding Ivy. Rachel's alpha, David, was standing by himself with a wary expression on his face. His eyes met mine and the worry for his female alpha in them was clear.

"Enough!" I said, stepping forward. "Let Tamwood go," I added when I had everyone's attention.

The men released her immediately. She turned away from the wall and held herself stiffly. I looked her over, making sure one of Rachel's best friends was alright and wasn't about to vamp out. Her cheeks were flushed, and there was the slight swelling of black in her eyes. Tamwood glared at my men retreating to stand protectively in front of me, but I think she was alright. She was just angry, and no where near losing it. I hoped anyway.

"Mr. Hue. Ms. Tamwood. Jenks," I greeted with a nod to each of them. Jenks returned my nod, and despite the attempts my security made to snag him, he flew around me and through the still open door behind me. I heard him whisper Rachel's name.

Tamwood's eyes tracked Jenks's trail of dust. I saw the need to follow him flash in her eyes, and I stepped aside to avoid being trampled by her. After my quick demand that my security let her through also, she breezed past me, sending the scent of vampire incense to me. The three men looked at me for direction and I sent the ones Jenks had pixed to shower. The one with the broken nose I sent to the medical wing.

David stepped froward as my men went away and after I gestured that it was alright, he followed behind Tamwood and Jenks. Sighing deeply, I retraced my steps and re-entered Rachel's suite. Tamwood sat in the chair I had recently occupied and held Rachel's limp hand in her own. Jenks hovered above their hands. Rachel looked the same as when I'd left her. The Were stood at the other bed-side, the back of his hand to her forehead.

"What happened?" Tamwood said in a flat voice as I stood at the foot of the bed. She didn't look at me, just kept Rachel's hand in hers with a white-knuckled grip.

Seeing Rachel's fingers beginning to turn red, I frowned and snapped, "Don't hold her hand like that. You're going to break her fingers, and I don't think Rachel will be too pleased when she wakes up."

Tamwood glared at me, but loosened her death-grip. "When will that be, exactly?" David questioned.

"I don't know," I muttered, taking a seat by Rachel's feet.

There was a pause, and then Jenks buzzed his wings, capturing my attention. "Uh, she is going to wake up. Right, Trent?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "I hope so."

"What the hell does that mean? Is she, or isn't she?"

I grimaced and said nothing.

"You aren't sure," Tamwood said softly. "What happened? Why is she like this?"

"Nick lied to us. He wasn't giving us his consent to untwist the curse." I said as emotionless as I could. "Rachel and I hadn't known that if Sparagmos didn't actually want to give us his, 'okay', whether he gifted his blood to us or not, it would hold the same effect as if we had bled him against his will." I gestured to Rachel's unconscious body.

"Where is he? Crap-for-brains?" Jenks hissed, flying to me, and back to Tamwood four times quickly before I answered. "Her demon has him."

Tamwood glanced at me, and I saw the fury in her eyes. David cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him. "Okay, so now we know why she is as she is, but what is she?" His brow furrowed in concern as he gazed at her.

"The way her demon explained it was she is here, " I gestured to her body, "but she, herself, isn't."

"Like the time she burned all of her aura off and you put her soul in a baby bottle?" Tamwood asked.

Suddenly, there was a massive explosion of yellow pixy dust from Jenks as he yelled excitedly, "Then all you have to do is kiss her, and she's back!"

I made a pained noise in the back of my throat. "That simply isn't the case right now. Her soul is still here, which is why I don't have her on life support." I paused, then added dryly, "And it wasn't simply me kissing her that brought her back to us. I used elven magic to do that. Her honest kiss to me was symbolic for her trust for me."

"Wait, wait, wait." David waved his hand back in forth. "Before, you said you and Rachel didn't know. Did Al?"

I ground my teeth together in an effort to suppress my frustration with that demon. "Yes. He knew. He was barely informing us, Rachel and I, that there was a way for Sparagmos to screw us over when Sparagmos caught on that we'd grown suspicious of his intentions and he completed the untwisting of the curse seconds before Al knocked him out."

"Go back," Tamwood demanded, bringing my attention back to her. "Okay, so her soul is still here. Why is she like this, then?"

I put a hand on Rachel's foot. "Her soul is here, but not the essence of her soul."

It was quiet for all of two heartbeats until Jenks said," What the fairy balls are you talking about? A soul is a whole. I swear by Tink's dildo there isn't anyway to pull it to pieces. It's all or nothing with them." David and Ivy nodded their heads in agreement.

Exasperated, I said to Jenks, "Can you see her aura?"

"That's a dumb question. Of course I can."

"Then you can easily see that the glow of it is gone."

The pixy hesitated. "It is." He said reluctantly.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as Al had done when he'd been explaining this to me. He'd also been annoyed because I didn't have a clue as to what he was claiming. "That's what's missing from Rachel's soul. Al called it the essence of what made Rachel . . . Rachel." Goddess, couldn't the demon have explained it better than that?

"Isn't what makes us us our souls?"

"It's the part of the soul that makes us us. It's the part of her soul that makes her her." I pointed to Rachel. All three of them had bewildered expressions on their faces. I waved my hand dismissively. "Look, I don't get it either. It's what Al says. Her consciousness is gone. So long that it's gone, she's going to be Sleeping Beauty. Let's leave it at that."

"What does that Disney whore have to do with anything?" Jenks asked dryly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And again, that is what Al said."

"Did Al ever mention a way to get her back the way she was?"

I looked up at David. Answering him, I said, "No. He only said to wait." I let my frustration with that damn demon slip into my voice as I spoke.

Ivy pursed her lips. "Wait for what?"

"I don't know," I whispered softly. "He continually said he had his own plan B. He told me to wait." As an afterthought, I said, "He also told me it was alright to sleep." On cue, I yawned. I was exhausted.

"You look tired." Jenks commented. I blinked at him, trying to overcome the wash of sleepiness that had suddenly possessed me. "Go to sleep. We'll watch her."

I sighed, and stood up with a groan. "All right. This is probably my only chance with the girls just put to bed for their daily nap." I stifled another yawn as I walked around Tamwood.

As I bent to kiss Rachel on her forehead, Jenks buzzed his wings. "I still think you should kiss her. She is Sleeping Beauty after all. And it never hurts to try."

I stopped inches from Rachel's face. "Drop it, Jenks." I said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm just saying it doesn't hurt to try. Tell him, Ivy." I looked at her, and she shrugged noncommittally. Rachel's alpha smiled a little. I rolled my eyes. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. I leaned over her anew, and softly pressed my lips to Rachel's. A second later I pulled away. Nothing. Disappointment crashed into me.

"You see? Nothing," I told Jenks as he hovered inches above Rachel's nose. "If there is anything you three need, ask any of my staff."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out.