The next morning Hal learned that construction crews bring the kind of chaos that would drive a saint to drink blood. Lena was in her element and loving every minute of the mess and confusion and noise as things were torn down and carried out and cut up and carried in and Hal was ready to bite a Seraphin, any Seraphin, just to put himself out of his misery by the time she realized how bad off he was.

"Come on, Fangboy," she said. "Let's go for a drive." She grabbed her wallet and keys and they were out the door. She drove for a few minutes in the direction of the nearest thing that resembled a highway before she spoke again.

"What do you need?"

"Contact. With you," he replied, staring blankly ahead. The darkened red shadow of the curse accentuated the tension in his face.

Her hand rested on the shift knob. "Put your hand on mine. Will that do?"

"Yes, thank you." He set his hand on hers and moved with her as she shifted gears smoothly. He immediately felt his body humming as the curse was calmed at the cellular level once again.

"I wasn't expecting you to freak out," she said. "I thought you loved chaos."

"Only when I am the one causing it."

"See, I didn't think of that, but it makes sense," she said. "You need to be in charge to be comfortable."

"Generally speaking, yes, and I can't be in charge of that—" he motioned in the general direction of chaos and madness "—because I know nothing about it."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I anticipate being miserable for the duration," he replied.

"Well, shit. That won't do." They drove in silence for a while. "Did we have breakfast?" she asked.

"Barely," he replied. Their routine had been interrupted before he could finish his tea.

"Do you want to skip straight to lunch? There's a chip shop up here, next to a petrol station," she said, using British words on purpose with a smile. "I could use some petrol anyway."

"Is it on the left hand side of the road? Other me refuses to stop at a petrol station on the left hand side of the road. He considers it bad luck," Hal chuckled at his alter ego's superstition.

"Sadly, I think it is," Lena replied. She pointed it out, on the left, as they drove past.

"I was joking, you know," Hal said. "You weren't supposed to take me seriously."

"Oh? Well, in that case—" she laughed as she jerked the emergency brake to lock up the rear wheels and expertly spun the car 180 degrees, after which she drove sedately up to the petrol station, which was now on the right hand side of the road. She pulled up to the pump, but before she got out Lena stroked the steering wheel with both hands and kissed it gently. "If you were a man I would so be having sex with you right now," she murmured to her car.

After refueling Lena got back behind the wheel and drove across the lot to the fish-and-chip shop. It was early enough that there were only a couple of cars out front. Lena pulled some pound notes from her wallet and handed them to Hal.

"I know you like to be in charge," she said with a smile.

He looked at the money, then at her, puzzled. Why was she being considerate of him when he had been nothing but trouble?

"What? It'll be a game. We'll play 'overly-polite gentleman dude takes shy lady to chip shop.' I'll be the shy lady," she added, just to clarify their roles.

"If you insist on using slang, I believe the term is 'chippy,'" Hal replied as he tucked the notes into his trouser pocket.

Neither of them bothered to say what they both were thinking. The game would allow them to maintain the contact that he needed to be safe.

Hal got out of the car and opened her door for her. He took her hand as he helped her out and he kept it as they walked to the chippy, where he opened the door for her and escorted her to the counter with his hand on her lower back, protectively. He was enjoying the game.

She studied the menu board and drew him close to murmur in his ear what she wanted, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm as she did so. She clung to him as he placed their order and paid the clerk. When they were asked, "Eat in or takeaway?" she just looked at him with a submissive smile.

"We'll eat here." Hal replied without a thought to how close he was to the clerk and how easy it would be to reach over the counter and tear into his throat, because he was really enjoying the game.

They got their drinks right away, and Hal led them to a table apart from the other patrons and pulled out a chair for her. He started to sit across the table from her but she held his hand and protested mildly that he was too far away, so he sat next to her instead. He didn't pay any attention to the fellows three tables away because he was really, really, enjoying the game.

When their food was brought to the table the clerk/waiter gave Hal a bloke-to-bloke look that clearly said, "Well done, you've got her well in hand."

Hal chuckled. "If only he knew," he said.

"I saw that look too," Lena replied. "Apparently the game is going well."

"It will all be ruined when he sees us drive away," Hal said.

"Maybe you should drive," Lena replied as she pulled the key fob from her pocket and quietly handed it to Hal under the table.

"You're kidding."

"You know how to drive a stick, right? What's the worst that can happen?"

"I could wreck your precious car," he said.

"Yeah, but it's just a car. I mean, it's not like you can kill us."

She had a point, Hal realized. And why the hell not drive the car?

Lena kept her hand on his thigh and her eyes on his face as they ate, and she smiled and chatted lightly about the day and the weather and the food. She gave him a kiss on the cheek after he politely wiped a bit of food from the side of her mouth with his napkin, and he didn't even notice the family that had just come into the chippy because he was really, really, really enjoying the game.

"We should play games more often," he murmured as he reached over to tuck a few stray hairs behind her ear that had somehow escaped her ponytail and were slightly blocking his view of her eyes.

She smiled softly at him and said, "Don't get your hopes up," in a sweet, pretending-to-thank-you voice.

"In that case, I should take full advantage while I can," he replied, and he kissed her as he pulled the band from her hair so it would fall freely around her shoulders. He pulled back a few inches from her face and ran a hand through her hair, arranging it to his liking as he smiled a 'wait until I get you home' smile at her.

"There," he said. "I like that better."

"One of these days I'm going to beat the shit right out of you," she replied in a lover's voice, hoping he put down her sudden rapid heartbeat to anger rather than the reaction she had actually had to his kiss.

"I look forward to it," he said with smoldering eyes and a wicked grin, as though she had offered him a tremendous sexual favor.

The server/waiter came by to pick up their empty dishes just then and gave Hal another approving look as he caught his comment. Lena blushed prettily and hid her face on Hal's shoulder. She used her unbound hair to cover the fact that she actually bit him, hard, while she was at it.

Hal jumped and pulled away to look at her.

"What? The curse was getting dark. I was just distracting you," she said with her own wicked smile. "We should go, the place is starting to fill up."

Hal agreed. He could feel the pressure of humanity building around him and the sound of beating hearts was becoming a distraction. He stood up, pulled back her chair, and took her hand to assist her to her feet, as a gentleman does. Three women walked directly behind him to sit at the next table over and Hal felt his fangs start to shift when he smelled blood on one of them.

Lena pulled him into a hug and whispered, "Stay with me, Hal," in his ear and gave him a minute to draw on her strength and calm himself down. When he nodded that he was okay, she locked eyes with him and rested her hand on the side of his face and smiled a warm smile.

"All right lover, let's finish the game," she said, and suddenly Hal was fine again, and took her hand and led her confidently through the chippy, opened the door for her, and escorted her to the passenger side of the Audi before getting behind the wheel.

He even managed to drive away without killing the car or making it shudder as he shifted gears, and he found himself falling a little bit in love with Lena's blue Audi R8 as he realized how much fun it was to drive. Yes, Hal thought, I'd be happy to play this game every day.

As soon as they got on the road Lena pulled her phone from her pocket and called Georgia Harriman.

"I missed a call from you?"

-pause

"We took a drive, had some lunch. I don't know, hang on." She turned to Hal. "Are we headed back to the house?"

He was surprised by the question. "Shouldn't we be?"

She shrugged. "You're driving."

"In that case, no we are not," he said.

She turned back to the phone. "I don't know when we'll be back. Why does it matter?"

-pause

"Right, but Alex is there. She knows the house better than I do. Ask her. And look, Georgia, I know I usually go full bore on these jobs but I just can't this time. I'm living in the middle of it and I can already tell that it isn't going to work. I need time for coffee and breakfast in the morning and I need my evenings without your people in the house. I'm sure my housemates would feel the same, so we're going to turn this into a 9-to-5 job."

-pause

"I don't give a fuck about the timeline. If you want everyone to live through this thing, you'll do it my way."

-pause

"Anything that needs me can wait until I get back, or until tomorrow."

Lena hung up on Georgia. "That's done, then."

"I'm the one with the problem. Why didn't you say so?" Hal asked.

"That's not how I operate," she replied. "I own the house, so I'm the boss of the renovation. That means I make the decisions, I stand by the decisions, I accept the consequences of the decisions. Whatever may influence me to make a particular decision is nobody's business but mine. That's what it means to be the boss."

"Clearly you've never been a vampire boss," Hal said wryly. "They blame everyone for everything in order to keep themselves from getting staked."

"It takes more than a stake to kill me, and that's a proven fact," Lena replied. "And it sounds to me like vampires make lousy bosses."

"I would have to agree with you," he said. "What's the saying? 'Nice guys finish last.' Very much the truth in my world."

"You're in my world now, Hal. So, where are we going?"

He smiled at her. "I have no idea."

"Cool," she replied as she stretched out in the passenger seat. "One of my favorite places."

As she watched the road ahead and the scenery passing them by, Lena finally allowed herself to relax her guard. Hal was doing okay, finally. The curse was quiet and pale and he was enjoying himself, which meant she didn't have to plot every second of their time or defend them both against the power of the blood curse.

It really was exhausting, dealing with his curse, and his personality quirks, and his relentless pursuit of her as if she were a prize to be won instead of a person trying her best to treat him decently. Pity she couldn't just walk into a café, buy a meal, and eat it like a normal person. Even the simplest things become difficult with a vampire added to the mix, and a vampire lady's man who has to flaunt his smooth moves just added one more complication to the pile of mess she was already dealing with.

True, she had used that aspect of his character to control him while they were in the chippy, but she hadn't expected him to stay and eat, or for the place to fill up so quickly. And of course he had to take advantage of their required closeness to make a move on her, and of course he was an even better kisser now than when he was human, damn it, which meant that part of her enjoyed it so she was mad at herself as well as him.

Lena knew that her anger just made it easier for the damned curse to dig into her, and she was tired of battling her own emotions as well as dealing with a perpetually hungry vampire and a curse that wanted to claim her soul. Well, shit, she thought. No wonder I enjoy living alone.

Hal drove for a while, made his way onto smaller and less-traveled roads, and finally stopped alongside a reservoir. Lena had kept up with the signs along the way and knew that he had taken them back to the Brecon Beacons. They got out for a stretch and a look at the view out over the water.

Finally Hal said, "Thank you for getting me out of the house today. And for being decent to me again. I don't know why you bother," he added with a self-conscious smile.

"It is a challenge at times," she replied wryly. "However, things get out of hand quickly when I stop being decent."

"What happens when things get out of hand?" he asked. "Something more than you tying up and punching the vampire who annoys you?"

She was quiet for a moment. "People die," she said. "It is within my job description, but it is a practice that I avoid for the most part."

She looked back at the car. "I don't suppose you know how to get back to Barry from here?"

"I thought I might turn around and drive in the opposite direction from the one we had been going."

"Smartass."

They were reaching for the car doors when a brown van full of people drove by. Lena noticed immediately that there were no souls in the van. She looked at Hal over the roof of the Audi.

"Vampires," he said.

"Friends of yours?"

He shook his head as he replied, "I'm sure Hetty has a price on my head."

"It's fine. They'll keep going," she said. They heard the squeal of brakes and the sound of a vehicle turning around. "Or not," she added.

"You don't happen to have any stakes in your car?" Hal asked as he moved to meet her in front of the car.

"I don't use them. Here, take this," she said as she pulled an impossible knife with a 12-inch blade from the pocket of her jeans. "Hang on—" she pulled a sheath from her other pocket and sheathed the knife blade before handing it to him. "Careful, you could put your eye out with that thing."

He took the knife casually as the van pulled up and eight scruffy-looking vampires piled out carrying stakes, knives, and clubs. Lena noticed that Hal had subtly changed; he had become cool, commanding, dangerous again. She was okay with that.

"Lord Hal Yorke, I thought I recognized you," said one of the group.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't say the same," Hal replied. He perused the questionable-looking man and added, "To be honest, I'm not sorry. Have we met?"

"Not formally, but I knew Fergus, and I've been in the mix when you two were—hunting." the vampire smirked at him.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Hal ignored the reference to his past and got straight to the point.

"You can give us your head," the vampire said. "It's worth its weight in gold."

"I'm afraid I shall have to decline," Hal replied. "My head has already been claimed by my companion. In fact, I think she considers me entirely her property." He gave Lena a cool smile.

"And yet you act as though I belong to you, my lord," she replied.

"So, who's the bird?" one of the other vampires asked as he leered at Lena. "More importantly, who gets her when we're done with you?"

She and Hal shared an arch look at the irony of those questions before Hal replied, "I'll let her introduce herself."

She looked the ramshackle group of vampires over briefly before turning to Hal. "There's only eight of them. Do you want to just wait in the car? No reason for us both to get dusty."

"Actually, I need to piss," he said. "Do you mind?" He nodded his head toward the far side of the car.

"Go right ahead," she said as she took a step toward the vampires. They shifted uneasily and looked very confused by the offhand attitude Lena and Hal displayed toward their threat.

"Hey, do you want to bet on who finishes first?" she called over her shoulder to Hal.

He chuckled. "No thank you, I've already lost one wager to you this week," he said as he set the knife on the car and turned his back on the group dismissively, "and this may take a minute."

"Oh come on. Just for fun then," she teased as she watched the vampires grasp their weapons tightly and edge toward her.

"Very well, if you insist," Hal said as he unzipped his trousers.

Lena saw the vampires tense up and prepare to attack her. She held up a hand to still them, then put a finger to her lips and cocked her head, clearly listening for a particular noise. She heard the sound of liquid hitting the ground and smiled.

"There it is," she said as her swords materialized in her hands, and she took two quick pirouettes through the group. The vampires were gone. She shook and brushed their dust from her clothes, then walked back toward the car. "I'm already shaking off," she called to Hal. "How about you?"

"Just now," he replied, and she heard the sound of him zipping up his trousers again.

He came around the car and looked at the piles of dust and clothes. "You never did introduce yourself," he said.

"They didn't ask politely," she replied as she leaned over to shake the dead vampires out of her hair.

He watched her, bemused. She hadn't even blinked at killing eight vampires and she had done it effortlessly. It was taking longer to clean herself up than the battle itself had lasted. She pulled a hair band from her pocket and pulled her hair back in a ponytail.

"You have a little something—" Hal said, brushing his cheek to signify where she had dust on her face. She looked for a clean part of her shirt to wipe her face with. "Here," he said as he handed her a neatly folded handkerchief. "A gentleman is always prepared."

"Thanks," she said. "I'll wash it before I give it back."

He handed her the knife she had loaned him. She stuck it in her pocket where it disappeared as always, but he couldn't help watching, like the audience at a magic show hoping to catch on to the trick.

"Let's take a quick look and see what we can learn about these jokers," she said as she began picking up clothes and going through pockets. Hal investigated the van, where he found a photograph taken of an old portrait of himself, along with a written description and notice of the value Hetty had placed on him: 10 pounds of gold for proof of his demise.

She threw the clothes into the van and showed him another copy of the photo and notice she had found in the pocket of someone's filthy trousers. "Do we leave this here?" she asked, nodding toward the van and contents. "I could drop it in the lake, but that's littering."

"No reason not to leave it," Hal said. "There's nothing connecting it to us. Let's take their weapons to Tom. Save him the trouble of making a few stakes."

"I agree," Lena said, and she got an empty duffel bag from the van. As they put the stakes and knives in the bag, she asked, "You driving?"

"Unless you want to find your way out of here," he said with a note of challenge in his voice.

"Don't push it, Fangboy. I can carry you and the car if I need to, but you wouldn't enjoy the flight."

He stared at her for a moment and waited for a sign that she was joking. She gave no such sign. He shook his head, got into the driver's seat, and started the Audi as she brushed herself down one last time before joining him.

"You handled that crowd very quickly," Hal said as he drove. "Not much of a challenge?"

"Hardly," she replied. "I've killed legions of vampires."

"Were you involved in the Seraphin war?"

"My cousin Ammon and I ended the Seraphin war."

"Ah. So that was you," Hal said calmly. "You suggested otherwise when we first met."

"I know," she said, offering no explanation.

Lena seemed to be distancing herself from the conversation, but she had already confirmed his suspicions. He remembered the great grey-winged creatures that had swept through the ranks of his armies and destroyed scores of vampires and their human sympathizers with each pass. It had been a massacre. He had barely escaped with his life. He had ridden his horse until it gave way under him, and then had scrambled through the woods like an animal until he had discovered a small cave hidden behind a pile of brush and fallen trees. He had crawled inside and collapsed.

"I'm still surprised that I lived through the experience," he mused.

"You nearly didn't," she replied grimly. "I can't believe you actually fell asleep in that cave."

He stiffened as he realized what her words meant. "I was exhausted," he said, as he carefully watched the road and not her.

"I had a stake to your heart and you didn't even notice." She closed her eyes against the memory. "Then they pulled me away."

"Who pulled you away?"

"The only ones who dared to touch me," she said, again offering no explanation.

"The ones who made you promise not to kill me?" he said. "The ones who were protecting you from yourself?"

"Yes."

"You can kill legions of vampires and people without any qualms, but killing me would have damaged your soul? What did I do to you, that you could hate me so much more than all of the monsters you have destroyed?"

He glanced at her and saw a dismissive look cross her face. She shook her head as she replied, "I won't discuss that with you."

They drove in silence for a bit. Hal recalled her words to him on the night she moved into Honolulu Heights. '-no sanctuary on earth for you any longer,' she had said. He was certain now that she had not been exaggerating, and the thought of her hunting him down was terrifying.

Lena sighed. "I just wish Hetty was as easy to find."

"You're looking for her?"

"Since I learned that she escaped the blast at Stoker's," she said. "I haven't been personally, but I've got people trying to find her. No luck though, she's gone to ground."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I wasn't sure where your loyalties would be," she replied.

"My loyalties are firmly with my own survival, and now that we have proof of Hetty's determination to see me dead, that means my loyalties lie with you, my lady," Hal said. "Mr. Snow had an extensive network of escape routes and hide-outs. It has been a long time since I was privy to that information, but I can share with you what I know."

"I'll get together a conference call and you can talk to the team directly," she said.

Hal timed the trip so they returned to Honolulu Heights at 5:30, well after the construction crew had vacated the premises. Tom was just home from the hotel and Alex was catching him up on the day's news when Hal and Lena walked in.

"Hello Tom," Hal said as he set the duffel bag down on the sectional. "We brought you a gift."

Tom sniffed the air and looked at Lena. "Vampires!" he said, and he immediately opened the bag and began looking through the stakes and knives. He looked quizzically at Hal, who handed him the notice of the price Hetty had placed on his head.

Tom read the notice with Alex reading over his shoulder. "Ten pounds of gold!" she exclaimed. "Hal, you're worth a lot more dead than you are sort-of alive."

"Don't even joke about that," Lena said grimly. Alex looked at her and saw that she was serious. Lena was required to protect Hal from any threat, and she had heard Alex threaten to stake him already.

"What happened?" Tom asked.

"A rather rag-tag group of would-be assassins tried to kill us," Hal replied. "Clearly they were unsuccessful."

"There were only eight of them, hardly worth bothering with," Lena added. "I do need to shower, though. I don't like being covered with dead vampires."

"You killed eight vampires at once?" Alex asked.

"I didn't kill any of them," Hal replied. "I was otherwise occupied."

"He needed to pee," Lena explained.

"You left her to deal with a bunch of vampires by herself so you could powder your nose?" Alex was outraged.

"What good is having a bodyguard if I can't make use of her?" Hal replied with a smile.

"Alex, you should have seen it. These guys all piled out of a van trying to be tough and Hal just looked them over and turned his back and walked away like they were nothing." Lena chuckled. "It was classic."

"I assumed, rightfully so, that you didn't need my help," Hal replied. "You dispatched them before I had finished 'powdering my nose.' Good thing I didn't take you up on your wager."

Tom was concerned by the description of the battle. "You didn't have no weapons? You turned your back on them? What if she had missed one?" he asked Hal.

Hal looked at him for a moment before replying. "I've seen her in battle, Tom. She doesn't miss." He continued, "I think you should keep some stakes at the hotel. We can't be certain when or where we may be attacked, but we can be assured that more vampires are coming."

"Great," Alex said. "So now what?"

"Shower. Supper. Work on the studio." Lena said as she headed upstairs.

Tom watched her go, then quietly asked Hal, "How good is she?"

"She took about two seconds, Tom. You have no idea how good she is," Hal replied before following her upstairs.

# # #

Lena and Hal planned to spend their days working on the studio renovation or hanging out in their rooms while the construction crew was on site. Hal quickly learned the joy of using the reciprocating saw, a wicked tool with a blade that would cut through wood and metal easily, and could probably cut through bone if the need arose. However, as Lena was determined to keep them firmly in the camp of bloodless destruction, Hal filed that bit of information away for further consideration at a more appropriate time.

He took over the job of removing studs from the walls so Lena could replace them, after which she laid out the wiring schematic and they began wiring the room. Lena studied an electrician's manual to make sure she had the correct processes, as she had only done wiring in the U.S. Apparently there were a few differences between countries in terminology, color-coding of the wires, and circuitry. Hal did what he was told, and didn't mind it, which was a change for him. However, Lena had a way of making it feel like they were working together as equals and she left him alone to finish a job once he had started.

The plan went well until the afternoon of the second day, when Lena got a phone call from Georgia. Hal sensed a change in her instantly and followed her as she walked to the window. They saw Georgia, at the far end of the garden, with a knife being held to her throat. Another vampire.

"Give him the phone," Lena said.

They saw Georgia give her phone to the vampire and heard his voice. "I'll trade your friend here for the vampire you're keeping company with. Bring him to me or she dies."

"Look dickwad, you've got a knife pointed at a woman with Seraphin blood. You cut her, you die. I'll give you until I get there to let her go safely." Lena cut off the call and handed her phone to Hal. "Wait here."

She dove head-first out the window and flew like an eagle after its prey; her wings guided her directly toward the vampire, who shoved Georgia aside and turned as if to run. He didn't make his first step. Lena's swords quartered him before she had landed.

"Get to the house," Lena ordered Georgia as a crowd of vampires poured into the garden, drawn by the cry of terror their cohort had unleashed. They had been planning to ambush Hal and Lena, but when they saw what was waiting for them they stumbled over themselves to get away. They were too late; she moved more quickly than human eyes could track, and Hal could barely make it out himself.

In the end she chased one down the walk a few steps, caught him by his shirt collar, and flew him up to the second-story window where Hal was waiting.

"He is protected," she said, pointing at Hal. "This house is protected. Anyone who lives here or comes here is protected. Deliver the message."

She threw the vampire carelessly across the garden, where it splatted against the brick wall and dropped to the ground. Lena set down on the windowsill and accepted Hal's hand to help her step back into the room. They watched the lone vampire survivor pick himself up and stagger away.

"I should check on Georgia," Lena said. "Shit, I'm covered in vampires again."

"And the water is temporarily cut off so you can't shower, but I believe we have a bucket or two of wash water in the kitchen, just in case," Hal replied. "I wouldn't mind a cup of tea and a sandwich, while we're at it."

They went to the kitchen together as members of the construction crew stared, agape, at Lena as she passed. Apparently she had had an audience for her scuffle with the vampires. Georgia was at the kitchen table, so Lena went to speak to her while Hal put the kettle on.

"How are you?" Lena asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," Georgia answered. Her eyes flashed angrily. "I should have made him bite me, that bastard. I forgot I could kill him with my blood." Lena thought maybe she was beginning to rub off on the normally calm and professional Georgia Harriman, and she was okay with that.

"Tea?" Hal asked Georgia from across the room.

"Yes, thank you Hal," Georgia replied, and just like that things were back to normal, because tea takes care of everything. Lena poured some water in the kitchen sink and did a quick wash-up of her face and arms while the tea was brewing. Hal made sandwiches. Georgia reviewed the day's progress and the plans for tomorrow. They ate and chatted like civilized people, Georgia because she was one and Hal and Lena because they chose to be, for the moment anyway.