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Epilogue

That night,Shea roamed the rain slickened streets of downtown Seattle. She had just left a meeting of the vampires and witches at Luukas’s apartment. Luukas was edgy with everything that had happened. There’d been no word from Nikulas or Aiden yet, nor from any of the other scouts he’d sent out. He didn’t blame Dante for what he had done. He’d even admitted that if it had been Keira, he would have done exactly thesame.

Dante had brought Laney upstairs with him, where she was properly introduced to everyone, and the girls were already planning ways to “brighten” up the underground for her, since she insisted on staying down there until Dante could bring himself to stay upstairs with her. Though Dante had quickly shut down that idea, promising Laney that he would do everything he could to make their room comfortable for her. He even took their pets down there with them when they left. Laney was hoping her cat would turn out to be a good mouser.

While they were there, Dante had sat down with her and explained to her that she was a Protector, filling her in on what exactly that meant with help from the other witches. He also told her that because she was a Protector, there was no “fucking way in hell” that she had killed her own child. The baby shared her blood; it was impossible for her to hurt him. The others backed him up on that point until she believed him. Her grandfather, she’d admitted, was her grandmother’s second husband. They’d wed after Laney’s mom was born, so there was no actual blood bond. After more questioning, they’d all come to the conclusion that he had been possessed. His body had probably already died before she had exorcised the demon. She’d cried in his arms then as he’d silently heldher.

At one point, while the witches had Laney surrounded, Dante had pulled Shea aside with a jerk of his head. When she’d joined him, he’d said under his breath, “About that human at the homelesscamp—”

“We’ll keep that just between us,” she assuredhim.

He’d given her a grateful nod. “Thank you, Shea.”

“Anytime, commander.” She’d grinned when he’d narrowed his eyes at the name. Then he shook his head and went back to his female. The pull between them was so tangible, Shea herself could feel it. Dante would never be cheery, but maybe he would find a measure of peace with her. Shea was very happy forhim.

Then why did she feel so damn crappy?

She walked until she got to Capital Hill, the notoriously gay neighborhood of Seattle. Shea wasn’t gay by nature, but being that she couldn’t so much as touch a male without horrendous pain shooting through every nerve of her body, she often found herself in the area looking for a meal. Sometimes, she even had sex with the girls she found; just to be able to have some skin on skin contact.

Up ahead on the corner, she saw the dark brown walls of her favorite dive gay bar. Refurbished from a nineteen thirties vintage gas station, the place was small but quaint. And more importantly, it had a patio that was open year round thanks to a retractable cover and a fire pit, providing room to avoid accidental touching and a quick escape if the need ever arose.

The bouncer eyed up her combat boots, tight black jeans and green silk tank top with appreciation. With a smile and a wink, he let her in. He didn’t even bother to card her anymore. Which was good, because she never brought her fake ID withher.

It was disco night, hence the silk shirt, but Shea was early. The place was only about half full, and she made it to the bar without having to dodge any friendly male greetings. She ordered her usual, a Jack and Coke, and while she waited, she admired the porn stapled to the walls. All male, of course. Drink in hand, she thanked the bartender with a fat tip and wandered out to the patio. Once out there, she found her favorite corner table and settled in to wait. It may take a bit to find a female that caught her fancy. The crowd tended to be overwhelminglymale.

The rain seemed to have taken the night off, and Shea did a little star gazing as she sipped her drink and waited for more people to show up. She was restless tonight, and she couldn’t quite nail down a reason why. A group of males came out, celebrating a birthday it seemed. She gave them a once over and proceeded to ignore them, not sensing any threats.

Suddenly, Shea froze with her drink halfway to her mouth. A large raven had landed on the half wall next to her. Tilting her head, she stared at Shea with one beady black eye and then squawked in greeting.

It couldn’tbe.

Shea’s eyes skittered around the small patio and her fangs shot down in her mouth as a faint scent drifted on the light breeze. She knew that scent. Setting her drink on the table, she rose from her chair. Her heart pounded, her skin so sensitive she felt every tiny nuance in the change of theair.

The birthday boys broke out into raucous laughter and headed back into the club as a particularly campy song came on. Shea stared past the spot they’d just vacated into the opposite corner of the patio. A pair of topaz eyes glowed by the light of the fire, piercing her to thecore.

Slowly, she made her way across the floor. Those eyes wandered leisurely down her body and back again as she approached. When she reached the table, they dipped down to her breasts, and her nipples hardened against the sensuous rub of the silk. Those eyes seemed to grow brighter before making their way back up over her bare shoulders and to herface.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered.

“Hello, Shea.”

Jesse’s deep raspy voice stroked her like a lover’s caress.