“He cares about you, you know. I may not have any right telling you this, but I think that’s why he came here today. For you.”

Vera nodded mutely, her mind buzzing with a thousand thoughts, doubts, fears, and hopes.

“Well I’ll leave you alone now, but I just wanted to tell you that you have a friend close by if you want to talk, go shopping, trash the male sex, or get drunk and watch Twilight.” Vera laughed for the first time in four weeks.

She went to Sarina and hugged her tight. “Thank you,” she said softly. Sarina squeezed her back.

“Anytime darling.” She gave a girly wave then left out the front door.

He came back. Well of course he came back, he lives around here, but he came asking about her. Did he still want her? She didn’t have so much pride or attitude that she would deny him if he came back groveling—okay if he came back at all. She would take him back in a second.

She walked back upstairs in a daze. When she got to her bedroom, she just stopped. She had no idea what to do. After doing the dishes she’d felt energized into doing something—namely going out and getting drunk. But now she couldn’t. The bathroom light drew her attention and like a moth, she went to it. Her makeup was scattered across the sink so she methodically started picking it up.

He asked about her. What was the promise? Did he want her back? It had to be something good, right? Or else Sarina wouldn’t have looked so evilly happy. Maybe he was going to apologize. Hope had her eyes widening and a small smile twitching on her face.

Don’t be stupid, Vera. She slammed her hand against the wall, her teeth grinding together. He had a month to call, to write, to come see her. He wasn’t coming back with a bouquet of roses and an “I love you.” A fuck, that’s all he would want.

She switched off the bathroom light, and then there was a knock at the front door.

# # #

Jackson cursed himself again and the silly package sitting in the passenger seat next to him. He stared at it hard, then turned back towards the road, his hands screwing against the steering wheel.

God he’d never felt this before, and it fucking sucked.

She wouldn’t even like it. Hell, she wasn’t even going to let him in the door, he just knew it. He banged his head against the steering wheel for the twelfth time and followed Vane’s directions to her house.

He didn’t know what kind of mystical powers were at work but he did know that he was in love with a woman who was not human, and he didn’t even know if she had a job. Not that he blamed her for that. He never asked. Was too busy staring at her, grumbling at her like some kind of caveman. Real smooth, Jacks.

There was no way she’d take him back. Even if he groveled, which he planned to do a lot of. He was a vampire now, as in, needs blood every day to survive. Sure, she won’t mind. Riiiiight.

He cursed the passing streetlights. They shone beams into the car and glinted the shiny red paper of the package back at him. A cruel reminder. Warm heat flared over his cheeks and he tried to pretend it wasn’t there.

He was one stupid son of a bitch. He’d fucked the greatest thing in his life up. Now he had to try to get it back, because living without it, he was only a shell of himself. Physically he was a wreck, mentally, a borderline monster.

He had Dmetri to thank for a lot though. The man had helped him, taught him so much shit he’d never even contemplated in his life. Like making sure he always had a supply of blood nearby so he didn’t get “hunger pangs.” Hunger pangs in a hungry vampire equals death to humans or animals alike.

Jackson slowed as Orchard Drive came into focus. He turned down it and found her house, pulling to a stop in front of it. His gut was bending and twisting with nerves, a sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his fangs threatened to drop at the thought of seeing her again.

Would she be happy to see him? He’d thought of this moment a thousand different times since he’d fucked up with her. He was determined to make it up to her. He just hoped like hell that she didn’t hold a grudge. He lifted the box out of the passenger seat and got out of the car.

Lights were on in her house—a cabin just like Rome and Vane’s. The Kategan’s definitely had a thing for cabins. Her house was recessed back in the woods with the trees giving her house ample amount of shade and privacy from the main road he’d just come off from.

He parked some distance away because...shit. Because he was scared. Always know the exits; always have an escape route. Basic survival rule number one.

He walked silently over the gravel to her cabin, a beacon in the dark night. A shadow moved inside the house and his heart picked up speed. He was actually going to see her, after all this time.

The wind picked up and gently passed over him, ruffling the hair that he hadn’t been cut in weeks. Jacks inhaled that wind and had only a second to react before a blur of movement leaped out from the trees.

# # #

Vera flung open the door, her heart in her eyes.

A vast greatness of nothing greeted her. She stepped outside and looked left, right, up to the main road. She opened her senses and smelled nothing. Was Sarina playing a joke on her?

“Sarina?” Insects chirped and frogs bellowed in return. She put one foot back in the house and smelled it—vampire. She almost smiled. He came back!

“Jackson?” she called out, not caring how excited she sounded.

An evil laugh came from behind her. Vera spun around to find Ariss standing in her living room. She didn’t question it, just let her beast roar through her with a feral growl and launched herself at the vampire bitch.

She caught Ariss around the middle and tackled her hard to the ground. She had a second to hold her and then Ariss twisted her arm free and slammed her palm into her nose. Vera sputtered as blood and pain lanced through her.

Ariss caught her by the hair and yanked her back, wrapping her legs around her waist and flipping them over. Vera made a wide arc with her arm, hand fisted tight, and slammed it with all her strength into Ariss’ face. The vampire nearly slid completely off of her.

“Fucking bitch,” Ariss hissed. Using her hair as leverage, she lifted Vera’s head and slammed back down to the floor.

Dizziness danced through her mind like she was on a merry go-round. “What do you want?” she bit out between clenched teeth. Ariss slammed her back again, and then slammed a fist into her face.

She bit down hard on her tongue with the next hit to the face. Roaring, Vera lifted her legs and hips off the floor and wrapped her ankles around Ariss’ neck. It became a battle as Ariss was determined to yank out every strand of Vera’s hair for leverage.

Finally, a sharp pull of hair ripped out of her head. Vera didn’t feel it; she used her legs to slam Ariss down to the ground. Ariss’ head lolled around, her eyes fluttering.

Vera didn’t hesitate to sit on her chest and introduce her fist to her face a dozen times. She was panting when she was done and Ariss lips were busted, bloodied, and her eyes were going to be black in the morning.

She grabbed her by the hair and yanked her neck to the side. “I said what do you want with me?” She sharpened her pull in warning.

Ariss gasped in pain and struggled beneath her. “My Master’s going to kill me unless I kill you. This is my last chance, and I will not fail.”

“Well it looks like you did, bitch.” Ariss laughed a cruel scratch of a sound.

“Or so you think. Conner is going to kill your mate.”

Vera froze. “Who’s Conner?”

Ariss laughed and shook her head side to side. With the hand gripping her hair, she could barely move an inch.

Vera had never before felt the ugliness of rage that filled her then. She pulled back her fist and hammered it into Ariss until her breathing slowed and she slumped lazily against the floor. Only then did she stop.