Breathing heavily, Vera asked again. “Who is Conner?” Ariss’ eyes fluttered closed. Vera slapped her hard across the face, the sound a sharp crack in the room. “Answer me!” she screamed in her face.

Ariss opened her eyes and smiled, her fangs spotted red. “My guardian. He went after your mate. He’s going to kill him.”

# # #

Jackson rolled with the hit, dropping Vera’s present to the ground, and went tumbling to the ground with a roll. Ariss’ guardian hissed and Jackson could have smiled. He’d wanted to get back at this motherfucker for weeks.

The guardian was fast, but Jackson was trained to fight—to kill.

He didn’t stop rolling until the guardian was beneath him. He pulled back his head and snapped it forward, bumping their heads together with a resounding crack.

The guardian bared his fangs and struggled to get a grip on him. Jacks was faster, he grabbed an arm and held it tight as he pulled it out of socket with a hard, nasty snap. The guardian roared and launched his hips off the ground, throwing Jacks off.

“You guys never quit do you?” he said and casted a quick glance over at Vera’s cabin. Ariss had to be there. I have to get to her. Jacks blocked a flurry of kicks and punches that came his way. The guardian moved so quickly, if he’d still been a human he wouldn’t have made out any of the moves, but now his eyes tracked each one. The guardian didn’t have use of his arm, it hung dangled at his side.

But then Jacks made a mistake. He didn’t see the guardian pull a blade out. The guardian faked left then thrust in with the blade glinting in the moonlight. His knife slid hot and quick into Jackson’s stomach.

He hissed in pain and grabbed the guardian’s wrist, snapping it back until it too popped. The guardian screamed in agony and dropped to his knees. Jacks squeezed tight to his wrist then slammed a kick to his chest. His other arm popped out of socket and he went limp against the ground writhing and crying out in pain.

Jacks grabbed the fallen blade off the ground just as Vera’s growl sounded from the cabin. Panic set in, adrenaline floored through him. He dropped down quick and stabbed the vampire in the heart, then slit his throat for good measure. He watched the vampire’s struggles stop as his last breath left him.

Then he sprinted for the cabin.

The door was open and dread filled him. He crashed into the house, his quick sight taking in everything at once. Vera sat on top of Ariss with a hard, burning anger in her eyes.

She grabbed Ariss by the head and slammed it with a resounding crack into the ground. The vampire’s head lolled to the side like a puppet.

“Vera.”

Her eyes shot up and a second later, she was in his arms, her legs wrapped tight around him. He didn’t even feel the burning cut in his stomach.

She was shaking so hard, felt so unbelievably good in his arms; he held her tight whispering soft words in her ear.

She pulled back jerkily, her eyes shooting outside then to Ariss on the floor. “It’s not safe. We need to get out of here now. Her guardian is here.”

“Baby, I know. He’s dead.” She seemed to have trouble digesting that bit of information. She looked back at him, her eyes getting wider and wider.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” She ran her hands over his back and he had to sigh at how good it felt. Then her hands ran over his front and he winced. “Oh my God! You are hurt. Come here.”

She dropped down and dragged him into the bathroom. She pushed him onto the toilet seat and started rummaging through the medicine cabinet. Things were dropping out and spilling left and right. Her hands were shaking so bad he could see it. Finally he grabbed her hands and just pulled her close.

A sob broke out of from her, breaking his heart, and then she curled up against him. She didn’t make a single sound but he felt the warm liquid covering his shoulder.

“It’s okay baby. They’re not going to hurt you anymore.” She pulled back from him with a lykaen growl. Then she slapped him across the cheek. Jacks had only a second to be surprised because then she did it again.

Growling, his fangs threatening to lower at being so close to her he said, “What are you doing?”

Her hands bunched into his shoulders and when she looked at him, he saw anger and pain there—a lot of it.

“You were hurt.” She slapped his shoulder. “You hurt me.” She slapped his other shoulder. “Why are you here, because I swear if it isn’t to beg me for forgiveness then I’m going to kill you myself?”

Jacks waited a second and when she didn’t slap him again, he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her to shut her the hell up.

God, he’d almost forgotten what she tasted like. Delicious, sexy woman—his woman. Vera.

The kiss was anything but gentle. Teeth clanged against each other and lips bit and sucked on tongues. They each fought for possession, their breaths mingling roughly with each other.

Jacks broke away first and pressed his forehead to hers. “This wasn’t how I envisioned seeing you again.” She choked on a laugh. He smiled at the sound, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.

“I need to call Vane and Brayden about this, okay? And then you and I have a lot to talk about.”

She glared at him and damn if it didn’t feel good. “I’m sorry, I said that wrong. I meant I have a lot of begging to do because I was a son of a bitch, and I’ve never been sorrier for anything.” She tugged her lip between her teeth looking so unsure he hated himself for putting that look there.

When she finally relaxed and gave him a tumultuous smile, he felt the vice that had been around his heart let go.

The Justicars arrived within the hour. They took her and Jacks’ statements and wrapped up Conner’s body. Ariss was still alive and Vera didn’t feel sorry for her as they locked her up and stuffed her in the back of a black van. She would get her day in court right next to her Master Claude whom the Justicars said they captured earlier that day.

As the last of the cars drove away, Vane hugged her tight. He’d looked so scared when he came running up and Vera hated that look. It was the same panicked look he had when they found out their parents had died. She sent him and a wide-eyed Sarina back home with hugs and smiles—this time genuine ones.

Quiet crept back over her cabin. The chirp of crickets ascended now that the danger was gone. Vera kept her head down as she walked back to the cabin, passing Jacks. Now that it was over, she couldn’t stop the feeling of unease that settled in her.

The floorboards creaked as he walked away from the cabin, she almost cried out for him to stop as panic clutched her. He went over towards the trees and picked something up—a red box. He came back, his eyes not meeting hers, his steps silent on the gravel.

“Here,” he said gruffly, thrusting the box at her.

Vera gulped hard at the knot in her throat. She took the box, holding it like the most precious thing in the world. A hot liquid pressed against her eyes.

“Why don’t you open it inside,” he suggested when she just stood there.

She nodded faintly and went inside to plop down on the couch. She fingered the paper for a moment, then carefully tore at the sides on the left then on the right. Gently, she tore the paper across the bottom then slid the paper off. It was an ugly cardboard box underneath the paper, she smirked at it. He would wrap a present in a cardboard box.

She felt the couch dip next to her as he took a seat. She used her fingernail to tear open the tape and, like she was receiving her very first present, she opened one side of the cardboard box, then the other.

White tissue paper stared back at her, crinkled under her fingers as she spread it wide. Her eyebrow puckered as she looked at what lay beneath—a white dress. Vera fingered the soft material and lifted it out of the box. It was long, sleeveless, and utterly beautiful. It had elaborate beading on the front and an elegant, big bow at the back.