"I only speak the truth," Price pointed out innocently, smiling again as she ordered her food. The waitress jotted it down, and he shook his head when she looked at him, so away she went again. "And I may only look twenty, but I do have a driver's license with my real birthdate on it. I get carded a lot more than I'd like, but I'm perfectly legal." He grinned again at her, taking a sip of his beer. Not his favorite, but it did work to ease some tension most of the time.

    "Hey hey, McD's is perfectly acceptable. Hamburgers are meat, so they're good for dogs," she defended herself, grinning at Cujo. He seemed inclined to agree with anything she had to say at this point, and she giggled lightly. "And do you really think I can afford pate and steak tartar on a spy's salary?? I wish." Another giggle and she scratched Cujo's muzzle gently, and the dog was practically swooning with all of the attention he was receiving.
    A few other dogs were starting to grump and whine at the lack of attention to them, crowding up to Gamble and butting him demandingly. Julianna grinned when the vampire quickly corrected his phrasing. "Well it'll go through my sister first, so maybe she'll keep it to herself, and we can just offend her."
    She finished off the steak and onions and sighed happily, then eyed her boyfriend. "Are you actually going to eat, or am I going to get it all??"

    Patrick chuckled at her reassuring words and equally reassuring pat, then watched her as she spoke. "An' 'ow is business?? Maself, I've been fine. Busy, as ye thought. Did I mention I'm openin' a new branch 'ere in Vegas??"

    "It is amazing, how fast those people recover," Gift mused. "Do you believe even her gray matter will manage to recover??"
    "Only for as long as she remains breathing," Christian said easily. Shots were downed and refilled and the vampire chuckled. "Battle wounds it is. Anything recent??"
    Gift downed her next shot and topped it again. "Terra got me today. Mace is going to have an imprint of me in his lawn for a few days, at least." That brought a chuckle from Christian, before she raised her brows at Darshan. "I think Darshan got the brunt of it today though."

    "But this is me," Queenie smirked. "Hardly public, sweet pea." She nodded approvingly when she saw the shirt Sahar pulled out, then jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the chest of drawers. "In there, honey." Seeing that shirt had actually decided Queenie, and she rifled through her clothes before pulling out a dress. It was the consummate slinky black dress. It was just red.
    Going over to the chest of drawers herself, she pulled out a red thong and a red lacy strapless bra. Getting the underthings over, she pulled the dress over her head and smoothed it down. It clung to her body like a velvet skin, ending at mid-thigh, and made her skin appear lustrous.
    "This is going to be so much fun," she crooned, retrieving her red fuck-me pumps from the closet. "Come on girls, let's get a move on!"

    "You have to sleep, too, once we get there," Galen reminded her gently, with just the faintest touch of humor on his face. His hands curled around hers, and he led the way out of the parking lot and back towards Starbucks, where he had left his car. He wondered if it was a bad sign that he had less of a problem trusting Gift to kill the bad dragon than he did with trusting Gift to watch his wayward brother, especially since the two things were more or less interconnected.

    "You only speak the truth? Liar," Anna replied, with a wide grin. She waited until the waitress had gone away, then tilted her head. "How long can you use this ID for, before people start to wonder why someone who's in his thirties or forties looks a little bit like Doogie Houser?" she asked, with more humor than serious curiosity, although there was some of that as well.

    "I'm not entirely convinced that McD's hamburgers are meat," Gamble said, in a speculative tone. He grinned when the dogs started butting up against him, finally releasing her foot in order to loop his arms around two of the dogs, one crowding in against him on either side.
    "That just means that your sister will kill us, and not the lot of them," he pointed out. "Of course, she just might kill me. She likes you."
    He shrugged a shoulder when she asked if he would eat. "I'll have some in a minute. There's more than enough to go around. You enjoy."

    "Business is... more complicated than usual, but it's nothing that can't be fixed," Ai said with a shrug. She didn't returned his scrutiny, because it just felt so nice to rest her head against the seat and close her eyes. She did open her eyes and roll them towards him when he mentioned his new branch in Las Vegas. "Really?" she asked, honestly interest. "That's new. What prompted this decision?"

    "Are we entirely certain that Terra missing some of her gray matter is any kind of determent?" Darshan asked, with a heavy dose of irony, his lip curling a little in scorn. He wasn't about to underestimate Terra, but there were times when he doubted her intelligence. Like when she baited him using C.J.
    He turned his head towards Gift when she said his name, shrugged, and looked at Christian. "Gored and burned. Nothing that will leave a mark. And you? Did Mister Sadi do anything unfortunate?"

    Sahar walked over to the dresser, and rifled around for a moment before pulling out a pair of very nice black thigh-high stockings. She pulled them on, then wiggled into the dress, pulling it down over her hips. It was just sheer enough that she could see a shimmer of brown skin beneath the fabric, and she did a little turn, admiring Queenie's taste in clothing. Really, she was going to have to raid the other woman's closet more often.
    She snagged a pair of strappy black heels from the closet, and motioned to Queenie. "Lead on, McDuff."

    Keller smiled when her soulmate spoke. The had been together so long, knew each other so well, she knew he read her mind far more often than he had any right to. But it worked both ways too, and there wasn't really any magic involved. Just...knowing someone that well.
    Falling in step with him, she kept her fingers intertwined with his as she kept looking around. When she was out and about with her Drache prince, nothing was going to let her take her guard down.

    "That hurt," Price informed the human, chuckling. True though it may be. She didn't have to point it out so bluntly and all.
    Her inquiry made him consider, before shrugging. "Oh, five or six years, probably. Maybe a little more. Then I'll just have to get another one, with a different birthday." He smiled. "I'll probably keep this original though, just for memory's sake."

    Giggling softly, Julianna shook her head at the other vampire. "Come on now, don't be like that. McD's is a perfectly fine fast food place, and you just can't beat their prices." She smiled when his arms went around his dogs, pulling her leg back towards her under the table. The mutt sprawled across her lap shifted as she moved, then seemed content to stay there. She felt another weight against her back, as one of the big monsters snoozed behind her, and Cujo had inched closer until he was sitting loyally at her side.
    "I told you these dogs think they own the house," she observed with a grin, reaching over to scratch Cujo's ears since her hands were free. The boy in her lap yawned hugely and snorted lazily, dozing off himself.
    "Oh, she likes you too," she assured Gamble, laughter sparkling her eyes. "And I don't think she'd kill you, not when you've got such magical fingers. She'd probably just break your legs or something. That way you could still work." If Gift was anything, practical was some of it.
    She smiled again when he told her to enjoy, and reached inside on the bags to filch out a fortune cookie. Pulling it out and breaking it open, she popped a piece in her mouth as her eyes skimmed over the fortune. And stifled another giggle. "'You will find happiness with a new love.' Well then." She slid a sidelong look at Cujo, who barked.

    "Complicated??" Patrick inquired, brows raising a bit. When her head rolled towards him, he smiled. "Really. An' I figgered it was time tae get a piece o' tha legal pie 'ere, see 'ow it works when it's no longer illegal. There's bound tae be some kind o' diff'rence, so we'll see 'ow it goes."

    He got nods from both Gift and Christian, the former adding, "I don't think she can afford to lose anymore, at that. She's somewhat short on it as is."
    Christian chuckled and then lifted a brow at Darshan. "Burned. That's right, you got struck by lightning," he mused, swishing his drink around a moment. "I think I know who did that, if you don't already. And just a knife thrust to the kidney, nothing that wasn't fixed with a quick snack." He finished his drink and pushed his glass to Gift, who obligingly refilled it for him. The silence in the kitchen, aside from their voices and the soft sound of their breathing, was relaxing. Christian leaned back in his chair and released a slow, deep breath.
    "They do manage to get their own scratches in," Gift mused, refilling her own glass again.

    Queenie stepped into the bathroom as Sahar dressed, pushing C.J. out. The tiger had put earrings in her ears, sparkling diamonds and some jangly hoops, and something sparkled at her navel as well. Dark eyeliner and glittery orange-gold eye shadow brought out the specks in her eyes, and her lips were painted dark and pursed as she looked Sahar over. "Loookin' good, cutie."
    A moment later, Queenie stepped back out, her hair slicked back with water and a ruby hanging at her throat. Dark eyeliner and ruby red lips added to her "I'm sexy so fuck me" look and she grinned at her felines. "Alright, we're gonna have to bypass the doors, I'm afraid. There's only two of them downstairs, and Mace or Darshan is likely to see if we try them. So we're gonna go down to Pidge and Rachelle's room, at the end of the hall. They have a trellis outside their window and it takes us straight to the ground out back. From there, it's straight to my car and we're outta here."
    C.J. nodded agreeably, seeing no reason a thirty-year-old woman couldn't go sneaking out of windows. She pushed the door open, peeking outside to make sure no one was around, then walked as quietly as possible down the hall. Queenie leaned over Wes, whispering a goodbye in his ear and giving him a lingering kiss, before following the other girls.

    Galen gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, his own eyes skipping over the parking lot as they left the mall. He would never be the warrior that Keller was, where fighting seemed to come as natural as breathing, but he had become much more vigilant over the years. After all, he didn't want to be a burden and put her in jeopardy if someone attacked them.

    "I know," Anna acknowledged. "I'm a cruel, cruel schoolgirl."
    "A little more, I would think," she mused. "There's nothing that extraordinary about a man being well preserved, especially in this day and age of botox and plastic surgery." She grinned at him. "You should keep the day the same, though. If you change it, I'll probably forgot your birthday, and you won't get a present. Then were will you be?"

    His arms still looped over the two dogs, Gamble shrugged. "They would be right. They outnumber me. I don't dare do anything that might displeasure them." He grimaced very faintly at the thought of Gift breaking his legs. "Yeah, that'd do it. Then I wouldn't have any choice but to work 'round the clock. I wouldn't be able to move from my work table."
    The fortune cookie was broken open, and he mock-glared at Cujo. "Oh. So I'm to be replaced, huh buddy? Goin' to steal my girl from me?"

    "Someone was letting company secrets slip," Ai said, with a pleasant smile that bordered on poisonous. "One of my competitors payed him a very large amount of money. I'm going to kill him when I get my hands on him." Then she shrugged, because Ai just really wasn't about the killing. "Or fire him."
    Her eyebrows rose as he detailed his plans for expansion. "Really? How very ambitious of you, Mr. Redwood. Good luck with that, and make sure to tell me how it goes." In spite of her general attitude towards pimps, she had no problem with Patrick and his little operations. She had never seen him treat his girls with less than the most perfect kindness, and his houses were a far cry from the brothels of the Barbary Coast that she remembered so well. There was really nothing objectionable about it, not like that poor boy selling his body at the roadside.

    Darshan looked at Christian, and his expression sharpened with interest as he said that he knew who had called the lightning. "Really?" For a moment he wondered how the other man had found that little tidbit out, before he grunted softly. "The ever ambiguous Ms. Dayton, I presume?"
    He held his own glass out for another refill, and inclined his head slightly towards Gift. "That they do. Frankly, I'm more worried about the damage that they did to C.J. that what was done to me. I'm less likely to die from it." There was no mincing words, not with Darshan, not even when discussing the death of one so beloved.

    A bright smile lit Sahar's face when C.J. complimented her. "Thanks." She swept her eyes over the older woman. "You look hot," she said simply, and left it at that. She didn't take her turn in the bathroom when Queenie stepped out, her dusky skin and exotic features dramatic enough without the addition of make-up. Besides, she didn't want to be worried about anything smudging if she did anything so undignified as drooling. She snickered softly at the thought.
    She nodded enthusiastically at Queenie's proposed plan, obviously charmed by the thought of doing anything so cliche as sneaking out a window. Living on her own for most of her teenaged years, she had never had to bother with such subterfuge. She kept her shoes in her hand, since it would be both quieter and easier to climb without stilettos on her feet, and crept down the hall after C.J.

    The silence between them was comfortable and Keller felt no need to fill it with inane chatter. It was so relaxing, knowing she could just be herself with someone. Especially someone like Galen. Though her lips did twitch a little when she finally had to inquire, "Do you think we can get away with not calling in tonight??" Because she was horrible at lying to anyone, much less the Lord of Daybreak, and problems would arise if she told him anything.

    "The cruelest," Price agreed. "Didn't they teach you better manners in your little private school??"
    A pained look overcame his features. "I don't think I could handle people thinking I've botoxed myself. Plastic surgery might be easier, but botox?? That's just painful." Her self-proclaimed forgetfulness made him grin again. "You'd forget something that important?? But okay, I can keep the same day, at least. No need to change it, really."

    Julianna smiled again at him, her eyes warm as she watched him with his dogs. "Aw, I think it's pretty mutual. They obviously think the world of you." The dog on his left reached up to lick his cheek, as if in perfect agreement. Dogs were so understanding that way.
    Another giggle at his words and she shook her head warningly. "Don't give her that idea, or she might do it just to get more work out of you. Never know what kind of wonders you could create if you couldn't move." She grinned teasingly in his way, and ate a small piece of fortune cookie.
    Cujo barked and laid his muzzle on Julianna's shoulder. He grinned at Gamble then, as if proclaiming "I haven't already??" Julianna just shook her head in amusement. "Your dogs are scary sometimes. Like they understand every word we say. Not to mention they seem rather territorial."

    Patrick nodded in understanding at the words, and shrugged himself when she changed her mind. "Give me a name an' I'll kill 'im fer ya, lass," he said easily, flashing his dazzling smile.
    "Ambition is the name o' tha game we play, Ai," he agreed then. "It 'as a place in ever'one's heart, one way or another. An' I believe it may be time tae expand in another way too." He cast a considering glance out the back window, as if he could still see the boy whore they'd left behind.

    Christian inclined his head, taking a little sip from his glass. "One of her ex-co-workers. I had the dubious pleasure of meeting him."
    "Well??" Gift chuckled. "You going to lay it out or keep us in suspense??"
    Christian smiled and tossed the rest of his drink back. "An Original. Like me."
    Mulling that over, Gift refilled Darshan's glass, and hers again, before nodding at the dragon. "If Terra is going to continue using C.J. against you, which we have to assume she will, unoriginal creature that she is, you have a right to be worried. What happened to you today, that would've killed probably anyone else, present company excluded." She swirled her drink lightly, thinking about that. "The pavement was melted to your skin, Darshan."
    She dipped her glass back and Christian shrugged. "He's powerful, but he's still a vampire. He can be beaten. And I believe we're all going to be on our guards from now on."

    C.J. beamed happily at Sahar and led the way down the hall. It was silent and still, the hoots from downstairs giving testament that most of the gang was still in the den. She pushed open the last door on the left and hurried over the window, pushing that open as well.
    Sticking her head out the window, she saw the trellis. Absently starting to hum the Batman theme under her breath, she swung her legs out the window to sit on the sill. Reaching over, she grabbed one of the white pieces of wood and hauled herself over. One foot hung in space and one supported her weight as she paused, making sure the trellis /would/ hold her weight.
    Satisfied then, she shimmied down with the ease that one would assume came from some kind of practice. Hopping the last foot to the ground, she looked up and waved. "Come on, kitties, let's go!"

    "You know," Galen said thoughtfully, "I think we can." He reached out, fishing her cell phone from the pocket of her jumpsuit, and turned it off. "Just to make sure that no one calls us to see what we found out. In fact, why don't we check into a hotel for the evening? We'll try to arrange to meet with Darshan early tomorrow, and if anyone asks why we weren't available tonight, we'll tell them that we were celebrating our anniversary." His eyes held just the smallest amount of humor, because it had been around this time of year that they had first met, in that mall in North Carolina.

    "No," Anna said, half-laughing as she spoke. "They really didn't like me there. I was always getting hit with a ruler."
    "I'm not sure either option sounds appealing," she said, a small smile on her face. "I mean, getting cut open just to make sure that certain parts of you stay perky and other parts stay flat? I hope you don't mind, but I fully intend to get fat, wrinkled, and saggy as I get older."
    "I would forget," she agreed solemnly, "and you would get no presents. So yes, it would be best if you kept the same day."

    "Yeah, they pretty much give me free run of the place," Gamble said genially. "I like to think that they're fond of me." He scratched the one who had licked him under the collar, and ran a hand down the other's back.
    Her next words made him laugh. "You know, I like your sister, but I wouldn't put it past her. That lady is some kind of intimidating." Although Gamble wasn't actually intimidated by Gift. He respected her, yes, but he wasn't scared by her. He had never had any reason to be.
    A grin was his only response to her words about his dogs, mild and a little baiting, as if he was just daring her to figure out why his dogs were so intelligent.

    "That's sweet of you," Ai replied, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek, "but hardly necessary. I'll ruin his career. For an Ivy League graduate with his whole life ahead of him, that will be more than punishment enough." There was a vicious light in her eyes, because even if Ai wasn't terribly fond of killing people, she wasn't above taking revenge on someone who had screwed her over.
    "Isn't that the truth?" she murmured, because few people understood ambition the way that she did. She followed his gaze, and made a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat. "I'll probably check him out and maybe look into helping him off the street, but if he's not interested in completely abandoning the lifestyle, should I send him to you?"

    An Original. How... "Interesting," Darshan said, in a final kind of way, because he wanted to think that over before saying anything else.
    "I am aware," he informed Gift, his voice calm and almost bored. Not because he didn't understand what she was saying, and not because he wasn't listening to her, but because he couldn't afford to be angry anymore today. He had already lost his temper once today, as he hadn't in so many years, and it was still simmering closer to the surface than he cared to admit. If it broke free again, he was likely going to destroy something. "I had a great deal of tar to remove from my skin when I got home, although most of it flaked off with my skin when Adrian healed me."
    He tilted his head, considering. "A young man, a member of Daybreak, offered to find a safe place to keep C.J. today." This too was said without inflection, because he wanted their impressions on the issue without his own thoughts coloring the matter. A brief inclination of the head acknowledged Christian's words on the vampire, their newest adversary, and he refilled his glass before tipping in back into his mouth.

    Shoes clasped in one hand, moving at a somewhat slower rate so as not to get runs in Queenie's black stockings, Sahar followed C.J. down the trellis. She set her feet lightly on the ground, then set about the task of getting the shoes on. When she finally had all the straps in place, she was a good three inches taller, and he legs looked about a mile longer. She smiled in satisfaction, and looked up to watch Queenie's descent. "Why does Mace even /have/ a trellis?"

    An immediate and almost panicky protest came to Keller's lips when he took her phone. She hadn't become dependent on it, exactly, but she had come to rely on it because she liked to be available whenever necessary. It never passed her lips though, because he was right. If she was contacted, she'd be telling what happened tonight, and that wouldn't be fair.
    "Alright," she agreed, looking around for a nearby hotel. A little smile tilted her lips when he commented on their anniversary, casting him a sideways look. "Hopefully it won't be someone we know, who'll know when our actual anniversary is." Which wasn't too far off anyway, and the thought made her smile deepen a little. Her hand reached over to touch the back of his.

    Price's lips twitched as he stifled to keep the laughter back. "Oh, poor Anna. Those rulers leave marks after a while, don't they??"
    The pained look became a far more exaggerated version. Laughter was still evident in his eyes, at least. "You mean I'm willing to make myself pretty for you, but you're not willing to return it?? I feel far less appreciated than I think I have a right to," he teased.
    He chuckled as she again proclaimed he'd be getting no presents. "Aw, honey, you're present enough for me," he said lightly. "I see you every day and it hasn't gotten old yet."

    Julianna was still smiling as she watched him, as the dogs licked at him and panted happily. "You're such a dog person," she observed as Cujo licked her own ear. The mutt in her lap yawned.
    "She is, a little," Julianna agreed easily, giving a small nod of her head. "And very tenacious. But protective." She grinned at him. "She's amazingly protective of "her" people, yanno." There was nothing wrong in her mind about giving away weaknesses on her sister, because who would Gamble tell??
    A pained look was sent in the vampire's direction. "Now that's not fair. I've never had a dog, I don't know what you could've done with a dog. Are they hybrids??"

    Patrick smiled, an affectionate look as he gazed at her. "Ah darlin', I've always known women are tha more vicious gender. It's much humane tae just kill tha bastard an' get it o'er with, but nah, ye'd rather ruin 'im first. I admire tha'."
    He smiled again, because he knew Ai would understand ambition more than most of his acquaintances. His gaze became considering as she spoke, then he inclined his head. "Aye, ya can send 'im tae me. E'en if I dun find a place fer 'im in ma 'ouses, I can find work fer 'im." Patrick's eyes were still considering as he sudied the other woman. "Yer gonna 'elp 'im, aren't ya luv??"

    Christian merely inclined his head again at Darshan's comment, and he and Gift exchanged subtle glances over their glasses when they heard the dragon's tone. Gift inclined her own head at his acknowledgement and dowsed her drink. "How did you remove the tar so quickly??" Gift inquired. "My experience with it has left more of a residue."
    "Adrian," Christian was musing, as he finished his own drink. "That boy is just short of miraculous." One brow lifted at Darshan. "An agent of Daybreak?? Would you trust them to watch her, knowing she's /your/ soulmate??"
    Gift chuckled, refilling her glass. "You can trust Price. He would find the safest place for C.J. that he could, and Keller would likely help. There's only two problems with the proposition." She took a small sip from her drink. "First, you would worry about her. With what's going on, with who's involved, if you didn't know where she was, you would worry. Not that it would necessarily affect you, but it's something you should consider if you're truly willing to deal with. Second, Daybreak has the people, but they don't have the power. If Terra felt the need to hunt C.J. down, Daybreak wouldn't be able to stop her, and a lot of people would die. That would cause problems for you in the long run. Terra would then have C.J. in her hands as well, and you at her mercy." The latter was said without inflection herself, because everyone present knew C.J. was Darshan's weakest flank, and he would do just about anything to keep the tiger safe.
    Christian nodded shortly in agreement with Gift's words, and didn't really have anything to add. Those covered the high points, and would likely be the biggest problems Darshan would face.

    C.J. gave Sahar an admiring look when the shorter girl suddenly became about as tall as her. "Great legs. I love that dress."
    "Shirt," Queenie called down merrily as she descended the trellis with all apparent ease. "And Mace has a trellis because, well, the house came with one. It hasn't been used yet." She eyed the contraption as she dropped beside her friends. "We'll see what happens next year though. Maybe some of the girls will pick up a hobby."
    She shrugged, then motioned for the others to follow her. C.J. sauntered after her, humming one of her own songs this time. There was a bounce to her step and a light in her eyes and she wiggled into the backseat when they got to Queenie's car.

    "It's not that far away," Galen said, with a shrug and a smile. "Who will know? Iliana, Winnie, and Nissa, maybe, although I wouldn't say for sure on the first two. Price, probably, but he won't call us on it. No, I think we're safe on this one." He turned his hand over so that he could grasp hers, warming up to the idea. "One night of peace before we take on the world tomorrow. How about the Venetian, as a preview for our trip to Italy?"

    "I have the scars," Anna replied, with a pained expression, as she watched him try to smother the urge to laugh. She could understand that; she was having trouble keeping a straight face, too. She grinned widely at his next question, and shrugged. "It takes a lot less effort for you to remain pretty, Mr. Kee. For me to remain pretty, there would be many knives and needles and copious amounts of silicon involved, I suspect."
    "That's sweet," she remarked, her tone a little dry even though she was grinning, "even if it sounds like you're saying that more in jest than seriously."

    "I am," Gamble agreed. "How can you dislike anything that just likes you so much, and has no problem showin' it?"
    "That does sound like Gift," he admitted. "I didn't actually know that, but I could guess. I would never really be able to see her leavin' one of her folks hanging out to dry." Just because a person was dangerous didn't mean that she didn't care about or take care of her own, and that was another thing that he respected about Gift.
    "No," he said, with absolute seriousness, "but I do feed them mind-altering drugs. You may not be able to tell, but they are actually... super-dogs. I should warn you, don't go puttin' any Kryptonite in Cujo's McD's grease-burgers. It ain't good for him."

    "Oh, I have no real intention of ever killing him, either before or after I ruin him," Ai said lightly. "That would be cruel." She wasn't usually so vindictive, but there were certain circumstances when it became both necessary and a pleasure. She could guarantee that no one else in the Las Vegas office would even considering industrial espionoge after she was done with this particular executive.
    "I'm going to..." Look into him, check him out, make sure that he was a good choice. All of which she would do, but it was all really a pretense at this point, and Patrick knew her well enough to realize that. She sighed. "Yes. Yes I am. Is that foolish?"

    "Talent," Darshan said to Gift, with a brief, toothy grin, before his face returned to its usual neutrality. His eyes moved to Christian, and he once again nodded, this time to acknowledge Adrian's skill. "It's not a matter of trust," he replied. "Daybreak wouldn't hurt my soulmate simply to get to me. It would be... beneath them."
    He continued to nod as Gift spoke. "Yes, that is basically the conclusion that I arrived at, but I wanted to run it by you. Especially you, Gift, since you have experience dealing with Daybreak. I'm afraid that my own experience has been somewhat limited, primarily through my own efforts to keep it that way. I'll find a way to send C.J. away if it becomes necessary, and if I can find a way to do so, but at this point, I think that the most safe and practical option would be for her to remain with me." Not an ideal solution, but there were really no ideal solutions in a situation like this.

    "Thank you," Sahar purred, looking briefly down at the limbs in question. "I love your tits in that top. You should keep it on until you get to see Darshan again. Of course, once he sees you in it, I doubt you'll get to keep it on for long," she finished with a chuckle.
    "That's assuming that the house survives the year," she muttered, her eyes rolling towards the front of the house. She couldn't see the hole from here, if the work crew hadn't finished repairing it by now, but she remembered the shape and size of it well. She tilted her head as she caught the song that C.J. was humming, and she was familiar enough with the band's work that she sang along for a few lines, her voice higher and lighter than Tala's throaty croon.
    C.J. climbed into the back seat, so she took the passenger's side, curling her knees up against the dashboard, toying absently with the seat-belt at her side but making no move to snap it into place.

    Keller chuckled. "Alright, I won't frisk you to get my phone back. At the moment." She felt the need to add the last part, because she might be forced to retrieve her phone at a later time. Because she was just sometimes anal that way.
    Her smile became deeper, warmer, and she laced her fingers with his. "That sounds nice. Do you think we can get a room right now though, considering the time and date??"

    "Poor Anna," Price repeated sympathetically. "Should I kiss them and make it all better?? Or maybe," a very mischievous wiggle of the brows, "nibble??" He couldn't help himself. It was so much fun to make her squirm a bit. And he loved her blushes. "And nonsense, you will always be beautiful," he assured her loyally. "And won't be needing silicon for a while." His eyes dropped to her beasts and his grin widened.
    Those eyes rose back to hers and he widened them. "Did it sound joking?? I was completely serious, of course. You're such a pleasure to have around."

    "You can't," Julianna said simply and with complete sincerity, smiling still.
    A nod of agreement, as she nibbled on another piece of the fortune cookie. "No, she never would. I personally think it's another thing that makes her powerful, because it makes people even more loyal to her." She smiled as she thought about her sister, then winked at Gamble. "But don't think it'd stop her from breaking your legs if she thought it'd get more work out of you."
    Amber eyes widened in immediate protest when he spoke about his dogs. "You feed them /drugs/?? Gamble, for shame." She scratched the mutt in her lap and patted Cujo, her eyes sparkling at the pups. "And I always knew you were superdogs. Drugs or no."

    Another amused look was given to Ai. "Much more fun tae ruin 'im and see 'im wither in 'is own mess. Tha's no' cruel at all." Patrick had always known there was a reason he liked Ai. Plus, it served as a walking warning to anyone with the same idea in mind. He respected that.
    A nod of his head when she sighed and admitted. "No' foolish, though o' course ye'll check 'im out first tae make sure who 'e is and if he's worth savin'. An' dun put yer 'opes up too high, as ya've been burned before."

    Gift heaved a sigh. "So unfair," she observed, and tossed back her drink to punctuate that idea.
    A slight smirk from Christian at the Redfern, before he shrugged to Darshan. "I don't think Daybreak would hurt your soulmate to get to you, but I believe there are quite a few people within the organization that would be happy to /use/ your soulmate to get to you."
    After a moment of consideration, Gift decided she couldn't argue with that and looked at Darshan again. More agreeable nods were passed around the table. "That does sound like the best option here. Terra will know she'll have to come through you to even get to C.J. as long as you're here, and you can use Mace and his gang to do the more mundane protection as necessary. That should cause her to hesitate a little, either attacking herself or sending someone else to attack you, because someone else probably won't have the care for Mace that she'd like. Considering the situation, you don't have that bad of a setup here."
    Another smirk from Christian and he motioned for another shot. Gift set the empty whiskey bottle aside, only vaguely surprised it had been emptied so soon, and opened the tequila. She'd never been able to fault Mace for his store of liquors. "Though," she added to Darshan, as she refilled their glasses, "you'll want to make sure she doesn't find a way to lure C.J. out of your protected areas."
    "Especially if her band is in possible danger," Christian agreed, recalling the behavior of that group from the night before. "Then again, it does seem extreme measures for Terra to take. She's not the type to make that big a circle just to get to you in the first place."

    C.J. beamed again, unable to help a little preening. "Really, you think D will like it??" Of course that would be her first thought.
    "It better," was Queenie's grumbling reply. "It took Mace way too long to find this house, and this house is great. Right where it needs to be, with enough space for all of us." She gave the building a slightly wistful look, as if, in spite of her words, she was still already planning for its eventual demise.
    As they headed to the car, C.J. grinned at Sahar when she sang along, continuing to sing even as Queenie slipped in and started the automobile. It came to life with a bit of a roar, making Queenie wince, but she quickly shot into first gear and zoomed out of the driveway. C.J. hooted from the backseat as they hit the street and headed for the Strip.

    "I don't expect my luck to hold," Galen told her, with a touch of warm humor. Because he knew Keller, and he knew that she might not be able to go the night without checking in with /someone/. She had a very strong sense of duty, and that was one of the things that he loved about her. "We could always check in with Price later this evening. He's likely to know if there's anything major going on, and we don't have to worry about him asking about the whole... dragon situation... since he already knows."
    "I have my ways," Galen said lightly, feeling better than he had for most of the evening at the thought of a night spent with Keller. One night, before the trouble really started. He could feel it, looming on the horizon, but still, there was this brief window of opportunity, and he intended to take advantage of it.

    Anna did indeed squirm a little in her seat, and pink stole across her cheeks. It wasn't really that his teasing embarrassed her, but her reaction to it did. She had dated a little in high school, but no one, no one made her feel the way that Price could with nothing more than a few laughing words and a mischievous glance. "You know, I'm going to be forced to disprove you," she groused, although she couldn't quite help the smile forming on her mouth. "The women in my family do not age well. Every inch of me will be wrinkled, my breasts," this time she successfully fought her blush, even though his eyes were very pointedly being directed towards those very breasts, "will be somewhere around my waist, which will have expanded dramatically, and I fully intend on having some kind of big, hairy mole somewhere entirely inappropriate."
    "A pleasure I may be," she said, with a quick laugh, "but even I can't beat birthday presents. Go on, admit it."

    "Exactly," Gamble drawled, leaning across the table to tug briefly and playfully on a lock of her dark hair.
    He mulled over her words silently for a moment, then nodded. "It doesn't hurt that they respect her, too. Your sister is the best, and everyone knows it. The people who work for her, they're mostly proud that she chose them. It's something of a badge of honor, being good enough for Gift Redfern to employ you." He glanced at her, and shrugged. "I hear things, you know." It helped that half of the mercenary world tromped through his door at one point or another. He smiled. After all, Gift Redfern employed him; that alone indicated that he was the best at what he did.
    "I know," he replied, pretending to look chagrined as he continued to lavish attention on the two dogs at his side. "It's all a part of my secret plan to form a team of super crime fighting canines."

    "If he's ingenuous enough, I'm sure he'll find a way to claw his way up from the bottom," Ai said pertly, "but for now, he'll be working the drive-threw window. There are worse fates." She tilted her head, considering. "Not many which immediately come to mind, but there are."
    "Of course," she replied, more meekly than most people would give her credit for. Because, of course, he was right. All of a sudden, she turned serious again. "I will be careful, you know that. I rarely make a mistake twice, and I haven't chosen wrong in a long time. But even if I do, what's the worse that will happen? He'll steal the money out of my purse and the jewelry out of my dresser, and hopefully remember to use some of it to eat as well as to get his next fix. No, the disappointment is always the worst, but that passes quickly enough." Or it did now. It hadn't been so easy the first few times when she had taken someone on and failed to help them. There had been times when she had considered abandoning it completely, and just giving to charity the way that everyone else did. But the successes... The successes made it all worth while. Because, really, how could she resist the urge to help someone, the way that Adam had once helped her?

    "Yes," Darshan agreed mildly, because there were all sorts in Daybreak. Some people wouldn't use C.J. against him, but others would be more practical. "It hardly matters, however. They wouldn't be able to protect her, so the possible losses do not outweigh the potential gain. She will remain here, for now."
    He listened as Gift and Christian continued to speak, his face set in thoughtful lines. "The thing which we don't seem to be considering is that Terra may not be the one calling the shots," he said finally, reluctantly. "The possibility of harming Mace won't be a deterrent to someone else. Nor can we rely on someone else not to pursue a more circuitous route in order to get to C.J, and through her, to me. I don't think that we should worry too much about C.J.'s band, however. Anyone more practical than Terra probably won't pursue that; it would be too much effort without any guarantee of a return. There are more direct methods of getting to either C.J. or myself."
    Since they were talking about possible weaknesses, his eyes strayed to Gift. "Kersti and Adrian?" he asked, downing another class of liquor.

    "How could he not like it?" Sahar asked, with a brief grin.
    When she saw the wistful look on Queenie's face, she turned immediately remorseful. "Maybe, as the first casualty, it won't suffer any further," she offered. "You know, it's done its part, so maybe it can be, like, out on leave, or something. Walking wounded, you know." Of course, with both Darshan and Mace staying there, and Terra wanting both of them, albeit in very different ways, that didn't seem very likely. The poor house.
    They zipped away from the house, and Sahar laughed gleefully, bouncing up and down in her seat a little with the movement of the car.

    "Oh, you'll always be lucky," Keller assured him with a chuckle. She gave an approving nod at his suggestion. "Great idea. He'll also know if someone's trying to contact me, since they'll get in touch with him if they can't find me." Children were so useful that way, it seemed. Permanent secretaries.
    She smiled again and squeezed his hand. "Yes, I'm sure you do." Sometimes, even now, she felt a little strange being the wife of the Drache prince. The life was generally luxurious and pampered, aside from the example one was expected to give and the formal dinners. But she couldn't deny the response they got when they said who they were, and that could be a boon in most situations. "I don't think we'll require the penthouse though, right??"

    Price chuckled softly when Anna squirmed, taking a drink from his beer. He managed not to choke when she laid out her future physical let-go, wiping his mouth with another grin. "Aw honey, don't feel you have to go through all of that just to disprove me. I'm sure you're fond of your beautiful breasts and slim waist as much as I am. Maybe you'll want to keep them??" He put such a hopeful look to those last words that it was impossible not to laugh.
    Another grin, as his finger absently traced along the sweat on his glass. "I don't know about that, Anna. I've gotten some pretty bad presents in my time." Mostly gag gifts, but they were still bad. He looked up as the waitress reappeared, setting Anna's food down and asking if they wanted anything else. Price gave a small shake of his head in the negative.

    Grinning indulgently, Julianna let him tug her hair before tucking it back behind her ear. Cujo grumped and she patted him again. The other dogs were mostly snoring around them. Lazy, lazy bunch when they weren't begging for food.
    She nodded at his words as well, her smile quiet and fond. "Yeah, she's come a long way. But in a good way, regardless of her profession." Though she personally had no liking for the killing of other people, she'd never faulted Gift or Ethan or any of her friends for it. It was what they did best, so why not do it?? "And I'm betting she wishes she'd known you about fifty years ago too," she added teasingly, giving him a fond smile that was just for him.
    Giggling at the thought of Gamble, wearing tights himself, leading a pack of dogs in capes to save the world, Julianna scritched Cujo's ears. "I can see it. They'd make very good crime fighting dogs. And you'd better save yourself a pair of tights before sending the rest to Gift."

    "Maself, I think it's worse tae be flippin' tha burgers," Patrick admitted, voice still amused. "Ya dun e'en get a breath o' fresh air then, like ye would in tha drive thru." Though there being a career worse than fast food, that he wasn't so sure about. Surely there was, but he couldn't think of one either.
    A slightly disapproving look was sent in her way, as the driver pulled into the parking lot of a very posh restaurant. "Dun be fooled, Ai. People are gettin' more vicious these days, especially when brought into yer own 'ome. /Especially/ men, no matter 'ow 'elpless they may look. Tha's no' tha worst tha' can 'appen these days." He did sometimes worry about her, when he saw she'd taken in a stray, but she was usually a very good judge of character as it was. Plus the fact that she was a vampire and mostly just took in humans eased his worry as well.
    The car had stopped and his door was opened. Patrick slipped out, giving a nod to the driver, and held out his hand to help Ai from the car.

    Both of his companions nodded in approval, because neither were that interested in seeing a world after C.J. had been captured by Terra. No matter how bad it got now, it would still be worse after that.
    Christian took an experimental sip of the tequila as Gift nodded slowly. "Supposedly, Terra and her cohorts are all currently taking orders from Blaire. Blaire is not stupid, she would not want to alienate you the way Terra did earlier. So I think Terra is acting on her own behalf right now, and she's thoroughly enraged with you and will hurt you however she can. The others, at least until further actions prove otherwise, still seem to be following Blaire's orders, so perhaps they won't be quite so obvious in their attempts to destroy you."
    "Sonya mentioned Blaire isn't happy with Terra for what she did to you," Christian mentioned, looking at Darshan. "Most of Blaire's other allies seem more inclined to follow her plans, though there was mention of a power struggle. They're not following her orders exactly, even if they are fighting for her."
    That made Gift look thoughtfully into her full shot glass, before she downed it. She offered to refill Darshan's as something flickered in her eyes. "Someone new came onto the scene as we were leaving the hotel," she commented. "A sniper who shot at Kersti. He didn't have any real intention of hitting her, but he was testing me, and he still shot at her." Christian gave a low whistle, knowing what that was going to wind up as, and Gift smirked faintly. "After that, they are being protected by Tristan Chandler and Nolan Whisteler. I'm going to have Hunters patroling their house so if anything happens, I'll be alerted." At this point, without knowing who was all involved and knowing Adrian like she did, that was the best option available.

    C.J. gave a happy sigh and squirmed a little in future appreciation. Her lovely dragon.
    "If only it /could/ walk, it'd probably last longer," Queenie laughed, mostly at the idea of a walking house. "But even if it is destroyed, I guess we'll just rebuild. Mace owns the land and everyone likes it here anyway."
    With a philosophical shrug, she climbed into her car and the three kitties shot off into the darkness. C.J. pressed her nose to the glass, looking out at the bright shiny lights they passed, and it was only a few miles later that Queenie pulled into the parking lot of The Happy Lap. A satisfied sigh rumbled from the lioness as she cut the engine and got out.
    "Come on, let's go, let's go," C.J. said excitedly, pushing at the seat as Sahar climbed out. It wasn't so much just the half-naked guys she was looking forward to, but the combination of liquor and half-naked guys. Always a good one.

    "Then it's settled," Galen said firmly. "When you call him, you can also ask about arranging a meeting with Darshan." Since Price was the only one who had actually met the dragon, it seemed like he was the best suited to handle that particular bit of delicate business.
    "My parents stay there whenever they're in town," he confessed. "Mentioning their names will get us a room. Not the penthouse, though," he added, with a quick, sweet smile. He lifted their joined hands so that he could place a kiss against her knuckles. "At least, not on such short notice."

    "Oh, no," Anna said. "I'm really quite looking forward to letting myself go. After all, I've already caught me a man, haven't I?" She widened her eyes at him. "Of course, I'll still be the same person on the /inside/. That's all that matters, isn't it?" The combination of saying something so ridiculous and the hopeful look that he had added to his last words made it impossible not to laugh, and finally she succumbed, drawing startled glances from the couple at the nearest table.
    The grin on Anna's face indicated that she had probably been responsible for one or two of those gag gifts. "Hey. You swore that you loved those day-of-the-week bikini briefs."

    "I wish that I had know her fifty years ago, too," Gamble said, with a grin. "She would have kept me in business all by her lonesome. She just about does so now."
    "I have no intention of fighting crime, myself," he confessed, watching with a smile in his eyes as she petted Cujo. It seemed like he had made a good choice in pairing those two up; the dog was already half-smitten with her, and the first trip to McDonald's would earn his undying devotion. "I'm going to be the hapless sidekick. You know, the one who always ends up gettin' himself taken hostage."
    He tilted his head back, rolling it around on his neck contemplatively. "Do you want to go for a ride after dinner?" It was dark outside, but the dark didn't bother either of them, and as long as they stayed close to the house there would be enough light for the horses to see by.

    "Yes, but you have to deal with every soccer mom and college kid with munchies who comes through," Ai pointed out. "That sounds like a very special circle of hell, to me." She sounded amused as well, as if she was no longer taking this seriously. Really, it was unlikely that the man would be forced to flip burgers for a living. His salary while working for her had been impressive, and he also had the money that he had been given for selling her out to live off of. He wasn't about to starve.
    "Believe me, Patrick, no one knows what evils men are capable better than I do," she replied, turning her head so that she could look out the window. "Luckily, these days, I'm a lot better at taking care of myself. There isn't anything that some human boy is going to be able to do to me, not anymore." Not when she could break him into pieces with a flick of her wrist.
    She took his hand, and allowed him to help her out of the car, sliding her fingers up to rest at the bend of his arm once she was on her feet.

    "That isn't so very surprising," Darshan murmured, running a finger along the edge of his shot glass as he thought. "She has gathered a great many strong-willed and powerful individuals together, promised them power, and then set them loose. It must be very much like trying to herd cats; I'd be surprised if she could get two of them moving in the same direction at once. That may turn into a saving grace. I don't like the thought of them being so unpredictable, but better that than if they were one cohesive group, fighting together."
    "Someone new," he repeated, and paused to down his shot before continuing. "Another one of Blair's people? Are we certain that she hasn't marked us as enemies and decided that it doesn't matter if she alienates us? Terra, Jayden, this mysterious sniper... It seems that very few of her existing allies are interested in helping her to gain more." A faint smile flickered across his lips. "Perhaps they don't want to share their piece of the pie."

    "Maybe I'll see more of you, then," Sahar said, leaning across the clutch to bump her shoulder lightly against Queenie's when the other woman said that the gang liked it there. "I like Las Vegas, too. I might stick around for a while. The theater scene isn't quite what it is in New York, but it's not bad, either."
    She climbed out of the car and into the dimly lit parking lot, her eyes fixing on The Happy Lap, with its tinted windows and the almost-vulgar neon signs hanging in them. A glance over her shoulder showed her that C.J. had climbed out of the car, and she grinned happily at her two friends before sauntering towards the front of the club.

    Keller nodded, even though that maternal part inside her balked at the idea of asking Price to approach the dragon again. The more sensible part of her knew that Price would find a reason to do it anyway. "I will. And hopefully he won't go knocking on Mr. Guivre's door at three a.m. just because he can't wait any longer."
    She chuckled lightly, still loving the feel of his lips just touching her knuckles. "I'm not surprised," she admitted in turn. In all reality, just mentioning Galen's name often got results as well these days. As the elder Draches didn't travel as much as they used to, but he did, and he was becoming quite well-known on his own.

    Price chortled into his beer glass as his soulmate talked, gray eyes laughing cheerfully. "Of course, I'm not so shallow as to turn away from you just because you get soft around the edges," he assured her, grinning. "Though the idea of your breasts hanging around your waist makes me pause /just/ a little."
    Her laughter made him grin wider and an immediate nod came out when she brought up the...briefs. "Of course I do. They have a place of honor in my underwear drawer." Did that mean he didn't actually wear them?? He'd never tell.
    When Anna didn't reply to the waitress, Price shook his head and she went away. The food smelled good and he breathed it in, smiling a little, and finished off his beer.

    Julianna laughed, fingers reaching out to pull another bag towards her. "You mean she doesn't now?? Do you still serve people besides those in her employment??" It did have a sincerely curious edge to it, as she pulled out a few more cartons to peruse their contents.
    Cujo licked her scratching fingers as Julianna giggled. "So if you're the sidekick, who's going to lead the heroic canines??" She looked mock-contemplatively around the room, picking up a particularly loud snore from behind her. Cujo gave her big eyes and she kissed his muzzle. "You can't be, you have to be my protector and savior," she told him, and his stub wagged happily.
    She looked back up at Gamble at his suggestion, and her eyes lit up at the idea. "I'd love to." It had taken a while for the horses to get used to her, as they could sometimes smell the wolf that lurked under her skin. But now she had a favorite horse of his, who seemed to like her in return, and she was actually surprised at how much she'd taken to riding.

    Patrick chuckled darkly. "Nah, I think it'd be worse fer a man tae be stuck in tha back o' tha restaurant, only able tae deal wit' tha pimply teenagers he'd workin' with. 'E'd be able tae leer at tha soccer mums an' all." Not to mention if those college kids were female.
    The hand draped across the back of the seat dropped, fingers brushing the side of her neck in a comforting gesture. "I know, luv," he said softly. "An' ye know, if ya e'er need an'thing, ya only 'ave tae call."
    Once they were both out, he nodded to the driver and guided her inside. Her fingers were warm and soft in the crook of his arm and he looked around the restaurant as they stepped inside. A quick hand gesture and they were led to a huge booth meant for at least ten people. Patrick helped Ai take a seat, then followed her in as the host gave them menus. "Get an'thing ya want, lass," he assured her with a smile. "On me."

    "It doesn't say a lot about her leading abilities though," Gift commented, unknowingly echoing Christian's earlier words. "If she can't control the people who supposedly work for her, what are the chances of her control after her supposed take over??"
    "I mentioned that to Sonya," Christian said with a nod. "She said don't be fooled by their actions; though they seem rather all over the place, they are still following her."
    Gift mused over that, nodding in agreement with Darshan's words as well. The new person made her eyes flicker but her voice remained calm. "Whether it's Blaire's person or not, I can't say. But he had an opportunity to kill me and didn't, instead just proving that he could if he wanted. So if she has marked us for enemies." She shrugged, her opinion not too high on how it was being taken care of.
    "That's an interesting idea," Christian said thoughtfully, tossing back the rest of the tequila. "If her current allies are not interested in helping her get more, are they going to actively try to put off any new potentials?? Are they going to try to kill us, rather than share Blaire's favor??" Gift refilled his glass as Christian considered his own idea.

    Queenie tossed a grin at Sahar. "Good news, little cub. I think the gang's pretty much settled here for a good long while, at least, so you can drop by anytime you want to."
    "Awww," C.J. cooed from the backseat.
    "That includes you too," Queenie laughed, looking at the tiger in the rearview mirror. "You know you're always welcome."
    C.J. smiled and reached over the seat to play with Sahar's hair until the car stopped. They followed Sahar into the strip club, transferring a neon-broken darkness for a pale-white broken darkness. Men were already strutting their stuff and doing things that were incredibly inappropriate with metal bars and Queenie sighed deeply. "Now this is what I'm talking about."
    C.J. had been looking around the club as they stopped briefly, and she suddenly squealed. "Zabri!" Catching sight of the familiar figure sitting alone at a table, a half-empty glass in front of her, the tiger grabbed her friends' arms and dragged them over the human.
    Gold eyes watched their approach with amusement, a grin twitching at her lips. "Hey girls. Having a break out, are we??"
    "Definitely," Queenie declared, sinking into an empty chair and gesturing to the waitress. "We needed to get out for a while. What are /you/ doing here??"
    "Enjoying the scenery," was the bland reply.

    “Price?” Galen asked, and smiled, a little wryly. “I think the best we can hope for is that Price doesn’t have his address.” Because he wouldn’t put it past Price to go knocking on a dragon’s door at three in the morning, and he didn’t think that any dragon, no matter how nice he supposedly was, was going to put up with that kind of disturbance.
    He gave Keller’s hand another little squeeze as they arrived at the Starbucks parking lot, before releasing her to dig his car keys out of his pocket.

    “I’m sorry,” Anna said, quite cheerfully. “The sagging can’t be helped. Nature and gravity will have their way with me. I’m so happy to hear that it won’t affect your opinion of me, though.”
    Her grin turned satisfied at the mention of the briefs, since they had been one of her more purposefully horrendous gifts to him. “Really, the look on Galen’s face when you unwrapped those was better than any reaction I could have hoped to get out of you,” she mused. Of course, she still wasn’t entirely sure that the Drache prince had /known/ that they had been intended as a gag.
    She took a deep breath of her food, and was suddenly ravenous in a way that she hadn’t been before entering the restaurant. Too polite to shovel it into her mouth the way she wanted to, she simply spread her napkin out in her lap and began to cut neat, bite-sized pieces out of her food.

    The curious edge to Julianna’s voice made Gamble smile, just because it was so typical of her. Julianna just wouldn’t be Julianna if she didn’t have her pretty little nose in everything. “I surely do,” he told her, without hesitation. “I’m a bit more choosy about who gets something of mine if they don’t work for your sister, though. The special bullets, those I’ll sell to anyone, but the weapons… I know that her people will do my work justice, you see, because there ain’t no one who works for Gift who isn’t good at their trade, like we were saying. But I do sell to other people, folks who work independently, or who don’t go killin’ people for a living but who carry a weapon for one reason or another. There are even a few Daybreakers who have something of mine.” How Gamble chose who he sold his weapons to was something of a mystery, but seemed to have something to do with both talent and his own intuition.
    “Missy,” he said promptly, pointing to the dog who was snoring the loudest, an ancient Great Dane. She and Cujo seemed to be the only purebreds in the room; the rest were mixed breeds and mutts.
    Her enthusiastic response to his suggestion of a ride provoked another grin; he was undeniably happy that Julianna had taken such a liking to his horses, as well as his dogs. “Good. Finish up your food, and we can saddle up the horses and go.”

    “I yield to your greater knowledge of a man’s priorities,” Ai said, with a smile. “Soccer moms probably are much more pleasant company than pimply teenagers, although I’m not so sure about the screaming children that they invariably carry with them.”
    She sighed softly, and reached up to touch his hand where it rested against the side of her neck. “I know, Patrick, and I do appreciate it.” She followed him out of the car and into the restaurant, and laughed softly as he helped her into the booth. “And I thought /I/ got good service,” she joked.
    When he told her to order what she liked, she chuckled and shook her head. “What do you make of our kind’s love for wining and dining? We don’t get anything out of it. Is it just habit? I can’t remember ever seeing those born as vampires eat much. Adam never did.”

    “I doubt anyone except Blaire is thinking that far ahead,” Darshan said. “Even if she does manage to sway some powerful people to her side, a complete takeover could be years off. She still needs to convince everyone else that she should be in charge. Daybreak has a relatively firm hold right now; even those who don’t ascribe to their way of thinking are more neutral than actively hostile. The last ten years have been peaceful. No one /wants/ a return to the chaos of the time before the Battle, when everyone was at everyone else’s throat and there wasn’t a safe place to stay. Blaire might have a hard time swaying people to her side, even with a promise as sweet as making the Night World great again.”
    Christian’s words made him pause, and he nodded slowly. “Really, it doesn’t matter who is directing them. If they’re all fighting for Blaire, it will be harder to divide and conquer, but they’re going to do damage no matter what.” He tilted his head, thoughtful. “Although they might do more damage if they’re not worried about driving us away. If, as you say, they are not interested in sharing Blaire’s favor.”

    “Mace might disagree with how welcome either of us are,” Sahar said wickedly, purring happily as C.J. played with her hair. “Especially after the little show that we put on earlier this evening.”
    They entered the club, and she laughed as C.J. pulled her across the floor, her eyes lighting up when she saw Zabri. She half-fell into a chair, her eyes flicking towards the stage at the other woman’s words. “Ah, and what lovely scenery it is.” Her eyes rested dreamily on a particular man, who was bending in ways that were probably illegal at the edge of the stage.

    A slight grimace, one Keller tried to hide at first. “Or doesn’t try to find it before morning arrives.” Because even then, if he had the means and the right to do it, the will would soon follow. Nosy, pushy Price.
    Keller looked around the parking lot as they arrived at Galen’s car. The people of Las Vegas didn’t seem particularly upset or worried about the events of the day, which was always a good thing. Panicky humans were something no one needed to deal with at this point, and would likely cause many more problems in the future.
    Once Galen had the doors unlocked, she slipped in and couldn’t stifle a small yawn. She wasn’t tired physically yet, but everything they’d heard about today was taking its toll mentally. “How far away is it??” she inquired of her soulmate.

    Price heaved a much exaggerated sigh of true and tried patience. “Of course not. Even sagging, in more places than I probably want to know about, you’ll always be beautiful and desirable,” he assured her with a charming grin. Though it did make him ponder for a few minutes, the fact once again being reinstated than Anna was going to die one day. Considering the situation, one day maybe not far from now, though he wasn’t pessimistic enough to let the thought linger for too long.
    Grin broadening as he recalled the look on Galen’s face, he just gave a cheerful shrug of his shoulders. “I wonder if Mom’s ever given him underwear for a gift,” he commented, before pausing. “Actually, no I don’t. Whew, bad thought.” He winked at Anna and looked consideringly at her food. It smelled good and he remembered how much he used to love food himself. One of the few things he’d missed since becoming a vampire.
    Raising a hand, he motioned for another beer and just smiled as he watched Anna so politely eat her food.

    Gamble’s explanation made Julianna pause, listening attentively. She smiled when he’d finished, her fingers resuming their search of the cartons of food. “That’s good business,” she commented, sniffing at a particular selection. “That way different kinds of people will hear about your work and will come looking for some too. But it’s also a good way to pick out the good from the bad so hopefully only those worthy of them will come asking.” Which wasn’t always the case anyway, because oftentimes the bad people thought they deserved the best anyway.
    Julianna laughed as she looked at the Great Dane, who kicked a leg just then. “Yes, she is already a tried and true leader, I can tell. It’ll be a mighty team who follows her.” A stifled giggle.
    She nodded quickly at his words, taking another sniff of a different carton, before pushing it away and grinning at him. “I’m ready. Chinese food is just as good cold and now I really wanna ride.” Her eyes dropped to the mutt just happily dozing in her lap. “Which means that you, my good sir, must move.” The dog grunted a denial and Julianna poked his side experimentally. He merely waved his tail at her, and it was Cujo who actually leaned over and nipped his hide. The lean dog grawrled his disapproval but reluctantly slipped from Julianna’s lap.
    Beaming at her new friend, Julianna kissed Cujo’s head again and pushed herself to her feet. “Now stay here and protect the food,” she told Cujo, wagging a finger. “Don’t let the others eat it and don’t /you/ eat it either, or no McD’s for a good long while.”
    Cujo whined reassuringly.

    Patrick smiled again. “When lookin’ at a pretty face an’ admirable assets, one can bypass the screamin’ lot in the back. I figgered tha’ e’en true fer women.” He nodded at her acknowledgement of his words, then they were in the cool restaurant. It was dim and quite calm, considering the time of night. One of the reasons he liked this place.
    “’Abit,” he agreed with a chuckle. “An’ those tha’ weren’t changed too far back still appreciate tha taste, or wha’ tha taste once was. An’ then some just like tha formality o’ it.” He shrugged easily as a snappily dressed waiter approached. Patrick asked for a bottle of wine and left it open for Ai.

    Gift was only mildly reluctant to admit, “With that in mind, Blaire’s chosen the right way to go about it. No show of strength to take over with guns blazing, instead a subtle, quiet inquiry to the people who would make a difference, and then probably a tap on Thierry’s shoulder and a “this is what’s going to happen if you don’t acquiesce.” Clever, because Thierry won’t want to risk the manpower if she’s got everyone she contacted on her side.”
    “And if those people don’t join her side, she’ll eliminate them so they won’t make a difference when the show down takes place,” Christian agreed.
    “Very clever,” Gift mused. “So then Daybreak just steps aside and Blaire takes over with her new Council. Very neat and tidy. The vampires and shifters get freer rein then, which will make them happy. I’m not sure what she has in store for the witches.”
    Christian nodded, both to her and then to Darshan. “Yes, they’re going to cause damage no matter what. A few of the people would want to cause damage just because they can. But with Blaire still in France, I do have to wonder who’s actually calling the shots here and now. From what I’ve seen, there are several powerful individuals here at the moment, and they’re not going to like taking orders from someone they see as a mere colleague when their opinions are differing.”

    “Oh no, with Terra in town, he’s gonna need all the distraction he can get,” C.J. surmised, though there was a good deal of sympathy in her voice. “For him and his gang. We can provide that.” Her fingers slid with quiet marvel through the lioness’s hair again before they got out of the car.
    Zabri’s presence pretty much made everything perfect and C.J. whooped loudly, just because she could. Most of the tables were crowded with other women and there was a great deal of noise about, which made the tiger’s eyes glitter. She was a people person, what could she say.
    Sliding into a chair, Queenie grinned at Zabri. “Seen anything worth mentioning yet??”
    “A lot,” Zabri smirked, tossing back her drink. The waiter appeared and she ordered another, and C.J. and Queenie tossed in their own orders as Zabri winked at Sahar. “Are you old enough for a drink, cutie pie??”
    “We should get a table closer than this,” C.J. decided, bouncing a bit in her seat. “That way we can give tips!”

    “Maybe he’ll just call Mr. Guivre,” Galen said, a little wistfully. As far he knew, dragon power could not reach through the phone lines.
    He looked at her when she yawned, reaching up to touch her hair, an affectionate and infinitely gentle caress. “It won’t take us that long to get there,” he promised. “We could probably walk if we wanted to, but I don’t want to leave my car parked here overnight.” He threw the car into reverse, and pulled out of his parking spot.

    “That deserves a treat,” Anna said approvingly, although laughter still colored her voice. She cut off another bite of her food, and offered the fork to him across the table, her hand cupped under the fork to keep it from dripping.
    There was a mischievous glint to her eye as he speculated about his mother and Galen, and slowly she began to nod. “Uh-huh. Something really sexy, I bet. Silk boxers, or something. And you /know/ that he has a tab at Victoria’s Secret, with all the stuff that he buys her.” Because there was nothing quite like making your soulmate twitch over his parents’ sex life.

    “If only that were true,” Gamble replied. “I don’t worry about it, though. I’ve gotten pretty good about weedin’ the good from the bad over the years. I’m pretty careful about who carries away one of my babies.” He waved vaguely at the weapons filling the walls, each one a work of art.
    “Assuming that she wakes up long enough to lead anyone anywhere,” he added with a grin. “And that her arthritis isn’t actin’ up today. The poor darlin’ has bad hips. Her joints ache something fierce when it’s cloudy out.”
    He laughed at her words, a surprisingly rich sound that started deep in his belly. “Well, far be it from me to deny a lady her pleasure,” he said lightly. He watched in open amusement as she gave Cujo his orders, but decided that it would be far safer to just clean up the food and put it in the refrigerator.
    He rose to his feet and did that quickly, then returned to the living room to pull his shirt back on and shove his feet into a pair of boots. He offered a hand to Julianna. “C’mon.”

    “I think that I will refrain from comment,” Ai said, with a curving smile that was more than a little alluring and held a trace of what she had once been. “I will say that I’m not particularly fond of the idea of slaving over a deep fryer, though.”
    She waved the waiter off once Patrick had ordered the wine. “I’m young enough that I still appreciate food, but not right after traveling,” she commented wryly, once the waiter had gone. “I’m going to have to go looking for something a little more substantial later tonight, I think.”

    Darshan paused, his hand on his glass, his face frozen in thought. “Clever,” he said, finally, relaxing back into his seat. “Very clever. Mr. Descouedres might risk a fight if he thought that he could win, but if he thought that the odds were good that he wouldn’t, he would step aside in order to avoid bloodshed. Not that it will matter, in the end. Blaire would kill him and his people once she gained power. She wouldn’t be able to afford to leave them alive. The witches…” he tilted his head, considering. “She would kill their Elders and their leaders, both to cripple them and to eliminate the ones who have the old magics, the ones which might be able to control her, the ones who might be able to put the dragons back to sleep. Like Descouedres, she wouldn’t be able to afford to leave them alive.”
    “A variety of strong-willed and powerful people, all convinced that they’re in charge,” he murmured. “That should prove… interesting.”

    “I am,” Sahar announced, retrieving her ID from where it was tucked into her bra strap and flashing it at the waiter before once again tucking it away. She ordered her drink, and bobbed her head enthusiastically when C.J. suggested moving closer to the stage. Because… Mmmmmm.
    “Ahem.”
    She twisted in her seat, and found herself staring at Ezio Aquila. The assassin had suddenly materialized out of thin air, and was standing behind Zabri’s chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He stared down at the top of the human woman’s head with an intensity that made Sahar wonder if she could smell hair burning. “Whoops.”

    Light flooded onto the street from the apartment building across the street, and Peter marveled at how much could be learned simply by peering through people’s open shutters from the dark. No one bothered to hide anything when they didn’t think that anyone was watching. Music poured out onto the street through one open window; muted TV voices from another. A couple on the third floor was arguing, and for a moment he stood entranced by their steadily rising voicing.
    He shook himself, and ambled across the street, where he slipped into the building behind a tenant, wiping her mind of the memory as soon as she turned to protest. A quick glance at the list of tenants gave him the last of the information he needed, and he whistled cheerily as he made his way to the third floor. The door that hid the arguing couple did nothing to soften the sound of their fight, but he ignored it, approaching instead a door down the hall from that one.
    One knock, then a brief wait before the door opened. As soon as the black-painted wood fell away, he caught the young man’s eyes. “Hello, Mr. Godwin,” he said, his voice soothing. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” There really could be no answer but yes, not when his Power had already smashed through the man’s pitiful defenses.

    “Why call when you can go talk face-to-face,” Keller said with a wry little chuckle. It seemed she’d had that talk with Price before, and had lost. A very uncomfortable feeling for her.
    She smiled at him when he touched her hair, and simply nodded in acceptance of his words. Pulling on her seatbelt as he backed up, she looked over the parking lot again before it was left behind. “Mind if we skip Starbucks for our future meetings??”

    Price laughed again but was never one to turn down a treat. Especially from Anna. Leaning over to meet her fork, he took the morsel of food and made a pleasant mmming sound. Now that was good. Gods yes, how much he missed it. Sure beat the day-in, day-out monotony of blood.
    He winked a thankful eye as he savored the food, licking his lips to get any last traces of flavor. Though his expression became rather pained as he looked at her. “Okay, Galen in silk boxers I can handle. But Mom in…lingerie?? Or…a thong.” A polite little shudder. Yes, he thought his mother was beautiful, even at a very mature forty, but the idea of her in a thong was more than he wanted. Much better to leave that to Galen. Ew.

    Julianna smiled in understanding, looking around the house herself. “Yes, I bet you are. Only special people should be allowed to handle such beauty,” she said approvingly. She knew art when she saw it, regardless of personal preference.
    “Oh, poor baby,” she said sympathetically, looking over at the snoring dog. “It’s got to hurt to have arthritis like that. Maybe she would be a better advisor, and let someone a bit younger take on the actual duty of leading the troops. Advisors are just as important, a lot of the time.”
    She grinned at Gamble’s agreement with her, though Cujo gave him a disapproving look when he began to put up the food. Clearly he resented the idea that he couldn’t do his new mistress proud, and grunted that very emotion when Gamble put on his shoes.
    Giggling, Julianna moved over to slip her own shoes back on before taking Gamble’s hand. Lacing their fingers and swinging his arm cheerfully, she led the way out of the house and around back to the barn. She heard the neighing already and squeezed Gamble’s arm in anticipation. Cujo let out a mournful howl, as he knew he’d been forgotten.

    Patrick’s look was unmistakably fond as he took in her smile, his eyes gentle as they caressed the movement of her lips. Her words merely made his own lips curve into a grin. “Aye, the fryer is one o’ the worst things e’er created, I’m sure. I’d like tae meet one person who enjoys it.”
    Settling back in the lush booth, arms stretching out on either side to rest on the back of it, Patrick grinned again at his companion. “Did ya partake of tha’ lovely airplane food?? Ye can’t truly appreciate any kind o’ trip if ya didna.” Though that would also explain why she’d need something more substantial. Airplane /food/, indeed.

    Gift studied her half-empty glass thoughtfully as Christian topped his own. “She would,” the former finally agreed. “She would destroy all of the main figures of Daybreak, and the witches, and any vampires that might consider disobeying her. The Draches as well, perhaps, as she wouldn’t want anyone in a position of power that she couldn’t control unquestioningly.”
    “Perhaps not them, since they are descended from dragons,” Christian tempered. “She’d first see if they could be controlled, since the shifters are so used to following them now anyway. And if she /is/ dragon, she might be able to control them anyway.”
    Nodding a quick agreement to that, Gift murmured, “If she does have dragon power, considering her mother, she might be able to take over the shifters anyway just be sheer force. Or at least those that would count in the end, present company again excluded.”
    Christian chuckled, refilling his glass again. “So if we don’t stop her from getting all of the strong people on her side, she could take over and we won’t get a say in the matter. Either that, or we’ll have to actually tell Thierry that we’re on his side. Which would align us with Daybreak and,” he downed his drink, “I don’t particularly want that to happen. So we need to find a way to stop it before then.”
    “So we hit the people she already has on her side,” Gift said. “With that amount of power and everyone thinking they‘re in charge,” she nodded at Darshan, “dissent should be pretty easy to cause. We just need to get an actual list of names.”

    Zabri chuckled throatily as Sahar produced her ID. “Make sure it’s not fake,” she suggested to the waiter, who tossed a wink at Sahar.
    “You look good to me, sugar.” He took the orders and wandered off as a new song started over the speakers and a few new men came onto the stage and stretch of bar tops. Queenie and C.J. were ooohing and aaahing over some new flesh, but they both looked over when the startling throat clearing interrupted.
    The human didn’t even look up, though the brief look crossing her face silently echoed Sahar’s whoops. She just winked at the other girls, before rising to her feet and sliding her jacket from the back of the chair. It was only when she stood that C.J. saw the guns holstered under her arms. “Oh girl, you’re still working!” the tiger said, with obvious disapproval. Not at the fact that she’d obviously taken a break, but because she couldn’t join them further.
    Zabri just gave her another wink. “Enjoy the show, muffins. I’ll catch up with you later.” She slid into her jacket and headed for the door, with not a glance or word to Ezio.
    C.J. pouted for about two seconds, then pointed. “Look, there’s a free table that’s within touching distance! C’mon.”

    Dazed brown eyes looked at the man standing on his doorstep for a long minute, before Jon Godwin almost floated to the side. The door opened a little wider and he made a welcoming gesture with one arm. “Yes, please, come in.” The apartment was neatly furnished but not cluttered, and the TV was turned on low in the living room. It filled the house with its quiet murmur, contested only by the hum of the ice maker in the kitchen.

    Galen grimaced, but had nothing else to add to that. Yeah, that was Price for you. Galen loved the boy as if he was his own, but one of these days, something was going to bite off that prying nose of his.
    He cast a final glance at the Starbucks as he drove out of the parking lot, and nodded in acquiescence to her request “I think that we can manage that.”

    The obvious pleasure on Price’s face made Anna smile, and she lowered her fork to take another bite of her food. It /was/ good, she would admit that, warm and nourishing after a day filled with chaos.
    “Even I didn’t go as far as a thong,” she reminded him, grinning widely. “If it’s any comfort, I can’t see your mom wearing a thong, even for Galen. Those things are really uncomfortable.” And Keller was practical enough not to court discomfort, even if it was really sexy discomfort for her soulmate’s pleasure. “Maybe a nice black lace teddy,” she added wickedly. “Something classic, you know.”

    “Yeah, she’s gettin’ her fair share of aches and pains as she gets older,” Gamble said sympathetically. “Maybe she can advise, like you said. Either that, or command the troops from the rear. Kind of like Professor Xavier, you know. All the young whippersnappers will do her bidding.”
    He shrugged apologetically to Cujo as he reentered the room, and waited for Julianna to put on her shoes. Another laugh trickled from his mouth as she took his hand and swung their joined arms forwards.
    Cujo’s howl followed them out towards the stables, and he shook his head. “Just breaks your heart, doesn’t it?”

    “I’m sure that somewhere out there, there is a person who enjoys working the deep fryer,” Ai said, with a theatrical shudder. “I can only hope that I never meet such a person.”
    “I traveled first-class, so the airplane food wasn’t quite the horror it would have been otherwise,” she replied, responding to his grin with one of her own and leaning back into the lush upholstery of the booth. One of her fingers trailed over the soft black leather appreciatively. “But no, I didn’t partake in that particular pleasure. Traveling is exhausting enough without combining it with airplane cuisine.”

    “I wouldn’t be surprised if she simply eliminated the Draches, rather than go through the trouble of controlling them,” Darshan said. “It’s harder to control someone with a strong will, and from what I have heard, all of the Draches are incredibly strong willed. If Blaire has power, she could do it, but it might end up being more trouble than it’s worth. Many shape-shifters would be willing to follow a dragon, were one to step forward. The number of shape-shifters which have approached me over the years is adequate proof of that.”
    He drummed his fingers against the table as Christian spoke, and nodded in mute agreement. “I wonder if it might not be possible to sway some of them away from Blaire. They might not be entirely committed to her cause, or we might be able to make a better offer. Usually, I wouldn’t suggest it, but the fight we have ahead of us is daunting enough without taking on anyone who we don’t have to.”
    The last of the tequila bottle was emptied into his glass, and he looked at Gift musingly as she mentioned names. “Your sister, or her informant friend?” His gaze shifted to Christian. “I don’t suppose Ms. Dayton was able to shed any light on that subject?”

    The wink made Sahar’s lips curve into a smile, and she tossed a ‘so-there’ look at Zabri. That didn’t stop her from looking disappointed when she realized that the other woman wouldn’t be able to join them for their evening of fun. “Bye!” she called after Zabri. Ezio had already turned away from the three remaining women, and silently followed Zabri out of the club, his trench coat billowing behind him like wings.
    She perked up immediately when C.J. pointed out the free table, and she was out of her chair in the blink of an eye. She slinked to the front of he club, securing the table for them.

    “How very kind of you,” Peter murmured, stepping across the foyer and into the apartment. The leather jacket he was wearing was shrugged off and dropped casually across the back of a chair. “How are you today, Mr. Godwin?” he asked. After all, the formalities could not be ignored, not in a civilized society.

    Allowing her head to lean back on the headrest, Keller’s eyes drooped slightly. “Yes, we’ll have to find a new place for our future meetings,” she murmured. “Somewhere with a total lack of coffee smell, even.” She’d never been fond of coffee anyway, and being around it as much as she’d been today hadn’t helped.

    Price wiped his mouth and smiled when the waitress brought his new beer. He shook his head when she asked if they wanted anything else, taking a quick drink as Anna spoke. A grin quirked his lips. “Yes, it actually does help that you don’t think she’d wear a thong. Someone else that agrees with me.”
    He’d lifted his beer for another drink when she commented about the teddy, which made him pause, before he shrugged and finished his movements. “A teddy’s fine,” Price grinned. “Mom deserves to feel sexy, and I bet she looks nice in something like that.” Just as long as he didn’t take the next mental step, which would be Galen removing that teddy, he’d be juuust fine.
    “And how about you??” he teased. “You going to throw on a thong for me??”

    “Poor thing,” Julianna said again, giving another sympathetic look to the big dog. Who was completely oblivious of course, just snoozing away. “And definitely, only a fool of a whippersnapper wouldn’t yield to such magnificence and clear intelligence.” She winked at Gamble, always one to enjoy his word usage.
    The night air was a bit cooler now but still pleasant, and Julianna took a deep breath of it as they walked out. Cujo’s howl made her grimace faintly, as she clearly had the impulse to go back and let the dog join them. “It does,” she admitted, squeezing his hand. “But I’m afraid he might get underfoot and Daisy might trample him by mistake.” Though she’d had the luck to befriend one of the calmest, easy-going horses on the lot, any horse might get annoyed with a tag-a-long dog.
    She gave him a grin as they reached the barn, releasing his hand to slip inside. He’d been teaching her how to care for his horses, just little lessons here and there, and she was pretty sure she’d mastered how to saddle one. Time to test for sure now.

    “I bet ‘e’s verra fat,” Patrick mused, with another grin. “An’ loves tae drop stuff into the fryer just tae see if it fries. Wit‘ tha‘ in mind, I ‘ope tae ne‘er meet tha‘ individual either.”
    He nodded at her words, the grin still playing over his mouth. “Ah yes, tha food wouldna ‘ave been so bad then. Maybe e’en tol’rable, as long as there was plenty o’ complimentary champagne tae wash it down with.” He gave her an inquisitive look. “Where exactly did ya fly in from this time??”

    “But the ruling Draches are certainly getting on in years, so they might not be so hard to control,” Gift pointed out. Then again, it seemed just as reasonable to dispose of them, since they were elderly and probably wouldn’t survive such a control anyway. And Galen Drache didn’t seem inclined to roll over and let a dragon take over his people. Woe to him.
    “If she stepped forward and proved she was a dragon, most of the shifters would line up to follow her,” Christian agreed as Gift opened another bottle. “And those that didn’t would be taken care of, likely by their more agreeable comrades. It’s not like they haven’t been waiting for such an opportunity.”
    They both nodded at Darshan’s suggestion, though a thoughtful line had formed between Gift’s brows. “That’s a tough one though. Blaire has no doubt offered some kind of control in the world in the aftermath, and we can’t offer that. Those that aren’t fully behind her should be pretty easy.”
    “But would we really want someone at our backs that was so easily persuaded from their original side??” Christian pointed out, taking his refilled glass. “If they were swayed once, there’s no reason it couldn’t happen again.”
    Gift shrugged, downing another shot. “In the end, I think it depends on the person. Which means we’ll need to get that list as soon as possible. I’ll talk to Juli probably tomorrow morning, and Ms. Adler. They should be able to get what we need, unless Ms. Dayton already has that information.” She lifted a brow as Darshan voiced the same thought, and Christian shrugged himself.
    “She knows of a few people, but not all. Blaire didn’t trust anyone with all of the information in her head. I’ll talk to her, oh, probably tomorrow morning as well, and try to get the actual names from her.”

    Zabri lifted a hand and waved a farewell at the cats without turning around. The door had just swung shut behind the pair when C.J. and Queenie joined Sahar at their new table, which put them right on ogling level as a very pretty male went sauntering by. C.J. sighed happily as Queenie reached forward, already slipping a bill into a pair of bikini briefs.
    “Have I mentioned how much I love you guys??” C.J. giggled as their waiter appeared with their drinks, obviously not fooled by the table change.

    Jon slowly closed the door after Peter’s entrance, turning to follow the other man further into the apartment. He hung a bit awkwardly in the doorway, seeming a sudden stranger in his own home. Eyes blinked slowly. “I’m…fine,” he said, even his words sounding awkward in the muted air. “And yourself??”

    A soft chuckle greeted her opinion on the coffee smell. "You only say that because you're not addicted like the rest of it," Galen said, a little wryly. He hadn't been when he was younger, he remembered that, but as he had become more involved in the day-to-day details of ruling the shapeshifters, not to mention his work with Daybreak, caffeine had become a daily requirement. "I can't say that I'm particularly fond of the smell inside of Starbucks, though. It's a little too strong, even for my liking. Maybe next time we can arrange to meet at that pub we ate at." The food had been good, it had not smelled like coffee, and goddess knew that the noise inside would keep anything they said from being overheard.

    "You could always ask her," Anna said, with her own attempt at the innocent look. It didn't work particularly well; something around her eyes said that she was still laughing on the inside. "After all, I'm just guessing. She'd be able to confirm it, and set your mind at ease." Not counting the trauma that came from asking his mother about her underwear preference, of course. She tilted her head a little as he went on about the teddy, openly amused. "How did we get on this topic, again? It's starting to feel a little bit Oedipal."
    One of her brows rose upwards. "I'm already going to model the schoolgirl uniform for you. Now you want a thong, too? Greedy, greedy Price."

    "Eh, she's fine more days than not," Gamble replied. "One of the benefits of living in such a warm climate. If I lived somewhere with a lot of rain, I'm sure she would be feelin' it." He cast a brief glance out the window, where the clouds still concealed the moon and stars. "Well, it's warm most of the time, leastwise. This is some freaky weather that we've been having."
    "Naw, the horses are pretty much used to the dogs by now, and vice versa," he replied, with a shrug and an answering squeeze to her hand. "But let's leave him in the house. I'm looking forward to having you to myself for a while." He grinned widely when she split off from him, content to let her saddle her own horse this time, and went further into the stables to see to his own ride.

    For a long moment, Ai was silent, her head cocked, as she considered all the possible variations of what a person could put into a deep fryer. "Ugh."
    "Plenty of complimentary champagne, I'm sure, but I have my doubts about the quality of that as well," she replied. She actually had to pause and think about his question, which was surely a sign that she had been traveling too much as of late. "Kyoto." Another pause. "I think. Not a direct flight, of course, but that was where I was coming from." She shook her head, and glanced at him. "How long have you been in Las Vegas?"

    "From what I know of him, Galen Drache would not step down or be controlled," Darshan said, unconsciously echoing Gift's thoughts. "But he would be easy enough to take care of, I imagine, whether or not he has taken part in the slaying of a dragon in the past." His eyes traveled towards the door the kitchen, but it didn't really matter; if he focused, he could feel Mace, like the rest of the gang, glowing steadily at the back of his skull. "Of course, we all know what Terra intends for the younger Drache brother."
    His eyes drifted back to the table as Christian spoke. "That's true. A part of them is ashamed of their past, ashamed of what they once were and how they followed us. But an even greater part would welcome the change to have power again. Daybreak has been doing what it can to improve the situation, but for far too long shapeshifters were treated as second-class citizens. That kind of atmosphere breeds discontent."
    "Are we sure that she's offered control to all of them?" he wondered. "If she thought that any of them could be bought at a cheaper price, would she not have done that, rather than divide her future power further? It's worth looking into, at least. I certainly wouldn't want any of them at my back, but perhaps they could be dissuaded from working for Blaire." The look he gave Christian was heavily ironic, although friendship softened it somewhat. "Of course, Christian, your policy of not allowing someone easily swayed at your back might require some consideration. I admire Ms. Dayton's practical nature, but she does bear a striking resemblance to a palm tree in the wind, these days." There was nothing accusatory in his tone, simply statement of fact, because someone had to mention it.
    He simply nodded when they spoke of the accumulation of knowledge, although a faint grimace said that he wasn't surprised that Blaire was not the trusting type.

    "Not recently," Sahar said, with a wide grin, "but you can mention it now. C'mon, my ego needs some boosting." She accepted her drink from the waiter, a margarita in a glass the size of a small fish bowl, then turned back to the stage. Her eyes trailed after the man that Queenie had so generously tipped, and she sighed happily. Damn, but a night out with the girls was always so much /fun/. Just the thing, after the day that they had all had.