“Not to mention everyone in the Daybreak house,” Keller said, rather dryly. “She still hasn’t learned volume control.” If anything, age had only strengthened the Witch Child’s lungs.
    “Ouch,” Price said with a slight wince, because just imagining his mother in that situation was enough to make him want to walk away. A /dragon/ in that situation was even worse. “Good point. I’ll wait until this afternoon.”
    He looked back into Starbucks, seeing Keller and Galen’s heads close together, and rolled his eyes playfully. “I think the Paris works. Maybe I’ll even---Christian!” The name suddenly popped to mind, as he remembered Darshan’s expression when he’d greeted the vampire earlier. “That’s his name. And holy crap, that’s who Sahar said sent her away this morning.” He thought about that, because he was really starting to feel out of the loop. “Anna, do you know a little shifter named Sahar??”

    “No, not really,” Sonya said indifferently, allowing Christian to pull her away. “I would, however, like to know where we’re going.”
    Gently, the dragon bent over the car, and scooped C.J. up effortlessly into his arms. “I don’t know. I’ll see what C.J. wants to do, and what the situation is once everything has calmed down a little, and get back to you. You might want to cancel tonight, at least.”
    “We’ll do that,” Tala said.
    “Take your mother and Ethan out for lunch?” Adrian suggested, his voice wry. “When they’re done, of course.”
    Kawada shrugged. “Why don’t we?” He looked around the parking lot, and winced. “I think that we had better take a taxi, though. I don’t think that my rental car is going to be drivable.”
    “Shit,” Tristan echoed.
    Nona, however, was looking at the van with calm calculation. “Nolan? Do you still have enough juice to take care of these people?” After all, no one could tamper with memories like a witch.
    An impish smile was the only response that Sahar gave when asked about the vacuum cleaner. When Mace snorted and muttered, she tilted her head, as if she was attempting to get a better look at the body part in question. After all, there had been a great deal of discussion about it earlier.
    Mmm, not falling at all. Wait, he was still talking. What were they talking about?
    It took a moment for her brain to catch up, but finally she nodded. “Yeah. Families can be difficult.” There was surety in her voice, and she was quite obviously speaking from experience.

    “I’m sure that Thierry would love that,” Galen said, with gentle humor.
    “Neither name rings any bells,” Anna said, contemplatively. “I’ll…” She cut herself off abruptly, jamming on the cars breaks. She had swung into the parking lot, past a parked Durango, and just managed to stop before running over the couple nearest to the driveway, a dark-haired woman and her blond companion. Beyond them, people were gathered and the parking lot was in ruins.
    The brunette woman was staring at her. She bared her teeth in a way that was more menacing than friendly, and Anna’s gaze slid carefully away from the pointed teeth displayed so casually in the woman’s mouth.
    To land on the man. “Blond, you said?” she asked, weakly.

    Christian shrugged. “We could always start with the cliché and go to an underground parking garage,” he contemplated, glancing back over his shoulder. “Since we’re close to one.”
    A little sound came from C.J. when she was suddenly in Darshan’s arms, a soft, contented sound. Jacob grimaced just slightly when he looked at her, in a man’s shirt and boxers in the parking lot of the Paris. This really wasn’t what he’d been expecting when they’d booked Las Vegas.
    He nodded in agreement with Tala, then looked over at his bandmates. Since C.J. was quite effectively taken care of at this point, it was time to look at the others. “What do you think we should do, guys?? Do you /want/ to stay here??”
    “Oh,” Kersti said, then giggled slightly. “Okay. Where do you want to eat??”
    “Taxi it is,” Ry agreed without needing to look around, instead ambling towards the sidewalk. Once there, he cast a look down each way, then lifted a hand when he saw a taxi.
    Nolan’s face was speculative now as he watched the reporter step from the van, followed by two cameramen. “I can take care of them, but I don’t know about /them/,” he admitted, because either the commotion in the parking lot or the arrival of the news van had finally sunk into human minds, because a large crowd was gathering.
    “No.” The voice was cool and calm, same as George’s eyes as he silently joined the team. “We’re not going to mess with them, because it would raise questions later. We’ll just give a statement for the band, then let Ms. Valdez take it.” Eyes moved to the band. “You need to get inside; the less pictures of you out here, the better it’ll be later. And she really needs to go.” He nodded towards C.J., hoping the cameras hadn’t started going off yet and that Darshan would take the hint.
    Sahar’s smile made Mace’s eyes roll, as he bid a premature goodbye to his vacuum. He had no hopes for its survival of the next few days, clearly. Though the way she peered around him made his eyes narrow suspiciously. “Something else I should know about??”
    Her response made him smirk. “Honey, I don’t care what you say, none of your relatives are going to compare with Galen Drache, the elder son of the First House of the Shapeshifters.” He even threw in a deep bow, as if introducing said person. Trying not to grit his teeth.
    The arrival of the van brought his attention back to the moment though, and he looked around. “Come on, let’s go before this gets any worse.” He lifted a hand towards Oblivion and Koran and started towards his car.

    “Just before he ran away,” Keller said with a little grin. Though she wondered where the Lord of Daybreak would run, when he did in fact live in Vegas. What he got though, for bringing Iliana to the city of lights.
    “Never seen either of them, myself,” Price mumbled, more to himself than Anna as he thought. “But Sahar’s a friend of Gift’s.” He really needed to talk to that woman. Maybe without his mother there. Maybe. Keller might get mad if she found out he was kind of sneaking around behind her back, but there were some things he wanted to know that Daybreak didn’t necessarily need to, since he knew how Daybreak felt about dragons and the such.
    Anna’s weak voice coming into his ear brought him back to the phone in his ear. “What?? Oh yeah, blond. Almost white. Why??”

    “Underground parking garages are dank,” Sonya said, drawing her gaze away from the newly arrived car. “Why don’t we just take a walk?”
    “No,” Fang said, with amazing succinctness and a little grimace.
    “We can move,” Tala said. “It might be better that way. I don’t want to be around when the reporters catch wind of…” Then she saw the news van. She sighed. “Too late.” Her eyes swiveled towards George when he started speaking. “We’ll get out of sight.” She turned to look at Darshan and C.J., only to find that the dragon had slipped away while they were speaking, disappearing into the rows of cars.
    *I will meet you at the house* he sent to Mace.
    Meanwhile, Tristan was focused on the entrance to the parking lot. “Valdez is here.”
    “There’s probably a restaurant inside the hotel,” Adrian suggested.
    The taxi squealed to a halt next to the two vampires, and Kawada climbed inside. He rattled off an address to the driver, and waited for Ry.
    “Nuh-uh,” Sahar said, edging around him to get a better look. After all, the others would expect a full report on her findings.
    His next comment made her stop, however, surprised by how bitter that sounded. “I think it’s different when you’re related to a person,” she said, thoughtfully. “I mean, your brother seemed nice to me, and the person in my family that I have problems with, most people… well, respect, at the very least. It’s just more difficult when you have blood in common.”
    Her eyes darted towards the news van, and she nodded emphatically before following him. One of these days, she was going to be famous and in all the papers and interviewed on some late show or another. But this was not the way that she wanted to get there.

    “Hid under his bed,” Galen agreed. “I think that I caught my father doing that the last time that he had to meet with the Witch Child.”
    “I think I’m looking at him,” Anna said, bluntly and with a little more strength. “I can’t stop and talk to him, though. It looks like I have a real mess to clean up here.” George had told her some, but she just had not been expecting this.

    The plane had landed late, delayed when a sudden storm had formed over Las Vegas. Very sudden, within a few minutes, and only over Las Vegas. There was nothing natural about that, but the group that disembarked from the plane knew all about things that weren’t natural.
    The first man to step out into the dim afternoon sunlight was a primary example, tall and well dressed, with dark eyes that seemed to absorb the light around him and a feeling of power around him like a cloak. He glanced around, briefly and without much interest, then stepped aside to allow people to pass him.

    “They are,” Christian had to agree, eyes traveling over to the car that had almost hit them. He studied the woman for a moment, sensed no threat, and looked back to Sonya. “A walk is just as well.” He released her elbow and started calmly down the sidewalk, eyes casual as he kept looking around.
    Jacob gave the news van a weary look, then nodded at George. “Let’s go,” he muttered, gesturing Tala and Fang. “We’ll decide what to do when we’re behind doors.” He gave a slight smile to the security team, then started into the hotel. For the few minutes they were allowed in before they were officially kicked out. He wondered if they’d be able to get their stuff first.
    “Good,” George said once the band was on their way, turning to where Tristan had pointed out Anna. He simply raised a hand in her direction to get her attention, wanting to get this over with first.
    “Okay,” Kersti agreed, grinning up at him. “Should we go get a table to wait for them?? Maybe get you an appetizer.” She gave him a scrutinizing look. “Definitely an appetizer.”
    Ry slid in silently beside Kawada as the other vampire gave directions. Eyes continued watching the scene until the car was out of sight, and he leaned back in the seat with a musing look on his face.
    “I almost feel like I should turn around so you can’t see whatever you’re looking at,” Mace said thoughtfully. “But, what the hell.” Since he had a pretty good idea of what she was looking at. His fiiiii-iiiine assets.
    Another smirk, this one deeper. “Well yeah, Galen’s really nice. That’s the problem,” he pointed out, then shrugged. “But you’re probably right. I’m sure I’ll love your mother whenever I get to meet her.” The smirk turned sickeningly sweet. Or as sweet as Mace could manage, since he wasn’t all that much.
    The walk to the car was thankfully short and silent, aside from Darshan’s voice ringing in his mind. *Probably want to come in through the back,* was his only response to the dragon, as Oblivion and Koran met them at the car. Mace raised brows at the vampire, who simply shrugged slightly and got into the backseat with Koran. The witch cooed at Sahar but didn’t comment, and Mace waited for her to take the passenger seat before starting the vehicle. Now for the delicate part of getting out of this growing circus.
    Considering his options, rather seriously considering going through a couple of tourists, he finally decided on the easy route and went over the sidewalk. No harm, no foul.

    Keller full-out grinned at the image of Galen’s father hiding under the bed. Wonder what the greatly esteemed Mr. Drache would make of that accusation. “Maybe it’ll help them bond,” she said, voice just lightly teasing.
    “Oh crap,” Price muttered, casting a quick glance back into Starbucks. “Does he look like he’s going to be hanging around for a few minutes?? Or is Darshan there??”

    The next figure to step from the plane seemed made for Vegas, dressed in slacks and a Polo shirt, with a cap on his curly head to complete the ensemble. Icy eyes surveyed their surroundings behind dark sunglasses, in respect of the wimpy sunlight streaming down. The dark clouds had mostly started to clear though, so maybe the sun would make its presence better known later.
    Stepping further out of the airport, a single bag slung from his shoulder, he went to get a cab as the remainder of their party stepped through the doors. Three different pairs of eyes did the same look-over, before they all followed the other towards transportation.

    Sonya didn’t look at Christian as they moved away from the car and the woman inside it, dark eyes roving over the landscape with a mixture of wariness and boredom. “This is only the start, you know,” she said. “Terra and Jayden aren’t Blaire’s only allies. I’m not even sure that they’re her most powerful.”
    “Sounds like a plan,” Tala said, and linked her arm through Fang’s. “Come on, puppy.” She half-dragged him towards the hotel, his feet dragging across the concrete like a reluctant child as he watched the news van over his shoulder.
    “No to both questions,” Anna sighed. “Look, I have to go. Come to the Paris if you can. I’ll see you soon.” She closed the phone reluctantly, and climbed out of the car, returning George’s wave.
    “Okay,” Adrian agreed sweetly, giving Kersti’s waist a squeeze before stepping back and holding the door open for both her and the approaching band.
    Kawada settled into his seat as well, relaxing as the taxi sped towards Edan’s desert home.
    Brief acquiescence from Darshan, then nothing more.
    “You enjoy being admired, so don’t make a fuss,” Sahar teased. Then she wrinkled her nose at him. “I never said that it was my mother.” She didn’t deny that it was, however, and the look that she gave Mace was deeply contemplative. “You might like her. I’m not sure that she’d like you much.”
    She climbed daintily into the passenger’s side seat, and ‘oofed’ softly when they drove up onto the curb. Since discretion was the better part of valor, she reached out and strapped herself into the seat as soon as the car had evened out.

    Galen laughed softly, and ran a hand down her hair again. He loved the feel of her hair, soft and sleek beneath his palm, just begging for petting. “The patriarch of the House of Drache and the Lord of the Night World bonding while hiding from the Witch Child under the bed. I think that’s one of those ideas that we should never share with anybody.”
    He eyed her curiously. “So. Who do we give this new information to first? Thierry, your team, my parents, or Iliana?”

    The tall man watched as his companions emerged from the plane. One, two, three, four. Four. He sighed, with barely suppressed irritation, and stepped off the tarmac and back onto the plane.
    “If you please,” he said to the last remaining person on the private plane, civil and dangerous all at the same time.
    She turned flat blue eyes towards him and stared for a moment, then shrugged and rose to her feet. She stretched in a way that left nothing to the imagination concerning what lay concealed beneath her skimpy black top, before sauntering past him and off of the plane.
    The man followed, pacing after the others.

    “They do seem her most immediate, and flashy,” Christian commented, hands sliding into his jeans pockets. He didn’t look at her as he spoke. “Are you aware of any other of her allies in the near area??”
    “Fang, no,” Jacob said, voice on the sharp side as he saw where the lamia was looking. The absolute last thing /anyone/ needed was Fang blabbing to the press. Life was bad enough as it was for the moment.
    Kersti smiled warmly at her healer boy before stepping into the hotel. It was getting steadily more chaotic in the lobby, with several concierges talking rapidly into phones, and a couple of men with manager name tags talking rapidly with each other. They hadn’t quite managed to step out of the doors yet, as if afraid of what they’d see up close. She really wasn’t looking forward to them going upstairs and hoped her mom would get things settled soon.
    Turning, she gave an encouraging grin as the band dragged in. “Hey guys. Do you want to grab a quick bite to eat before anything else??” More towards Tala, since Fang and Jacob didn’t need to eat. She figured it couldn’t hurt to invite them along until her mother came down.
    George waved again, this one a more insistent “come here” gesture. Though his hand lowered, maybe a little warily, as Rye, Jasper, and Zabri ambled over to the team. The human flashed a dazzling smile while Jasper looked over the foursome with indifferent eyes. “You might want to talk to Gift about what statement you should give first,” was her contribution.
    Nolan frowned in thought.
    Watching the lights and busying traffic speed by, Ry yawned slightly. Then ran his tongue lightly over his upper teeth. “Don’t suppose your girlfriend is the giving type,” he said musingly.
    “You know, I’m never admired as much on a day-to-day basis as I am when you pop into my life,” Mace said dryly, but was still smirking. Please, who wouldn’t enjoy being admired from time to time?? “And from all of the hints you’ve made about your mother, I probably would.” He fell into a contemplative silence, which lasted for about three seconds. “Mothers don’t generally like me. I can’t figure out why.”
    Another smirk.
    Oblivion didn’t comment on the smirk but Koran cooed questioningly. Mace made a face at the witch, who giggled before hopping into the backseat. Shaking his head in amusement, Mace blew out of the Paris parking lot and screeched down the street. The inner worry he was feeling about his gang was displayed with speed as he zoomed knowingly through traffic back to his home.
    Which he almost wished had taken longer, when he pulled into the driveway and remembered the current state of his house. The back of which was mostly in the yard.

    Keller subconsciously pressed closer to Galen’s side as he petted her hair, thoughtful eyes on her empty cup. The image of Thierry and Lord Drache under the bed still made her smile though. “Agreed,” she said with a soft laugh. She couldn’t imagine who she /could/ share that with, aside from Galen.
    “Probably my team,” she decided after a moment. “Then Thierry and your parents, then Iliana.” The longer she kept the Witch Child from finding out, the easier her life would be. Which sounded horrible but was true nonetheless. Though these dragons didn’t seem interested in the famous witch, she would still need to be protected, just because of the history between dragons and witches.
    Price replaced his phone after Anna had hung up, frowning a little deeper now. Things were really bad at the Paris and the blond vampire had been there, and likely Darshan. Which meant… But Anna had definitely recommended waiting a while until approaching the dragon. But he still needed to talk to the vampire.
    The real question being, did he want to bring his mother along?? Granted, if the vampire was severely anti-Daybreak, bringing Keller would be a grave mistake. Oy, too many problems, so he headed inside for another frappacino.

    Instead of a cab, Paul Slater instead found a black stretch limo parked and waiting for them. A little smirk forming, he tossed a glance over his shoulder, to the impeccably dressed and sunglassed vampire, who raised a raven brow.
    “My Ferrari couldn’t make the trip,” was the negligent response, and Paul snorted as the chauffer jumped from the front seat to open the door for them.
    The smoky-haired female chuckled richly and slid into the backseat. “Traveling in style, I happen to like that.” Her voice a bit muffled once she was inside, she added, “Not that I haven’t been in many of these before.”
    “Yes darling, we know,” the other vampire in their gang drawled, his blond hair glinting in the light before he followed his cousin into the limo. Paul smirked again and didn’t bother waiting for the laggers, knowing they’d catch up as he slid himself into the seat. Spacious and cozy, and wonderfully stocked, as Ash Redfern was finding out firsthand on the other bench seat.

    "Parents," Sonya mused. "I am so exceptionally glad that mine are long-dead." His question made her shake her head. "No one else was supposed to be in the near area. That doesn't really mean anything. As you may have realized, Blaire's allies are not following her orders terribly well." Then, lest he think otherwise, she added, "not that they're any less dangerous for that."
    "I wasn't gonna," Fang said sulkily.
    "Uh-huh," Tala muttered, her arm still linked with the vampire's, but she grinned back at Kersti readily enough. "Sure, honey. I could certainly use some food right about now." She licked her lips in a way that was more reminiscent of a wolf licking its chops than not. "The hotel restaurants ain't half bad, either."
    Fang perked up immediately. "The Eiffel Tower Restaurant is open for lunch." He pointed vaguely in the direction of the towering Eiffel Tower replica that was the hotel's main landmark. Even if the eating didn't do much for him, it had a pretty view. And a full bar.
    "Not sure I want to go back into an elevator," Tala muttered, but the protest seemed half-hearted, and she looked to the others for their opinions.
    Adrian simply shrugged indifferently, and glanced at Kersti.
    As Anna started across the parking lot, Tristan glanced upwards towards the balcony. "If Gift is going to tell us what statement to offer, she better do it soon. I don't think that the reporters are going to wait."
    Nona's gaze wasn't on the balcony or the news van, but the door that the band had disappeared through. She caught George's eye, and jerked her head in that direction, clearly asking if she was supposed to follow their wayward charges.
    "You're welcome to ask her," Kawada said pleasantly, "although I'm not sure that you could pull off the char-broiled look." There was an unmistakable tilt to his mouth, his trademark smirk having once again made its way onto his face.
    "Well, I didn't admire you nearly as much when I was thirteen," Sahar said, with mock-solemness that didn't touch her eyes. "Let's face it, Mace. It's not your dazzling personality that I admire." She sighed softly, mournfully. "Of course, in a few years, you will be wrinkled and sagging and not at all worth admiring." She sliced a sideways glance at him, solemnity melting into a teasing, baiting grin.
    Which turned into a grimace when he mentioned her mother. She slid down in her seat a little, as if she was trying to hide behind the dashboard from a woman who was already several continents away. "My mother doesn't really like anyone. If it's any consolation, I already know that she doesn't like your brother." When and how Sahar's mother had met the elder Drache brother was and would probably remain a mystery. "She thinks he's a pansy."
    Her eyes widened a little when she saw the house. "Wow. Who did that?"

    "It sounds like a plan," Galen said, still petting her hair. He wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort her or himself with the stroking. "Why don't you tell your band, and I can break the news to Thierry and my parents, and then we can face Iliana together?" He frowned, his thoughts meandering down the same path as Keller's. "The Witches' Council will have to be protected. We don't want a repeat of what happened to Grandma Harman." Over a decade, and it still stung to think about what his people had done to the Crone.

    Vague approval flickered through the tall man's eyes when he saw the limo. The blond woman with him seemed unimpressed, although her hazy-cold blue eyes lit with interest as she slid into the back of the limousine and saw the mini-bar that Ash was pillaging. "Hey, cool, none of that dinky-little-bottles shit," Laurie Frost muttered, and reached over the vampire to grab a glass bottle filled with promising looking clear liquid.
    The man didn't get into the back, but went to sit in the front of the limo next to the drive.

    Christian smiled, a faint, thoughtful look on his face. "I don't believe I ever had any," he murmured, more to himself than her. It was a nice thought, actually.
    He glanced at her, brow lifted slightly. "If they're not following her order very well, she's not much of a leader, is she??" It made one wonder what kind of leader she /was/, if her /allies/ were disobeying her. There wasn't a point to replying to her dangerous comment, aside from a "duh," but he was above that.
    "I bet," Jacob muttered back, and gave a half-grin to Tala when she echoed his thoughts. He gave a shrug at Kersti's offer of food, since he knew that was more for Tala than either him or Fang. Though the idea of sitting down at a table with multiple people wasn't a bad one. As long as Fang didn't invite his reporter fans along.
    Kersti hesitated for a second, throwing a quick look between Fang and Jacob as if seriously about to voice her own agreement to Tala's protest. But it had made Fang perk up, so if it made them feel better...
    When Adrian shrugged, she smiled. "Okay, sounds good. Lead the way." She slid her arm through Adrian's and gestured for Fang to go, since he'd likely know the directions better than anyone else.
    George caught Nona's eye and nodded, catching Nolan's attention at the same time. The witch nodded in understanding and nudged Nona in that direction.
    That done, George followed Tristan's gaze upwards. Aware of the news reporter getting closer and closer. Which was really bad timing because right about then, there was an explosion from the hotel. A kind of soft thwump that rumbled in the ground beneath their feet, followed by an explosion of glass as a body was thrown out of a window. About fifty stories up, in fact.
    "Now I can see it first hand," Rye commented, looking undisturbed by this. Same with Jasper and Zabri, though the latter's face fell a little when the man shifted into a large bird about halfway down, and swooped into the sky.
    George was silent for a long second. "She's so lucky this is Vegas, or that would cause a lot of problems."
    "There's your statement," Zabri said cheerfully, looking back at the two vampires. "Just tell them it's a show that got a little out of hand. I'm sure Anna will back you up." She nodded to the other human as she approached.
    "That bad, huh??" Ry said with amusement, glancing at the vampire. "How come you're not charbroiled yet??"
    "Wasted your best years," Mace tsked with another smirk. "Thirteen's the best year to get into it." The prospect of his sagging and wrinkled self made him pause momentarily, before his smirk merely deepened. "So says you, but I bet I have more women in my bed even at that state, than any amount of men you've ever had, youngin'." He closed an eye in a wink to match her baiting grin. This was nice, this was fun. It took his mind away from Terra.
    It got even better when he actually saw Sahar shrinking down in the seat at the mention of her...mother. "My god, I love her already," he said cheerfully. Finally, another person who agreed that Galen was, is, and will always be a pansy. "He still writes poetry, you know. Except now it's all sonnets to Keller's hair and ass and stuff."
    Then reality came back with a startling thud when he saw his house. A deep sigh as he cut the engine, then gave the building a mournful look. "Terra and Gift. They were fighting."
    Koran giggled from the backseat and hopped out. "It just needs some TLC," he said joyfully, and skipped inside.

    Keller considered that for a second, fingers starting to absently stroke up and down his thigh in response to his petting. "Alright," she agreed, giving him a slight smile. "I'll let you face the big wigs and I'll take care of the grunts. And make sure Price knows not to get too involved." She sent a glance over her shoulder towards her son, who was chatting amiably again with the barista at the counter.
    The mention of Grandma Harman made Keller go still for a second, then nod shortly. "Yes, we'll be sure to inform them. And make sure you tell your parents that as well, so they can help guard the witches."

    "Pace yourself, Laurie, we've got a lot to do today," Ash said lazily, lounging back in his seat with a bottle of tequila.
    "Speak for yourself," Blaise Harman commented, legs crossing elegantly as she settled herself. "You've been hitting the bottle rather hard lately, cousin dear."
Ash merely smirked and took a swig, his eyes a flat black color as the limo started with a slight rumble and started out of the private airport.

    "Don't get complacent, Christian," Sonya warned. "They might not be following her plans, but they are following her. They fight for her, and they will try to achieve her ends, if not, perhaps, in the way that she would like." She shrugged. "I was in it for the money, but some of them have more compelling reasons to work for Blaire." She smiled, very faintly, then turned her face away from him, watching the pale sunlight glint on the sides of passing cars with apparent fascination. "And no compelling reason not to work for her."
    Fang practically beamed at Kersti, and not just because she was female and pretty. He bounded through the hotel with some of his usual energy, until he reached another exit. Across a brief expanse of parking lot, the base of the Eiffel Tower replica was clearly visible. Adrian followed the lamia tolerantly, his arm still linked with Kersti's. Tala followed with less tolerance and a lot more eye-rolling and muttering.
    With a short nod to Nolan, Nona turned to cross the parking lot, breaking into an easy trot so that she could catch up with the band.
    When the man who had been thrown through the window shifted, Tristan looked almost as disappointed as Rye. "No fucking fair," he muttered to himself.
    "What is Anna backing you up on?" the human in question asked as she reproached, face and voice both filled with wary resignation. Her dark eyes swept over the parking lot again, before sliding up to the recently broken window on the top floor. Then she sighed.
    "I'm a friend," Kawada said simply. "Friends and, more importantly, family, are exempt from any char-broiling." His smirk deepened. "Ah, but I do love a woman who is formidable." Now. He couldn't afford to have anyone else in his life who was likely to get killed, not even on a temporary basis.
    "Some of us were not quite so precocious as yourself," Sahar said, and pretended to dab away a tear at the thought of so many wasted years. Then her eyebrows rose, and she pretended to tally something one her fingers before giving up. "Maybe so. Although not recently, according to your loving gang. You might be getting too old to coax women into your bed. They foresee sagging. Whereas I..." She stretched like a car, back arching against the seat in a way that was most obviously intended to display certain assets, "...am just entering my prime, and have years left to enjoy the bed before terms like 'sick bed' or 'death bed' even start to come into it."
    "Of course," she added contemplatively, as Mace expounded on her mother's virtues, "my mother thinks that I'm a pansy, too. Of course, she would be right." The lioness placed a dramatic hand to her forehead, but some of the humor had faded from her face. "I'm betraying a fine warrior tradition, don't you know."
    She watched as Koran skipped into the house, then turned to Mace. "You do realize that if he TLCs your house, it will probably end up pink and sparkly?"

    Galen followed Keller's gaze to her son. Then he looked at his soulmate, and raised one brow. "Good luck." Because Price would get involved. It was what Price did best.
    "I'll make sure that they know," Galen promised, already thinking about how he was going to break this to his parents.

    "I can hold my liquor," Laurie said, in a sweet voice filled with barely-leashed hostility. She tittered softly when Blaise spoke, and reached out to brush the backs of her long, silver-painted nails across Ash's arm. "Drink away your troubles," she added, soft and malicious.
    Then she simply turned away, removing the top of the bottle in her hand with one vicious twist, and taking a swig.

    Christian’s expression was musing as he thought about that. “So they’re not following her orders, but they’re still following her,” he murmured. “Does that mean there’s a power struggle??” He wasn’t asking it so much of Sonya, since she likely wouldn’t know, just thinking aloud. It was an interesting idea and definitely worth looking into. If there was a way to enhance dissension in the ranks, then why not exploit it.
    The idea of Blaire’s backers having more compelling reasons than money made him smirk a little. “Their own little piece of the pie after she makes it. Wonder if she’s overreached the pie ratio yet.”
    Kersti grinned after Fang as he bounced away, walking much more sedately beside Adrian as they followed him. The lamia sure did provide some much-needed smiles though, even if most of those smiles were mocking. At least from Jacob, anyway.
    That particular vampire glanced over his shoulder as Nona entered the hotel, followed soon by Nolan. He gave a short nod to the security team but didn’t slow down, keeping the others in view. Last thing they needed was people getting lost.
    “Maybe you want to try again and see if it happens to you this time,” Rye offered casually, a little smirk playing at the corners of her lips. She really wanted to see the whole thing from top to bottom. Quite literally.
    “All of the damage,” Zabri said helpfully as Anna finally arrived. “You can pretend to be the public relations official for the Paris, so the reporters can get in here and leave before anything else happens.”
    “Better get on with it,” Jasper said quietly, just as the reporter pounced.
    Microphone extended, camera rolling, the woman asked excitedly, “Is this a publicity stunt for the Death Fays?? We saw the band here just a few minutes ago.”
    “Family and friends, what good are they,” Ry said dismissively. “Now a formidable woman, that’s something to bring home.” What a nice thought, in fact.
    “That’s a shame,” Mace agreed, thinking of those wasted years as well. Oh, what Sahar could’ve been doing with herself. Heh.
    Brows jacked at her estimation of his rather short future life span. “Honey, clearly you haven’t been around in a while. If you think I’m any less now than what I was twenty years ago, you might need a refresher.” Smirk. In fact, he needed a refresher anyway. Maybe his gang was right - he needed to get laid.
    “You are,” he nodded. “A lioness that’s a pansy. Shouldn’t that be an oxymoron??” One would think anyway. That’s why he wasn’t into the lion scene himself. His voice dropped to a mutter as he added, “Sounds like Galen, actually.”
    Granted, the idea of Koran turning his house pink and sparkly made his eyes widen a bit in alarm. He didn’t even reply as he jumped from the car and started after the witch, calling out Koran’s name in slightly growing tones of panic.
    From the back seat, a slight sound came from Oblivion. It might’ve been a snort, actually.

    Keller studied her son for a second, and finally sighed. Because Galen was right. There really wasn’t a way to keep Price out of trouble, because that was his business, pretty much. “Maybe I’ll think of something else,” she mumbled.
    Galen’s words made her nod. “Good. The sooner we get someone on the Council, probably the better.” Though she wasn’t looking forward to the witches’ reactions to the fact that more dragons were awake. Who in hell was waking /up/ those creatures??

    “And barely that,” Ash said with his trademark smirk, though the condescension in his voice was rather thick. When she touched him, he just barely managed not to stiffen, instead just taking a swig from the tequila.
    “Frost,” the other man in the limo said, voice easy but black eyes hard as ice as Damon Salvatore glanced at the girl. “Do you still know what you’re supposed to be doing here??”

    A power struggle. Sonya contemplated that for a moment, then nodded. "Several of the people on Blaire's staff are very... independent thinkers. It's not entirely out of the question."
    Adrian watched Fang bounce ahead of them, and turned to Kersti with a look of ill-concealed amusement. He would never openly mock someone, but there was something in the lamia that was just inherently ridiculous. Which was good, because Adrian had the feeling that they were all in need of a good laugh.
    The ridiculous lamia in question had reached the tower, and the elevator which would take them to the restaurant. He jabbed the button, then glanced over his shoulder at the rest of them, like an over-eager child making sure that his parents were still following. He waved brightly at the two members of the security team trailing after them, and saw Nona cringe, just a little, when she saw the elevator doors slide open.
    "I would," Tristan said, with great solemnity, "but you see, I only jump out of windows before half-past two, and that time has already passed. I'm sorry to disappoint." He was obviously joking, but his voice was flat, and his face was more tired than jovial. He did smirk a little at Anna. "Go get 'em, tiger."
    She scowled at him, and wrinkled her nose at Zabri. "You people are going to get me fired," she said, but turned towards the reporter all the same. She took the woman's shoulder, leading her aside in a confidential fashion. "Hello. I'm Anna Valdez, the hotel liaison for the Death Fays. I can tell you that the band had nothing to do with this pointless act of vandalism. At this time, the hotel does not know who is responsible, but I can assure you, the police will be consulted and we will get to the bottom of this." Her voice was low and sincere, and her smile was bright and professional. One thing that the hotel industry did teach you was how to interact with people.
    "Bring home?" Kawada repeated, his face turned outwards towards the window but his voice amused.
    "Twenty years ago, I was three," Sahar reminded him blithely. "So, since I have no idea what you were back then, or how you've... diminished.... since, I have no idea how you intend to refresh my memory."
    "I will have you know that there is a fine tradition of cowardly lions," she said, pertly. "besides, with the trouble that you all get into, I think being a pansy is a perfectly sensible reaction." She simply shrugged when he mentioned Galen, neither insulted nor particularly impressed by the comparison.
    When Mace leapt from the car to go after the witch, Sahar kept a straight face. It was only when she heard Oblivion snort that she started laughing, one hand moving to cover her mouth and muffle the sound.

    "Good luck," Galen said again, with more sympathy than not. Because his soulmate was a wonderfully intelligent and resourceful woman, but no one had ever been able to keep Price away from trouble, when the young man so determinedly sought it out.
    He grimaced when she mentioned the Council, but nodded slowly, agreeing. "They do need to know, and we do need to find a way to keep them from harm."

    Slowly, Frost turned to stare at Damon. Her pale eyes were unfocused, but filled with malice. "Fuck off."
    "Lauren," said the man in the front seat, a gentle warning in his voice, the first time he had spoken since entering the limo.
    She scowled at the back of his head, then turned her gaze to her nails instead of looking at Damon again. "I know what I'm doing, but if you're so very worried about it, you could always refresh my memory."

    Christian smiled at Sonya's polite terming of the situation. Just from what they'd seen so far, "independent thinkers" was putting nicely. Since he had to assume Blaire was smart enough /not/ to antagonize her potential allies, they didn't seem above alienating them. Which was going to cause problems eventually, and Christian could admit with no small amount of pleasure that he was looking forward to seeing how those dynamics imploded.
    Kersti giggled softly at Adrian's look, and leaned up to brush a kiss to his cheek. "It's okay, you can laugh later," she teased softly against his skin, and gave his arm a little squeeze.
    Jacob gave a half-hearted sigh when Fang looked towards them, intensely wishing he could lock himself in a room, without anyone else, for quite some time. Maybe with some strawberries and champagne. No woman though, just his own company would be good enough.
    But alas, it wasn't to be just yet, so he got into the elevator without comment. Nolan gave the elevator a suspicious little look of his own, before sighing under his breath and nudging Nona in with him. If they did get stuck, like hell he'd be by himself with this group.
    Rye hmmmed, a bit of disappointment in her tone, then glanced at her watch speculatively. "Wow, it is rather late in the day, isn't it??"
    "We're getting overtime," Zabri assured the witch, while watching Anna work her magic. At least until she picked up the girl's words. "Hey, that wasn't the plan."
    "Zabri," Jasper said. Her voice sounded cool, indifferent, neutral, to anyone who didn't know better. Zabri, lucky girl she was, heard the slight warning tone to it, and simply shrugged.
    The reporter was hanging onto every word with a kind of enthusiasm that meant she didn't get to do this very often. Which brought a brief flash of disappointment at Anna's explanation, though it was quickly smoothed away into a professional mask. "Vandalism at the Paris hotel??" She looked around, taking in all of the shattered glass, then up the hotel's long side to take in what she could see of the damage up there. "Is this the start of a chain of vandalism, Ms. Valdez??"
    "That's right, you don't have a home," Ry observed. "Well, back to your hovel, at any rate."
    There was a whole slew of comments Mace had ready for Sahar, but the idea of his house suddenly becoming pink and glittery seemed to shake them all right out of his head. He charged inside without a backwards glance, and Oblivion shook his head in the backseat.
    "Don't stifle it for me," he said to Sahar as he stepped from the car. He looked over the damage to Mace's house, at least the bit he could see, already running through his mental Rolodex to figure out how to fix it the fastest.

    Keller glanced at him, amusement softening the lines at her eyes. "Thank you for that, sweetheart," she said, maybe a little dryly but not without a smile. "I feel I must say the same for your confrontation with Thierry and your parents." The amusement deepened and she smiled again.
    "They will be kept from harm," she said firmly. "We can't have any more shifter-related deaths hovering over us, even at this point." Though Grandma Harman's death was years ago and the witches had forgiven them for what wasn't truly their fault, any reminders of that incident couldn't be good.

    Damon smiled at the frosty-haired bitch. "I don't believe in wasting my time."
    "This is going to be a long ride," Blaise observed, flipping a dark lock over her shoulder. "I should've brought my headphones."
    "You'll learn to block them out," Paul assured her, reaching past Ash to grab a bottle of rum. "All it takes is a little bit of practice."
    "Reassuring," the Redfern commented, and downed another healthy shot of tequila.

    Since she had no desire to inquire as to what had prompted Christian's smile, Sonya remained silent, her gaze still fixed on the passing cars. As always, she kept her own council, the thoughts that lingered behind her eyes remaining locked behind her lips.
    "I'll keep that in mind," Adrian replied, with the same gentle teasing in his voice, reaching up to cover the hand that was squeezing his arm with his own. He guided Kersti into the elevator after a reluctant looking Nona. Tala followed after them, her expression pained. Adrian took in their expressions, then cast Kersti a questioning look.
    "Probably a bit more likely than a magical show gone awry," Tristan commented to Zabri. He tilted his head, considering. "Although that might not be the case in Las Vegas."
    Anna could feel her eyes glaze a little as the woman spoke, but she smiled, bright and professional. "Now that I can't say." She warmed up the smile a notch, as if she was sharing a joke. "One act of vandalism does not a crime spree make. You might want to check with the other hotels along the strip, or to the police, and see if they've reported any vandalism. As for the Paris, we'll do everything that we can to make sure that our guests and their belongings remain safe and undamaged."
    "Really more of a hole in the ground," Kawada joked, with a smirk. "Hovel, sweet hovel. Hardly the kind of digs that Edan is used to." He snorted, softly, and glanced up the road. The house wasn't in view, but they were getting close. "As you'll see soon enough."
    Sahar removed her hand, but the laughter had tapered off. She unbuckled herself, and stepped out of the car after Oblivion.

    "You're welcome, love," Galen replied, with a grin of his own. Before he winced. "Goddess help me. Who do you think is the most likely to explode, so that I can stand on the other end of the room from them?"
    His expression darkened as he remembered Grandma Harman's death. "No, you're right. Relations between the witches and the shape-shifters have always been tense, and they really can't afford that kind of strain. Dragons on the loose... this is going to bring up all kinds of memories better left forgotten."

    "Ash, of course, is well on his way to blocking everything out," Frost said nastily, in spite of the bottle in her own hand. Because logic rarely had any part in her thinking.
    She watched with distant interest as the lights of the strip streamed by, through a veil of tangled ash-blond hair. "Where are we going?" she demanded of her companions.

    Christian kept his smile to himself, though his eyes kept traveling back and forth the further they walked. "Do you have a place to stay while you're here??" he asked after another moment, tone thoughtful.
    Kersti smiled again, tilting her head briefly to rest it on his shoulder as they stepped into the elevator. She didn't miss their uneasy looking companions expressions and her own grip tightened just slightly on Adrian's arm as they crossed the threshold.
    Glancing up to see the question on Adrian's face, she leaned up to murmur in his ear, "We got trapped in an elevator before we came out of the hotel. A, um, falling elevator."
    Once everyone was in, Jacob instinctively reached out to press the correct floor button. His finger froze of its own will about two inches away from it, and he cast a wary glance at Nolan.
    The witch half-smiled, though his eyes were intent and focused. After a moment, he shook his head. "It's clean. Push it."
    Still with a wary look in his eyes, and another second's hesitation, Jacob pushed the button. The door slid smoothly closed and they rose evenly upwards. Several held breaths were released at the same time, and Kersti returned her head to Adrian's shoulder.
    "Exactly, and it likely would've been enough, instead of going through an interrogation," Zabri mumbled, then shrugged. Ah well, didn't bother her any. She wasn't Anna.
    The reporter jotted down a few notes at Anna's words, but her attention was obviously focused on one thing. "You say this is one act of vandalism, but it seems rather wide-spread," she said, eyes taking in the parking lot again with that dazzling-white smile all reporters had. "How many people were involved?? And were the Death Fays involved at all??"
    Ry glanced at the other vampire again, smirk still gracing his features. "So why would you want to give up for your hovel for her high standards?? Trust me, man, stick with the hovel."
    Oblivion waited a second for Sahar to step out, then led the way inside. It was quieter than it had been, almost subdued as he shut the door behind the lioness. Quiet murmurs were coming from the kitchen, and the sound of humming as background music.

    Another full grin cropping her face, Keller patted his knee. "I think your parents, quite honestly. The fact that their ancestors are awake once again isn't going to sit well with them. Thierry will just be concerned about the people who'll eventually have to become involved."
    She squeezed his knee again when she saw his expression, her own taking on soothing lines. "Galen, the relationship between them and us has gotten better in the last few years. Especially with Iliana helping the case. And we'll take care of this as efficiently and quietly as possible, so nothing bad can come of it." Well, nothing /too/ bad anyway, because dragons only brought badness with them.

    "One thing in particular," Ash said agreeably with a sardonic grin.
    Damon had turned his attention back out the window, seeming to lose interest in his companions. Blaise folded her arms and studied Frost with hooded eyes.
    A placating smile overtook Paul's features as he studied the psychic as well. "We're going to our hotel, Frost, so we can settle down and get a feel of our surroundings. Then we're going out."

    "No where that I intend to go back to," Sonya replied. "I'll collect my things, but that's all. Blaire is not going to be pleased that I have decided to leave her employ, and I think it would be best if I were not easily found, for a time."
    "A falling elevator?" Adrian repeated, alarmed.
    "It didn't fall for long," Fang said, dismissive. "Only for a couple of stories, you know. Nothing like the movies."
    Nona flicked a sideways glance at the lamia. "Be grateful for that." Then the elevator was rising, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
    Tristan grinned. He couldn't help it. "Uh-huh. Because a show going wrong and fucking up the parking lot wouldn't rouse anyone's curiosity in the slightest."
    "Please, ma'am," Anna said, with just a touch of exasperation behind her hundred-watt smile, "I've already told you all that we know. The Death Fays were not, as I have said, involved. I imagine that they, like many of the hotels other patrons," she gestured to the gawking tourists, still milling around on the opposite side of the parking lot, "were simply interested in finding out what had happened."
    "Because her high standards make for much more comfortable living while I'm in Las Vegas," Kawada drawled. "I fully intend to go back to my hovel when we're done here. After all, it was my father's hovel, and his father's hovel before him."
    "There," he added, and gestured as the mansion loomed up out of the desert in front of them. He smiled wryly as he examined the dusty white walls and large windows. "It's one of the smaller family residences, as I understand it. It came to Edan when she came of age."
    With one final, brilliant smile at Oblivion, who would forever be in Sahar's good books, the lioness turned and wandered back towards the kitchen, where she could hear faint voices.

    Sighing, Galen let his hand drop from her hair, resting his cheek against the top of her head instead. "My parents are going to want this taken care of. We're going to have to be careful, and make sure that the people we talk to get both sides of the story as well. We did promise that we would give this Darshan a fair chance."
    He sighed again, and looped an arm across her shoulders. "Nothing bad can come of it," he said, and it almost sounded true, coming from Galen's lips. Even now, he was an optimist more often than not.

    Frost showed a little more interest at Paul's words, turning towards him and away from the light and dazzle of Las Vegas. "Going out?" She played with one of the little earrings in her long fingernails, twirling it around in its neat little hole. "Going out where?" Curiosity overwhelmed hostility, and for once her voice was free of malice. Actually, Paul wasn't too bad, under that polo shirt of his. Less annoying than Ash, at the very least, even if he wasn't as dead sexy as Damon.
    She hmmed to herself, her train of thought shooting off of the tracks for a brief moment before returning, and focusing once more on the question at hand.

    Christian nodded as she spoke, then slid her a sideways look. "You know you're always welcome at my house."
    Kersti made a little face at Fang, patting Adrian's arm reassuringly. "Don't worry, it wasn't that big of a deal. We got out pretty easily, thanks to Nolan." She smiled at the witch, who smiled back calmly. No need to remember that brief mild-altering panic they'd likely all felt.
    Zabri laughed. "It might not bring up so /many/ questions, since you can pretty much blame everything on the show. And it's a private show, so no details need be given."
    "Well it doesn't matter, because that's not the excuse," Jasper pointed out smoothly, glancing around the parking lot again.
    The news reporter was obviously trying very hard not to frown at Anna's words, but she didn't have time to say anything before someone burst onto the scene. It actually looked like...oh no, it was. Ass-groupie.
    "What happened to C.J.!?" he gasped out, in a clear panic as he grabbed both Anna and the reporter's arm. "I heard she fell off her balcony and was carried away by a midget."
    The reporter didn't comment, simply held the microphone steadily in front of Anna's face to get her response to /that/.
    "Your father, the exterminator??" Ry inquired dryly, though his eyes were still amused. Yes, he knew all about Kawada's father.
    When he did lay eyes on the mansion Kawada was currently inhabiting, one brow did raise with some form of impression. "I can understand how it might tempt you away from your hovel," he commented. "Though I'm curious to see what the larger family residences look like."
    The taxi took several extra minutes to head up the tree-lined, winding driveway, before pulling to a stop in the circular lot. Ry slid from the backseat, absently pitching a few bills to the driver as he looked over the exterior of the house.
    Oblivion shook his head once after Sahar, but followed her into the kitchen. He nodded once to the people gathered, then stepped out into the backyard to further investigate the damage. Some of the gang members were already there, picking up debris and muttering to themselves.
    Mace looked up from the table when Sahar came in, having given a faint wave to Oblivion on his way through. Koran brightened at her arrival, already nursing another wine cooler.
    Sitting at the table with Mace was Luke, Queenie, and Wes, along with Zeke. Luke gave a small grin to Sahar while the two lions looked her over. "You okay, sweetie??"

    Keller leaned into him when he rested his cheek against her hair, though her eyes were thoughtful as she gazed at the empty seat opposite them. "Maybe we should talk to Darshan first," she said, though the words were a little unwilling. "That way /we/ have a clearer picture of the situation before we spread it around." Because at this point, she couldn't promise she wouldn't bias people against the dragon just because of the way she felt about them in general.
    Either his words or his arm around her made it all seem a little better, and she managed a real smile. "Of course not. We'll work something out."

    Paul smiled at Frost, his blue eyes a match for hers as they glittered behind his sunglasses. "I figure we'll get a quick look at our competition, see the weak parts, then we'll get something to eat to celebrate being back in the States."
    "How original," Ash murmured with a faint smirk.

    "Thank you," Sonya said. Her mouth formed a barely-there smile. "I don't doubt that that would be the first place that someone would look for me, but I also don't doubt that any house of yours is well hidden."
    Adrian nodded, but he still looked concerned. The elevator continued to rise smoothly, until it finally dinged open on the restaurant. Nona swept a wary glance over the interior, then stepped out.
    "I think we're underdressed," she muttered to Nolan, motioning to the formal setting. Fang seemed unperturbed by this, strolling out behind Nona, barefooted and still wearing his pajamas.
    Anna looked startled when her arm was grabbed, blank when she was confronted by the man, and then irritated when she finally recognized him as one of the fans that George and Tristan had let in the previous night. She ignored the reporter entirely, because crazed fans were not something that she felt the need to comment to the media on. "Ms. Tigre is fine. However, sir, I believe that you have been banned from the hotel grounds." She shot a glance at Tristan, who seemed to be trying hard to contain his mirth.
    "If Valdez snaps," the vampire mused, "who do you think is going to get it? The reporter, the fan, or George and me?"
    "Of course," Kawada said, with a smirk.
    He breathed in deeply, catching the lingering scent of barbeque. "Yes, I wonder about that too, sometimes." He looked over the house again, reassessing it as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette.
    The grin that Sahar gave Luke in return was carelessly cheerful, since the thought of Mace's house getting painted a sparkly pink had wiped away any lingering distress in the lioness. "I'm stupendous." She informed Queenie, then hoisted herself up so that she could sit on the counter near the table. "Are you okay?"

    The suggestion made Galen pause. On one hand, it seemed like a really bad idea, because Thierry and everyone needed to know... didn't they? On the other hand, it seemed like a really good idea, because, as Keller had said, they wouldn't know what to report about the dragon until they met him. "We need to tell them something," he said finally, "but I think that maybe you're right."
    "We always do," he agreed, sounding sure. "This isn't any different. Just... on a slightly grander scale."

    A pale-eyed glare was sent in Ash's direction, before Frost smiled her sharp-edged little smile at Paul. "Do we know who and where the competition is?" Frankly, it sounded like a good idea to her. Except for the part where they were only looking at the competition. Frost had never been really good at looking and not doing anything.

    Christian inclined his head as if accepting a grand compliment. "Nor should you doubt their getting into my house without my consent." He smiled just faintly at the thought.
    Kersti lightly ran her nails over Adrian's arm, whether to soothe his concern or just because she wanted to unclear. Jacob's breath kept being held along the way up, as every floor dinged by calmly. When the doors finally opened, it took a lot of effort to let everyone pass before he stepped eagerly from the little death box.
    Nolan smiled wryly at Nona, gesturing at Fang as he went waltzing in. "By letting him go first, we're pretty much setting a low standard."
    "Isn't that always the way," Jacob muttered, before following his friend inside. Kersti stifled a giggle against Adrian's shoulder as they all moved into the restaurant, where a suit-clad maitre-d was standing at the post.
    He put one look over the group and didn't contain his upper-class sniff, before inquiring nasally, "Seven??"
    "Better make it nine," Kersti said, almost apologetically.
    The maitre-d grimaced just slightly. "One moment, please." He turned on his heel and headed back into the restaurant, which was full of course, as always.
    "But," the ass groupie said, voice still panicked. "If she's been hurt, I have to /be/ there. Are you sure she's fine?? Can I see her to make sure??"
    The reporter was smiling again, clearly enjoying this.
    "I think all of you," Rye observed, watching the interaction.
    "In reverse order," George added with a smirk. Because he could admit he usually had a lot to do with Anna's annoyance, and he wasn't against getting his comeuppance. It would give him an excuse to relax a while, at least, if every bone in his body was broken.
    "Well now I'm disappointed," Ry tsked his friend. "You were supposed to have another title for him. Must be losing your touch."
    As the cab pulled away, he looked over the house more slowly. It was indeed a mansion, and rather remarkable in the hot confines of Las Vegas. Granted, it was rather on the outskirts towards the desert, but it was still there. "Do you know where the other residences are located??"
    Luke chuckled at Sahar's expression and took a drink from the beer in his hand. Mace also had gone, as if he needed it to wipe the memory of Koran turning his house pink away.
    Queenie gave Sahar a skeptical look, then shrugged. "We're okay. Got a look of work ahead of us though." She sent a grimace upwards, here the hole in the roof was leaking pieces of dust and random objects from that person's bedroom.

    "But what can we tell them without spreading panic, which might not be needed??" Keller asked with a frown. Because just hearing that a dragon was in town was going to cause at least some panic among Daybreak, but if they could report that at least one of the dragons was a "good" guy, that might help the situation. Plus it would help Darshan, if he /was/ a good guy, as Daybreak wouldn't be automatically biased against him just because he was a dragon.
    It was actually kind of delicate, these political lines in Daybreak. Sometimes Keller missed just being a regular grunt.
    Galen's words made her chuckle. "A "slightly" grander scale?? I'm not sure it's possible to get any grander than this." Just the thought of multiple dragons awake and in Las Vegas, along with Gift and her friends, where Daybreak's main headquarters still were... "I don't think I'd want to see anything grander if it was possible."

    Ash ignored Frost, gazing idly out the window. Of course he'd been to Vegas before so the view didn't excite him too much. Not a lot seemed to these days, in all honesty.
    Paul smiled again at the blond. "We know who some of them are, and where they are, but actually approaching some of them is going to be tough. A lot of them don't like strangers."
    A smirk pulled at Blaise's lips but she didn't say anything.

    "I would never doubt that," Sonya murmured. She shifted her gaze from the traffic to him. "I need to retrieve my things. Do you have anywhere else in particular that you need to be, or would you like to accompany me?"
    "I think that we've violated the no-shirt-no-shoes policy," Nona agreed, watching as Tala walked by. The were-wolf was clad in a slip and one of the terrycloth hotel robes, which covered more flesh than not but hardly seemed to fit this formal setting. Nona quickly glanced at Jacob, checking on the state of dress of the last member of the band. Kersti and Adrian, at least, were decent.
    The security guard sighed, tugged down the hem of her dress, and waited for the maitre-d to return.
    "She is fine," Anna replied. Then, with a touch of what she would admit was spite, she added, "and she doesn't really need you at her side. Someone else is already there. Now, you need to leave the hotel before I have you escorted off the grounds." Fat chance of that. Neither George nor Tristan seemed inclined to move.
    "I have no idea what you're talking about," Kawada said blandly. "My father was entitled though, you know. Old European nobility."
    Ry's question made him shrug. "Not all of them. I know that there's an estate in France, near the coast, and that they own a condo in a high rise in New York, but it's not something we really talk about." The vampire's smirk made it seem doubtful that the couple 'talked' much at all.
    "So I see," Sahar said, rolling her eyes upwards towards the ceiling. "Whose room was that?"
    "Mine," Zeke said, with a calm that probably had to do with the two fingers of scotch sitting on the table in front of him. He reached one long arm back towards the fridge and pulled it open, fishing a beer out of the door and offering it to Sahar. When she reached for it, he eyed her dubiously. "Wait, you are old enough to drink this stuff, aren't you?"
    Sahar looked indignant. "Yes."

    "That sounds fair," Galen agreed, albeit reluctantly. "How do you intend to get in contact with him?" He smiled, a little and without much humor. "Do you think he's listed in the white pages?"
    "I'm not sure what would be considered grander than this," he mused, "but I don't want to say that there isn't something. That seems like it's inviting disaster."

    "Well," Frost said, reaching up to toy with a strand of matted blond hair, "they don't have to know that we're the competition. We could approach them that way." She smirked at some memory, and tittered absently to herself. "Ima Psuedonym."
    In the front seat, the tall man closed his eyes, as if that would help him to block them out.

    "I'll accompany you," he decided, with faint smirk. This one seemed more self-directed though, because he would never tell her that he wasn't sure he wanted to leave her until Jayden was dead and buried. He knew her that well, anyway.
    Jacob blinked at Nona, then glanced down at himself as well. Cotton pajam bottoms and a wifebeater. Indeed. He wondered if they would even /get/ served today.
    Kersti bit her lip but the maitre-d came back then. Another look over, another sniff, then he picked up a handful of menus and clacked his heels together. "This way, please."
    Nolan sighed a silent thanks and followed the man, being sure to keep the rest in sight.
    The ass groupie's grip tightened on Anna's arm, clearly refusing to be placated until he saw his future wife himself. One had to wonder how many drugs he had to inhale in his short little life to be so delusional. Maybe as many as C.J. "Where /is/ she?? Is she still playing tonight??"
    "Which would make you a European bastard," Ry observed as they stepped from the cab. Of course, if European bastards got to live in such nice homes, he might be tempted to pass himself off as one.
    Eyes rolled at Kawada's talking comment, though an instinctive answering smirk made its way to his mouth. "I'm sure her other attributes keep you tongue-tied anyway. Though one wouldn't imagine witches could be so well off."
    "Oh please, like that matters here," Mace said dismissively, waving a hand at Zeke's words. "Let her get drunk. She's funny when she is."
    "But drunk in the kitchen??" Queenie teased. "Do you value your appliances so little??"
    Mace took a long pull from his bottle and Wes smirked, petting his mate. "Don't ride him too hard, hon, he's had a bad day."
    "Well, after /that/, it can only get better, right??" Luke said dryly.
    "Don't tempt the fates," Koran advised primly, resting the cold bottle against his cheek as he smiled at the shifters.
    Mace merely grunted, looking rather mournfully down at his bottle. His poor house. His poor appliances. His poor /everything/.

    Keller chuckled with about as much humor as his smile held. "I'm doubting that, for some reason. No, Price made contact with him last night, and this morning, so I'm hoping he'll make contact again. From what I understand, he actually doesn't seem to mind him." Though why a secretive dragon wouldn't mind her nosy, pushy son was beyond her.
    "I think we'll just leave it at that," she commented, pushing her empty cup away from her. "We should be thankful if the disaster just remains isolated to this one thing."

    Ash cast a laconic look towards Frost. "Like you could fool a dog from its food, Laurie. Then again, like to like, I suppose."
    "Children," Paul said disapprovingly. "Can't we all get along??"
    Damon sent the other man a smirk. Blaise rolled her eyes and resumed looking out the window, as it was proving to be more interesting than her companions.

    "As you like," Sonya replied, with the air of one granting a great favor. "It's not that far of a walk. My hotel is just down the strip from here."
    The maitre-d's behavior made Nona smile, just faintly. Sometimes, it was very useful to be in the presence of stars. They got served no matter what, and people seemed to expect strange behavior from them. He probably just figured that the band was too hung over to care what they wore to lunch.
    "Thanks," Fang said to the maitre-d as they were seated, and grinned broadly at the man. Tala simply took a chair, since at this point, she felt that not snarling and snapping was as polite as she was capable of being.
    Adrian leaned down, resting his lips against Kersti's temple as they were led towards the table and smiling softly. "What interesting friends you have. I don't get service this good when I'm fully dressed, much less..." he motioned towards the PJ-clad musicians. The teasing in his voice was gentle, and there was obviously no malice in it.
    The smile that Anna gave the groupie was bright, professional, and laced with venom. "I am not at liberty to hand out Ms. Tigre's whereabouts, and I do not know her concert schedule. I would advise you to contact the band's PR agent."
    "I think that we should remove this boy before Anna murders him in front of a camera," Tristan suggested to George. He could just see the human taking off one of her shoes and sinking the heel of it through the man's eye. Repeatedly.
    "Are you implying that my mother wasn't virtuous and chaste?" Kawada wondered, amusement gracing his entirely non-European features. "How rude."
    "Edan has many wonderful attributes," Kawada agreed. He looked over the house, and shrugged. "Her family is one of them. As I understand it, they're not your typical witches." Not that anyone had told him that, but it wasn't that hard to glean when he was around the house all the time. The Pyrrhus family and their relations were strange, and more than a little withdrawn from the rest of the witches.
    Sahar accepted the bottle, and dragged her legs up on the counter so that they were sprawled out over the stove to one side of her instead of dangling. She rested her shoulder against one of the cabinets. "I've sworn a solemn truce with Mace's appliances," she said, "so they are safe from me for, oh, a couple days, at least. Besides, this most recent toaster was so not my fault."
    She pulled the top off the bottle with her bare hands, because shape-shifter strength really was good for some things, and took a sip. Zeke sighed, and downed his scotch.
    "What's going on with the dragon?" he asked Mace quietly, because if the gang leader had returned to the house, that meant that he had succeeded in speaking with Darshan.

    "Price can be charming when he wants to be," Galen reminded her, with a small but real smile. "It's also possible that this dragon senses that he's somewhat more open-minded about this than many Daybreakers would be. He doesn't remember the last time that a dragon came to call, the way that so many of us do." He also wasn't a shape-shifter, and couldn't understand the fear and the awe and the guilt that walked hand in hand with memories of the dragons. Couldn't understand the history behind it.
    A part of Galen wanted to point out that they had never been so lucky, but it would have been counterproductive. Instead, he squeezed Keller's shoulders. "I'm sure it will. Two dragons, and a mystery vampire. The only way to go is up."

    Anger flashed in Frost's eyes, because she was intelligent enough to hear the insult even if she wasn't quite sane enough to understand it. "You're so mean, Ash," she said, pouting. "What would your little soulmate have to say about that?" Then she gasped and covered her lips with one lacquered nail, as if she was aghast at what she had said. "Oh, that's right."

    "Lead the way, my lady," Christian said graciously, dipping his head towards her.
    Nolan breathed a sigh of relief when they were led to a table without fuss or muss. Maybe guarding a band wasn't bad. Some of the time. Depends how fast the service was at this point.
    Jacob copied Tala, looking tired and a little run down as he slid into the seat. Now that he actually had a chance to sit down and just relax...he couldn't. His muscles were kinked as if waiting for the next catastrophe, and he rotated his shoulders uncomfortably as the maitre-d started setting down menus for each individual. They were getting a few stares, a few more glances, and obviously causing some whispers from the nearest tables, but for the most part, they ignored them.
    Kersti turned her head against Adrian's shoulder again, using his shirt to muffle another giggle. "You'll probably get a free dessert if you can talk Tala into removing her robe," she whispered back just as teasingly, giving his arm another squeeze.
    The ass groupie's mouth opened and closed at that, clearly unable to think of a reply. Which worked out well, because the reporter took the opportunity to step in, inching her microphone closer to Anna's face. "Ms. Valdez, is the Paris going to close its doors to new tourists as it deals with this new vandalism??"
    "Vandalism!?" the groupie demanded shrilly. "Was someone picking on my girl??"
    "There you go, George agreed when he heard that, nodding at Tristan. "Go get him before she does snap and kills him with that mic."
    "More like your father didn't appreciate commitment," Ry corrected with another smirk. "To his wife or his career."
    He studied the house again, then glanced at Kawada sideways. "Sounds like a...keeper."
    "Sounds like you've caved to me," Wes observed, winking at the little lioness. "Giving into the evil appliances, are you??"
    "Wes," Mace said severely. "A truce is a fragile thing. Don't you even dare try to break it."
    Wes held up his hands harmlessly as Queenie smirked. Luke rubbed his temples, then finished off his beer. "I think it's time for some food."
    "Zeke's turn to cook," Queenie pointed out primly, fluffing her hair with a wicked smile.
    Mace looked towards the sky, which was easier with that big hole in the ceiling. Siiiigh. At Zeke's words, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced out the backdoor, which was open. "He's coming to stay here for a while," he informed his friends. "With C.J. They need a place to stay for a while, and we're gonna help him protect her because he's gonna protect us."
    Eyes had turned towards him as he started speaking, and a few frowns marked faces. "How??"
    "As long as he's in control, Terra can't take us over again," Mace said quietly, looking around seriously. "I know none of you like it, but it's better than the alternative, guys."
    They fell into musing silence.

    "I just have trouble imagining a dragon being charmed by anyone," Keller admitted, not willing to admit the little twinge of worry in her. Dragons were cold, hard, bloodthirsty monsters. If this one /liked/ Price, well, what would that do to Price in the future??
    But no, she couldn't remain so close-minded. Several people had vouched for this particular dragon's goodness, so she'd wait and see for herself. She said she would and she didn't go back on her word.
    A little smile came up as Galen spoke, and she tilted her head to kiss his cheek. "So up we'll go. However much we can."

    Ash's expression didn't change but his fingers tightened on the bottle in his hand, and he looked at it thoughtfully. As if wondering how much damage could be done if it were to be smashed into her face.
    Damon glanced over at him, while Blaise turned her head to give Frost a narrow-eyed look. "Shut up, bitch."
    "Stop," Paul said, a note of command in his voice. "This is not anyway to go into this, especially considering how we've got to work together. It's not going to work if we're trying to kill each other."

    "I had forgotten how annoying you could be," Sonya mused, seemingly to herself, but there was a bare glint of humor in her slate-gray eyes. She turned and walked down the sidewalk, her feet silent against the pavement.
    Adrian glanced at Tala, who was examining her menu and very pointedly ignoring the whispers of the onlookers. "That might be an incentive," he murmured to Kersti, "but I don't feel like trying to reattach my own fingers, and she doesn't look like she's in a mood to be convinced of much of anything.
    He frowned when he saw Jacob rotating his shoulders, although he really couldn't blame the other man. He probably wasn't the only one feeling painfully tense. The healer reached out, unable to help himself, and touched the vampire between the shoulder blades, a spark of power traveling from his fingers to warm and relax knotted muscles.
    Then he slid into a chair, and pulled Kersti down next to him as though nothing had happened.
    For a moment, Anna enjoyed a moment of supreme satisfaction as she watched the groupie gape at her. Then the reporter broke in, and it started all over again. "No decisions have been made, ma'am. I have told you everything that I know. If you wish to know anything else, you may call the hotel offices. I'm sure that the people there will be glad to issue a statement." You vapid ambulance chaser, she added, but was both too polite and too smart to say it out loud.
    However, neither courtesy nor intelligence could stop her from staring at the groupie. "Shut up," she said, finally.
    Before the man could even think of responding, Tristan stepped forward and took him by the shoulders. "Come on. I heard this nice lady say that you aren't allowed near the hotel, and I think that you had better listen to her." He smirked at Anna, smiled brilliantly at the reporter, than glanced over his shoulder at Zabri with a look of unmistakable mischief. *Want to come play bad cop/bad cop with me?*
    Kawada considered Ry's words for a moment. "What an interesting theory," he said, before starting up the walk towards the front of the house.
    "I have no intention of keeping her," he said, and there was a sort of flatness to his voice that hadn't been there through the rest of the conversation. The good humor slipped from his face for just a moment, and he stuck the cigarette that he had fished out into his mouth. Even he had his sore spots, it seemed.
    "My convictions are very weak," Sahar informed Wes with a smile. "I'm afraid that I've joined the dark side. Just watch, I'll be micro waving my own food within the hour. Without leaving the aluminum foil on the dish."
    Zeke winced a little at that. "Maybe I should cook," he agreed. With a great deal of solemnity, he reached out again, this time unhooking the headset for the kitchen phone. It fell into his hand, and he dialed. "Angelica's Pizza? Yes, I'll hold."
    He was still on hold, Muzak buzzing through the phone line, when Mace answered his question. "There doesn't seem to be a worse alternative than Terra," he said, wryly. "What are Darshan's chances of fighting her and winning, if - no, scratch that, when - she comes calling?"
    He had been asking Mace, but it was Sahar who responded, miming a punch at her own jaw, then crossing her eyes. That was enough to make even the somber Zeke smile. "Well, that's something, at least."

    "The truth of the matter is, we can talk about it until we're blue in the face, but we won't really know until we meet him," Galen said, and sighed before glancing once again towards Price. "Why don't we ask Price to set up a meeting for us? Then we'll know, one way or the other."
    "It's been a good few years," he said, with a lopsided little smile. "We'll deal with this, and then we'll have another good few years. Maybe a vacation."

    Whatever Frost had been about to say was cut off by Paul's command, so she settled for flipping Blaise the finger and returning to her bottle of vodka.
    The man in the front seat turned his head so that he could look at the young people in the back with one eye. "We're almost at the hotel," was all he said, as if he hadn't even noticed the altercation in the back.

    "It's only a few people are privileged enough to see," he told her graciously, another little smirk floating her way. She used to be the only one who got to see his annoying side, but Darshan and Gift had come under it a few times in the last couple of years. The annoyance was spreading.
    Kersti smiled and brushed a kiss to his shoulder. "I think you're right. Not to worry, I'll buy you dessert then. Only if you finish your meal though." She wagged a mock-stern finger at him, eyes laughing silently. Though the finger wagging almost became real when Adrian reached out to Jacob. Not that she expected anything else from her healer boy, but he could've waited until he'd gotten /some/ food into him.
    Then again, seeing the tension seeming to instantly release from Jacob's face was almost worth it. The vampire almost went limp in his chair, a deep sigh blowing past his lips. He slouched down a bit and gave a half-grin to Adrian when he sat down, but didn't say anything.
    Kersti clicked her tongue softly as she took the seat beside Adrian, and pointedly picked up the menu for him to look over. Nolan was already doing the same, eyeing the food names with a kind of relish. Clearly Tala wasn't the only one who was hungry.
    "But you said you were the hotel's liasion," the reporter protested, glancing down at her notes. "You're supposed to know everything."
    Vampires ears picked that up and George muttered something under his breath that made Zabri smirk, before she watched with private enjoyment as Tristan went over to save Anna from putting out an eye or two. The groupie let out a dissatisfied grunt when he was taken hold of. At least until he looked over his shoulder.
    "You!" he half-yelled, trying to jerk free from Tristan. "You took my money and then threw me out! I want my money back. I didn't even get C.J.'s autograph."
    Gold eyes glinting wickedly to match the smile curving her mouth, Zabri sauntered over at Tristan's invitation. "But you did cop a feel on the poor girl," she told the groupie, catching his ending words. "I believe that's sexual assault. As a friend of C.J.'s, I almost feel it's my duty to take you down to the police station and press charges." She pretended to give Tristan a thoughtful look, tapping a finger against her chin. "As C.J. is a popular figurehead these days, I believe I can get at least five years. Maybe even eight."
    Groupie's mouth fell open. The reporter was eating this up.
    "That's it??" Ry asked at Kawada's back, a touch of disbelief in his voice. "You're really just full of disappointments today, aren't you??"
    Following him up to the front door, his brows rose just slightly at the flat response. "Ahh," he said softly, and let it go at that. What Kawada decided to keep or not keep in his life was his own choice, that much was obvious on both sides.
    The cigarette had just made its way to his mouth when the door was pulled open by a short woman dressed in a maid's outfit. "Can I help you??" Eyes squinted through thick glasses at Kawada. "Oh, you're Miss Edan's friend, aren't you?? Come on in."
    "Sahar, I am---" Wes began in a really bad imitation of Darth Vadar, before Queenie's elbow buried into his ribs. He yelped softly and gave his mate a wounded look, which she leaned over to kiss away, before muttering something in his ear that made him grin happily.
    Mace watched this with some disgust before looking at Zeke. "Meatlover's pizza, and a lot of them."
    Luke grinned and got up to fetch another round of beers for the people at the table. Koran smiled brightly at the wolf and finished off his own wine cooler.
    It was a good thing Sahar took the time to answer, for Mace's face had kind of closed down at the question. Zeke was right to correct himself; Terra was going to come back, period. It was just a matter of when. And everything in him itched to pack up his gang and send them away.
    "Don't, Mace," Luke said softly, seeing his leader's expression as he gave him a beer. "Even if you tried, we wouldn't go. We're family. We take care of our own."
    "Got that right," Queenie said, tipping her can towards Mace in a weird toast. "Family stick together. And with Darshan playing adopted daddy, we should be able to stick it out."
    That made Mace choke a little on the mouthful of beer he'd just swallowed.

    Keller sighed herself, eyes closing briefly, before she shook her head. "I think he already has a plan to do it," she said, glancing towards her son as well. "Not sure when though. I'll ask him when he gets his tail back over here."
    She turned to her soulmate and smiled at him. "A vacation, doesn't that sound nice. With or without Iliana and my team??"

    Blaise rolled her eyes again and resumed peering out the window. A tried expression came to Paul's face but he leaned back in his seat and let it go.
    Damon looked to the front when the man spoke. "How many suites were booked again??" He really couldn't imagine some of these people trying to bunk together. Without some manner of bloodshed taking place.

    "I feel very privileged," Sonya said, her voice laden with sarcasm. There wasn't a great deal of bite to it, though, because she couldn't quite manage it with Christian. "How did you end up involved in this, anyway? I know Blaire contacted you, but I wouldn't think that would be enough for you to swear enmity."
    "I promise to eat all of my vegetables," Adrian told Kersti solemnly. He smiled back at Jacob, then obediently turned to the menu that Kersti had picked up. His eyes scanned ravenously over the menu.
    "Order whatever you want," Fang said, waving an expansive hand at his companions. "I'm treating."
    Tala licked her lips.
    "I'm going to regret that, aren't I?" the lamia asked, but he grinned when he said it.
    "Uh-huh," Tala said, without lifting her eyes from the menu.
    "I said that I was the band's liaison," Anna said, with a smile that was definitely turning brittle as the conversation wore on, "not yours. Contact the hotel offices if you have any more questions. Good day." Then she turned, and minced towards the main doors of the hotel, quite obviously fed up with all of them. Dealing with the rest of the hotel employees would be much easier. The wrecked hotel room could probably be explained away with a roll of the eyes and a muttered comment about musicians; as one of Vegas's premiere hotels, they were more than used to finding rooms destroyed, and no one was as good at destroying things as famous people.
    "I'm a bad, bad man," Tristan agreed, his eyes gleaming with wicked amusement at the man's accusations.
    He glanced sideways at Zabri, smirk widening into a grin. However, he waited until they were a little further away and out of hearing distance before saying anything, since the reporter was not-so-subtly listening in. "Of course, if they don't put you away in jail, and you do come near Tigre again, I could break both of your arms. Since, as we have already established, I am a bad, bad man."
    "Sorry to disappoint you," Kawada replied. He abandoned the subject of Edan after Ry's soft comment. He had had a keeper once, and he had no intention of having another one, not ever again. Even if he had... Edan just wasn't that girl. He liked her, admired her even, but it just wasn't her.
    He smiled at the maid. "Yes. Thank you." He stepped inside, motioning Ry after him. "This is Rylie LaGaro," he said formally, speaking around his cigarette. Edan was fiercely protective of her privacy, and he had no doubt that even a part-time housekeeper would have strict orders concerning who was allowed inside the house. "He's a friend. I had hoped to introduce him to Miss. Edan."
    "Maria?" the woman in question called from the kitchen. "Who is it?"
    "I tried to adopt Darshan," Sahar said, gazing into her beer mournfully. "He wouldn't have me."
    "That's because you're an unholy terror," Zeke said, nodding silently in response to Mace. Sahar laughed, drumming her feet against the top of the stove.
    Then, as if he had been summoned by their words, Zeke felt the dragon approaching, just the faintest brush of dark power in the back of his head. It was nothing like the wash of power that had come with Terra, and it took him a moment to recognize it. Darshan didn't advertise his presence, it would seem, and Zeke wondered if he would have felt it had the dragon and the gang not been linked. Sahar didn't seem to, still drumming her feet against the stove in a soft rhythm.

    "Without," Galen said, firmly. Because he loved them all, but when had he and Keller last had time alone? "Also, without Price or my parents or dragons of any shape or disposition." He smiled at her, momentarily distracted from dragons and the dispositions. "Where would you like to go?"

    "Separate rooms," the man in the front reassured Damon. "We booked the whole floor. It didn't seem wise to..." He didn't finish, but he didn't really have to. They didn't want any civilians digging into their business. "I believe that one or two of Blaire's allies are already there. More may follow, who knows?" Until then, perhaps the empty rooms could be used to put some of their more ill-behaved members in time-out. He didn't say it, but he smirked a little to himself, dark eyes fixed straight ahead.

    "You should," Christian said with an amused smile, as if he heard her watered down sarcasm. "Not a lot of people could handle the annoyance."
    Her question made him pause briefly as he seemed to consider it. "I don't want another Council," he finally decided. "And I don't want Terra and Jayden's daughter heading that Council. I'm willing to step up to make sure that doesn't happen."
    "And everything else that gets put on your plate," Kersti added just as solemnly, though her eyes sparkled at her healer boy. She didn't look at her own menu, since she wasn't really in the mood for food herself.
    Jacob met her eyes and they shared a little smile, though he raised a slightly disbelieving brow at Fang. He had to wonder why the lamia was being so nice. Nolan didn't seem to mind though, a grin coming to his mouth as he looked over the menu.
    A tux-clad waiter came over then, looking over the occupants. "Good day, everyone, what can I get you to drink??"
    "Water," Kersti requested, echoed by Jacob. Nolan got some ice tea.
    The reporter gave a little scowl after Anna and made a "cut" motion to her cameraman, before they headed back towards the van.
    The groupie scowled deeply at Tristan, jerking his arms again. "Let go of me. And give me my money back, asshole."
    "Now now, don't be like that," Zabri scolded lightly as she took one of the boy's arms. "Or the bad, bad man will have to do something naughty to you."
    The groupie paled at that, followed by Tristan's threats. He swallowed hard, looking between the two people holding his arms. "Um, well, I just, yanno, really like her, and..."
    "Honey, you met her boyfriend last night," Zabri said silkily, golden eyes gleaming at him. "After Tristan there breaks your arms and I break your legs, he will sautee you and feed you to some dogs. Or you can go to jail."
    The groupie was starting to sweat now, since he clearly wasn't as high as he'd been last night, and could see that these people were rather serious. "Um, okay. Would it still be possible to like, get her autograph??"
    Zabri smirked, looking at Tristan.
    Ry shook his head at Kawada then gave a faint smirk to the maid. And resisted the urge to smack the other vampire when he introduced him, since Kawada knew how much he didn't care for his full name.
    The maid frowned a little at Ry and glanced back over her shoulder when she heard her mistress's voice. "Miss Edan, it's your friend Kawada. And he's brought a friend of his own. Do you want to see them??"
    Mace continued choking until Luke thumped his back a few times, giving Sahar and Zeke rueful looks. "Have pity on the man, guys. Damn."
    "Poor Mace," Queenie said sympathetically. "I know a pair of twins that could make it all better." Wes smirked at that, since he likely knew which twins she was talking about.
    They all fell silent when they felt the same thing Zeke had. A few glances were shared before Mace ran a hand over his face. "That room next to Oscar's is still open, right??"
    "Yeah," Luke said.
    Mace nodded and rose to his feet, keeping his beer in hand. He moved to the backdoor, looking over the yard there. Oblivion was talking on his cell phone as he looked over the house, while some of the gang were still cleaning up the mess.

    Keller grinned at her soulmate at his firm reply, and leaned over to kiss his cheek again. "That sounds great. And I'd say anywhere without a beach." Of course most people went to beaches for their vacation, but Keller still wasn't big on the whole large bodies of water thing.