"Uh huh," Price said in a totally unconvinced, half-amused way when she made her promise. It had to be a good sign, when he knew her that well, right??
    Once in her car, he started the engine and backed neatly out of the restaurant's parking lot. It took that long to properly formulate a reply to her semi-question. "Yes," he finally said, as he got on the road heading for Jon's. "They think something's happened to Jon. Something bad. There's no proof of it, just a phone call. But..." He shrugged, removing one hand from the steering wheel so he could absently chew on his thumb nail. A bad habit his mother had mostly beaten out of him, except in very extreme circumstances.

    "Are you officially??" she asked curiously. "So if I'm going to send you a letter from afar, what city would I put??" A contrite look came to her face when she looked over at him. "Oh, don't worry about me. People aren't much into explosions these days; movies make them way too overrated. They're so messy, and time consuming to set up. And yes, it was a shame. But now I travel a lot more, so I'm not really attached to any one place." She gave another careless, cheerful shrug, though something sparkled behind her eyes. Okay, maybe she was attached to /one/ place in particular. "Yep, like I said, explosions are overrated. Fun to watch, but overrated."
    That warm, brilliant smile lit up her face again. "That sounds just perfect. And then we'll curl up in front of the fire and roast marshmallows and listen to some cheesy classical music. Can Cujo come too??" She giggled lightly when he shuddered, thumb sweeping comfortingly over his knuckles before she released his hand.
    "But you /are/ precious," Julianna said, her tone indicating surprise. "And yes, of course, you're right, Daisy can probably do anything." She ran a gentle hand down the horse's neck as she cantered along, the only sound outside of their voices being hooves smacking the dry ground. "But I wouldn't want to upset her, or overexert her, so I'll just keep the mental image. It's probably better that way anyway."

    Patrick chuckled deeply, stretching his legs out beneath the table. "Tha' I dun doubt, luv, but sometimes I think ya'd do it just tae torment me," he teased. "Ruin ma fun, so tae speak." Of course, if she did that, he'd be forced to reciprocate at the appropriate time. It could turn into a vicious circle, with some amusing results.
    "I do try," he agreed, taking another sip. "An' are ye sure ya dun want somethin' tae eat, Ai??"

    Gift looked musingly into her glass as Christian just watched. He hadn't had many personal run-ins with Terra or Mace, so he didn't have much of an opinion on the matter.
    "I think it's the dragon blood," Gift finally said, dipping another finger into her glass. "It's highly diluted, of course, but maybe he was the first thing Terra had seen with a hint of her in it. She'd become highly possessive on first sight, and that would just get worse as the years went by and he didn't stay her property." She slid her finger into her mouth, licking the liquor from it with a contemplative look in her eyes. "And even after she met you and possibly others, there was still that instinct to collect and keep Mace. More of a habit by then, maybe."
    She shrugged and Christian shook his head. "That woman would have a massive therapy bill," was all he had to contribute. He picked up his drink and tossed it back, and nearly started choking when Darshan listed out Terra's obvious moves.
    Gift laughed, reaching over to slap him on the back. "I think that about sums it up."
    "Jesus Darshan, now I've got that image of Terra poking you with a stick while you're sleeping," Christian said, voice a bit breathy as he got it back, and tried to keep from laughing. "What exactly is it that you do that makes her keep poking you??"
    Eyes swiveled towards the sink. "No, I didn't," he said slowly, but couldn't resist at that point. Pushing to his feet, he ambled over to the sink and stared down into it. Yep, there were the remains of a toaster. "I think I'm glad I missed this. And I don't think I want to know, thanks anyway."
    Gift smirked, then raised a brow at Darshan as Christian reclaimed his seat. "A display on the stairs involving C.J. and Sahar?? I bet that was rich. I do believe I want copies of those pictures too." Because a camera had to have been involved. The gang wasn't stupid.
    "Hell, at this point, I'd be glad to see the whole building gone," Christian said with a negligent wave of his hand. "No fond memories of that hotel. Except for Jayden getting a neck full of tranq." He raised his glass in another toast to Darshan's words, and Gift inclined her head in something that looked similar to a bow. Just on a smaller scale.
    "I do prefer that assumption," she agreed. "Makes it easier on my image."
    "And images are very important," Christian said.

    Queenie laughed throatily. "He might even go a banging rampage, at that," she agreed. "You'd just be responsible for lining them up, little cub, and he'd take care of the rest."
    After a moment, C.J.'s nose wrinkled slightly. Clearly she was having images. Of course she knew Mace was a very attractive and virile man, but he wasn't Darshan, now was he??
    "You invited him in too late," Queenie assured the younger lioness. "If he'd been in, say, C.J.'s place instead, there's no way an orgy could've been prevented. You just have to have the right circumstances, is all. And probably not an audience like that. Strange as it may seem, Mace's never been an exhibitionist."
    "Now that's a shocker," C.J. giggled as her drinks arrived and were summarily gone. She wiggled her fingers at the waiter, who shook his head in more amazement but obediently went to get her more. "Whose??" she asked Sahar curiously, before blinking big eyes. "Oh, Mace's?? That's, what's his name. The big Drache guy. George?? Guy?? Garland??"
    "Galen," Queenie supplied helpfully, taking another gulp of her own drink. "And what the hell's he doing here??"

    Ash continued watching the girl for another minute, lids heavy over eyes that had gone a murky blue. He licked his gums again, then ambled over so he was standing dangerously close behind her. The coughing and complaining the ice machine did covered any sounds he made as he bent his head a little, breathing in the scent of her skin and the blood rushing beneath it.
    "Hmmm," he said, licking his gums again. Fangs slid out in immediate demand and one hand lifted, cupping the side of her neck. His mind reached out, lightly touching hers, stopping any words or movements she might've made. That hand slid caressingly around the side of her neck and up to tenderly cup her jaw, which he used to tilt her head to the side and bare her neck for a closer perusal.

    An arm wrapped itself loosely around Keller's hips as she rested her head on Galen's shoulder, and he smiled down at her. "It's good to know my purpose in life. Procurer of baths and beds." He released her when she stepped away from him, and watched as she turned on the tap before stepping over the basket of miniature toiletries. "I'm sure they have some bubbles over here, if you want them."

    Price's disbelief was greeted only with a faint smile, and Anna waited patiently as they pulled out of the parking lot for him to formulate a response. Concern shadowed her face when he finally did so. "A phone call?" she asked, understandably puzzled. What kind of phone call would make you suspect - but not be certain - that someone was in trouble?
    She reached out automatically when he started to chew on his thumbnail, gently tugging his hand away from his mouth and lacing her fingers through his instead. "With your teeth, you're going to remove a finger doing that," she muttered. It was sort of endearing, though, since she remembered the gesture from when they had been younger, but also unnerving, because she hadn't seen it in the two months since he had resurfaced in her life. It seemed to be an indication of just how worried he really was.

    "I'll get the address for you when we get back to the house," Gamble promised. "You won't have to be addressin' anything as 'middle-of-nowhere, Nevada,' I promise you." He chuckled softly, and shook his head. "Of course I worry about you. But I'm glad to hear that explosives are a little bit too theatrical for your average bad guy." It was tempting to ask her not to get his dog blown up, but he didn't want her to start worrying about that, even if he meant it as a joke.
    When that very dog was mentioned, he heaved a sigh that was completely at odds with the wide grin on his face. "I'm goin' to have to share you with that mutt from now on, aren't I? I guess we can take him. He'll probably like the snow. And the marshmallows, since I'm sure you'll share those with him."
    "She can fly, too," he agreed, with another grin. "Maybe she can lead our team of super canines. I'm glad you want to take such good care of her, though."

    "Come now, Patrick," Ai said, with a soft, teasing smile. "The only people that I would deprive of sex are those that I /don't/ like. You're fine. Of course, I reserve the right to torment you after your fun has been completed, but I would never do anything so rude as go out of my way to ruin it. Especially when I could be busy having my own fun," she added, with an exaggerated wiggle of her eyebrows.
    She waved off his offer of food. "The wine is fine. I'll get some real food later tonight."

    "I suppose that makes sense," Darshan said. "Terra always has been rather like a dog with a bone. It's simply Mace's bad luck that he happens to be that bone. How exactly did she find him? That was before my time, I'm afraid to say." Before he had known the group, at least.
    His eyes slid across the table the Christian as the vampire started choking on his drink. His eyebrows rose slightly when Christian shared the image that his words had invoked, and he simply shrugged at the following question. "Stupidity or perversity, does it matter?"
    "I don't know the exact circumstances," he mused, in regards to the toaster in the sink, "but I am certain that it was not damaged in the earlier fight. Therefore, the gang, Koran, or Sahar must be responsible. I would rather not think about the possibility of Sahar doing such a thing and I rather doubt that any damage done by Koran would be so localized, so... the gang."
    When Gift mentioned pictures, he paused. "You know, I do wonder who ended up with that camera." Another glance at Christian when he reminisced about Jayden getting tranquilized. "Frankly, I think that it's a pity that no pictures were taken of that event." After all, he could see C.J. naked any time, and didn't really care to see the other two naked, but Jayden shot... well, that was an picture that would just never get old.
    He refilled his glass, and raised another little toast to the importance of images. Yes, he could understand that.

    "Line 'em up, and Mace will knock 'em down?" Sahar asked. Then she paused, thinking that over. "Hopefully he won't knock 'em up." She saw C.J. wrinkle her nose, and tilted her head quizzically. She wasn't having any problem imagining Mace on a banging rampage. In fact... Resolutely, she turned her attention back to the lovely naked men prancing about on the stage.
    She chuckled softly at Queenie's assurances, and took a healthy swallow of her drink. "Baby, if he had been in C.J.'s place, I can't see him caring much about an elephant in the room, much less an audience." Naked under two women. What man could really resist that?
    The drink was once again tipped back against her lips, but she snapped her fingers in time to C.J.'s attempts to remember the First Son's name, and finally pointed at Queenie when she came up with the right one. She placed the glass back on the table, and nodded emphatically, before shrugging. "Gift sent me to see his girl, and he showed up. I guess they're in Las Vegas for some reason. Daybreak is here, and all; maybe that's why. They wanted to know about Darshan. They seemed nice, though, both of them. Oh, and their son. He was cute, and he bought me lunch."

    A protest formed on Katya's lips, then died as his mind touched her. It fogged her mind, and made her taunt muscles feel soft and relaxed. Although a part of her was still certain that there was something wrong with this situation, it just didn't seem to matter any more, and her aborted protest slipped out instead as a sigh. Her head tilted easily to the side at his touch, neck bending almost bonelessly. In front of them, the ice machine continued to rattle and spit ice into the bucket.

    Keller returned the smile, eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. "Not only is it good to /know/ the purpose, but you're quite good at it too." She brushed another kiss to his mouth before going over to the tub. Glancing over as he spoke, one brow rose. "A bath I may concede to, but I have never and will never put bubbles in that bath." Another smile threatened the corners of her mouth and gray eyes became teasing. "I'll leave them to you."

    Price looked sideways at Anna and his expression was troubled. He didn't want to pull her into this. Darshan had personally warned him that bad things were going to happen, and having a /dragon/ say that meant it was going to be that much worse for a human involved. The thought of something bad happening to Anna made things happen to his stomach that he didn't like. If he told her what was going on, she'd want to become involved. But at this point, keeping her in the dark felt just as dangerous.
    He wasn't aware of chewing on his thumbnail until Anna removed it, and he gave her a little sheepish look. Fingers squeezed hers tightly as he gave a wry chuckle. "Yeah, and I don't think vampires can regrow digits like that," he murmured, watching the streets that went by. His foot was a little heavier on the peddle than most Vegas cops would like, but he got to Jon's house in about seven minutes though.
    Pulling a bit haphazardly into a parking lot, eyes sharpened as he saw the rest of his team fidgeting in front of the building. He threw the car into park and got out of the car, reluctantly releasing Anna's hand to do so. They all looked over at the movement, and relief flashed over Lindsay and Phillep's faces. Kim just looked minorly bored.
    Waiting for Anna, he rested a hand at the small of her back, stepping up to his friends. "Hey guys, you know Anna. So what's going on??"
    "He's not answering his phone and it was just really creepy, Price," Lindsay said, voice shaking a little. "I just don't like it."
    "Okay, okay," Price said soothingly. "I've got a key to his place so let's just go see what the deal is." He kept his hand at Anna's back, partly out of habit and partly to keep her near as he led the way into the building.

    "'Middle-of-nowhere, Nevada," Julianna repeated with a giggle. "I don't know, that has a nice ring to it. I bet it's a great place to disappear for a while with someone special." She winked at him, before nodding wisely. "Yes, a bit too overblown. Though I do know this one guy who loves his explosives." Another giggle, before her face brightened. "And hey! If it'll ease your worry, maybe I can train Cujo to be a bomb sniffer dog. Surely he can handle that, right??" She grinned brilliantly at him, already getting some outstanding ideas for the dog Cujo could be.
    "Hey hey, you're the one who gave him to me," she pointed out, wagging a finger at him. "Or gave me to him, either way. And at least he'll play with me in the snow, as some people hide away in doors." A teasing look was tossed his way, before she shook her head. "Oh no. Chicken and McD's is one thing, but even I know chocolate and sugar like that isn't good for a dog. The marshmallows will be alllll ours, mwaha." She even did a nice little insane-doctor-hand-rub, though she quickly picked up the reins afterwards.
    "Hmmm," she said, mock-thoughtfully, as she slid her palm down Daisy's strong neck again. "I don't know, the dogs might not like a horse leading them. The whole cross-species thing. Now that she wouldn't be magnificent at it," she was quick to defend the mare. "And of course, why shouldn’t someone take good care of her?? She clearly deserves it." Another tender rub down the neck as Daisy started to slow. Julianna loosened her knees so the horse knew it was okay, letting her slow some more.

    "An' 'ow would ya plan tae torment ma after ma fun is completed??" Patrick asked with a quick grin. "I've already 'ad ma fun, there's nothin' tae torment after tha'. An' yes, if an'one could get someone tae 'ave fun wit' in such a short time, it's ye, luv." He winked, because Ai was beautiful and completely desirable. Everyone knew it.
    He gave a nod at her words, and finished off his glass. "Where are ya stayin', lass??"

    "Mace as a bone," Gift mused. "I like that image. And I'm not sure of the specifics, but he was in one of his drunken stupors and she just happened across him when he was out carousing." A shrug of a shoulder. "Wrong place, wrong time."
    Christian took a slow breath, though a hint of laughter played through his eyes. "Well that depends, how often do you bite back??"
    In the process of belting her drink back, Gift made a strange sound. At least she didn't choke though. Dropping her empty glass back to the table, she slid a look over to the sink. "No, I've never seen Koran do such damage to an inanimate object," she pondered. "Though Sahar has been prone to destroy Mace's toasters in the past."
    "Now that's something I hear about, from the strangest sources too," Christian said. "Again, I'd like to be left out of the details, thanks so much."
    Gift smirked, which only widened when Darshan commented on the camera. "I might have to ask after that before I leave tonight. I bet I know who has it."
    A deep, heart-felt sigh rumbled from Christian's chest as his eyes went heavy-lidded. "They were in deep too," he recalled. "Really sunk in. A shame, because it likely won't happen again." Because next time, Sonya would be shooting with real bullets. They all would.
    More shots were filled around the table and Gift leaned her head back against the chair. Christian slouched a bit in his seat, smiling faintly at some memory or another.

    Queenie sputtered on a drink she'd just taken, at the mental picture of a line of women Mace knocked down, then them popping back up pregnant and whining. "Oh Christ, that one's gonna take a lot of alcohol to get rid of," she complained, throwing a sour look at Sahar. C.J. was chortling, the unhelpful nit.
    "Yes, because we are sexy bitches," the tiger proclaimed cheerfully, raising one of her shots in a mostly self-directed toast. Though she included her friends, of course. "To us, and our unmanageable sexiness."
    Queenie shrugged and raised her own glass in a toast, as the waiter brought another round. He was going to get a mighty big tip, most definitely.
    "Galen," she repeated, as C.J. hummed something. The tiger stood up then, and swung her chair around, straddling it backwards. Having watched that, Queenie blinked and then looked at Sahar. "Eh?? Oh, yeah, Daybreak's main headquarters are still here so he's probably here a lot. Him and his girlfriend." She only knew so much about the royal couple because, well, Mace /was/ a Drache.
    "Price," C.J. cooed. "He came to the after party last night. His girlfriend is, um, the girl who wears black at the hotel. Really nice. She kept giving Tala raw meat." Giggling happily, she attacked a few more shots before bobbing her head. "But yeah, he was nice. D talked to him alone for a few minutes. Though I don't know what about." She gave a puzzled frown to her shots, as if they could procur the answer for her. Maybe they could, she clearly decided, as long as they were in her belly, which she accomplished with deft quickness.

    "Good girl," Ash whispered against the human's skin, eyes almost fully closed as he breathed in the perfume of her flesh. His hand remained remarkably gentle on her face, just holding her lightly in place as his fangs sank into her neck. Blood rushed to coat his tongue, easing the burning in his gums. Also clearing his mind, which meant he'd need an assload more of alcohol after this. Wasn't fair, really. It seemed one canceled the other.
    The ice machine gave a cough of protest and he reached past her, pressing the stop button so it would shut up. Just in time to hear the elevator ding again. Wasn't this floor popular tonight.
    Free hand slipping around the girl's waist, he eased her against the ice machine, so it looked like they were making out more than anything. Worked out quite well as he continued sucking at her quite rich life.

    "I've always been good at whatever I set my mind to," Galen joked, although there was some truth to it as well. He had his own stubborn streak, even if it took a much subtler form than Keller's. His eyes lightened with humor at her words, and he dipped his head to give her another small kiss. "Yes, I am secure enough in my masculinity to use bubbles," he smiled. "Is there anything I can get you before your bath?"

    "Yes, and if you chew off your own finger, all the other vampires will laugh at you," Anna said, as lightly as she could, although the humor felt a little strained when placed against his obvious worry. "I mean, really. How would you explain that, if anyone was to ask? 'I was chewing on my nails on day, and my fangs just... slipped.'"
    She released his hand as the car came to a stop, and climbed out of the car before being guided closer to the waiting group by his hand on her back. She listened in silence as the friends spoke, and remained equally silent as she followed Price into the building. They went up the stairs, and exited on the third-floor landing. There didn't seem to be anything wrong here; the couple's argument still penetrated the door to be heard in the hallway, as did the muffled but recognizable sound of a TV laugh track, but everything else was quiet and calm.

    "Well, you're welcome to disappear here any time you like," Gamble said, with quiet humor. "Although I'd appreciate it if you didn't go and get my house blown up." He tilted his head when she mentioned knowing a guy who loved explosives, the question obvious on his face, before his mouth trembled on a suppressed smile. "I'm sure he can, and if anyone could train him for it, it'd be you. I see you already have some big plans for the feller."
    "That'll work," he said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Of course, I do get the feelin' that I'll end up warming you both up when you come inside. But that's okay. I'm used to the smell of wet dog food." Her promises regarding the marshmallows and the accompanying hand gesture made him laugh, just because it was so cute.
    "Ah, species biases are so sad," he said, mock-mournful. "Dogs refusin' to bow to a horse's authority. What is the world coming to?" Watching the tender way she treated the horse drew an approving smile from him, and he slowed his own horse to ride alongside her and Daisy. The mare snorted impatiently, but obeyed the silent command.

    "That's true," Ai said thoughtfully. "You've got no shame. I can't see truly tormenting you about any of your goings-on." The corners of her eyes crinkled up in a smile at his assertion at her own skill at finding a temporary partner. "If I felt like paying for one, I would have already. Otherwise, I think you may be overestimating my abilities in that area, with how busy I'm going to be fixing what got broken in the Las Vegas branch."
    "I still own that condo; I figured I would stay there," she replied, taking another sip of her wine, content to simply savor it. "Yourself?"

    "That depends entirely on how hard she pokes me," Darshan said, lifting his brows minutely. "I bit today."
    The sound that Gift made while downing her drink made him smile, but he winced a little at her words. "Good gods. I think that I had managed to forget that." In fact, the only reason that he remembered the incident with the toaster at all was because it had happened on the same day that he had met C.J. The puffs of smoke had been what had driven him out of Mace's house and onto the lawn... where his hungover soulmate had been in the process of either passing out or throwing up. "Maybe it was a mistake to send her to stay here," he mused, eyeing his empty glass with something like chagrin. He reached out for the bottle, intent on remedying the empty state of his glass, at least.
    "A real shame," the dragon murmured, "but I'd rather see other things sunk deep into Jayden." Claws, bullets, knives, garden pliers. Possibly at the same time. The thought made him sigh, low and happy, as thoughts of violence to Jayden's person often did these days.
    He downed his shot, pushing it forward in time to receive another refill, which he cupped between his hands but didn't drink straight away.

    A wicked cackle was Sahar's only response to the amount of drinking that Queenie would be doing in order to rid herself of the image of Mace, and she raised her glass enthusiastically at C.J.'s toast. "You've got that right, tiger." The waiter who arrived with another round of drinks was treated to a bright smile, since anyone who brought them more alcohol was officially her best friend. Mmm, alcohol. And naked men.
    "Galen," she repeated. Then, thoughtfully, "He's not a zombie."
    She nodded when C.J. provided the next name. "Price," she crooned. "He was pretty. You said he has a girlfriend? That's too bad." She tilted her head when the other woman mentioned a conversation between Darshan and the Daybreaker, but it didn't seem important. Certainly not as important as the margarita in front of her.

    When his fangs penetrated her skin, Katya jerked, her own will briefly resurfacing at the feeling of sharp teeth against her throat. Then the mind control slid back into place, and she was once again relaxed and compliant, easily allowing herself to be moved back against the ice machine. Her arms remained limp by her sides, and her expression was abstracted, eyes focused dreaming on the opposite wall of the alcove.

    Keller smiled at him over her shoulder. "Well that's something even I can't argue with, I guess." Her fingers dipped into the hair caressing his nape, holding his head in place when he gave her a light kiss so she could turn it into something a little more. "I'm very glad to hear about your secure masculinity and no, I think I'll be good with just a bath. If you want to take one before I get out, just come knock on the door."

    Price gave a bit of an abstracted smile as she spoke. "Nah, most of my vampire friends would probably be impressed by the vampiric nature of it. Daybreakers don't do stuff like that." A wink was sent in her direction, before they arrived at the apartment building.
    The walk up was silent but steadily tenser with every step they took. Price could feel the tension from his team behind him, and it only served to make him tenser as well. His stomach felt like it was dropping an inch every other second, and when they finally got to Jon's floor, his muscles felt tighter than a newly rewired guitar.
    Pausing only for a moment, listening to the fight behind a door, Price slowly started down the hall. Eyes swept back and forth, taking in any signs or something out of place or sudden movements. But there was nothing. Nothing until he reached Jon's door, and the scent of blood almost overwhelmed him.
    Eyes closed as teeth grit behind pursed lips. He took a slow breath even as Phillep muttered behind him, "Price."
    "I know," he said, and looked over. "Anna, Lindsay, I want you to stay out here. You too Kim." He met the last girl's eyes and she shrugged, knowing he was placing her there more for protection than anything. "Phil, come on."
    Lindsay's eyes were huge as she huddled into Kim, watching as Price gingerly tested the doorknob. It turned without a problem and he opened it just enough to allow him and Phillep to slip inside. Hopefully sparing the girls the scene that met them as soon as they were in.
    "Oh my god," Phillep whispered, as Price swallowed and stepped closer to Jon. Or what was Jon, for it definitely wasn't him anymore. He'd been mutilated, murdered, and the worst thing about it was the look on his face. One of pleasure, of hopeful adoration.
    At least until Price turned him over, and saw what was on his chest.
    Hi Mr. Kee.

    "Oh, don't worry about that," Julianna assured him with a grin. "If some crazed bomber is following me, I'd definitely lead him away from your house. I can't imagine how long it'd take to rebuild it." She shuddered at the thought and giggled at the question on his face. "A very nice young man who works for Daybreak. Doesn't that just make you laugh??" Nodding firmly, trying to hold back another giggle, she agreed, "Oh yes, Cujo's going to become a top notch guard dog while he's with me. He'll have to." That caused a bit of a frown, because there was truth there. Julianna's life wasn't exactly the safest, no matter how careless she was about the fact, and she was putting a dog in direct line of fire.
    Hmmm.
    "That's okay, we'll just make a big cuddle pile," she assured him, eyes dancing merrily. "And then it'll only feel like you went out in the snow." Her mouth stretched into a teasing smile then. "We'll have to share all kinds of body heat then, to make sure we're all properly warm."
    Nodding again, Julianna slid her hand down Daisy's neck once more. "Oh definitely. I mean, a horse is much bigger than a dog, doesn't that give it clear authority?? Plus it's easier for it to maintain that authority, when all it has to do is step on a dog to punish it." A little giggle, just at the thought of Daisy giving Cujo a warning step, and she stroked the horse again.
    The sound of barking drew her head around, brows raising in surprise. They weren't that far away from the house, having gone in a semi-circular pattern, and she could clearly see the outside lights. Barking traveled easily across that distance, and she'd never heard that kind from Gamble's dogs before. Loud, angry, with a bit of a snarling edge, and it sounded like they were all involved. "Are they okay??" she asked with obvious concern.

    "Aye," he agreed, giving her a mock-regretful look. "I'm afraid ye'll 'ave tae find yer amusement elsewhere, luv." Shoulders shrugged at her words, a light chuckle accompanying it. "No' at all. I bet men only 'ave tae look at ya tae want ye. It's just yer always too busy tae take tha time for 'em." His words were light but there might have been the faintest hint of disapproval to his voice, as if he knew she overworked herself too much of the time.
    Patrick nodded in agreement with her words, and smiled. "Gift 'as rented tha upper levels o' a 'otel fer 'er people, so I'm currently residin' wit' them."

    Christian rose his glass in a silent toast to Darshan and Gift smirked faintly again. "You bit very hard today," she said, and it was hard to miss the approval in her voice. And again, the envy. "We'll have to see what she decides to poke you with next time."
    "A bigger stick," Christian muttered into his glass, before draining it. It wasn't like they often saw hints of Terra being original, or even creative.
    "You'd be the only one," Gift said dryly when Darshan claimed forgetting the toaster incident. "These people need to get new stories. Though that's been a particular favorite for many, many years." And likely always would, more's the pity. She refilled her glass again. "I don't think there was much choice in where to send her. I attempted to give her to Keller earlier, to put in a safehouse, but she walked away from her to come to Mace. At least here she's got friends and is content to stay, so she won't be out wandering when unfriendly people are doing the same."
    She and Christian fell silent at the idea of other things sunk into Jayden, varying shades of wistfulness on their faces. The man hadn't won points with anyone, clearly. Gift poured herself another shot as Christian licked his lips.

    C.J. batted her lashes at Sahar as they toasted, and Queenie chuckled throatily as drinks were tossed. Hazy golden eyes followed a yummy half-naked boy as he strutted by, and the lioness gave a huge sigh.
    "He's not??" C.J. inquired of Sahar, seeming genuinely curious. She didn't think she'd ever met Galen, how should she know??
    Grabbing an empty shot glass, the tiger began mixing the other shots into it. A little tequila, a little vodka, a little gin. A little bit of everything. She stirred it with her finger and slowly put it to her lips, tongue coming out to slide over the tasty mix even as her eyes met a pair from the stage. The man's brows were raised high and C.J. smiled cheekily, slowly sliding her finger into her mouth and then out again. The stripper threw back his head and laughed, even as the tight little Speedo he was wearing became a little...tighter.
    Giggling, C.J. looked at Sahar. "Yep, girlfriend. I wanna say soulmate, even." She considered it for two seconds, then shrugged and tossed her multi-laced drink. Now /that/ was a wowser, and she almost felt it float right up to her head. Sighing happily, she set the glass down and blinked at it when it...jumped. Why would a glass do that?? Then a naked leg came into her view and she looked up. It was the horny stripper! He was dancing on their table.
    "Hey, you said I couldn't do that," she pouted at Sahar, grinning happily up at the man as he wiggled his ass. Queenie was staring with heat flooding her face and eyes, and she couldn’t resist reaching forward to touch a richly tanned leg. Yuuuum.

    Ash sucked hungrily at the blood, aware but uncaring of his surroundings. He felt someone come closer, the tang of more human flesh twitching his nose, which meant it wasn't anyone he knew. Fucking nosy humans.
    "Hello, I was looking for---hey!" The masculine voice held the same accent as the girl he was holding, which explained why the human grabbed him and wrenched him away from her. Angry blue eyes stared at him, though his grip was gentle as he took hold of the girl. "What the hell is that about?? Stay away from her."
    Licking his lips, ugly brown eyes staring from under heavy lids, Ash raised a brow. "What if she doesn't want to stay away??" His voice was low and liquid, just edging into taunting. A muscle flexed in his right arm.
    Yakov eyed the man for a minute, arm sliding around Katya's shoulders as he held his sister close. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but we're leaving. And don't ever come near my sister again."
    Brows raised a little higher but Ash didn't move, and Yakov took a step to the side, with every intention of leaving the floor and possibly getting a new hotel. But he didn't get a step further, because a woman suddenly materialized at the other man's arm. A...beautiful woman, entrancing and all-out erotic, but it was a fleeting thought when Yakov had his strangely acting sister to look after.
    "Ash, what have you done??" Blaise asked, looking between the two humans. The girl had that dazed look of a recent vampire victim and she gave her cousin a disapproving look.
    Ash shrugged. "He saw," he said indifferently. "Can't really let them go now, can we??"

    "I'm also very hard to argue with," Galen said, with a small smile. He sighed softly against her lips as she turned his light kiss into something more, tension he hadn't been aware he was carrying draining out of him. Nothing was easier than being with Keller. "Maybe I will," he murmured, "since you'd likely object to me falling asleep next to you all sweaty." The day hadn't started out cool, after all.

    Anna followed Price into the building, feeling a faint murmur of his nerves through the soulmate bond. It set her own stomach on edge, and she didn't protest when Price told the girls to stay in the hallway. The glance of blood-soaked carpet that she caught through the open door was enough to make her stomach lurch uncomfortably. She had just enough presence of mind to position herself with careful nonchalance between the door and the other two women. Kim seemed about ready to spit nails, but Lindsay didn't look like she would be able to handle even a glimpse of whatever scene was waiting for them inside.
    Hi Mr. Kee. The letters were carved shakily, and became even more so towards the end, the final ‘e’ trailing along the stomach, as if the hand cutting them had jerked at the last. A moment later, the phone rang, the innocuous sound shrill and ominous in the silence of the apartment.

    "Well, it would keep me busy," Gamble said agreeably, with a glance towards his house. A grin pulled at his lips when she mentioned that her explosives happy friend was a /Daybreaker/. "Ah, well, I can't say I'm too surprised. Some of them folks at Daybreak are a bit too tightly wound for their own good."
    He didn't argue when she talked about making Cujo into a guard dog, but he did smile a little. He shuddered as she talked about the snow, and all the cold wet. "Then I'll be gettin' all the bad parts of the snow without actually gettin' to play in it. That's not any kind of fair."
    The baying of the dogs kept him from saying anything more, and his own eyebrows drew in. His expression turned concerned, and his eyes became wary, because all joking aside, his dogs actually were trained to be guards as well as companions. "I don't know, darlin'. I'm going to go see what's got them all riled like that. Could just be a raccoon, but you stay here. Dismount, and keep Daisy's body between yourself and the house." Because he didn't think it was a raccoon, not when they sounded like that, and a person on horseback made an awful big target. He wasn't without enemies, and nor was she, and he couldn't be too careful when it came to keeping Julianna safe.
    He turned his mare toward the house, cantering up at an easy pace, his expression focused but not harsh.

    Ai echoed his shrug, but she couldn't really argue. No, she had never had trouble finding men. Although she had trouble finding men that interested her, much of the time. She certainly had trouble finding men who interested her and were willing to put up with her odd and often hectic schedule. The hint of disapproval in his voice got another shrug, although this one held the slightest hint of sheepishness. No one else would have gotten that much, but Patrick was a friend. "I never lack companionship when I want it. Isn't that enough?" Although, in truth, she wouldn't mind having it a little more often. Not sex, necessarily, but someone she was comfortable with who wasn't in her employ.
    "Ah, Gift," she said, with a low chuckle. "She always did know how to do things. How is she, these days?" She couldn't remember the last time she had seen the woman. She thought that Gift might possibly be the only person in the world with a schedule as busy as her own.

    The approval and envy in Gift's voice actually drew a smile from Darshan, although the look that he sent Christian was not a happy one. "Probably," he said, because while Terra wasn't creative, she could be terrifyingly effective. A bigger stick might do the trick.
    "I think I may have forgotten on purpose," he admitted, and thought, as he poured another glass, that perhaps it would be best to forget again. The news of Sahar's stubborn refusal to be put out of harm's way simply made him grunt, because, really, it wasn't news. Someday, he was going to beat some sense into that child.
    "Red-hot pokers," he muttered, tossing back his drink, and it could only be hoped that he was thinking about Jayden and not the lioness in his charge.

    "Not a zombie," Sahar repeated, raising her now empty glass to signal the waiter for another She watched the interplay between C.J. and the man on the stage, then tossed her head back in a laugh of her own. "I think he likes you, sugar. Sure you don't want to leave your grumpy, albeit good-looking, old dragon and run away with the stripper king? Speeeedo."
    "Too bad," she sighed. Price from Daybreak had really been quite yummy, but even Sahar had some scruples when it came to sex, and she wasn't about to try to seduce a man with a soulmate. Probably wouldn't work, even if she did try it, and /that/ would be a blow to her ego.
    She too seemed momentarily baffled when a leg made its way onto their table, before she tilted her head back. Really, the view from down here was quite splendid. C.J.'s question made her laugh again, and she shot the other woman a cheeky smile. "See, I told you so."

    Katya blinked dazedly as she was released, but relaxed as familiar arms took a hold of her. Yakov. She could recognize Yakov anywhere, without even looking, without hearing his voice buzzing angrily in her ears like it was now. The words didn't make sense, though, and not just because he was speaking in English. Her head was swimming, and she barely even noticed when the beautiful, black-haired woman stepped into the hall. Noticed a little more when another door opened and another woman approached the group, her hair rumpled as if she had been sleeping.
    But looks could be deceiving, and Irene used the few seconds it took her to smooth her hair and blink pretend sleep out of her eyes to assess the situation. Two humans, one of them obviously bitten. Things never could be simple, could they? "In the hotel corridor?" she wondered, her voice neutral but the disapproval implied.

    "I suppose I can't argue with that, now can I," Keller said with a little wink. The following kiss was warm and soft and did a lot in erasing most of the tension caused from the day. Of course, Galen was really good at that in general.
    "I wouldn't object, but I just wouldn't touch you," she murmured back, giving him another lingering kiss before stepping back. Kissing Galen was, is, and would always be a dangerous thing when she had something else in mind to do. "I should be out shortly."

    Price could only stare at the words on Jon's belly for several minutes, his eyes dry and burning, as rage built in his gut. It was hot and hard and kept getting bigger as his gaze traced that jagged 'e' again and again.
    Someone had done this on purpose, with cruelty and hurt in mind. And they were going to pay for it.
    Phillep looked like he was two seconds from throwing up, his eyes wide as he stared at his friend. What was left of his friend. His cheeks kept blowing out like a fish's as he took huge breaths. The ringing phone made him jump, pressing his back against the wall as if waiting for an attack. Whomever had done this to Jon had clearly done it with purpose, and knew Price and the team, so what was to keep him from coming back??
    Seeming quite calm and collected, aside from the glittering look to his eye, Price reached over for the phone. Even his voice was even and calm as he said, "Hello??"

    "Not when you can be doing such other nice things," Julianna tsked the idea with another grin. Not to mention Gift would be mad at her, if her weapon's maker was out of business to rebuild his house. Though it would be a pretty funny story to tell. Sometimes. "And it may seem strange, but Price is the least tightly wound person I know." She mused over that, because the little explosives-happy vampire /was/ rather easy-going and calm. Very laid-back. Interesting. Maybe he was working so others could live vicariously??
    The thought of making Cujo a guard dog, and all of the problems with that idea, were put aside when Gamble shuddered. "Does that mean you're going to join me in the snow then??" she teased. "It'll be more fun."
    The ruckus from the dogs and Gamble's following words made her eyes widen slightly, but she nodded without complaint. "Be careful," she couldn't help but say, watching him ride off towards the noise. Holding firmly to the horn of the saddle, she managed to slide off Daisy with only a little stumble, then pulled her reins around to hold them comfortably.
    The dogs were howling and growling, a few barking, and it was all towards the man sitting in one of Gamble's porch rockers. He didn't seem particularly worried about the noise from the dogs, didn't seem to even mind it, hands laced lazily over his belly, one leg outstretched to let him rock gently. A dark head rolled to the side when he picked up the sound of an approaching horse, and he pushed calmly to his feet when Gamble came into clearer view. "Didn't mean to disturb your evening," Ry called out in a good-natured voice.

    The shrugs made Patrick's expression turn just slightly disapproving, because Ai was a friend, and he cared for his friends. "After a while, luv, nay, tis no' enough. Especially considerin' yer situation." She had been with Adam for so long, in a close quarters kind of atmosphere, he was surprised she hadn't craved that again before.
    A chuckle escaped when Gift was brought up, Patrick's eyes going soft and fond. "She's great, as always. Controllin' tha world in 'er own perfect way. She'd prob'ly like tae see ya while yer 'ere, if ye've got time."

    The smile from Darshan drew a tolerant roll of the eyes from Gift this time, before both she and Christian turned thoughtful. From what they'd seen and experienced just today, a bigger stick was worthy of some thought. What would she trot out this time??
    "And I think we should work very hard tonight in forgetting again," was Gift's only addition to Darshan's admittance, as she took the bottle back from Darshan and refilled her own glass. Christian took his turn next, and smiled at the dragon's mutter. Wonder where /he/ took that thought.
    Another bottle was opened and Christian sighed faintly. Sometimes, he wished it didn't take them so long to get drunk.

    "Good. Zombies suck," C.J. said helpfully, and finished the rest of her shots. The waiter saw their emptiness and went to get some more, as C.J. smiled at the prettiness on stage. Of course, Sahar's suggestion of, gasp, /leaving/ Darshan made her eyes widen and her jaw drop. "Noooooo. /My/ dragon. No one beats him. Nooooo one." Though she didn't think she'd ever get Darshan into a Speedo. She barely got him to wear tshirts.
    Queenie was snickering into her half-full glass. "I think that last drink went down deep," she mock-whispered to Sahar. Because when someone could make a one syllable word into three or four, they were definitely deep.
    "Too bad," C.J. echoed, with no sympathy whatsoever because she already had the best soulmate alive. "But there are plenty of cats in the litter, right?? More than plenty to choose from." Mmm, kiiiiiiitties.
    Queenie's snickering had turned into chortling. And full out laughing when the stripper bounced onto the table and started gyrating his hips in a very revealing fashion.
    "Told me what??" C.J. inquired, licking her lips as she eyed the man's Speedo. Yuuuum. Though it left nothing to the imagination and she definitely knew Darshan beat this guy.
    Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Darshan.
    The waiter appeared then, passing out more drinks, and she sighed happily. Having seen her attention was diverted, the stripper heaved a mock-sigh and winked at Sahar, before climbing off the table. Queenie gave a mocking clap of her hands, which only made his brows raise before he got...really close.
    They didn't call it the Happy Lap for nothing.

    Yakov's arm curved more and tightened around his sister, holding her close and protective at his side. Ash looked between them, head tilted slightly, eyes still an ugly green color.
    Blaise tossed her hair, then gave a narrow-eyed look to the woman who'd appeared as Ash shrugged. "This whole floor is ours, why not," he said carelessly, looking down at his empty hand, as if he expected a bottle to be there.
    Blaise rolled her eyes, then fixed them on the woman again. Didn't look familiar. "And who are you, exactly??"

    Keller's candid response made Galen chuckle, and he cupped her cheek gently as she leaned in for another kiss. It was difficult to let go, but finally he did so, and stepped towards the door. "I'll take a shower when you're done, in that case," he said, with another soft chuckle. "Since I don't want you shying away from my touch for the whole evening."

    There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, before Peter responded, voice smooth and cultured with just the faintest hint of an accent. "I'm sure, Mr. Kee, that the question running through your mind right now is "who?" Who could do such a thing, and why?" There was a momentary pause, not quite long enough for Price to make a response, before he went on. "However, that is not the question you should be asking. What you should be asking is this: who's next?"

    "I suppose," Gamble agreed, although the thought of demolishing his house and rebuilding was an interesting one. It would certainly fill many long hours. It didn't really seem worth it, though. He had grown rather fond of his house in the last few years. He flashed her a grin as they spoke about Price. "That's probably why. All that blowin' up of stuff has relaxed him. What did that Freud fellow call it? Catharsis. Gettin' all his anger out. Of course, if all of Daybreak starts with that method, it could get a bit messy." Another elaborate shudder was his only response to her suggested snow play.
    Then the dogs started barking, and he made his way towards the house, with a wave of acknowledgement to Julianna, a silent promise that he would be careful. The look on his face as he approached was friendly enough to match the good-natured tone of voice that the man addressed him in, and he shrugged easily in response to the words. "It's no trouble. What can I be doin' for you, stranger?"

    "My situation," Ai echoed, sounding faintly amused, although she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Which situation would that be, Patrick?"
    The amusement deepened and became more real as they spoke about Gift. "Ah, yes. If anyone can or will rule the world, it's Gift. Occasionally, I get the feeling that we're all just puppets and she's holding all of our strings. Rather disconcerting, that." She nodded, and took another sip of her wine. "I'd like to see her, too. It's been far too long."

    "I think that sounds like a very good idea," Darshan agreed, and took the newly opened bottle in order to pour himself another shot. "Of course," he said, his voice becoming faintly morose, "I have no doubt that as soon as we manage to forget it, one of my newly acquired vassals will manage to remind us." The word 'vassals' had an unmistakable sardonic drawl to it, clearly stating his feelings on the subject.

    The sound that came trickling out of Sahar's mouth was almost a giggle. Almost. "No one beats Darshan, hrm? I don't think I want to know the specifics on that one." She winked at Queenie, nodding. "I think that is an accurate assessment of C.J.'s sobriety, yes," she said, with another almost-giggle. "What about Wes? How does he compare to C.J.'s new best... friend?"
    She watched appreciatively as the stripper climbed off of their table, and gave a happy bounce when the waiter brought more drinks, scooping up her margarita before he had a chance to place it on the table. Then she looked up and saw the position that Queenie was in, and laughed, giving another happy little bounce in her seat. These girls knew how to have fun, and she was at a loss as to why she didn't hang out with them more often.

    The haze in Katya's mind was clearing, but she still clung to her brother, feeling like she needed the support. It wasn't a feeling she was accustomed to; while she always knew that Yakov was there if she needed him, she was well able to stand on her own two feet. That thought alone was enough to clear some of the lingering disorientation, and she shook herself, standing a little straighter. A frown started to cross her features, and she reached up slowly to touch the side of her neck.
    "Irene Adler," was the response, as she held out one limp, slender hand for Blaise to shake. "And you are Blaise Harman, unless I am very much mistaken."

    Reaching over quickly, since the water was almost threatening to jump over the edge of the tub, Keller did give a swift smile over her shoulder. “Good.” Because it would be hard to stay away from Galen, but some things she couldn’t surpass. Cleanliness was one of them. “I’ll try not to be too long.” It was late already and she did need to call Price and see if he’d be willing to arrange that meeting with Darshan in the morning.

    The soft voice murmured caressingly into his ear and all Price could do was stare at the wall facing him. Pupils dilated as anger made his face tighter, even paler. Fingers tightened slowly on the phone until there was the slightest whisper of breaking plastic.
    “I don‘t need to ask,” he finally decided. “I’m next. You’re clearly after me so why don’t you just get on with it??”

    Julianna looked after Gamble as he galloped towards the noisy house, a frown starting to twitch at her lips. This was certainly sudden, and considering everything that was going on, she was a little worried. Daisy butted her arm gently and she rubbed the mare’s nose. Another roll of thunder rumbled overhead, this one closer and louder, and a light wind blew over the desert. The rain was definitely coming. Maybe even a storm.
    Inclining his head, Ry took a few easy steps in the man’s direction. “I’m looking for some new friends and I’ve heard you’re the man to go to. I know it’s late for business, but I wasn’t sure what hours you worked.” He gave a laid back shrug, though in the darkness, his eyes were sharp on Gamble’s face.

    A gentle smile curved Patrick’s lips, and one hand reached over to lightly touch her hair. “Yer a people person, luv. Ya need good people tae surround yerself wit’.”
    The idea of Gift as a puppet master made Patrick chuckle deeply. “While tha idea does ‘ave its merit, I dun think she’d do tha’. She prefers tae see wha’ we do all on our own, as opposed tae always pullin’ tha strings ‘aforehand.” He topped up his glass, offering some to her as he nodded. “She’ll likely know, but I’ll tell ‘er yer ‘ere. Prob’ly be expectin’ tae ‘ear from ‘er soon.”

    “Well, as long as we stay in here, we’re safe,” Christian said with a faint grin. “There are lots of things it’d be nice to forget while I can.”
    “You do get awfully moody when you’re drinking,” Gift mused, refilling her glass again. She wished idly there was a bigger shot glass in this house, but she was starting to feel mild effects from the alcohol. Eight empty bottles later. Luckily the company was so good. “How are your vassals taking this, by the way??” A brow rose in Darshan’s direction.

    C.J.’s eyes went soft and dreamy as she thought about Darshan. It was disgusting. Queenie gave a shake of her head, mumbling under her breath about how they’d come out to view pretty male flesh and /some/ people still thought about their soulmates. Just disgusting. “If we get her more drinks, do you think she’ll forget about Darshan??” she asked the other lioness, smirking, because the thought of C.J. loaded around half-naked men when Darshan wasn’t on the brain was worthy of a smirk. “And of course Wes beats all these guys, but I still appreciate them. I don’t think Wes would wear a thong. Even for me.”
    Which wasn’t a bad thing, in all honesty.
    Granted, she simply had to appreciate the yumminess when it was right.in.front.of.her. It was so unbelievably hard to /not/ touch all that flesh, when it was warm and soft and enticing just inches from her own body. “Evil,” she decided, looking up at the stripper through dark lashes. “Do you know what they do to evil boys in this city??”
    “Pay them very well,” the stripper purred back, rubbing his delicious ass against her knee. Queenie had to fan herself.
    C.J., meanwhile, was declaring her undying love for the waiter as he lined up the shots for her. He was grinning and it was hard to tell if he was taking it seriously or not.

    Loosening his arm when Katya straightened, Yakov still kept a protective hold on her as he glared at all of the people present. With his sister touching her neck and the man who’d…been doing whatever still looking at her, he desperately wanted to get off this floor.
    But the dark-haired beauty was shooting considering glances at him, and it was making him uneasy. After another glance, she settled on the blond and nodded. “I am,” she agreed, taking Irene’s hand for a brief shake. “Irene Adler, that’s a pretty impressive name as well. I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
    Ash was still looking at the cute little foreigner. He was still a little hungry.

    "I'll check on you in a bit to make sure that you haven't fallen asleep in the tub," Galen promised. He paused briefly on his way out, one hand resting lightly on the doorframe. "Do you want me to call Price while you bathe? That way, you can fall right into bed after you're clean." After all, he was just as capable of setting up a meeting as she was, and he was still on possession of both of their cell phones.

    "Mr. Kee," Peter replied, a gentle reproach in his voice, "I don't intend to kill you at all. Not for a very long time, at least. First I'm going to kill everyone that you hold dear. Or rather, help them to kill themselves, just like I did for darling Jon. Perhaps I'll visit sweet Lindsay first. She has such a soft, malleable mind. I wager that she would do anything for me, if I asked. I'll have her cut herself open with a spoon, and I'll play with her insides, and she'll thank me for doing it. Or perhaps your little girlfriend will be next. She's not really involved, of course, save for her connection to you, but that's enough. I think that I would like to watch her fuck herself to death with one of her own kitchen knives. What do you think? I could take pictures for you, if you like."

    The rumble of the thunder made Gamble glance upwards briefly, before he turned his attention back to the man. As the stranger stepped towards him, Gamble dismounted easily, ambling forward to meet him. "I'd be happy to deal with you, although I'm a bit choosy about who I sell to, as I reckon you've been told. Now isn't an ideal time for business, though. Why don't I give you my phone number, and we can arrange for you to come back and take a look around tomorrow?"
    His expression was still open and easy, but his eyes remained careful, fixed on the stranger's face. Not worried, not yet, and he raised his hand towards the front door, a quick signal meant to silence the dogs. It worked, although there were still a few growls of discontent. "Might I ask who I have the pleasure of talkin' to?"

    "I surround myself with plenty of good people," Ai said, reaching up to catch his hand as he touched her hair. "Just look at who I'm keeping company with right now."
    "That does sound like Gift," she said. She smiled a little when he said that Gift would probably already know that she was there, because /that/ sounded like Gift, too. "Good. I look forward to hearing from her."

    "Our Christian has the weight of the world on his shoulders," Darshan commented drolly, eyeing the pale contents of his shot glass with a lazy eye. "Didn't you know?"
    Gift's question made him grimace, ever-so-faintly. "Ah, yes, that. Mace understands the need for it, and I believe that the rest of them do too. That said, it's not easy for them, but they seem to be accepting it. They're no longer particularly comfortable with my presence, needless to say. Whether it's because of my control over them or simply because this has served as a reminder of what I'm capable of, I am unable to say."

    "No," Sahar replied bluntly. Nothing would make C.J. forget Darshan, of that she was certain. It really was as disgusting as it was sweet, most of the time. She smiled lazily at the thought of Wes in a thong. "You should ask him, and see."
    She sighed happily as she was presented with the front view of the stripper's rotating hips as he gave Queenie her lap dance, and laughed softly as she overheard C.J.'s professed love for the waiter. It seemed that Darshan came in before pretty stripper boys, but after hard liquor.

    It was a moment longer before Katya found her voice, and a moment beyond that before she could find the proper words in English. "You /bit/ me." She didn't sound confused or upset. She sounded pissed.
    "I received and invitation, and decided to accept it," Irene replied, with an elegant shrug. She turned to look at the human couple with the air of someone confronting a problem, and really that was what she was doing. Because she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she wouldn't raise a finger to help them if it jeopardized her mission. The need of the many outweighed the need of the few, and she was selfish enough not to want to risk herself for them when she had a very compelling reason not to. It would certainly break her cover.
    "We have to do something about them," she said to Blaise, her tone indifferent. "Memory wipe?"

    After a moment of consideration, Keller's eyes lit with warmth as she smiled at him. "That would be nice, thank you." Because it would be nice to just be able to get out and then go to bed. Gods love him, but Price would probably keep her on the phone longer than she'd feel like. Plus she might be tempted to make a few other calls and that wouldn't help the going to bed thing.

    Price's dilated eyes slowly glazed over and the paleness was replaced with a faint red. Phillep had stopped hyperventilating by then, but the look on his friend's face was almost enough to make him start again.
    Just the imagery of what this man was saying filled Price with thoughts that were not Daybreaker. His hand continued tightening on the phone, harder and harder, and he didn't have a choice to answer in the end. His grip became too much for the plastic receiver, and it crackled and collapsed and crumbled to the floor in pieces. It got rid of the voice, at least.
    But Price just kept staring at the wall for several long minutes.

    "Of course, I'd expect nothing else," Ry agreed, eyes sliding off the porch as there was another rumble. And the rain started to come down. "Doesn't look like it's going to be such a nice night, after such a nice day. But yes, of course, tomorrow would be excellent. Is there any particular time I should be calling??"
    Eyes slid over to the screen door, where several dogs were still glaring quite menacingly at him. Ry merely smiled and looked back at Gamble. "Of course. The name's Ry Densevetti."

    Patrick smiled again, one finger tracing down the length of one of hers. Little touches and caresses that were just natural to him, because women deserved it. "Aye, but tha's only now, luv. No' on a normal basis, see??"
    When she made no motion for more wine, Patrick set it aside, smiling again. "Aye, Gift knows 'ow tae control 'er world wit'out bein' obvious. It'll prob'ly be good fer both o' ya tae take a break then."

    Gift smirked as Christian waved a dismissive hand at both of them. "Hey, I didn't get to sleep through so many thousands of years," he observed, before eyeballing Gift. "And you're still a child."
    Well, no argument there. Gift raised her glass in a toast even, and tossed her drink with a chuckle. "They have always been pretty adaptable," she agreed with Darshan's summary of the gang. "And it's likely your control over them, I would think. After having you be so calm and neutral in the past, and now you're suddenly in charge, they don't know what you want or how to act with you. Not sure if talking to them about it would help at this point, and hopefully this situation will be over before it becomes grossly necessary."

    "Well, it was a thought," Queenie shrugged, glancing at C.J. Who looked like she should have a cloud hanging over her, just so she could stick her head in it. Maybe it wasn't /such/ a bad thing, because it kept her head from other things. "And I don't think I'll be doing that. He'd do it just to torture me." Guys didn't belong in thongs. Hell, /women/ didn't belong in thongs. That entire idea was just wrong.
    The lap dance was worth a twenty, which Queenie obligingly slipped into the man's bikini. He smiled slowly at her, a smile obviously meant to melt a woman's heart. And other things. But Queenie was not so easily won over, so she gave a similar look in return, along with a pronounced lip licking.
    The stripper laughed. "Now I know to stay away from this table," he said, tossing another wink at Sahar before hopping back onto the stage. The other strippers were vacating the bar with waves and blown kisses. Even C.J. noticed, as she lined up her shots for another throw down.
    "What's going on??" she asked curiously. The lights dimmed around them, making cat eyes blink in the sudden dark.
    "Ooh, I think it's one of their special shows," Queenie mused, as music started thumping hard enough to make glasses rattle gently on table tops.

    Ash smiled at the girl. "And you liked it. Want to try it again??"
    That flayed Yakov's temper and he took a threatening step towards the man. /No one/ talked to his sister like that, and no one /did/ that to his sister. Why had he /bitten/ her??
    "Ash," Blaise said admonishingly, before turning back to Irene. Seemed plausible enough, considering how many people were abounding. "Yes, a memory wipe should work fine."
    "I'm still hungry," Ash pointed out, voice oh so reasonable. "Why can't I just finish what I started??"
    "You can't finish both and you can't leave one without the other," Blaise told him.
    Shoulders lifted in a shrug at that, before another voice cut in. "I probably could." Damon stood in his open doorway, one shoulder leaning elegantly against the doorframe as he observed the small grouping. Eyes ran with little interest over Irene before settling on the two humans. "I can finish one so Ash can have his fill."

    "I'll do that," Galen said, and left her to her bath, closing the bathroom door behind him. He made his way into the main part of the room, pausing briefly to look out the window. The view was spectacular, looking down on Treasure Island and the front of the Bellagio hotel. He let the curtain fall back into place, then pulled out the two cell phones. Keller's, still turned off, was put in the bedside table's one drawer. He used his own to dial Price's number.

    Anna had remained silently in the hall, trying to ignore the copper-thick smell of blood that came through the door, perceptible even to a human nose. No need to ask what they had found in there, not really, and she didn't really want or need to see it, so the hall seemed like a good place to be.
    The cracking of plastic as the phone broke made her twist in place. "Guys?" she asked, since 'is everything okay?' seemed like a silly thing to say when everything was obviously not.

    "Yeah, the weather has been playin' havoc," Gamble agreed easily, one again glancing upwards. And getting smacked in the nose by a fat drop of rain, as the skies opened up and it started pouring. "Call any time you like. I'm an early riser, and I don't get to sleep 'til late most nights. If you don't get an answer, just leave a message and I'll get back to you."
    "Ry Densevetti," he murmured. "I know that name." Not much, but he did know it. "Ah, well, I'll be seein' you tomorrow, Mr. Densevetti. Right now, I had best be gettin' back to my lady, since it's rainin' and I left her sitting out in the desert when the dogs got riled."

    The touch of his fingers against hers was nice, the comfortable and familiar touch of a friend, and Ai relaxed further into the booth. "Fair enough," she said, but with a smile and a shrug that said that, while she couldn't argue, she also wasn't willing to concede.
    "Do either of us ever take breaks?" she asked, a little wryly.

    "Yes, well, if you think that living through all those years was boring, try sleeping through them," Darshan remarked, his tone dry but a faint smile on his lips.
    "That does seem likely," he admitted, after Gift had said her piece. "I've never taken a stance other than neutrality before this, and I admit that my actions of today were probably somewhat... unexpected. I may talk to them soon, but I think that Mace and Luke have done more to reassure them about the current situation than I could hope to achieve."

    "Good torture or bad torture?" Sahar asked. The stripper's comment was met with a laugh, and she returned the wink with a lascivious eyebrow wiggle before he made his way back onto the stage. He learned quickly it would seem; three Night World women on the prowl were likely to be trouble, even in Las Vegas, with Daybreak hovering nearby.
    The eyebrows went from lascivious to raised in surprise as the lights dimmed and the music started thumping, the dark not a problem for feline eyes but the music a bit much for feline ears. It took her a moment to adjust, before she flashed Queenie a grin, teeth gleaming white in the darkness. "This ought to be fun."

    The comment made Katya's eyes narrow angrily, but there was something else there now as well, and that was fear. Because she had enjoyed it. He had /done/ something to her, something which had made everything pleasant and cloudy, had made it not matter that he was /biting/ her. That loss of control was scarier than the thought of teeth had ever been, and she reached out to stop her brother when he took a step forward.
    Then the other man appeared, and she couldn't understand much of what they were saying, but she was sure she didn't like it. "Maybe we should just... go," she said to Yakov, softly, and in Russian.
    The witch had agreed, and for a moment, it seemed to Irene that she would be able to get the two kids out of there with nothing worse than a little blood loss and a few memory gaps. Then the Redfern protested, and the second man appeared, and things became difficult again. When had they ever been anything but?
    "Very well," she said, with a shrug to echo Ash's, "but you should probably know that these two will be missed, should they go missing." She flicked a glance over the siblings, addressing them for the first time. "I saw you dance once in New York. You're very good." No harm in bringing up the star status of their captives; information was her coin for trade, after all.

    Keller smiled at the closed door, then focused her attention on her bath.

    Expression still bordering on bored, though her eyes had gotten tight and her mouth grim, Kim looked at the door. No more noise was coming through, after that ringing phone and the murmur of voices, and the crack of breaking plastic. Lindsay was sobbing again, though more quietly this time.
    After Anna spoke, another moment passed before Phillep slipped through the cracked door. His face was pale, even for a vampire, and his eyes were dark. The expression said it all. "Price said we should go," he said quietly, voice low and husky. "None of us are to be alone, so unless you have other friends you can stay with Anna, you're with us."
    Back in the apartment, the buzz of his cell phone on his hip didn't make Price move right away. He just kept staring at the wall, the smell of old blood tweaking his nose and making his stomach lurch. He couldn't look at Jon again. It would just make him that much more angry.
    It finally seemed to register that his phone was ringing. Movements slow and precise, he pulled it out and put it to his ear. "Hello??" His voice was quiet, calm, maybe even thoughtful.

    Ry nodded in understanding at his words. "It'll probably be pretty early tomorrow morning then. I'm an early riser myself." When one didn't need to sleep, why do it??
    A faint grin curved his lips, modest but mostly uncaring. "I get around." His eyes went back to the sky as the rain came down like a thick sheet. "Hopefully she won't get lost in it. But yes, I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Oak. Thank you for your..." His voice trailed off because he saw a figure slowly coming through the rain, walking close to a horse as it led the animal through the downpour.
    Eyes sharpened with sudden, acute interest when he recognized the woman. Hmmm. Maybe fate was having some fun with him.
    Hair sodden and limp against her face and shoulders, Julianna stopped beside the porch and gave a slightly sheepish smile to Gamble. "Sorry, but I didn't hear the dogs barking anymore and you were right, rain isn't as much when you're alone." Not to mention she wouldn't be very good at her job if she didn't get involved.
    With that in mind, unable to help herself, her eyes slid to the other man on the porch. Brows arched in surprised recognition. "Hi Ry." Curiosity peeked through her eyes. "What are you doing here??"
    Ry smiled at the wet woman. "Julianna, a pleasure to see you again."

    With a tried but patient sigh, Patrick just shook his head and smiled at her. She was a strong, independent woman who was used to taking care of her world, and he respected that. Didn't mean he didn't think she needed more people in her life.
    A rumbling chuckle came out again. "Fair enough. E'en while supposedly takin' a break, ye'll both be talkin' work."

    Christian laughed softly and raised his glass in acknowledgement. "I'll go with that. I'm surprised you even sleep anymore, after all of those years."
    "Unexpected," Gift repeated, rolling that word on her tongue. "To put it mildly, for the majority of our acquaintances. And that might be your best bet, as well. With how uncertain the gang is of you right now, going through Mace and Luke will likely save everyone some pain. At least let them become more used to the situation before approaching them."

    Queenie opened her mouth, then closed it with a smirk. "Well, knowing Wes, it will be good torture. But still. Thongs." A little shudder, though she couldn't deny how good the strippers looked in their little underwear. It still had to be uncomfortable though.
    C.J. made little yummy sounds as she eyed her drinks, then proceeded to toss them all back again. Yes, she knew how to drink properly. Her eyes were already a little glazed, and she wiggled her fingers for more. The waiter was shaking his head but obediently started more.
    Queenie grinned back at Sahar. "They always are." As the words left her mouth, spotlights blinked on and swung over the main stage area, as a curtain broke apart. Three completely gorgeous specimens of good breeding strutted over the stage, wiggling hips and making suggestive hand gestures. Women howled and hooted, offering money, and the three men took it before turning back from where they'd come and making "here you go" gestures.
    "Jesus Christ," Queenie whispered as another man sauntered onto the stage. He was clearly the main attraction for the Lap and he was...beyond perfect.

    Another smile formed Ash's mouth, slow and silky, to match the dark hue of his blue eyes. He met the girl's gaze and the tip of his tongue lightly ran over his bottom lip.
    Yakov took another step forward, because the man seemed to be /ignoring/ him. Only his sister's hand kept him from lunging at the guy, which was good, because he needed to hear what they were saying. Because it wasn't good. His voice rough and heavy in their native language, Yakov replied to Katya, "We should, but I don't know how we'll get past them. And I /don't/ want that guy getting his hands on you again."
    Looking over at Irene, Ash shrugged at her words. "So??"
    "We don't want attention on us, Ash," Blaise said, voice bored now. "Why don't you just let them go."
    Stepping protectively in front of Katya, Yakov gave a jerky nod to the blond woman. "Thank you," he said, looking at the others. "I think we'll be going now."
    Damon studied them thoughtfully. "Professionals?? Perhaps we could use them, aside from food. Daybreak would care if humans are involved, especially if they're high profile humans."
    This was getting worse, in Yakov's eyes. Food??

    "I live in a foster home," Anna replied quietly, as if she suspected that too harsh a word would shatter someone. With the exception of Kim, they all looked like it. "I won't be alone."
    Even as she spoke, her gaze was drawn to the still partially open door behind them, the set of her mouth thoughtful and a little stubborn. "You guys go ahead," she said finally. "Stay safe." Then, without giving anyone a chance to protest, she stepped into the apartment.
    It was so much worse than she ever could have imagined.
    The only way that she avoided revisiting her dinner right then and there was to carefully avert her eyes from... from the body... choosing to focus instead on Price. She crossed the room slowly and carefully, and reached out to touch him lightly on the back, to draw his attention. Even now, good manners held her in check; he was on the phone, so she didn't talk.
    Meanwhile, Galen was speaking into the phone. "Hello, Price." By contrast, his voice was relaxed, if a little tired. If Price was lacking in his usual cheer, it wasn't so unusual for the younger man to sound calm and thoughtful that it rang any warning bells in the leopard prince's head. "Your mother asked me to call you, about setting up a meeting with the dragon. Darshan Guivre."

    Gamble was nodding in agreement, approving of the hours that Ry kept and agreeing with the proposed meeting, his expression relaxed and easy. After all, this wasn't the first time that a prospective customer had heard of him and come to wait on his doorstep, and Ry had been a good deal more pleasant than some of them.
    He turned to Julianna with a warm smile to match her sheepish one, holding out a hand to her. "Aw, that's okay. I was about to come and get you; no use standin' alone in the rain, like you said." The expression on his face turned quizzical when she and his guest greeted each other by name, but he shrugged. Since Ry hadn't answered her question, he did. "Mr. Densevetti was just here to inquire after some of my wares."

    The sigh only made Ai smile, and she leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek. "It does my heart good to know that you worry about me, though," she told him, not without affection. "That's something, isn't it?"
    She laughed outright at his next words. "Well, if Gift talks work with me, she'll be a lot more forthcoming than you have this evening," she teased. "I wouldn't doubt it, though. If our lines of work at all intercepted, we would probably /be/ working while we caught up with each other." This was said with all the fondness and fellow-feeling of one workaholic for another. She respected Gift, and not just for her abilities; if anyone could appreciate what it took to be a self-made woman, it was Ai.

    "The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak," Darshan said mildly. If he had a choice, he wouldn't sleep at all, but he was still a shape-shifter at the core and his body still had the basic needs of food and sleep. "I don't have to sleep much, though. A brief nap will usually suffice."
    "Yes, that is what I thought," Darshan agreed. "I must allow them to get used to the situation, and to me, although I hope that this is resolved before that comes to pass. When they are relaxed or distracted, they act as they always have around me." After all, the jeering had continued more-or-less undaunted during his soulmate's show earlier that evening because, for the gang, naked female flesh was much more important than a dragon's ire. He smiled wryly at the thought. "It's only when they're /thinking/ about it that they try to do foolish things like abase themselves at my feet."
    Although there hadn't been any of than since this afternoon, which made him think that Mace or Luke had already had a talk with them.

    "Very good torture," Sahar purred, and left it at that. Not that she felt particularly covetous of Wes, but she could admit that he was a very nice-looking man.
    She tipped her head back and downed half of her margarita, feeling the mild burn of the alcohol as it slid down her throat and the soft buzz that followed in its wake. Another happy little sigh, and another flashing grin sent at Queenie as they waited for the show to start.
    She leaned forward in rapt attention as the first three dancers came out, her dark eyes a little dreamy as she looked at them, but her mouth uncharacteristically silent, without any of the hollering that the other women were doing. Sometimes, all you could do with something that pretty was look at it, like art.
    Then the final man sauntered out onto the stage.
    Sahar leaned back in her chair. "Yowza. I didn't think they made 'em like that anymore." Her nostrils flared slightly as she tried to catch his scent over all the... other scents... in the club, sure that nothing that beautiful could be human.

    Katya's eyes followed the movement of Ash's tongue, but when she raised her gaze to his, she simply looked annoyed, the fear faded to an afterthought. Like she would tell him to stop being an asshole, if only she could find the words. As it was, her face was very expressive, and the message was pretty clearly written there. Katya had always been temperamental, and she didn't like being played with. Whatever else this guy had done, bit her, whatever, he was very clearly playing. That made her angry, and it was almost a relief, because anger always worked to smother her fear. When Yakov spoke, she only nodded, absently.
    The words were on the tip of Irene's tongue, but Blaise got there first. Ah, if the situation were different, she might actually like the girl. So confident, so practical. "I would also be interested in how you intended to dispose of the bodies, in the hotel where we happen to be staying, without drawing too much attention. Even if the human authorities aren't bothered by it, /other/ authorities might be." She waved a negligent hand. "Your cousin is right. Better to blank their minds and let them be."
    Then Salvatore spoke, because of course there had to be a smart one in every crowd. Of course. She couldn't even protest it, since it was a fair suggestion and to do so would risk looking too adamant about the humans' release. "Ballet dancers," she murmured, supplying information instead of voicing an actual opinion, "very talented ones. Very well-known ones."

    Phillep opened his mouth to protest when Anna rejected and went into the apartment, but it was too late. And Lindsay chose that moment to throw herself at him, sobbing heavily. Wrapping his arms around her, he patted her back soothingly. Kim's eyes glittered, then she led them back down the hallway.
    Price didn't turn when she entered, though he was obviously aware of her presence. Muscles twitched gently when she touched him and he gave a slight nod of his head to acknowledge her, then Galen was on the line. "Darshan Guivre. Yes. Okay. I'll call him in the morning and see when he's available, then call Mom and let her know. Tell her to just keep her schedule open until I contact her." He was still turned away from Anna, so the look on his face wasn't entirely noticeable. "Take care of her Galen." Then he gently ended the call. One quick look over his shoulder at the body on the floor, and he tapped in another number.

    His expression was as open and easy-going as Gamble's, but his eyes were sharp, intent. Studying the other vampire, checking him out, sizing him up. First impressions were important.
    Then Julianna was there, and Ry smiled again. And the way Gamble held out his hand to her, and how she took it, was also very interesting.
    Smiling warmly, Julianna leaned up to kiss Gamble's cheek. "Exactly, much more fun if someone else is with you. Then we could splash in puddles and dance and sing and stuff." She couldn't resist following that up by leaning her wet head on Gamble's dry shoulder, then giggling. When Ry's presence was brought up, her eyes widened slightly. "Ry Densevetti," she murmured, eyeing him with new interest. "Well that explains why you're here. Why didn't you tell me that last night??"
    Ry just smiled again. "Actually Julianna, I was wondering if I could talk to you again." Eyes flicked to Gamble, then back to her. "Alone."
    Brows rose with even more interest as Julianna's spy nose wiggled. She looked up at Gamble. "Why don't you go get our cookies started," she suggested, grinning at him. "Maybe we'll get them finished tonight then."

    Patrick chuckled. "Something, I suppose," he agreed, smiling fondly at her. Perhaps he needed to keep a closer eye on her. He couldn't help but worry, after Adam had taken a walk. The way she kept herself so busy was a subtle sign on its own, he was starting to think.
    Another smile. "If ya think she'll be more forthcomin', it's been too long since ye've seen each o'her," he observed with a wink. "But tha' I can see. Why take a break when ya can work some more??" It was actually kind of funny, how those two women had so much in common and could be such good friends, if they both weren't such workaholics.

    "Yes, poor weak flesh," Christian agreed. His own flesh was dead, so it didn't need sleep. Yay dead.
    "I for one enjoy a good night's sleep now and then," Gift said thoughtfully, downing another drink. "And I bet you enjoy one just to recuperate from C.J. now and then." She tossed a grin at Darshan, refilling her glass.
    "And maybe as an excuse to escape from other people," was Christian's helpful contribution.
    They both shared a good-natured chuckle, then Gift nodded in agreement. "When the gang thinks too much, trouble is the only answer."
    "Sometimes I miss the abasing," Christian mused, looking down at his glass.

    Queenie sighed happily, clearly having nice thoughts about her mate. Which continued into the special show for a few minutes, until she had to focus on the pretty men. Such prettiness, without the added burping and farting, was rare in her life.
    "Mmmmmm," C.J. said, eyes half-closed as she looked at the men. Then she started downing her shots, and it was hard to tell if she'd been mmming the strippers or her own thoughts.
    The main stripper sauntered down the bar, and he had at least a thousand bucks tucked into his underwear and anklets by the time he got back to the stage. During his walk, he did stop at the girls' table, looking down at them with heavy-lidded orange eyes. His own nostrils flared and he smiled silkily at them, before moving on.
    "Mmmmmmmmm," C.J. said again, her own still half-open. "He's a tiger. Yuuum. They don't make 'em like that anymore."

    Ash kept smiling at the girl, imagining how she'd look when she was dead in his arms. Better than now, probably.
    Stepping closer, body almost touching hers now, Yakov kept glaring at the pretty boy. He hated guys who thought they were god's gift to women, especially when they were so intent on proving it with his sister. "Stop," he growled at the man, his accent heavy and making his voice sound guttural. The other man finally looked at him, and something ugly flickered through his eyes.
    Instead of going there, Ash looked at the blond woman. "It can be done," he said negligently, giving a shrug.
    Blaise frowned at her cousin, then looked over at Damon. Who posed an interesting proposition. Irene's further information made her smile. "Well that's even better. Daybreak will definitely want them back and unharmed, if they're that well known."
    Damon inclined his head. "Something to keep in mind." Dark eyes lingered on the human female. "And I'm still quite hungry."
    "Yeah, let's get inside," Ash suggested. "We can finish one of them. Daybreak doesn't need to know we had them both."
    Yakov stepped even closer to his sister, so her face was pretty much in his shirt.

    Anna remained silent while Price was on the phone with Galen, although she listened carefully to the half of the conversation that she could hear, her hand still resting lightly on his back. She saw the moment that he hung up, because she was still paying strict attention to him rather than the scene of horror not three feet away from her feet. "You didn't tell him," she said softly as he dialed, neither a question nor an accusation but a simple statement.

    For a long moment, Galen stared at the silent phone in his hands, a tiny frown line appearing between his brows. Nothing in the conversation had struck him, until Price made that last comment. There was something subtly off in that statement... not in the desire that his mother be kept safe, of course, but in his voicing it in such a way, so suddenly.
    He tossed the phone on the bed, and went to wrap on the bathroom door, still frowning softly.

    "I'm not sure how much dancin' and singin' I would do," Gamble replied, with a wry chuckle. "'Specially not the singin'. You haven't heard me sing, and that's probably for the best, because you'd dump me on the spot if you did." Another soft chuckle as she laid her head on his shoulder, plastering cold, wet strands of hair against the skin of his neck. "Of course, it seems you're willing to share the rain whether or not I was out in it. That's very kind of you, darlin'."
    When Ry suggested a private interview, he glanced at Julianna, making sure that this was alright with her. He grinned at her suggestion, and shook his head, giving her a light kiss before stepping towards the front door of the house. "Let it never be said that I'm a jealous man," he joked, then opened the door, shoving one dog back by his leg and grabbing another by the collar to keep in inside. "Back, you lousy mutts," he grumbled, with rough affection.
    Then he was gone inside, the screen door shut behind him. The dogs whined a little in Julianna's direction, and growled a little at Ry, but seemed to sense that they were more likely to get more chicken if they followed Gamble further into the house.

    "Don't worry about me too much," Ai said, her face soft with affection. "Truly, Patrick. I've been taking care of myself for a long time, both before Adam found me and after he killed himself." The last was said without any hint of flinching, and if there was a flicker of emotion in her night-dark eyes, it was gone too quickly to be identified.
    "I rather thought it was a vain hope," she agreed dryly, finally picking up the wine bottle to fill her empty glass. "But you're right about one thing; it has been too long since I've seen Gift. Or anyone else, for that matter. I'm afraid that I've been busy in my own little corner of the world."
    She beamed at him when he asked his final question, as if he had finally caught on to something of great importance. Why take a break when you could work some more? "Exactly," she told him, laughter coloring her voice and showing that she wasn't entirely in earnest.

    "I don't dream," Darshan mused, "and I've had my fill of resting. No, I rather think that I would forgo it completely, if I could. There are other ways to recuperate from my loving, if somewhat exuberant soulmate, and certainly other ways to avoid others." He found that a good, firm, 'go away' and the accompanying glower usually did the trick.
    "Trouble," he muttered, and quite suddenly leaned forward to rest his forehead against the cool wood of the table. "Ah, yes. I think that I preferred the abasing to anything that the gang would consider either trouble or fun. Although I suspect that the two words are synonymous in their minds."

    "Mmm," Sahar echoed, but it was very obvious that she was thinking about the man and not the drink. She caught his scent just as C.J. spoke, and nodded her agreement. "Meee-row," she called out, not so different from what the other women in the bar were yelling, but with an edge of laughter to it. Three cats walked into a strip club, and on the stage was another cat...
    It sounded like the start of a really bad, and doubtlessly bawdy joke.