It took a little inventiveness on Amelia's part to convince my parents that the fire was intentional. According to her story, she was deathly afraid of spiders, and when she saw one crawling on the cracker box, the first thing she thought of was to burn the thing alive.

Although my mom couldn't shake the eerie feeling that she had seen fire shooting from my hands, she finally let it go when everyone told her how crazy that sounded. Besides, she and Dad were preoccupied with doting on their first grandbaby.

"Henry is a wonderful name. And strong too," Mom said. "Henry Valentino sounds like someone you'd listen to."

"I'm sure he'll take after his father." Dad smiled at Vincent as he raised his glass of scotch. "How's business been? I'm sure it's difficult finding time for family."

"I've been delegating a lot more, lately." Vincent looked nonplussed by my dad's intrusive questioning, which was something I'd learned to manage with my parents long ago.

"Okay, Julie. It's my turn." Sylvie tapped my mom on the shoulder as she held out her arms, and Mom handed Henry over. "Oh, what a little prince you are," she cooed as she tickled him under the chin. "He's got his dad's bone structure. His jaw looks like it was chiseled from marble. Are you going to be stubborn like your daddy?"

Vincent had been lost in a parental fog ever since Henry was born, and he didn't seem to mind being called stubborn. When he caught me staring at him, he offered an easy smile. "I hope she's right," he said.

After visitation time was over, my parents excused themselves to their hotel where they planned to rest before taking in dinner and a show. Ellis, whose wit equaled any Valentino, was invited into Vincent's office for more drinks and probably more business talk, while Sylvie joined me in the bedroom while I fed my son.

"So, you and Ellis are still deliriously happy, I take it?"

Sylvie smiled as she reclined on the pillow beside me, snapping her cinnamon gum. "Yes, ma'am. I think he might be one."

"Really? Have you had the talk?"

"No, but he's a little gun shy. He's been burned before."

"Well, you've never been one for tradition. Why don't you bring it up?"

"I've considered it, but I don't want to steal his thunder. It's not a good idea to mess with a guy's manhood. It all goes downhill from there."

"I see what you mean. So, the sex is still great?"

"Sure is. And he doesn't mind making a mess." Sylvie grinned, and her eyes shifted to the door as she checked for bodies. "We aren't using birth control, so he's made this game out of finding different places to come. My boobs are his favorite. They were Colin's favorite too."

I had to chuckle. Sylvie was never one to hold back information, no matter how sensitive. "And neither of you are worried about the possibility of pregnancy? Withdrawal isn't foolproof."

Sylvie gave me an eye roll. "Save the lecture, please. If it happens, it happens. Hell, I would have been fine if it had happened with Colin. But, I guess, that ship was never meant to sail."

She released a long sigh before snapping her gum again, and I gave her a scrutinizing look. "You're still not over Colin, are you?"

Sylvie failed to meet my gaze, and I got my answer. "Maybe not. But don't you dare tell anyone. Not even Vincent. Colin is happy with his gollum girl, and I have no intention of messing that up for him. He deserves to be happy."

My thoughts immediately went to Colin, who I knew was still trying to find his happiness, but I stuffed those concerns and reassured my friend. "Tell me the truth, Sylvie. Can you see yourself spending the rest of your life with Ellis and raising kids with him?"

Sylvie's response took longer than I expected, which had my gut clenching. "I'm going to answer that with a yes and a no. Yes, because he is funny, and smart, and kind. He may work a little too much, but it's nothing we can't figure out. He's everything a girl could want in a husband."

"But..."

"But, he's not spontaneous. He's also not a risk taker. At least, not like you and me. And, I can't stress this enough, he doesn't have wings."

I snorted, nearly dislodging my son from his food source. "No human has wings."

"I know, but I think they're sexy as hell. Colin used to fly us to the beach and the mountains. When we snuggled, he would cocoon me inside them. The best times I've ever had were with him. Not including you, of course."

She attempted a grin, but it was futile, and my heart ached for her. Suddenly, I felt guilty for finding the love of my life when my best friend had to give hers up. "I'm sorry if you feel like you're settling, and I wish I could say there's someone out there that's even more perfect for you. But all I can say is this. You had an amazing time with Colin, and nobody can take that away from you. Memories last forever if we want them to. And no one else has to know about them but you."

"If you want to know the honest-to-God truth," she said in a low whisper. "I sometimes picture Colin when Ellis makes love to me. I know I'm a terrible person for doing that, but it's like I'm reliving those memories through him."

"You're not a terrible person, Sylvie, but that is so damned sad." A tear had already found its way onto my cheek, and she took my hand, holding it tightly to her chest.

"You are the best friend a fucked-up girl could ever have. And if our relationship has taught me anything, it's to never settle."

Oh, dear. Poor Ellis.

~ ~ ~

The ringing of Vincent's phone had my eyelids blinking open, and I caught sight of his naked body slipping out of bed as I rolled over to hug his pillow. I only heard the words I'm awake and What did you learn before he vanished through the doorway.

I couldn't help wondering who the caller was. Honestly, it could have been anyone. Not only was he magister of his domus, but he was high magister of gollum kind. Still, he didn't answer every call that came in, especially during his naps.

"Reese, are you awake?" Vincent spoke softly as he padded back into the room, alighting on the edge of the bed with so much care that I didn't think my hunk of a mate could have managed it.

I reached out to touch his bare skin. "Barely, what's up?"

"I just spoke with Glade. She cracked the code on the device they removed from you. She's sure it came from the necromancer. And she's equally sure it's a tracking device."

"Cripes. Did Dmitry really think I wouldn't notice a fucking tracking device attached to my privates? What an idiot."

"Maybe he intended for it to travel further in. Somewhere it wouldn't be noticed at all."

A chill rushed my body, and I clenched my legs together. "Yuk. So, now what? Do we call him on it? Do we pretend it's still attached? If he doesn't know..."

"He knows. Or, at least, he will soon. Glade found one of Dmitry's demons skulking around her place."

"Oh, shit. What happened? Is she okay?"

His hand came to rest on my shoulder as I attempted to sit up. "She's fine. Glade may be small, but she's not helpless. She managed to subdue the demon with a sedative and is waiting for Colin and Adam to pick her up."

"Her? Is it the same demon Rizzo caught spying?"

"That's what we're all speculating. We're bringing her to one of our warehouses to question her. According to Glade, the demon bears a tattoo. It's the mark of the queen's guard."

"Holy crap."

"There's more," he said, giving me a long, cautious look. "Every mark has a special insignia that identifies which hive they're from. And this demon has been identified as coming from the Dakota hive."

"Titan's home? Oh, snap. I wonder if he knows her?"

"That's what we plan to find out. If they have a history, maybe he can get information out of her."

"So, someone needs to fetch Titan, I take it?"

He offered a tentative nod. "That's the plan. And since Christoph is in Istanbul, and you and I are the only gollums he trusts, I'm the one who needs to fly to his hideout and convince him to come."

My heart stuttered, and I felt around for his hand, gripping it like a vice as I glanced at our son sleeping beside the bed. "You're going to leave me? Leave us?"

"Not for long. I'll have Scooby fly me there. It will be more expedient."

I knew it was silly for me to worry. We had made two trips to Titan's home without incident, and Vincent had more strength in one hand than most people had in their whole body. But it only took one battle to go wrong, and our son would be growing up without a father.

"I don't like it, but I understand why it needs to be you. You'll keep me posted by phone, right?"

"Of course." He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on my lips. Then he stood and left me staring after him and his perfect posterior. What else could I do but accept my life? My gollum life.

Waiting had never been my strong suit, but I noticed it didn't seem so bad with Henry in my arms. Despite his young age, I still felt like he was someone I could talk to, and I held a one-sided conversation with him as I waited for a message from Vincent.

"Your dad is a very important gollum," I told him as I changed his diaper. "And you'll probably be upset when he has to leave for a meeting or fly into battle. But don't ever doubt how much he loves you. Vincent Valentino may be intense and calculating, but his commitment to protecting his family is stronger than steel. Just remember that, buddy, when you're sparring with him. He's going to teach you to be tough, but he'll also show you that it's important to let your guard down."

When the phone rang, I jumped as I hurried to reach for it. It was Colin, and I answered as I finished snapping Henry's pajamas. "Hey, Colin. Did you and Adam get the demon transported without incident?"

"Yeah. No problem. She's a real spitfire. Have you heard from Vincent yet?"

"No, but I expect to any time."

"Okay, well. Um..."

Colin let his voice trail off, and I immediately thought the worst. "What's wrong? Did someone get injured?"

"No. No. That's not it. It's just that... I heard from Sylvie."

Oh, crap.

"Really? How long had it been?"

"Months. I didn't expect to hear from her. I figured she would be pissed at me forever."

"Pissed at you for moving on with your life? You don't really know Sylvie that well, then. She wants you to be happy. She just told me that yesterday."

"She did?"

"Yes. We were talking about her and Ellis, and she mentioned you."

"What did she say about me?"

Geez. Was I supposed to tell him that she pictured his face whenever she fucked Ellis? Not likely. "She said she was glad you and Claudette have decided to take the plunge."

He was silent for a few seconds, which had me feeling guilty for some reason. It was the truth, even if it was only a partial truth. "She told me the same thing."

"Why do I get the feeling there was more to the conversation than that?"

"Because, there was."

When he didn't go on, I bit my lip and nudged him. "And...?"

"She said she wasn't over me and that her love life has felt like a lie since we broke up."

Damn, Sylvie. Way to go with letting Colin move on.

"Yeah, that sounds like her. I'm sorry, Colin. I think she's trying to decide where to go with Ellis. She's confused."

"Well, she didn't sound confused when we talked. She sounded like she knew exactly what she wanted."

"Okay? Did she tell you what she wanted?"

"Yes. She said she wants me back. She fucking wants me back. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? She's not the only one who's confused right now. And the worse part is... The worst part is... I want her back, too. I love her. I love her, Reese."

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I didn't realize I had let the silence grow until I heard Colin's voice through the speaker. "Hey. Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm just...processing."

"It's a lot to fucking process, isn't it? I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

I felt like time was moving in slow motion as I stared down at my son, who, at the moment, was happily tasting his knuckles. What was the proper response to someone seeking life-altering advise? And not just someone, my brother-in-law, who happened to have a carnal crush on me which may never be satisfied. Did I dare give him romantic advice when it involved my best friend? The long-range implications could be catastrophic for everyone involved.

"I'm going to assume you're telling me this not because you think I'm qualified to give helpful advice. After all, Sylvie is my best friend, and I want what's best for her. And you are my mate's brother, and you've always had a hard time controlling your sexual urges around me. Hell, you told Vincent you loved me. Now you're telling me you love Sylvie. I'm not sure I know how to respond."

He huffed out a tortured breath, and I felt his pain like he was standing right in front of me. "You're right. I probably sound like a fool who's looking for love in all the wrong places. I'm going to blame my gollum nature for some of that. Maybe I should take Vincent's advice and just focus on taking over his role with Valentino Equities. It might make my life less complicated.

"I'm also still trying to figure Claudette out. I'm not going to assume she'll be okay being mated to a gollum who's married to his job. I mean, face it, Reese, how many times has Vincent been gone when you needed him?"

I gave his question some solid thought. He deserved that much. And, in the time it took to go over the past nine months, I could not think of a single instance Vincent hadn't been there when I needed him. I may have had to wait for him to find me, but I knew he would always come.

"To be honest, Colin, I've never felt neglected by Vincent. No matter what kind of crazy shit was going on, I always knew he was thinking of me or finding a way to be with me."

"Oh. I didn't know. I guess he really deserves you, after all. Which means Sylvie doesn't deserve me."

"Stop it. I won't have you bad-mouthing yourself. If Sylvie found reasons to fall in love with you, then those reasons must be legitimate. The only problem is, what kind of future would you two have? I know you're both painfully aware of the pitfalls of a gollum human relationship."

He groaned into the phone. "Don't remind me."

"Listen, Colin. I'll level with you. I've never been one to ignore feelings, but I also refuse to be the cause of a family feud. I'm afraid I have no choice but to give you my blessing and ask you to swear I had nothing to do with it."

Colin laughed without reserve, which reminded me of all the great times we'd had before things got weird. "Thanks, Reese. I knew I could count on you to shed reason on an unreasonable situation."

"You're welcome. Now, maybe you should focus on the situation at hand before you go running into the sunset with the girl of your dreams. I'm sure Vincent will call you soon to check on your prisoner."

"Yeah. I'm sure he will. Talk to you later, Reese."

I scooped up my son, feeling like I'd been stuck with a cattle prod, and we paced the apartment for the next half hour while my mind raced. What kind of life would Sylvie and Colin have if they hooked back up? Would resentment set in after the buzz of lust wore off? Would the buzz ever wear off? I couldn't see the buzz wearing off for me and Vincent, although nine months wasn't exactly a time frame to gauge long-lasting love by.

Suddenly, an idea struck me. Maybe I could get answers from someone close to the source. I left the apartment before giving the matter my usual twenty-four hours of contemplation, but there was no harm in asking a few innocent questions. I knocked on Wren's door as I bounced Henry on my shoulder, and a deep belch erupted from his belly, making me smile.

"You are your father's son," I whispered just as the door swung open.

"Reese. Is everything alright? How's our little boy doing?"

"He's perfect. I just came by to chat. Are you busy?"

A wide smile spread across her face, as if I'd just handed her the deed to Buckingham Palace. She swung the door wide. "I'd love to visit with you and Henry."

Being Wren, she insisted on serving tea, a strong chamomile and milk thistle blend, which she explained was perfect for nursing mothers. When she finally sat down, I had started to second guess my haste in coming over. While I considered her advice to be insightful and trustworthy, she was also very intuitive. If I didn't get my words right, she might think I was hiding something. The thing was, I wouldn't be able to let this go if I didn't make the attempt.

"I've been thinking about my life as a new mom, and I wanted to ask you a few questions about your life with Roberto."

My inquiry was met with a knowing smile. "I imagine you're questioning everything. What with the new baby and Vincent becoming high magister... It's a great deal to digest."

"Yes, and I wanted to get the opinion of someone who has been on the front lines, so to speak. What was it like falling in love with Roberto? Did you know it was the real deal, like Vincent and I did?"

Her eyes misted over, and she clasped her hands in front of her chest as her gaze flicked to the single frame she kept on the bookcase. It held a family photo taken when Vincent was ten years old. "My father was hoping I would choose someone from our home city of Chicago. Like New York, there are just three domi watching over the citizens there. You may find this interesting Reese, but I was expected to mate with Marco Bourdain."

"Wow. I didn't know." I tried not to make a face, and I covered it by taking a sip of tea. How different would things have been if she and Marco had mated?

"There was another young gollum. Minnie's brother, Hugh. He and I were close for a long while, but he was killed in battle when he was just eighteen."

"Holy Moses. I didn't know that either. Minnie never brought him up."

"She wouldn't. It's still painful for the family. He was their only son."

"With the domi being so close, I'm sure there's a lot of pressure on the kids to find mates they can get along with."

"It is. Many of us don't have the luxury of falling in love. Very often it comes down to duty and convenience. But, as you know, compatibility plays a huge role in the production of offspring for gollums. When I met Roberto, it was love at first sight, and there was very little argument my father could make to persuade me to choose another mate. He knew our union would offer the best chance for progeny."

"How long did it take for you to get pregnant with Vincent?"

A broad grin spread across her face, and I swear I saw a blush color her cheeks, but the dim light of the living room hid any concrete evidence. "Not long. We were a lot like you and Vincent. Before we had even announced our intentions, I was three months pregnant. My father was livid, but it didn't matter to us. We would have faced much harsher consequences to be together. Our passion drove us from the moment we met to the day he left."

Her grin vanished, and I took hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry if I'm asking you to dredge up painful memories. If it's any consolation, you're just confirming what I already felt. There's something powerful in knowing when you find your soul mate. You would forsake everything else to keep them close, even if it means giving up something else you love or pissing off your family."

She offered me a comforting nod. "You're right. Thankfully, your family has been very accepting of your choice."

"Yes, they have. But they still don't know you're gollums. And I can't say for certain how they'll react when I finally tell them."

"You're forgetting, my dear. You, too, are a gollum. I doubt they would forsake their own daughter."

"I suppose not. I still feel a little guilty about keeping them in the dark. It's going to be a big adjustment for them. That's why I've decided to wait until their grandson starts to sprout wings."

A melodic laugh accompanied Wren's smile as she reached out to caress the cheek of her slumbering grandson. "I look forward to that day."