Vincent and I got on the road Monday afternoon, using the excuse that we needed a break from the media blitz following his big engagement surprise. The paparazzi had been staking out the building since Saturday, and we appeased them with smiles and waves as we pulled away in the Bentley.

The drive to Allegheny Forest gave us six hours to talk shop, and Vincent helped me parse out my career goals as he navigated freeway traffic. "What do you see for yourself, long-term, as far as your photography?" he asked. "Do you want to continue working freelance or do something more focused, like attaching your name to a brand?"

"I kind of imagined myself as the photographer who gets that impossible shot. I want people to look at my work and say, 'How the hell did she do that?'"

Vincent grinned as he glanced at me through the veil of his mirrored shades. "You mean the shots that are usually taken from a helicopter, or by some fearless soul who straps a GoPro to his head and bungee jumps off a bridge?"

"Um, yeah. Clearly, I'm not suited for that kind of photography, though."

"Why not? You've got wings, baby. You can get shots that would be impossible for the average human."

I bit my lip as I considered his suggestion. He was right. If I could get a grip on my fear of heights, my gollum nature would definitely work to my advantage. "I thought we were discussing Sam Martin's job offer. Do you think it will further my career?"

"Absolutely. Even if you end up with your name in the editing credits, you can attach yourself to the MegaManhattan brand. Sam will make sure you get plenty of media attention."

"Okay. So, what does Valentino Enterprises have to offer a gollum photographer with a fear of heights?"

He chuckled. "Everything MegaManhattan offers, plus a CEO who can rock your world in the bedroom." Vincent's smirk had me clenching my thighs together.

"You drive a hard bargain, but I'm a little wary of working for the guy I'm shagging, if you know what I mean."

"Shagging?"

"Yeah, baby." I winked and smirked back. "I think I'll take Sam up on his offer and see where it leads. At the least, I'll finish the project he mentioned then reassess my situation after that."

"A shrewd decision, as per usual."

I picked up my phone and made the call to Sam, and after he told me I had made his day, Vincent and I stopped for food and a fuck, one of the many advantages of tinted windows. I didn't realize how nervous I was until we tucked into our campsite in the Alleghany Forest. Burly, bushy-faced hunters sat around campfires at most of the sites we passed, hunters I would hate to run across in my gollum form. Why the hell did a demon choose state game lands to settle down?

"It's going to be damn cold up there in the ether," I said as I gazed out the car window, watching the stars wink at us from above.

"You'll get used to it."

"That's what I keep hearing, but so far, I haven't gotten used to any of it." My spoken worries fogged the window, which only made them seem more ominous, and Vincent held my hand, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb.

"You're not alone on this journey, Reese. I will always be there with you."

I lifted his hand to kiss it. "I love it when you get sappy. It's a refreshing change from Mr. Maniacal."

"Mr. Maniacal? When did I earn that title?"

"After you fucked me in the Bentley at the rest stop." I offered a half shrug, but he didn't look convinced.

"Hmm. I think it's been longer than that."

Around one AM, we left the cover of the Bentley and made the change. Amelia had loaned me a down vest that accommodated my wings, black of course, but I wondered if florescent orange would have been a better choice, since we'd be flying over trigger-happy hunters. My take-off was less than optimal, and I scraped my wings against a pine as I maneuvered past the tree line. I think this freaked Vincent out, because he stayed behind me longer than he needed to.

"You're taking a big risk hanging out behind me," I said as my eyes watered against the cold air. Despite my wool cap and mirrored sunglasses, my face still felt like an icicle, but at least I hadn't succumbed to my fears. Not yet, anyway.

"Just protecting my investment," came Vincent's reply. "Our landing strip should be coming up on the right. It's not ideal for your first real-world attempt, but I believe you're up to the challenge."

"I understand why you waited until we were almost there to give me that pep talk, and I appreciate your confidence in my skills." 

True to his word, Vincent's description of the dirt road matched the real-world version, and I had to avoid multiple tree branches to make my landing, nearly face-planting as my talons dug into the loose gravel. The fact that I ended up on my hands and knees rather than my head was a miracle in itself.

"Don't say it," I said as I picked dirt out of my fingernails.

"Say what?"

"You'll get used to it."

"Actually, I was going to say 'You'll get better at that.' A month ago, I thought I would never get you over the trees. Now, here you are flying into an unknown forest in the dead of night. I'm impressed, Reese."

"It's amazing what a little motivation will do to boost the confidence level."

"Are you nervous about meeting a rogue demon who is probably not in his right mind?"

"Hell yes, I'm nervous."

"Good. I don't want you letting your guard down." Vincent said this as he lifted the zipper on my vest, snugging it under my chin.

"Nobody's getting past my radar, but I'm also relying on the code word Petula gave you to get us past Titan's gate."

"That should be the least of your worries. Would you feel safer if we stayed in gollum form? It's about a thirty minute walk from here."

"Thirty minutes of walking in these talons? No, thank you."

Vincent and I changed back to our human selves and continued navigating the dirt road until it ended at an easily scalable wooden fence. The stench of sulfur gradually increased over the course of our journey, and I started to think Titan's choice of homestead had been inspired. Who would expect to find someone living in a nauseating stink hole. About thirty minutes in, Vincent's arm whipped out in front of me, stopping my forward progress.

"I think we should wait here." He jutted his chin forward where two large silhouettes approached out of the darkness. Neither appeared to be carrying a weapon, but neither had a slow gait. I detected the scent of demon beneath the heady stench of sulfur, but I only picked this up when the figures were upon us and I recognized the face of my grandfather. I also noticed a strip of cloth twisting around his shoulder and neck, holding his arm in place.

"Dolly," Vincent called out to them.

"Who gave you that code word?" came a gruff reply.

"Petula."

"Reese, is that you?" Willem asked.

"Yes."

"With your mighty protector, I see."

"Yes. Vincent is with me. Did you reinjure your arm?"

"Yeah. I fell off an unstable ledge and tore the stitches, but Titan saved me from becoming food for the crows. What are you two doing out here?"

"Looking for you," I said. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. Petula told me where to find you."

"Well, I'm fine. You didn't have to come all the way out here to check on me." Willem must have realized introductions were needed, and he turned to gesture to his companion; a monstrous-sized man with enough hair on his body to convince anyone that Bigfoot did exist.

"Titan, meet my granddaughter, Elise. She goes by Reese now. This is her mate, Vincent. His domus resides in New York City."

Titan eyeballed me through gnarls of hair that had been twisted into rough dreadlocks. "Why are you called Reese?" he croaked.

"Well, I got separated from my family at a young age, and when the police found me, I couldn't pronounce my name properly. So, they called me Reese."

"A young age, hmm? But still old enough to cry out for your mother." Titan spoke his grim words as he looked me over, the whites of his eyes flashing against the background of his dark skin. Was it stained with ash? "Come inside and warm up."

Titan turned and started walking back, leaving Willem to escort us. During the short trek, Willem didn't speak or give any indication he was being held against his will, and I chalked up the awkward silence to the fact the situation felt pretty damn awkward. We followed Titan's path through the trees until every scrap of light had been swallowed up by a thick canopy of branches. A few yards in, Titan stopped at a mound of dirt and pointed to a hole dug into the earth.

"In we go. Don't worry, there's room for all of us," he said.

What was the deal with demons and underground tunnels? Just once I'd like to visit a demon at his condo with air conditioning and flushing toilets. Speaking of toilets, that's exactly what Titan's house smelled like as he led us down a narrow dirt staircase. The moisture in the air coated my skin with slimy residue and had me focusing on every inhale.

Thankfully, the darkness quickly gave way to an orange glow, illuminating the inside of Titan's home and giving me a chance to see where a was going before I got there. It was no hobbit hole, but Titan had built a bunker large enough to throw a party for thirteen dwarves, with a kitchen, a sitting area, and a bedroom separated from the rest by a stone fireplace, which is where the glow emanated. But, the light source didn't come from an ordinary fire. Titan had himself an eternal flame, which swayed restlessly inside a glass lantern hung over the hearth. How did a rogue demon get his hands on something so precious? Had he stolen it, or did he make a trade for it?

"Sit." Titan's toad-like voice broke the suffocating silence as he sat on a tattered rug in the center of the room. Since there weren't any chairs. we all did the same, and Vincent held my hand as we sat knee-to-knee opposite Titan and Willem. "Tell me why you have come."

Titan asked the question as if he didn't believe I had come to make sure Willem was safe. He had discovered my ulterior motive beneath my compassion. It seemed the solitary ones had the craftiest minds, and I realized I needed to be straight forward with this guy if I wanted to get anything out of him.

"I came to ask you about my mother," I said, glancing apologetically at Willem, who didn't seem the least bit bothered. "Petula said you were there the night she died, and I would really like to know what happened to her."

"She died," Titan said matter-of-factly.

"Well, yes, but do you know how she died?"

Titan's head bobbed for a good bit, and his attention wandered to the various animal pelts hanging on the dirt walls. Clearly, he lived well off the land, probably another reason he'd chosen the locale. I was starting to think he'd forgotten about my question when he finally responded. "Yeah, I know."

Geez. Apparently, I needed to word my questions more succinctly. "Will you recount that night for me?"

"Not the whole night, no." Titan looked annoyed by my questioning, and I quickly rallied with another.

"Okay. Can you recount my mother's death?"

The bearded demon looked at me with hard, black eyes, and I realized his skin was not darkened by ash but rather the pigment of someone constantly exposed to the sun. "You really want to know that?"

"Yes. I need closure about it."

"Hmm," he grunted as his critical gaze landed on Vincent. "And you want closure too, I reckon?"

Vincent had kept his protective vigil beside me without attempting to engage anyone. I wouldn't say it was out of character for him, but his reserved behavior gave me the chills. "If you care to divulge it, I will listen and decide from there," he told Titan through stiff lips.

A chuckle rumbled up Titan's throat, making him sound exactly like a toad. "Pride. I had that once. Then someone beat it out of me." He stared at Vincent a few more seconds, probably to emphasize his point, and Vincent's hand twitched where it rested on mine. "Your father was murdered by a gollum," he said plainly. Then his gaze tracked back to me. "The same gollum who took your mother's life. A gollum who needs to get the pride beat out of him."

My stomach dropped like a stone in a well as Vincent and I glanced at each other. I couldn't tell what thoughts were running through his head, since he kept his emotions in check, but I had an uneasy feeling about the direction Titan's revelation was taking us.

Titan took in a deep breath and stretched his shoulders back, forcing out two loud pops. I almost thought he was going through the change when the shadows lengthened at his back, but it was just the eternal flame causing the strange effect.

"The night your parents died, I was asked to help some comrades secure an object for the queen of a hive," he began. "I was told a hybrid named Gabrielle had it. She lived in a convent in Chicago and they knew she was going to escape the city with it, along with her young daughter. On the night she left her home, she was in the company of four gollums, not enough against our numbers, if you ask me.

"While two gollums stayed to engage in battle, the other two took off with Gabrielle and her treasures; one named Marco and the other, Roberto. I was part of the demon pack who followed them. The gollums took many risks to evade us, and one of ours had to turn around when we followed them over the lake called Erie. That put us down to three, and when our targets finally stopped to rest in a forest outside the city of Buffalo, we invaded their camp. But they were ready for us. We lost one to a knife blade within minutes, and while the other got dragged down by the two males, I defended myself against Gabrielle. She was quite skilled in battle. Nearly took my finger off."

Titan held out his gnarled hand to show us the deep scar across his pinky finger. "But the fight wasn't in her. While her gollum protectors were busy killing my comrade, she escaped camp with her young one and took to the air. Marco went after her, with Roberto following close behind. I joined the chase, but the struggle had already begun between Gabrielle and Marco. Marco slashed Gabrielle's wings with an adamantium blade, and her child came loose from her arms and fell towards the ground. The screams of both females still haunt me."

Titan's eyes pinned me like a dart on a bullseye, and I squeezed Vincent's fingers as I cringed under the demon's fierce gaze. "Roberto and me... we flew like our own child was falling, and he got to her first. But the screaming didn't stop, and we both watched helplessly as Gabrielle fell through the trees to her death. Marco cursed Roberto and pursued him and the young one away from the scene. I had no idea who had the amulet, but my conscience had me speeding toward the forest floor to see if Gabrielle could be saved. It just seemed like the right thing to do."

Titan stopped to crack his shoulders again, and I glanced at Willem. His face had gone chalky white and his eyes were glazed over. Had he never heard the story before? Titan cleared his throat, making me startle.

"I couldn't help her," he said. "She wasn't breathing when I got to her, and she was bleeding out through a crack in her skull."

A gasp escaped my throat as a grisly image appeared in my head, and Vincent squeezed my hand. Titan's eyes softened, which I didn't think was possible.

"She died quickly, miss. And I decided the least I could do was bury her properly, but first I needed to finish my job. The amulet was not with her, so I hurried after the other gollums. They had not gone far when I picked up their scent, and I found them battling inside a small building outside a run-down factory. There was no sign of the child, so I searched for her a bit, staying downwind from the gollums but close enough to hear their banter."

Titan switched his focus to Vincent, raking him over as his bushy eyebrows came together. "Your father was avenging Gabrielle's death. He accused Marco of putting lives at risk to cover his murderous scheme, and he was going to tell everyone what a piece of vermin he was. The fight raged on for a time, with both gollums taking a beating, but it was Roberto who took a crushing blow to the head. And as he lay there unconscious, Marco set the building on fire. I took cover from the intense heat and smoke, but Marco stayed to watch Roberto's body burn. Destroying all evidence of his crime."

Titan leaned back on his hands as if to signal the end of his story, and absolute silence fell over the room, although I thought I heard Vincent's heart beating as he stared Titan down.

"Why should I believe you?" Vincent said finally.

"You don't have to believe me. You can keep on believing what you always have. Now... do you want to hear the end of the story?"

I felt the subtle twitch again as Vincent's body sitiffened, and I made sure his hand stayed right where it was across mine. He offered Titan a tight nod, which brought a satisfied smile to Titan's bearded face. The rogue demon may have been a little off, but the guy was not into bullshit.

"It was the authorities that finally got Marco back in the air, but he didn't know I had seen what he'd done to his comrade. If he had the amulet, I let him get away with it, and I figured the child would be found. So, I flew back to Gabrielle to do what I promised. I used my dagger and started digging a grave. About halfway through, I was spotted by another gollum who landed beside me, and when he saw what I was doing, he got all emotional. He didn't even try to kill me. He let me explain what happened, and when I got to the part about Roberto, he really lost it. I mean the fella cried the whole time he helped me dig the grave."

"Did you exchange names?" Vincent asked.

"Sure, we exchanged names. We were burying someone together. It's something you share."

"And...? What was his name?" Vincent pressed.

"His name was Joseph."

Recognition came in the form of an infinitesimal flicker in Vincent's eyes. Or was that the eternal flame playing tricks again?

"Good, you know him," Titan said. "He might have more to tell you, or he might deny the whole thing. I remember he had a family, and we both agreed there was no telling what a murderous vermin would do to keep things quiet."

The air had become so oppressive over the course of Titan's story that a sudden wave of claustrophobia came over me, and each breath I took felt like a struggle. I looked at Vincent, hoping he would read the urgency in my eyes. "I need some fresh air."

"Of course." Vincent nodded as he rose and helped me to my feet. "Please, excuse us. I'd rather not have to carry my mate out of here."

"Not used to confined spaces, eh?" Titan said as he waved us toward the tunnel exit. "You get used to it."

Titan's prophetic words followed me and Vincent to the surface, and when the cold air hit me, it felt like salvation. Of course, the stench of sulfur still hung like a late night taco fart, but I had no intention of returning to Titan's underground lair. As I clung to Vincent's arm and breathed in life-giving oxygen, reality hit. If Titan's story was true, my father had murdered my mother, and the next thought to pop into my head was a quote. Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.

"Where were you hiding, Reese?" Titan asked as he and Willem joined us topside. "The night you were found by the authorities... do you remember anything?"

"No. I remember nothing of that night, but the police report said I was found in an abandoned detergent factory."

"So, you were inside the factory. I did a sweep of the main building hoping to catch your scent, but the smell of soap and lye was too strong. I expect Roberto had you hide there to give you cover from Marco. He probably saved your life."

I turned to gaze at Vincent and realized my eyes were watering, but I didn't think it was caused by the sulfur. "We should probably go while I still have the strength to fly on my own," I said.

"I have no problem carrying you, Reese," he said as he touched his thumb to the corner of my eye, removing a tear.

I pasted a smile on my face as I turned to speak to Willem. "I'm glad you're okay, and I'm very sorry about Cecile."

Willem reached out and took my hand, using his good arm. "You have an abundance of kindness, which I believe comes from your grandmother, but your fiery spirit comes from your mother. I am very glad you have nurtured both qualities."

"Petula would like to see you," I said.

"I will visit her soon. I'm in need of a decent shower."

"That's part of the camo." Titan raised his arm, making a show of sniffing himself, and his crude behavior had a smile lifting my lips.

"I want to thank you for retelling the story for us, Titan," I said.

"Are you sure you want to thank me? Maybe I should apologize to you for not being able to save your mother... or your father." Titan shrugged his hulking shoulders at Vincent. "When we are called to duty, we do the best we can, but we cannot do it all. That is where comrades come in."

"You speak highly of comradery, yet you choose to live alone," Vincent said.

"I live alone because of personal choices, not my belief in comradery. Blinding pride is what turned your comrade into a murderer. If you want the advice of a demon who has seen the worst, tread carefully with this information. The life you save could be your own."