Having settled the children in bed, I walked downstairs only to pause half-way when my eyes fell on the gaping hole in the wall.

The hole made by Hunter's fist.

But that wasn't the only thing left behind.  

Tracing the edges of the jagged hole with my fingertip, Hunters emotions swept over me and my other hand instinctively moved over my chest to ease the physical ache from them.

Emotions were like fingerprints, unique to that person and stayed behind long after something terrible had happened. Sometimes lingering for years. 

They told a story and this story was filled with anger and hurt.

Breathing through it, rubbing over my chest in small circles, my eyes closed.

Energy created from anger and sadness always manifested the strongest frequencies, and I hated that I'd caused it.

But to be fair, I didn't understand what had actually occurred earlier. One minute, we were about to make love. Next, he accused me of calling out another man's name. And his face had been a mask of hurt and betrayal, cutting me deeply.

Dropping my hand, I took the last few steps carrying his hurt with me and made my way toward the kitchen. Ruth was emptying the dishwasher.

"Need any help?" I offered.

Ruth stilled. "No, dearie." She straightened and opened the cutlery drawer, not looking my way. "I'm almost done, here."

"Everything okay, Ruth?" I never exerted my influence or gift on any of my family, but Ruth's aura swirled with unease and worry.

Meeting my gaze, she smiled, but it didn't come close to reaching her eyes. "I'm fine, dear." And before I could prod further, she asked. "Kids go down alright?"

Sighing louder than necessary. "They were asking for Hunter. He promised to read them a bedtime story."

Ruth gave me an sympathetic nod.

"How was I supposed to tell them Daddy was busy with some good old-fashioned torture?" I hated lying to my children and, even worse, they sensed something was wrong as I spun an excuse hoping they wouldn't see through my fake smile, but one look into my son's inquisitive blue eyes told me enough. He knew, but thankfully didn't share it with his twin.

I'd shuddered at the thought of Hunter's mother dying by his hands. I didn't like the woman, but I would rather her death be on someone else's conscience.

Selfish?  Maybe. 

But I didn't want her death weighing down Hunter's soul or later on regret his actions.

Moving toward the kitchen table, pulling out a chair. "You're worried about him, too." Ruth loved Hunter and Zander like sons and after meeting Elaine, I was so grateful they had her in their lives growing up.

Ruth put the last of the dishes away in the cupboard and came and sat next to me. "He wouldn't want us worrying. And come morning the children will have forgotten."

I wasn't so sure. "Do you think I should check on him?"

Ruth shook her head. "He wouldn't want you to see him like that, Sage."

Hunter had a darker side. You didn't get to be the man he was without one, although I knew he took no pleasure in taking a life.

"He will come back to us once it's done, and then we can all move on."

Again, I didn't have her optimism. Death clung to the living like a foul smell. "You really believe that? It's his own flesh and blood."

"Pfft," she scoffed. "Flesh and blood don't automatically make family. You know that better than most."

Me and my grandfather were a good example of that spoken truth.

"And that woman," she spat out woman like a curse and her anger and something else brushed against me. "She never deserved those boys... or—" she paused with a weighted sigh. "Their father."

There was a hitch in her breath. I'd never heard her talk about their father. But what poured out from her now was loss... sadness and pain. It was a good job I was already sitting, or else it might have knocked me off my feet. It was that powerful.

Wanting to comfort her, but not moving a muscle, I enveloped her with my gift, soothing her distress, chasing away whatever was causing her sorrow.

"You don't need to do that, Sage."

My head snapped back. She knew what I was doing?

"Do what?" I played coy.

She gave me a look. The same look she gave the children when the children were caught doing something wrong. "Trying to make me feel better, dearie." Her hand moved to the locket around her neck, squeezing it. "Sometimes its the pain keeps us alive, remembering."

Her tone spoke to a deeper meaning, but I withdrew my influence and it snapped back like an elastic band. "I'm sorry, Ruth. I meant no harm."

She reached over and squeezed my hand. "I know you didn't. You haven't a mean bone in your body."

I was curious to know. "How did you know what I was doing?"

Letting go of my hand. "That's a story for another day." She pushed up from her chair. "Now. Do you want me to run you a bath? You look exhausted." She smiled. "And maybe an early night, too."

Sleep sounded good, but I was doubtful it would find me tonight. "A bath would be nice, but I can run one. You don't need to trouble yourself."

Ruth nodded. "Okay, instead how about I fetch up my special tea for when you're done. That should help you relax."

Ruth made the best teas. "Perfect."

A few hours later, whilst reading in bed, I must have dropped off only to be woken by a sound, almost as if someone had called out to me.

Half asleep I lifted my head, turning to see Hunter had not yet returned and my kindle lay next to me, still powered on. Lifting it, I turned it off and placed it on the bedside table and flicked on the small lamp. Yawning, I pushed up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

It was just after midnight. Throwing off the covers, about to get up, I heard a whisper.

The hairs on my arms stood on end. I hadn't imagined that. Someone had said my name.

My wolf woke from her slumber, ears pricked and alert.

You heard it too, girl?   I asked my wolf, and she replied by curling her top lip, barring her teeth.

I shuddered, but I wasn't cold.

'Sage.'

There it was again as I bolted off the bed, my eyes all over the room.

But no one was here. I even dipped to look under our bed. Nothing.

I jumped when something brushed against my shoulder, spinning around, expecting to find someone behind me.

Nothing again. I was alone, but it didn't stop cold fear washing over me.

The children.

Moving fast, I was out of our bedroom, hurrying across the landing to the twins' bedroom first. Relief had my shoulders relaxing. They were okay. Moving onto the next room. I crept inside to peer into Ruben's cot. He was okay, too.

'Sage...'

There it was again, and this time my fear morphed into anger. Was someone playing a game on me? Walking toward the window, I teased open up the drapes to catch sight of a moving shadow.

Only it wasn't a shadow. It was a man.

And he was staring up at me.

I doubled blinked, expecting him to vanish. But he was still there.

'I'm waiting.' 

So loud and clear was the voice as if they were standing right beside me.

Letting go of the drapes and stumbling back two steps, my wolf growled and from my lips a name tumbled out... "Drago."

And my heart missed a beat —maybe two— as dread sank its claws into the heart of me.

Rushing out my sons bedroom and not thinking straight or bothering to dress, I headed downstairs in my nightshirt, which barely came to mid-thigh. Unlocking the front door, flinging it wide open, I sucked in lungfuls of crisp night air, stepping outside.

Barefooted, I rounded the side of the house, only to freeze to find him standing there in the middle of our lawn, waiting for me.

Keeping my hands by my side, I spread out my fingers and my senses quickly swept outward.

If he felt my influence, he neither showed nor shied away from it. Standing tall. Stiff and yet relaxed. He was power and strength; I knew that much. Old too. Although I could not guess his age. His dark gaze sharped on me and my lips fell open as I stared wide-eyed. There was no questioning his good looks. But looks could be charming, distracting and still hide all manner of evil and sin.

But I was sure we'd met before. But I couldn't pinpoint where or when.  

My wolf offered no insight either, but snapped and snarled her distrust of the apparent stranger.

Unbalanced, I'd somehow moved closer, sensing his power skimming over me like a caress. His full lips curved into a more than happy smile as the distance between us lessened.

"Who are you?" I asked, raising my voice, hoping it masked the tremor enough to hide my unease or the rapid beating of my heart.

He crooked a forefinger and thumb and rubbed over his chin. "Should it offend me you don't remember me, Sage?"

I shivered at the sound of my name from his lips and he delighted in the ripples that flushed across my skin.

"Ah, I think some part of you remembers." His smile only widened. "Interesting," he hummed as his gaze slid over my body with the stickiness of tar. And then I felt the full weight of his power on me. Threads of influence weaved through the air, pulling us together and my feet unwillingly moved closer.

Non! Non! Non!  I yelled inside my head, thrusting my hands out, digging my toes into the wet grass beneath my feet.

My futile attempts to slow or stop my feet from fetching us closer seemed to amuse him further. I steeled myself. "Drago?" I asked the only name I could think of. The only name that made sense, but at the same time, made no sense at all. "We've met?"

His eyes looked impossibly black with only the light from the moon partially hidden by clouds, but I didn't miss them moving over my face, down my throat to linger on my chest before snapping back up to meet my blank expression.

And if all that wasn't crazy enough, what he said sure was. "Dance with me, Sage." Holding out his hand.

Excusez-moi?  "Dance? Out here—with you?" Confusion was stamped across my face. "There is no music." Stating the obvious as if that was the least craziest thing going on right now.

In the blink of an eye, his body crowded mine, forcing me to tilt my head up. He stared keenly at me, and his thoughts weren't easily disguised. They lit up like golden flares with need. I wanted to shrink away from their intrusiveness, and my eyes rounded when his fangs extended.

He was a vampire... or bloodsucker as Hunter called them, amongst other names.

"I'll let you in on a secret," he said, dipping his head to graze his sharp fang across my cheek and my eyelids fluttered.

"I prefer to dance without music."

I felt myself sway. His words sang to me like a soft lullaby.

"One only needs the flush of a vein and the beating of a heart to hear music."

He reached for my hand and I didn't fight him and as his cool fingers wrapped around mine. I sucked in sharply when his other hand moved over my waist and his finger splayed and on instinct, my hand moved to his shoulder and we danced.

This felt wrong. And as much as he overwhelmed me, I leaned into his touch.

My wolf paced inside my head, growling as she reached out to our mate, hoping he would sense whatever was going on here.

We needed Hunter. Like, right now!

"Your blood sings to me, Sage." Drago's influence was beguiling, and the longer we danced, the further it dragged me under. It caressed, stroked over my senses, teasing the loose tendrils of hair, tasting me almost.

Disoriented, I clung onto him, afraid my legs would give from under me.

He paused our motion. The abruptness almost had me stumbling against him. "Did you find what I seek?"

My eyelids fluttered open, not having realised they had closed. His tight grip on my waist made me flinch. It felt like a cold splash of water had been thrown over me, rousing me, slapping me fully awake.

I tried to pull away, but his grip was stronger. My brows knitted together, not understanding the question. "What do you seek?"

My mind recalled Hunter finding me in our bedroom. I'd been searching through papers, but my reason for doing so was lost to me.

I sucked in a breath when an image of a beating heart flashed through my thoughts.

Drago's head moved closer, his lips almost touching mine. Inhaling, I was sickened at the hint of decay on his breath.. "You disappoint me, Sage." And then he spun me around so fast, I would have tripped if not for him lifting me clear of my feet, our chest now flushed together.

"Let me go!" I tried to free myself from his grip.

Unaffected, he simply chuckled and set me down and I sagged, head dropping when he stepped away allowing the solidness of the ground to anchor me.

"You will give him a message."

My head lifted.

"His heart for yours."

Opening my mouth to speak, he vanished.

"Sage!" a voice cut in. "Sage!"

It was Ruth. "Sage." Out of breath, she was standing in front of me, worry deepening the lines around her eyes as her small hands clasped onto my upper arms. "What are you doing out here?" she scolded, but there was no anger in her words.

"Did you see him?" I asked, my head darting from left to right.

"See who?"

"Drago!?" I practically screamed. Surely I hadn't imagined it? "He was here. Right here. We danced." Even to my own ears, it sounded crazy.

Focusing back on Ruth and even in the pale light of the moon, I watched the colour drain from her face. "The vampire he was here?"

I nodded. "Oui, oui."

Her hands gripped a little tighter. "Sage. I need you to go inside the house."

"No. I have to get to Hunter." I shook my head adamantly  "He gave me message for him."

"What message?"

"His heart for mine."  It still made no sense.

But the flash of fear in Ruth's told me she understood it.  "You know what it means, don't you?"

She shook her head. "Sage. Listen to me. I need you to go inside." She freed one hand to dip inside her dressing-gown pocket. She pulled out something and lifted her closed fist in front of my face and then flattened out her palm, blowing the contents into my face and said, "I call on thee. I summon thee. To protect thee. So mote it be."

She repeated it two more times as I spluttered a cough, tasting the magic infused within whatever it was I was now breathing in. "What!?" I swiped my hand across my mouth. "—Was that?"

"It will do you no harm. Only dried dill, rosemary and thyme and a few other ingredients." She waved off my concerns. "A protection spell."

Ruth was a witch!?

Staring at her like she'd gone crazy, I remembered I was the one outside after midnight dancing with a vampire. Crazy was all over me.

Ruth's lips formed a tight line. "I need to speak to Hunter. Alone."

"You're afraid. Afraid of him, this Drago?"

She nodded. "Yes. But you have to trust me, Sage."

I did trust Ruth.

"Now please go inside. And do not come back out for anything." Her face softened. "Do you understand me, Sage?"

I nodded again. "Oui."

"Good." She breathed out in relief. "Now go."

I turned and started toward the house, only once looking behind me, but she was already gone.