"Mommy this is so much fun!" Faith squealed from atop Laney's black mare. Hunter was leading the mare around the yard while Faith rode and smiled and from ear to ear.

"You are doing so good, baby!" Vanessa replied. The scent of hamburgers frying filled the air as Evan cooked on the grill. There was a long picnic table set up and most of the family was already sitting and waiting on dinner. All except for Kent and Jordan who had gone to California to spend some time with their son that lived there.

Vanessa looked over at Kayleb who was currently deep in a heated conversation with his sister. Every now and then Vanessa would hear the words work or fired be thrown up in the air and she wondered what was going on.

Vanessa walked over to the large wooden jungle gym and sat down in one of the swings. She became lost in her thoughts as she stared down at the dirt at her feet and nearly screamed with surprise when suddenly the swing began moving. She looked behind her to see Kayleb grinning down at her.

"You looked like you could use a push." he said. Vanessa smiled back and looked back out over the yard while Kayleb pushed her gently.

"So what were you and Kaylee arguing about?" she asked.

"The chief is mad because I told him I don't know when I'll be back." he replied.

"Why would you tell him that? I just assumed you took today off because you were attacked by those lions last night." Kayleb shook his head even though she couldn't see it. He had taken today off because he'd had more important things to do like tea parties with little princesses and a long walk in the woods with a beautiful woman.

"I'm not leaving until we have this mess with Vincent solved." he said matter of factly.

"What if you get fired?" Kayleb laughed.

"I don't care. It's not like I need the money. I was just working there to give me something to do with my time. Now I've found something else to do with it."

"What's that?" Vanessa asked and then she felt sparks shoot through her when he stopped the swing and she felt his warm breath blowing across her ear, causing trembles to run down her spine.

"That was a silly question." he whispered and then she felt him smile against her skin before moving away and pushing her again. Vanessa swore her legs had turned to jello and she was thankful that she was sitting in this swing or else she probably would have fallen.

"Faith is having fun." Kayleb said pointing over at the girl who was now waving to the crowd of onlookers as if she was a princess in a parade. Vanessa laughed.

"Yes she is. It's good to see her having fun. I just wish this threat wasn't looming over us."

"It'll be gone soon." Kayleb promised. Just then a growl filled the air and they looked over to see Jake rising from the picnic table, his golden eyes flashing as he stared off into the darkening woods. Kayleb breathed deep and he smelled it too... Sickly sweet.

"What's going on?" Vanessa demanded but no one answered her before Jake, Kayleb, Evan and Charles changed into a pack of very angry looking wolves and ran off into the woods.

"Mommy did you see that?" Faith exclaimed as Hunter lifted her off the horse and led it back to the barn. Vanessa nodded as she jumped from the swing and led her daughter over to the picnic table.

"What's going on?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing." Angela replied quickly.

"Yeah it's quite common for that bunch of weirdo's to just run off snarling into the woods... That's how they pass time." Lane added as he walked up to the grill and took over hamburger duty.

***

(I can smell him but I can't see him.) Evan said so only the other wolves in the forest could hear. They had separated upon entering the woods to give them a better chance of finding the vampire.

(He's still around. He hasn't dashed.) Jake replied. (He's going to learn one hell of a lesson about coming around my family)

(He's going to learn one hell of a lesson about coming after my mate.) Kayleb added and he took off in the direction that the scent was strongest but then the breeze shifted and the scent was somewhere else.

(He's toying with us.) Charles growled.

(Dad, do you see anything?) Kayleb asked.

(No... Oh shit! Yes I see something.) Loud growls and vampiric hisses filled the woods. Kayleb ran toward the sound and dread filled his heart when suddenly the woods fell silent.

***

Vanessa could feel the tension and nervousness in the air as everyone kept watching the woods, waiting for the men to come back out. The kids didn't seem to realize that anything was wrong, except for Kaitlyn who was old enough to realize what was happening.

They all could hear the growls and snarls that filled the air only minutes after the men had run off into the woods and then suddenly the air fell silent.

"What...?" Joey started.

"Raquel!" Rebecca screamed and Vanessa turned to see Raquel fall off the bench seat of the picnic table and onto the ground with blood pouring from her nose. Her eyes were closed and she looked.....dead.

"Get the kids in the house!" Angela said to Hunter, who nodded and quickly scooped up Charlie and Brent under one arm and a screaming Gwen under the other. "Come on Kaitlyn. Come on Faith." he said and the girls followed him inside.

Vanessa watched in horror as Rebecca fell to the ground beside her daughter with tears rolling down her cheeks. Lane let out an angry growl, changed and ran into the woods with Joey screaming for him to come back.

"Mom! Mom wake up!" Kaylee screamed as she shook Raquel's lifeless body.

"What happened?" Vanessa asked as she looked at the grief stricken family.

"He killed Evan... He must have killed Evan." Joey whispered in a sad, broken voice. Vanessa didn't know what to say. This was her fault. She had brought the monster here and now the monster had killed two members of this amazing family. He had killed Kayleb's parents.

She watched Bethany fall to her tan knees beside her dead sister and lay her head on her chest, sobbing. Vanessa felt her heart break and she ran into the house, grabbed Faith from Hunter in the living room and ran straight up to her bedroom. She curled up on the bed with her daughter, who couldn't seem to figure out what was going on but knew her mommy was sad, and sobbed.

Hunter and Laney had come up to Vanessa's room about an hour later and Vanessa had allowed them to take Faith back downstairs to the library to play with the other kids. She couldn't bring herself to leave this room. She didn't want to have to look anyone in the eye.

She had been lying up here in this bed for what felt like hours when she heard a knock on the door. She didn't say anything and hoped whoever it was would go away but the door opened and Angela walked in. Her kind brown eyes were red rimmed and her face was blotchy and streaked with tears.

"Are you okay?" Angela asked gently. Vanessa sat up in the bed and nodded as she wiped her face with her hands.

"This is my fault." she said. Angela shook her head.

"No it's not. It's Vincent's fault." she replied.

"He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me! I brought him here and now Gwen, Kaylee and Kayleb have lost their parents and this family is heartbroken."

"Yes we're heartbroken but nobody blames you. Now get your butt out of this bed, stop feeling sorry for yourself and get down there and support your mate right now. His heart is broken and he needs you." Vanessa was shocked by the no nonsense tone in Angela's voice.

"He doesn't want to see me." she replied. Angela grabbed Vanessa's hand and yanked her to her feet.

"Yes he does. He is burying his parents out in the yard and he needs you whether you want to believe that or not." Vanessa felt herself growing angry as Angela talked to her like she was a child. She squared her shoulders and looked the other woman in the eye.

"Fine. I'm going." she said. She felt nerves eating her stomach as she walked down the stairways. She could hear sobs coming from the kitchen and decided quickly that she didn't want to go there. She walked into the back yard and saw Kayleb and Kaylee at the edge of the woods. They were looking down into a hole as Jake, Charles, Hunter and Lane threw shovels full of dirt down into it.

Vanessa walked over to stand next to Kayleb. He didn't look over at her and gave no indication that he knew she was there. She stood with her hands at her sides and looked down at the single wooden box that held the bodies of the two lovers. She felt her heart breaking and she looked at the faces of all the wolves and the vampire around her. None of them were crying... All of them looked sad but also angry.

She was about to turn and walk away because she was sure that Angela had been wrong about Kayleb needing her when she felt his fingers entwine with hers as he took her hand. She looked over at him but he was still staring down into the hole. His jaw was so tense she was sure it had to be causing him pain and his deep brown eyes were full of a million different emotions.

She gave his hand a small squeeze and pressed the side of her body against the side of his. His hand squeezed hers hand back and the force he used was almost painful but she gave no indication that he was hurting her. She saw a tear form in the corner of his eyes and roll down his cheek and she turned slightly, rose on her toes and kissed the droplet where it was hanging on his jaw.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and Kayleb turned and wrapped his arms tight around her. He buried his face in her hair and she suspected that he was crying but trying to hide it from everyone else.

"I won't let him take you....." Kayleb whispered in a broken, tear filled voice and Vanessa felt her own tears running down her cheeks. She wouldn't give Kayleb a choice. She would make sure her daughter was taken care of and then she would turn herself over. She would not let Vincent take anything else away from this amazing family.