"What can I do for you, Victor?" Frances asked as he sat down in the high backed chair across from the demon and tapped his long, pale fingers on the chair arm.

"I need my oldest son found." Victor replied as he signaled for a sub demon and the demon handed Frances a golden goblet full of blood. "It's not human." Victor said in response to Frances's questioning look. Frances nodded but did not take a drink.

"I fail to see how your wayward son is any of my business." Frances said as he crossed his long legs. Victor smiled coldly.

"I think you are forgetting what I have locked up in my dungeon. You either do what I ask or I will make my newest guest Rotan's business." Frances hissed and downed a quick sip of the blood.

"What do you want me to do."

"Find him."

"How am I supposed to do that, Victor? I am not a bloodhound or a private eye."

"Your sister and brother were good friends of mine, Frances. As was your father. It is a shame that you are not more like them."

"Yes such a shame." Frances replied coldly.

"I happen to know that he still visits his mother quite regularly. I want a watch set up at her home. I want you there...."

"Perhaps you have forgotten the fact that I am a vampire and cannot just wander where I want to throughout the day."

"Angelica lives in a cabin in the middle of a thick pine forest. Surely you can stay out of the sunlight while you watch."

"I should kill you, Victor." Francis hissed and Victor nodded.

"Yes you should. But you will not because you know what my youngest, somewhat sadistic son would do if you did." Frances's jaw was tense and his fists clenched as he stood up.

"Get someone to take me to the cabin and I will find Damien."

888

Days passed quickly and Damien was becoming more accustomed to living with so many people and he was understanding his own emotions more everyday, though he still found himself missing the solidarity and peace that he found at his beach home. He wanted to spend some time there with Kaylee, just the two of them but he didn't know how to ask her to leave her family. He was afraid it would hurt her if he asked her and he figured he had hurt her enough the first twenty years of their relationship.

Damien was sitting on the couch with Kaylee one afternoon as she argued on her cell phone with the manager of a store about surveillance videos he was supposed to hand over, when Faith walked up to him with a book in her hands.

"Will you read this to me?" she asked. Damien looked over at Kaylee but she was too distracted by her conversation to help him and he looked back at Faith. He was still surprised by the pull he felt toward her. He nodded and then sat in shock as she climbed up into his lap and handed him the book with a picture of a princess and a frog on the cover.

"I was going to ask Kayleb to read to me but he reads boring. Maybe you'll be a better reader." Damien raised a brow. How could someone be a boring reader? Damien decided he'd do his best attempt to entertain the girl. After all he had seen a few original Shakespeare plays in his life.

Damien began reading the book, using different voices for the different characters and matching their emotions perfectly with his voice. By the time he was done Faith was laughing happily and Kaylee had hung up her phone and was staring at him with shock.

"Thank you." Faith said as she slid from his lap and ran back up the stairs toward her room.

"Where did that come from?" Kaylee asked.

"What?" Damien asked with confusion.

"Those killer acting skills." Bethany said as she walked in. "I could definitely get you a part in a movie if you're interested."

"Movie?"

"You don't know what a movie is?" Kaylee asked with disbelief and Damien shook his head.

"Is it like a play? I have seen several of Shakespeare's. I was there for the opening of Romeo and Juliet. Although I was greatly confused by the ending because I knew that Romeo was an immortal with healing powers so why he didn't just heal Juliet instead of drinking poison, I will never understand."

"The original Romeo was immortal?" Bethany asked and Damien nodded. "Did Shakespeare know?"

"Of course. Shakespeare liked to surround himself with immortals of all types. He was a very eccentric and unique man."

"That is amazing!" Bethany exclaimed. "I have always loved Shakespeare."

"I'm seeing a whole new side of you." Kaylee said to Damien as she shook her head. Before Damien could reply to her Bethany spoke up again.

"So if you really knew Shakespeare, what was he really doing during the 'lost years'?"

"MOM!" Kailyn's voice screamed from upstairs before Damien could reply. "Mom, I broke my fingernail!" Kaylee nearly laughed out loud at the panic and tears in Kaitlyn's voice. Bethany cursed under her breath.

"I'm coming, honey!" she called and she ran quickly from the room.

"Kaitlyn knows her nail will grow back, right?" Damien asked.

"Apparently not." Kaylee replied as she curled up against him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair.

"I've been thinking, Damien." Kaylee said after several quiet moments. "I'd like to...." Damien didn't hear the rest of what Kaylee said because his mothers voice was suddenly screaming in his head.

(Damien! It's going to kill me! Get here quick, Damien!)

(What is going to kill you?) Damien replied to his mother's normal panic.

(Ahh! It just jumped at me! Please hurry, Damien!) Damien shook his head and closed the link.

"I have to go, Kaylee." he said. Kaylee looked up at him with confusion.

"Where are you going? I thought you'd like the idea of you and I spending a few days on the island."

"I do. I like that idea a lot." he replied. "But my mother needs me right now and I have to go. I shouldn't be gone long."

"Take me with you." Kaylee said with a smile. "I'd like to meet your mom." Damien looked uncertain.

"I've told you before that she is not normal since her centuries of torture at my father's hands."

"Please Damien." Damien sighed. He could not deny her anything that she asked of him. He nodded and grabbed her hand before dashing them quickly to his mother's log home in the Montana mountains.

Kaylee looked at the thick pine forest surrounding them and then at the tiny log cabin. She sniffed the air but there was not a single scent indicating that civilization was anywhere near.

"She lives way out here alone?" Kaylee asked.

"Yes." Damien replied with a nod. "She is afraid of almost everything. As a matter of fact do not be alarmed if she is afraid of you at first." Kaylee nodded and followed Damien up to the bright red front door. Damien knocked several times and the sound of a woman screaming came from inside. Damien shook his head. He had no idea what had his mother so afraid but he knew it wasn't anything serious.

"Mother, open the door and let me in! Don't make me break it like I did last time."

"You broke her door?" Kaylee whispered.

"She wouldn't open it." Damien replied with a shrug. Just then the door opened and Kaylee stared at the woman standing there with shock. She was immortal and therefore should look young, but her blond hair was full of gray and her face was covered in deep, thick scars. Her bright blue eyes were full of fear and uncertainty as she looked at Kaylee.

"Who is she?" she asked as she tugged at the blue, floral moo moo styled dress that was hanging off of her stick thin and very petite frame.

"Mom, this is Kaylee. She is my mate. Kaylee, this is my mom Angelica."

"Hello ma'am." Kaylee said but Angelica ignored her and looked up at her son.

"It's going to kill me, Damien!" she exclaimed with panic.

"What is?" Damien asked calmly.

"It's in the backyard!" Angelica replied pointing a bony finger around the house. She clung to Damien's arm as he led her outside and around the house. Kaylee followed after them, noticing that Angelica's bright blue slippers were running to keep up with Damien's long strides.

They got to the back of the house and Kaylee looked around for what could have possibly scared Angelica so badly but all she saw were some birds walking around in the grass and several rabbits chewing clover.

Before she could say anything one of the rabbits moved and Angelica let out a scream and clutched at Damien desperately. Kaylee would have laughed if there had been anything funny about the desperation and fear in this tiny woman's eyes. She clearly thought her life was in danger.

"It's okay, ma'am." Kaylee said as she stepped forward. "Look, I'll make them leave." Kaylee jumped forward and waved her arms.

"Shoo! Go away!" she called out and of course the birds and the tiny rabbits left quickly, disappearing back into the woods. Kaylee turned back to Damien and Angelica and smiled. "See they're all gone."

"Thank you. He is always sending guards out to kill me." Angelica said as she pulled herself off of her son and smoothed out her dress. "Why don't you both come inside and get a drink of tea." Angelica didn't' wait for a reply before walking back to the cabin.

"Thank you for that." Damien said as he and Kaylee followed after Angelica.

"If she is immortal then why does she look so..."

"Old?" Damien asked and Kaylee nodded. "Over five hundred years of being Victor's woman did that to her."

"Then whatever it was that you did to gain her freedom was justified. Did he give her those scars?"

"That was Rotan. My father's torture is more mental, whereas my brother just likes to hurt people."

"How lovely." Kaylee said dryly and Damien nodded as he led her into the dusty, dark cabin. Kaylee looked around as her eyes adjusted to the change of light and frowned at the mess. The house looked as if a bomb had gone off inside and the windows were all covered with thick black curtains.

Kaylee walked over to one of the windows and pulled back the curtain, eager to see what kind of a beautiful view would be visible without it and Angelica let out a scream.

"Don't do that!" She scolded and she picked up a fly swat and began swatting Kaylee to get her away from the window. "They will see me! They will know where to find me!" Angelica screamed as she smoothed out the curtains. Kaylee rubbed her stinging arms and looked at Damien but whatever he was feeling he was hiding from her as he stood there with that cold look firmly plastered on his face.

"I'm sorry." Kaylee said to Angelica. "You have a lovely home." she offered as a token of peace.

"Thank you." Angelica said as she walked back into the kitchen and grabbed two cups of tea. She handed one to Kaylee and sat down on a laundry covered reclining chair.

"Have a seat." Angelica said pointing at the tiny loveseat that was covered in newspapers and magazines. Kaylee pushed some of the things out of her way and sat down whereas Damien just sat down on top of the mess.

"Drink your tea, sweetheart." Angelica said, suddenly sounding sweet and innocent. Kaylee sniffed the tea and bit her lip. It smelled an awful lot like stale sweat.

"Thank you." Kaylee said and she forced herself to take a sip finding that the tea tasted like sweat as well. She cleared her throat and held the cup down on her lap.

"How have you been, Damien?" Angelica asked.

"Fine, mom."

"Good, I'm glad." Angelica said and then she turned her blue eyes, that looked so much like her sons, toward Kaylee and Kaylee was again shocked by the amount of scars covering her face and neck. Even the parts of her hands, arms and legs that were visible were pale and scarred.

"Kaylee, you better be good to my boy." she warned and Kaylee nodded.

"Yes ma'am." Angelica waved her hand, causing her tea to spill and shook her head.

"Call me Angel, that's what my friends call me."

"Mom, you don't have friends." Damien said with exasperation and Kaylee knew this must be something he had to tell her a lot.

"Yes I do, Damien." Angelica argued.

"You would if you would leave this house with me. Just come with me for a few hours and get out of here...." Fear flashed in Angelica's eyes as she pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs, dropping her cup on the floor.

"No. No. No. I can't leave here, Damien. He watches me all the time.... He's just waiting for me to get out where he can get me."

"No he's not, mom." Damien said tiredly and though he was trying to hide it, Kaylee could feel and hear his sadness.

"Yes he is, Damien! My friends tell me so... They tell me that he's watching me." Angelica exclaimed as she waved her arms and grew agitated.

"Okay mom. Okay. Sorry I mentioned it." Damien said as he leaned back against the love seat.

(Are you okay?) Kaylee asked him.

(Yes. I'm sorry you have to see her on such a bad day.) he replied. (We will not stay long.)

(We can stay as long as you want. I'm here for you.) Kaylee replied and she reached over and grabbed his hand, smiling when she felt him squeeze her hand slightly.

"Kaylee, can I ask you where you get the red hair from? It's very beautiful."

"My mom." Kaylee replied. "Of course she got it from my grandma so I guess you could trace the line back further." Angelica nodded but then she looked beside her as if someone was sitting there that only she could see.

"Shut up, she is a pretty girl.... No my Damien could not do better... I do not care if you are my friend, I will kick you out if you keep insulting her." Kaylee looked over at Damien but he was just shaking his head and picking at his jeans.

"Mom, who are you talking to?" he asked quietly.

"My friend." Angelica replied as if the answer should be obvious. "I'm sorry she's so rude, Kaylee. Seems she can't help but share her two cents about everything."

"That's okay." Kaylee said awkwardly as she crossed her legs. Angelica smiled and then continued talking, this time about the cloudy weather.

888

They left about an hour later and Damien dashed them back to their bedroom at mansion.

"Sorry about her." Damien said and Kaylee shook her head.

"I feel sorry for her. Your father and brother must have done horrible things to her." Damien nodded

"Yes they did. I should have gotten her out sooner but..." Kaylee pressed her finger against his lips to silence him.

"You got her out. That's all that matters."

"It amazes me that you love me, Kaylee. I don't deserve someone as warm and loving as you." Kaylee smiled mischievously and moved away from him. She sat down on the bed and leaned back on her elbows.

"I think if you work hard enough at it, you could deserve me." she whispered.

"Is that right?" Damien asked as he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground. Kaylee nodded and stuck the tip of her finger between her teeth.

"It might take a while... All night even." Damien's eyes flashed red and he snarled as he moved fluidly toward the bed, and the sight of her demon full of passion excited her like nothing else could.