I decided not to tell Sylvie about the gollum thing. I didn't want to bring her down from the high she was on thanks to Colin and his limitless stamina, and I managed to reassure her that Vincent and I would work our problems out. When she left for home, she was already planning her next trip to Manhattan. As for me, I took to sulking in front of the television, flicking through the Netflix menu without a clue what I wanted to watch. It wasn't until my phone rang that I remembered I still had a life, and when I looked at the caller ID and saw Colin's name, my chest tightened painfully. Why couldn't it have been Vincent?

"Hi, Colin. What can I do for you?"

"How are you, Reese?"

"How do you think I am? I've just been dumped. And not by one person, by an entire family."

"We haven't dumped you. A situation came up and we thought it would be better if you weren't around while we dealt with it."

"You keep using the word 'we'. Are you sure it isn't Vincent giving the orders? He seems to be good at that."

"Don't be angry with Vincent. He hates the idea of you living alone, but the situation is beyond his control. It affects the entire domus, and he is the magister. It's protocol to protect the family at all costs."

"Gee, that's nice. I thought I was included in that protection."

"You are." Colin sighed into the phone. "Listen, Reese. I'm on my way to your place. We can talk more when I get there."

I glanced at the time on my phone. "It's almost one in the morning, Colin."

"Yeah, and your point is?"

I wanted to tell him not to bother coming over. If the Valentinos were willing to throw me to the wolves, in this case the demons, I would deal with them myself. But I had to admit, I had gotten used to being surrounded by a family, and my apartment felt terribly empty. Had I been that lonely before the Valentino brothers waltzed into my life?

"Okay, Colin. I'll see you soon."

When Colin arrived, I was working on a box of cheese crackers that had been shoved into the back of my pantry. They were not part of my current diet plan, but my choices were slim at the moment.

"What are you eating?" Colin said as he scowled at the box in my hand. "They look like something you would feed a hamster."

I stared at the picture on the box before plunking it onto the counter. "They taste like something you would feed a hamster, but I haven't been home in a few days and pickins' are slim."

"We can fix that. March's Market is open all night. Grab your keys and grocery bags. Don't worry about bringing your wallet."

I didn't argue with Colin, having gotten used to the Valentino's generosity, but I grabbed the twenty Mr. Pearlman gave me for cigarettes. I didn't expect Colin to pay for the old man's nasty smoking habit. Colin was a fun shopping partner, and as we perused the aisles, he told me how much he liked Sylvie. I could tell he wasn't exaggerating just to appease me. He really genuinely liked her, which I found easy to believe. Sylvie was a gem.

Of course, Colin insisted on paying for everything, including Mr. Pearlman's crap, and we returned home with all the fixins for a batch of aloo gobi. Colin had no problem in the kitchen. He cut up the cauliflower and potatoes, while I heated the frozen choley we found in the freezer section. Half an hour later, when we had eaten our fill, Colin broached the real reason for his impromptu visit.

"Did Amelia tell you I would be teaching you self-defense?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm not. At least, not in the way she explained it. The only way for you to learn to defend yourself against demons is to embrace your gollum nature. I'm going to teach you how to do that."

I swallowed a little too much water and coughed until I was able to speak without spewing. "What does that entail?"

"I'm going to teach you the mantras, the ones that allow you to change into your gollum form. Once we see how that goes, we can take it from there."

"Is Vincent in on this plan?"

"He's the one who suggested it. The rest of the family is unaware of our intentions. He wanted to do it himself, but he needs to keep his distance from you right now."

I didn't like the way Colin spoke matter-of-factly about Vincent needing to keep his distance from me. He might as well have taken a dagger to my chest. We cleared our dinner from the coffee table, and Colin asked for a pen and paper before we returned to sit on the couch.

"Okay, Reese. I have no idea how well this is going to work," he said as he penned words onto the notepad. "A gollum usually learns these mantras when they're five, and it takes six months or more before they get the enunciation down so they can start transforming. I don't know how long..."

"Wait. Did you say transforming? As in, growing wings and claws and teeth?"

"Yes, but don't worry. I'll be right here to guide you through it. I doubt anything will happen the first time. You have to learn the inflections and understand the meaning before your body will respond."

"I'm sorry, but that's not very reassuring. I watched Vincent go through the change and it looked painful."

Colin considered my statement and responded with a nod. "I'm not going to lie to you. There is some pain involved, but it's short-lived. And I can pretty much guarantee you're not going to change tonight, but just to be on the safe side... How attached are you to that shirt?"

He glanced at my tie dye tee shirt, the one I'd bought at an EDC four years ago. It was made from organic cotton and had been severely broken in, which made it irreplaceable. "I'd rather not ruin it. Should I change into something else?"

"Do you have a bikini?" Colin grinned and I cut him off with a severe smirk.

"You want me to sit across from you and recite mantras in my bikini? I don't think so, Colin."

"You can't fault a guy for thinking like one," he said with a shrug. "Let's just get started and see what happens. There are three mantras you'll need to learn to incite the change. The first one is 'dimittam fera gargollum', followed by 'dabit virtutem, et mordebit', and finally 'obtentu quasi in nocte'. They are all Latin."

"I figured as much. I dabbled in Latin when I was fifteen, but I don't know enough to understand what you just said."

"In English, they translate to 'Release the wild gargoyle. Give her strength and bite. Cloak her like the night.' They translate a little different for a male." Colin handed me the sheet of paper with the mantras. "This will give you a visual reference, but the most important thing is pronunciation and intent. Repeat them after me. Dimittam fera gargollum."

"Dimittam fera gargollum."

"Dabit virtutem, et mordebit."

"Dabit virtutem, et mordebit."

"Obtentu quasi in nocte."

"Obtentu quasi in nocte."

"Very good, Reese. The practice you had as a teen may speed up the process. I expect you were drawn to Latin because of your gollum nature."

While I listened to Colin's explanation, I was distracted by a rush of wind that blew between my ears. I didn't feel the wind as much as hear it, like the sound water makes when it gushes over the side of a dam. I stuck my fingers in my ears and wiggled them, but the whoosh persisted.

"Reese? Are you alright?"

"Um, I think so, but you might have to speak up. There's a tornado in my ears."

Colin looked at me quizzically. "A tornado?"

"Yes. A swirling vortex of wind and rain. Is that a common side effect of the mantras?" I felt a little unnerved that the sound had not subsided, but at least I wasn't sprouting wings from my back.

"No, but your body has been dormant well past the time gollums start making the change. It may be unique to you." Colin pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. "I'm going to time the experience. Tell me when it stops."

By the time the storm in my head had calmed, forty-five seconds had elapsed.

"You want to try that again? I'll time you from start to finish," Colin said.

"Okay. I'll hold up my finger as soon as it starts."

While I didn't relish having a tempest blow through my head again, I didn't see a reason not to continue the experiment. If I truly had gargoyle blood in my veins, there was no better time to test it. I read the mantras, doing my best to pronounce every word precisely, and my body reacted almost immediately.

I lifted my finger when the squall started up in my skull, only this time my heart joined the game, beating rapidly behind my ribs. As my head swirled and my chest pounded, I was reminded of the movie How The Grinch Stole Christmas, specifically the scene when the Grinch's heart grows three sizes. The pain increased to the point that I couldn't speak. Not even to tell Colin about the new sensation. About thirty seconds in, I started to panic. Was I having a heart attack?

Finally, the chaos began to calm, but a brand new sensation came in its wake. A familiar ache had settled between my thighs. The early onset of a climax, and my gaze flicked to Colin, which was a mistake because it triggered a blush. Fortunately, the sensation mellowed quickly, and as soon as my body returned to normal, I lifted me finger to signal the end of the ride.

"How did that feel?" Colin asked.

I tried to ignore the facetious look on his face. I didn't want to believe he had been aware of my body's dirty little secret. I was not having that conversation with him.

"Well, there was more pain involved this time. I thought I was having a heart attack for a minute."

"The heart palpitations are a normal symptom when you go through the change, so that's a good sign. How intense was the pain, on a scale of one to ten?"

"Well, I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I'd say about a five."

"That's not too bad. Any other sensations show up?"

"That's about it."

Not having that conversation.

"Okay. Do you want to try it again? Only if you're up for it, of course."

"Um... As long as you don't think I'm going to have a heart attack."

"No chance. Gollums have extremely powerful hearts. We have to in order to fly and fight. Whenever you're ready." He held up his phone, signaling he was good to go, and I recited the mantras.

I raised my finger when the maelstrom started, but I was ready for it this time. I even closed my eyes to block out other distractions and focused keenly on each sensation. The wind blew, my heart thumped, and I thought I had everything under control until the sensation between my legs ramped up to something much bigger than I expected. A gasp escaped me as my sex throbbed, and I clamped my legs together to stifle it, but that only intensified it. Christ, I couldn't have an orgasm in front of Colin. I swiped a throw pillow and gripped it tightly, holding it against my lap as I rode out the storm. When the episode ended, I collapsed against the back of the couch as if sated from sexual release.

"Well...?" Colin did a shitty job of suppressing a grin as he watched me collect myself.

For some reason, his stupid reaction triggered my funny bone, and I busted out laughing. I knew damn well he was clued-in to the erotic sensations my body had undergone, but rather than be pissed at him for not preparing me for it, I found the whole experience fucking hilarious. It felt good to surrender like that. I couldn't remember the last time I really let myself laugh.

"I take it that was better," Colin said as he set his phone on the coffee table. "Care to share?"

I reined in my composure and tucked the pillow against the arm of the couch. How was I going to explain this without embarrassing myself? "It started out the same. First the tornado, then the rapid heartbeat, but there was something new that caught me by surprise. I'm not sure how else to describe it other than... um... I felt the sensation much lower in my body and there was no pain involved."

Colin was laughing before I'd even finished my sentence, and it kind of made me want to slap him.

"Is that normal?" I asked.

"Yes, and it didn't take any time at all for the symptom to manifest, although I'm not really surprised."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Gollums are passionate beings, both on the battlefield and off. I may have mentioned that before."

"Yes, both you and your brother have mentioned it. So, every time you go through the change you have an orgasm? That seems inconvenient, especially if you're getting ready to beat the shit out of a demon."

"You will learn to suppress that feeling until it's only a fleeting sensation, but there will be times when you can use it to your advantage. During sex, for example."

"I'm not having this conversation with you, Colin. Weren't you supposed to teach me some self-defense moves, or was that just an alibi for your family?"

Colin looked like I'd burst his party balloon, but he nodded his agreement. "Sure, we can spar if you're up for it. You can show me what you know and we'll work from there."

"What about your chest wound? How is it healing? I don't want to hurt you."

He chuckled. "Gollums heal extremely fast. It's crucial to our survival. I'm as fit as a fiddle. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to keep your friend entertained as long as I did. Didn't she tell you about our..."

"We're sparring, remember?"

"Fine." He stood and pushed the coffee table against the wall, and we started from the position of attacker and defender. Colin blocked and dodged most of what I had to offer, showing me ways to improve my stance for faster reaction time, and demonstrating some moves that had us wrestling on all fours.

"We're going to try an exercise in evasiveness," Colin said as he crouched beside me. "Don't let me pin you. Use everything in your arsenal to avoid getting trapped."

Colin reached for my arms, and I managed to keep them away from him for a few seconds, but he snatched them fairly easily, flipping me onto my back and straddling me as he locked my legs between his knees.

"You need to think outside the box sometimes," he said. "Can you come up with anything you can do to evict me in this position?"

"I was thinking of kneeing you in the balls."

Colin looked down and realized my knee had almost wiggled free, aiming for his crotch. "Good one. I misjudged my placement and you could have capitalized on it. Anything else?"

"Well..." I jerked my body sideways, dislodging one of my arms from his grasp and using it to elbow him. He grabbed my elbow and spun me onto my stomach, securing his arm around my waist. His teeth were at my neck in seconds, and although he didn't bite hard, he made his point.

"Never forget. Demons have fangs too." Colin's voice vibrated against my ear as his breath warmed it, and suddenly that sensation I'd felt between my legs was back with a vengeance. Neither of us moved, but I felt his erection growing against my ass. Damn. I was getting turned on, and the feeling was clearly mutual. "Reese..."

"Colin, don't."

"Don't what?"

"You know what."

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't right?"

"I'm going to need more clarification than that." He pressed his mouth against my temple, not kissing it per se, but he brushed his lips across it, eliciting a spike that went straight to my sex.

"It wouldn't be fair to Vincent."

"Are you saying it wouldn't be fair to Vincent if I seduced you, or it wouldn't be fair if you allowed yourself to be seduced?"

"Stop trying to mess with my head. I can't think straight with you... with your..."

"With my what, exactly?"

Colin continued to tease me, tipping his hips forward suggestively. Despite the fact that Vincent could be as cold as winter in the arctic, and tossing me out of his apartment punched me below the belt, I still had strong feelings for him.

"Please, Colin. Let me go."

Pleading with Colin didn't do the trick. His hold on me hadn't slackened, and I knew there was no chance of throwing him off.

"Damn, Reese. You've got me so hard for you."

"So, this is my doing, huh?" When I felt Colin's mouth on my neck, I remembered I had one weapon in my arsenal that didn't require brute strength. The only one that seemed to work on these hot-blooded Valentinos. "Et receptum release!"

As soon as I spoke the command, Colin's grip loosened, and I quickly pushed him onto his back before scrambling to my feet. "Not cool, Colin." I shook my head, and when he met my gaze his dark eyes stared back like pools of blackness, fully dilated and simmering with aggression and lust.

"Shit. That was close," he said as he stood slowly and adjusted his crotch.

"Damn right it was. Between you and Vincent, my neck is going to look like a freaking pin cushion."

"I'm sorry, Reese. You give off mixed signals. Your gollum nature has me wanting to fuck you into the next world, but your demon scent makes me want to rip your..."

"Please, don't." I held up my hand to stop him from describing whatever gruesome scenario he had planned to paint for me. "So, I still smell like demon? It's been nearly forty-eight hours. How long will this mark last?"

Colin ran his fingers through his hair as his eyes swept the floor. "We don't know. Everyone is making guesses at this point. There's not much documentation on situations like this. Gollums don't make it with demons. They just aren't compatible."

"You can say that again." I snorted as I walked to the refrigerator and retrieved a fresh bottle of water. "Maybe we should call it a night."

Colin appeared remorseful. "I'll be better prepared next time. I promise." He moved my coffee table back and picked up the paper with the mantras on it, shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. "I'm going to go, but there will be a gollum on patrol making sure you're safe. Please, don't practice the mantras without me. At the rate you're going, you could be changing within a week. And you still need to learn the mantras that return you to your human form."

"You don't need to worry about that. I doubt I could remember them. Besides, I don't need a mantra to get myself off." I smirked as I opened the door for him, and he chuckled as he walked into the hallway.

"You're a live wire, you know that. I see why Vincent has a hard time controlling himself around you."

"Goodbye, Colin." I waved him away and shut the door, grateful for escaping another close call. Could I trust any of the Valentinos to take me through this risky process? Maybe Amelia would be a better choice. Did Vincent have an ulterior motive for sending Colin, knowing how Colin felt about me? I grabbed my cellphone to send Vincent a text, letting him know I was onto his game.

Colin just left my apartment. Interesting strategy you've got. Is this your way of testing my fidelity?

It didn't take long for Vincent to send his response.

Why do you say that?

I found it very telling that he didn't call to interrogate me. Was it because he didn't want to hear my voice, or was he guilty? I decided to answer him in the form of a non-answer. I was in no mood to play his game.

I'll let Colin tell you if I passed.

PLAYLIST SONG: I Am Chemistry by Yeasayer