📎 A/N. Hello my lovelies. Thank you for being so patient. I hope to get back on track with my weekly posts. Lately, finding the time to write has been a bit of a challenge.

For those of you who don't know, depending on the size, it takes me between 12-15 hours to write a chapter. That is why writers on WattPad look forward to the votes. It gives us the reassurance that the effort to put the stories together was appreciated.

Take care... And don't forget to vote.

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Keira arose as the first light of daybreak rose over the horizon. After the events of the previous night, and their sudden relocation to Deacon's house—which turned out to be larger than the hotel they were staying in—she was unable to sleep and had finally given up all pretence of trying. 

She wandered over to the window and gazed out on the massive lawn and row of trees that hid the house from the main road. As expected, two men were patrolling the area. Ryker had left a small contingent of vampires to guard them while he returned to the search for the missing witches.

While they appreciated the gesture and extra security, both Keira and Dayna had taken no chances and had cast protection spells as soon as he left. As they were too fatigued to safeguard the entire building, only those rooms they would use were warded from intruders.

Marcus, unable to assist had taken himself off to bed, thankful that he no longer had to sleep on a hard floor. She was sure he was fast asleep before they had shielded the first room.

In the light of day, she wondered why they had bothered. The house had state of the art security and a contingent of burly armed vampires outside. Not spotting anything of concern, Keira dressed and made her way down to the kitchen. She wanted to be ready to go when Ryker returned. The sooner they got the names of the additional witches, the better. There was no telling how far the Order would go to try and flush them out.

As soon as word of the missing girls became public knowledge, Deacon had rounded up the rest of what they knew of the coven and taken on the role of protector until the morning.

Keira had just made herself a second cup of tea when she noticed Ryker's sheriff's cruiser make its way up the driveway. A few minutes later she heard the distinct blips of the alarm being disengaged. Guessing he might appreciate a coffee, she grabbed another cup and began to pour from the pot she had put on for the others.

Without warning, she heard Ryker cry out, "What the fuck!"

This was quickly followed by the sound of the splintering of wood and glass as it smashed into pieces. Keira's gaze snapped to the candle on the windowsill which still burnt brightly. She closed her eyes and grimaced. "Damn."

A moment later the flame was blown out, and she raced towards the string of ear-stinging curses from the foyer. When she reached the front entrance, Keira discovered Ryker lying amongst the broken pieces of the hall table. Pieces of ceramic from the large urn which had, until recently, stood beside the antique centrepiece to the room lay strewn across the marbled floor. A pool of water trickled away from where he lay; the shattered fragments of the glass vase that had proudly displayed a stunning arrangement of flowers was unrecognisable as it's shards intermingled with the colourful and mutilated flora.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she rushed over to help him up.

Ryker looked up at her with a shocked expression. "What the hell just happened?"

The chaos increased exponentially when the front doors swung open, and two vampires skidded to a halt, poised ready to attack.

Keira froze. What if they think I did this?

She glanced around for something to defend herself with. While technically she was responsible, it wasn't something they needed to know.

Ryker waved them off. "I'm fine. Just threw myself across the room for no reason."

The two men didn't look convinced but adhered to his command and returned to their post.

"I'm so sorry," she said once they were gone. "I forgot the protection spell was still active in this part of the house."

"The what?" he asked as he glanced around at the damage.

"We didn't want to chance anyone coming in without our knowledge, so we cast a spell to place a barrier in some of the rooms."

Ryker brushed broken glass off the front of his shirt. "Next time, put up a warning sign, will you? That thing packs quite a punch."

He then reached over his shoulder as if trying to scratch his back and frowned. "I think you'll need to pull it out for me."

"Pull what out?" she asked as she stared blankly at him.

He turned so that his back was now facing her. "That."

Keira gulped as the extent of the damage came into view. A large chunk of wood had split off from the table leg and had embedded itself between his shoulder blades. Too low for him to pull out on his own. The entire back of his shirt was soaked in blood and didn't look like it would stop too soon.

It took her three attempts before the stake of wood dislodged. Along with removing the broken half of a table leg, a large chunk of flesh tore from his body. How his ribs weren't broken as well was beyond her. The stake had pushed its way between two rib bones and widened the gap. The moment it was removed they visibly settled back into place.

"That doesn't look good," she remarked as she inspected the damage.

"It'll be all right. I've had worse."

"With that amount of blood loss you are going to have to replace it—asap, and..." She peered closer to the open wound visible through the hole in his shirt. "I think you're going to need stitches

"Stop fussing Doc. It'll heal on its own."

Ryker headed towards the kitchen and stopped short just before the door. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You're safe," she said as she passed him through the doorway.

Once they were in the large gourmet kitchen that opened out to a large family style room, Keira began to investigate each cupboard and draw. "Take off your shirt," she said once she found what she was after.

Ryker grinned at her. "Why Doc, most girls at least try and woo me before they get down to business."

She snorted. "You wish. Just shut up and take it off so I can bandage the hole."

Once his shirt was discarded Keira was sure the temperature in the room had just risen ten degrees. The sheriff's uniform hid the beautifully toned and sculptured body beneath it. She didn't know whether to look away or continue to stare.

A moment later her breath caught in her throat when she noticed the large scars across his torso. He turned around, and her eyes widened at the number across his back.

She quickly set to work and noticed splinters in the open wound. They would need to be removed before she could clean the area. "You weren't kidding when you said you had worse."

Ryker shrugged. "Comes with the territory. You live long enough, you're bound to get into a few scrapes or—" He halted and hissed through his teeth. "Ouch! You trying to fix it or make it worse?"

"Stop being a baby," she said as she rolled her eyes. "That was the last one."

***

"Did you find the missing witches?' Keira asked once the wound was cleaned and dressed.

Ryker shook his head. "No. It looks like they just vanished off the face of the earth." He wandered over to a second fridge she hadn't noticed before and pulled out bagged blood. "We know they closed up their stalls at the usual time. Somewhere between there and their cars, they were taken. No one saw anything."

She watched as he poured the contents into a mug. While her knowledge of vampires was limited, she was sure that with the amount of blood loss, one bag wasn't going to be enough.

"What about video surveillance?" she asked.

"Big brother only extends to the main roads. The cars were parked in secluded streets."

Keira stared at the mug in her hands. The warmth from the cup gave her a measure of comfort. "What about Deacon? Did he manage to get the coven to give him the names of the others?"

"No, he's on his way back home now. We're hoping you'll have more luck." He ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated motion and let out a sigh. "We need to catch these bastards before it's too late. At the moment, the missing girls are not officially connected to the case—even though we know it most likely is."

"Good morning," said Dayna as she breezed in and halted midway across the room and did a double take. A broad grin exploded across her face as she gave Ryker a once over. "Oh my! A half-naked man in the kitchen. What a way to start the day."

Keira was startled at her sister's sudden appearance. They had been so deep in conversation they failed to notice any other movement in the house.

Dayna gave Ryker a wink. "Had I known you had a topless policy I would have dressed appropriately, or less if you get my drift."

She then glanced from Keira to Ryker and back again. Her eyes narrowed and a suspicious expression settled into place. "You little minx, don't tell me I interrupted something naughty? Not that I can blame you... that body was built for—"

"Dayna!" shrieked Keira, mortified at her sister's suggestion. "Nothing happened—at least in the way you think. Ryker was hurt, and I tended to his injury."

Dayna's grin only widened, and she winked at Ryker. "Oh! I get it, Doctors and Nurses. Whatever floats your boat I say."

Ryker, instead of denying the accusation, began to laugh.

Not able to cope, Keira threw her head into her hands. "Give me the strength," she muttered.

When Dayna asked Ryker, "So, was she gentle?" Keira knew enough was enough.

She stomped her way across the room and forced Ryker to turn around. Keira pointed to the bandage which was soaked in blood.

"See? No sex, he was injured because of our spell."

"Who had sex?" asked Marcus as he sauntered in, still half asleep and rubbing his face.

"Keira and Ryker," chirped in Dayna.

Keira glared at her sister. "What is the matter with you? Did we just not clear that up?"

Ryker let out a chuckle and snaked an arm around Keira's waist. "Cat's out of the bag now Doc. There's no use in denying it." He turned to the others and grinned. "Although, I should warn you, we got a bit carried away. You'd best wipe down the counter before you put anything on it."

Marcus froze and glanced at the cream pastry that was halfway to his mouth. He placed it back where he found it. "Maybe I'll stick with coffee this morning."

Keira pulled herself way from Ryker's grip and stomped her foot again. "Have you all taken leave of your senses?"

She pointed to the counter. "There is no bodily fluid anywhere, and nothing happened between Ryker and me."

By this point, she was almost screaming.

How on earth did this conversation degenerate so quickly?

The room fell quiet at her sudden outburst. Much to Keira's frustration, Dayna burst out into an uncontrolled fit of giggles. Her sister reached for the countertop and held onto it to keep her from falling. "Mother Earth, I haven't had that much fun in ages. You were always so easy to wind up."

"Wait," Marcus called out, his face full of confusion. "I don't understand."

Ryker handed Marcus a pastry. "Nothing happened, it's quite safe to eat."

Keira crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Ryker and Dayna. "Could you have gotten more childish?"

Dayna wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she continued to laugh. Each time she attempted to speak she broke down again.

Ryker handed Keira her cup. "Doc, you really do need to loosen up."

He then bent his head down so that she could feel his breath on the shell of her ear. "You just might find that being reckless has its pleasurable advantages."

A sudden thrill of excitement shot through to her core and Keira was sure her face shifted through every shade of red on the spectrum. The man was too primal for her taste, so why did her body react each time he came too close?

Not wanting him to realise just how much he had affected her Keira held back the retort that was ready to spring out of her mouth. The man thrived on banter. This time, she wasn't going to dignify his suggestion with a comeback. He was well aware of the effect he had on women, and she wasn't about to feed his already over-endowed ego. Instead, she strode over to the table and sat down. It didn't take too long for Dayna and Marcus to join her, and the conversation returned to the missing witches.

As Ryker repeated some of the earlier conversation to bring them all up to speed, he poured himself another bag of blood. Instead of joining them at the table he pulled a pan out from the cupboard and placed it on the hobs.

"Anyone else want eggs?" he asked as he broke half a dozen into a bowl.

Her confusion at his actions must have shown when Dayna said, "Vampires have to eat. They just don't eat as frequently as us. I suspect that it's been a while since he has." She turned to Ryker. "You've also missed a few of the red stuff, haven't you?"

Ryker was staring at Dayna, eyes wide open. "How do you know?" he asked.

She winked. "Meh, you pick these things up. You're wound took a while to clot."

Keira's earlier unease at the level of damage returned and she turned to Ryker. "Actually, now that you mention it. Shouldn't it have healed itself already? I thought vampires are supposed to have amazing healing abilities."

He shrugged. "I've been a little preoccupied lately and missed a few warm meals."

"But if you need the iron intake that you get from blood, shouldn't you be eating red meat?" asked Marcus.

Ryker poured the omelette mixture into the pan. "We can't eat meat; our bodies reject it. The majority of our nutrients comes mainly from blood. But we do need food to balance out the stuff we can't get from it. Our diet to supplement our blood intake consists of food high in protein and dairy."

"The cold blood won't really help," Dayna said indicating towards his cup. "You'd better get some fresh stuff; we need you fighting fit."

Ryker dismissed Dayna's concern and continued to cook his breakfast. Throughout the conversation, Keira had remained quiet. She was stunned by the level of knowledge about vampires her sister possessed. While she knew they drank liquids she hadn't paid enough attention as to their other habits. Dayna had somehow acquired this information. While she would let the matter rest for now, Keira would be having a quiet conversation with her sister in the not too distant future.

Ryker had just taken a seat at the table when he cocked his head and froze. From his tense stance, Keira guessed he had heard something. A moment later his shoulders relaxed. "Deacons pulling into the garage," he said as he attacked his food with gusto.

Keira's head snapped in the direction of a low growl from the front foyer.

Damn, he doesn't sound happy.

A moment later a blur materialised near them.

"What happened? Is everyone okay?" Deacon asked as he glanced around the room as if looking for intruders. His posture was crouched, ready for attack.

"Depends on what you consider okay," Ryker said between bites. "If a huge hole in your shoulder is considered okay—then I'm just dandy."

Not seeing any immediate danger, he relaxed and stood to his full height.

Keira rolled her eyes. "I said I was sorry."

She turned to Deacon. "I apologise about the furniture. We put a protection spell on some of the rooms, and Ryker came in before we lifted it. I'm quite happy to pay for the damage to the table and vases."

Deacon raised his hands to cut her off. "No need to concern yourself. I am just relieved that you are all safe and unharmed."

Ryker raised both eyebrows and pointed to himself. His mouth was full of food which made him unable to speak.

Deacon looked pointedly at Ryker. "Considering you are still alive and eating me out of house and home, I'd say you fall well and truly into the category of fine." He glanced at Dayna and Marcus. "I'm sorry that my son's manners are lacking and that he has failed to introduce us."

Keira jumped into the conversation. As Dayna and Marcus were with her, it was technically her responsibility.

No sooner had she made the introductions, Dayna floated up from her seat. "Ryker you never mentioned your father was all man," she said as she held out her hand and batted her eyelashes at the formidable vampire. "I'd like to thank you for opening up your lovely home to us. If there's anything I can do to repay your kindness, just let me know. I'm sure I can come up with a few suggestions."

Keira suppressed a groan. They had failed to warn Deacon about her sister.

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📎 A/N.  Well it looks like Keira may not be as immune to Ryker's charms as she makes out... what do you think?

Keira and Dayna seem to have a few cool spells up their sleeves... I wonder how many other witches in Salem have that ability??

And poor Deacon... I am not sure he's going to know what hit him. He is so old school and Dayna's saucy nature might be too much for him.

Don't forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter, and any and all feedback is appreciated.

Till next time, take care.

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