Post attack, Vincent and I made an effort to go about our business, and the morning became a blur of coffee and phone calls. All the calls were for Vincent. My phone never rang. I didn't even get a 'Wassup?' text from Sylvie. Colin had been good enough to keep Vincent in the loop, but his messages didn't arrive until after I started nursing a headache. Now, I'd taken on the task of cleaning and organizing the contents of my camera bag. My attempt at a distraction.

"Colin says they're stuck in rush hour traffic," Vincent said as he multi-tasked between his smartphone and his laptop. "He and Sylvie should be here by one. Plenty of time before the domus meeting."

"Who's all invited to this circus?" I asked from my cross-legged position on the floor surrounded by lenses.

"The New York magisters and their spouses. And all the Valentinos, of course."

"What about Griffin? Is she old enough to be involved?"

"Griffin is bright and intuitive. She is more than capable of understanding the situation."

"How many bodies is that?"

"Fourteen."

"And what is the male to female ratio?"

Vincent looked up from his laptop, scrunching his forehead in thought. "It's even. Seven to seven. While I cannot vouch for Margo Cromwell, all the other females support our relationship." He held onto that thoughtful pose when I lifted my gaze to tweak my eyebrows. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "Getting the female vote is crucial to our success, and I agree. Testosterone may win more battles, but empathy wins more wars."

"Who did you steal that profound quote from?"

He shrugged, returning to face his screen. "If you know the author, tell me. I thought it was an original."

"Like you?" I grinned at him and went about repacking my camera bag. When my job was done, I slid my equipment under the computer desk, glancing at my phone. It sat on the mouse pad, glaring at me with dark, silent malice. I pressed the power button, lighting up the screen and scowling at the empty message box. Was I in the dog house with Sylvie, or had she been too distracted to text her best friend? Was I still her best friend? "I'm going next door to check on Mr. Pearlman and clean his bathroom."

"A penance for your crime?" Vincent said to my retreating back.

"Maybe."

I spent the next hour with Mr. Pearlman's unmentionables, disinfecting the germs and removing his cigarette-infused old man smell, while he spent the time coughing in his recliner and grumbling at the crap on TV. When my penance had been paid, I wished Mr. Pearlman a nice day and left him with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As I stood on the landing, dreading the impending meeting with the gollum magisters, my phone rang in my pocket, and I yanked it out, biting my lip when I read the caller's name.

"Hi Sylvie. How's the big adventure going?" I walked into my apartment and mouthed the word 'Sylvie' when Vincent looked up. He nodded and I made a beeline for my room.

"Hi, chica. Sorry, I haven't called until now," Sylvie said, in her usual perky voice. "Colin and I never stopped packing until we got on the road. We also had to find living arrangements for my car. We ended up parking it in his friend, Ward's, barn. Nice guy. In between that chaos, we talked about Manhattan and my best friend who's a gargoyle with demon blood, and how much I love her despite that. She also has good taste in gargoyle friends."

I walked to the bedroom window and propped my shoulder against the frame as relief flooded me. "So, you and Colin talked?"

"Yes, and I'm not mad at you for trying to protect me from knowing the freaky shit exists. That's how nervous breakdowns happen."

"You didn't get angry at Colin, did you? He was worried about that?"

"Good, I'm glad he was worried. That means he cares."

"He does care, Sylvie. He told me."

"Yeah, he made that pretty apparent after everything was on the table. I may not walk straight for a week."

"He's sitting next to you, isn't he?"

"Yes, and he's grinning in a way that makes me want to touch myself."

I heard Colin's laughter and it made me laugh too.

"I may be staying at Colin's tonight," Sylvie went on. "After we deliver my stuff to my new place, of course, and after he attends some important family pow wow."

"Don't remind me. I'm invited to that pow wow."

"Really? Can you tell me what it's about? Wait, nevermind. Colin is shaking his head violently. I think he may have knocked a couple screws loose."

"I'll find out what bits I can tell you after the meeting. If everything goes well, I'll be staying at Vincent's tonight."

"Oh. Does the pow wow have something to do with those logistics beyond your control?"

"Yes."

"The logistics that involve your... special nature? Colin told me that's why the demons prey on you."

"He did?"

"Yes. He said we'll both be under heavy guard whenever we go out at night. At least until you and I learn how to defend ourselves against fangs and claws. He's been filling my head with battle strategies. I'm learning how to castrate a demon in five easy steps."

I heard Colin laugh again, and he dragged Sylvie into a conversation about loose screws. "I think we're going to stop for food and find a parking lot with lots of privacy," she said as she giggled.

"You're a maniac, Sylvie, and I love you for it. See you when you get here."

I hung up and stared through the window at the frozen alley, grateful I didn't have to worry about Sylvie hating me. Apparently, she planned to continue having mad sex with her gollum lover. I just needed to worry about facing the magisters and Vincent's misogynistic grandfather. As I stood there, blinking against the glare, I thought about my sleepwalking nightmare. Had Vincent been right about my subconscious? Did I want Christoph to have his way with me? Surely, if I really wanted that, it would have happened inside the hive. The aquifer offered plenty of... Geez. What was I doing? I needed a shower.

My period had stopped after only three days, which was not unusual for me. My cycles had always been unpredictable, but I had never been screwed by a gargoyle before, and I couldn't help wondering if that had something to do with it. Once my head had been cleared by the searing spray of a hella hot shower, I returned to my bedroom. As I pulled on my panties and slipped into my robe, I fetched Cecile's letters and sat on the bed to reread them. Something about her scrolly handwriting made me think of lace and pressed flowers, and maybe even the taste of honey.

Vincent entered the room and dropped down next to me. He seemed oblivious to the letters as he pulled my hair aside to squint at my neck. "Maybe you should bandage the wound," he said. "The water softened the scabs."

"Wounds heal best when exposed to fresh air. I put antibiotic ointment on it."

He kissed around the punctures, atoning for his sin for the umpteenth time. "Whatever body wash you're using, keep using it. You smell divine."

"It's fragrance-free."

"Perfect. Nothing to mask your gollum scent." He continued to kiss his way to my shoulder, tugging down the sleeve of my robe as he went. His progress stopped when he saw the letters in my hand. "Why are you looking at those?" 

"I don't know. Maybe to feel connected. Maybe because I like the handwriting. Cecile's penmanship is very loopy."

"To feel connected? To the demons?"

"No. To my mother, maybe." 

He attempted to suppress a grimace and failed. "From what I've learned, she and your grandmother were pawns to the demons, just like you are. There is speculation among the domi that Cecile arranged your mother's birth for the sole purpose of using her to gain access to the amulet."

I huffed through my nose, folding the letters and setting them on my pillow. My grandfather had already divulged that information, but the point was moot now. "That doesn't make her disposable."

Vincent lowered his head, looking repentant. "You're right. I'm sorry, Reese. I expect your mother made the best of her situation. And you will too."

"What am I going to do about the amulet? Ignore its existence? I can't pretend there aren't demons tracking me. Not to mention Guido with the triple chin."

He scowled, making no effort to suppress it. The conversation we'd had regarding the incident at Harper and Smythe had put Vincent in a horrible mood for hours afterward. "You're not going to ignore it. I'm going to help you find it."

"You are?"

"Don't look so surprised. If it's the only way to appease Cecile and get her minions off your back, then I'll do it. Granted, it could take a while to find it. Years, maybe." He offered a wry grin, which usually had me grinning back, but I didn't like his flippant attitude.

"You sound like you're going to drag out the search on purpose. Is that your plan for getting everyone off my back? String them along? And they aren't minions. The demons have names, like you and me."

With my lips pressed into a pout, I tried to stand, but he dragged me back down, holding my face between his hands.

"I said I'm going to help you find the amulet and release you from this commitment. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it or who I'm going to bring into the conversation, but your mother suffered at the hands of the demons. I'll be damned if I'll let you suffer too."

He captured my lips in a lusty kiss, all hot and demanding and full of tongue, while his fingers swept over my body, dislodging the other sleeve of my robe and letting it drift down my arm. "Damn, your scent has my cock hard."

"Again?"

He growled as he unsheathed my breasts, taking one into his mouth and talking around it. "I could be inside you all day and never tire of it."

All day? Hmm.