The afternoon turned into dinner with the Valentinos, part two, with everyone noshing on Thanksgiving leftovers while Vincent filled them in on the hidden vault.

"All that nudging finally paid off," Charleton said, toasting Vincent with his brandy glass. "How long did it take the foundation to get approval?"

"Seventy-six years. The city council just ran out of excuses," Vincent offered from across the table. He looked relieved no one had taken issue with the three day delay in receiving the information.

"You were right about the vault, Papa," Griffin said. "All those Sunday sermons we sat through paid off too."

Charleton grinned. "Don't forget about the excellent gelato afterward."

"Who will tell Sergio and Louis?" Lucy asked as she scooted the last cookie onto her plate.

"I'll go," Vincent offered.

"I'll go with you," said Charleton. "I can appeal to their sense of duty, while you recite any protocol that's relative."

"I recommend we keep the information within the New York domi," Vincent said. "At least until this business with the artifact is handled."

The group at large glanced at one another and voices chimed in. "Agreed."

When only three remained in the apartment, me and the two whippets, I called Sylvie from the comfort of the couch. Her spirits had improved significantly since yesterday, despite the fact she had to work on a proposal for Mr. Harper instead of bask in a holiday hangover. Still, being the only body in the office besides another grunt worker, Sylvie didn't hold back the details, regaling me with stories of Colin's amazing penis. Apparently, the sex he and Deidra were supposed to have turned into her slapping him in the face followed by him kicking her out his apartment.

"I can't believe that didn't trickle down to me," I said as I surrendered to both dogs, letting them dig their nails into my stomach. "Come to think of it, Colin wasn't his usual cut-up self during our family meeting. Maybe he caught hell from Marco for dumping his niece on her ass. That makes two Valentinos, now."

I couldn't contain my grin as I imagined Deidra storming into Wren's apartment to report Colin's heinous crime.

"What do you mean, two Valentinos? Don't tell me Vincent hooked up with her too."

"Okay, I won't tell you, but I will tell you she wants him back. And her plan to use Colin to make Vincent jealous has backfired on her."

"Geez. Your life reads more like a Twilight book every day, and I can barely keep up with your gollum schedules. Colin came over at three AM last night. Us human girls need our beauty sleep."

"You didn't have to work until noon today, and I would say Colin's visit was worth being tired for."

"Of course, it was, but I'm dreading the time he shows up and tells me we're through. We both know this can't last forever."

"Don't put a time frame on it, Sylvie. Remember the days when we lived by those standards?"

"We were younger and more ballsy back then. We'll both be thirty in less than five years. It's time to get serious."

"Who says we're not still ballsy? I had sex with Vincent on the balcony this morning with Lord knows how many eyes watching us from their window perches."

Sylvie laughed. "Get it girl. I'll be checking my Facebook feed for pictures of your white ass flashing the city of Manhattan."

"I hope nobody recognized my white ass. If I'm lucky, only Christoph saw us."

"Your demon stalker dude? When do I get to meet him?"

"Hopefully never."

"But he's cute, right? I can tell by the way you talk about him."

"We spent time together at the hive. Plus, he saved my life."

"On a scale of one to ten, with Vincent being a twelve, where do you rank Christoph?"

"Really, Sylvie. Must we?"

"Yes, we must."

"Fine. He's an eight."

"Does Vincent know he's only four points ahead of his enemy on your hotness scale?"

"Can we change the subject? Are you and Colin planning to hang out tonight? It's Friday again."

"Yes, it is. Let's do couples night."

"Okay. I'll see if Vincent is up for it."

"He better be. He's getting balcony sex. Hey chica, I gotta go or I'll be coming back tomorrow to finish."

"It's almost dark. Do you have an escort lined up? I don't want you riding the subway alone."

"Aren't we being the mother hen, now?"

"Two can play that game. Do you have an escort or not?"

"No, but Tiffany here is going my way. So, we'll use the buddy system. She says she has excellent aim with an umbrella."

"I'm going to round up a gollum escort for both of you."

"Yes Mom. My preference would be Colin, if you're taking requests."

We said our goodbyes and I glanced outside, watching the sky turn gray. Something about the situation had me worried, especially with the threat CW made about Sylvie. I popped-off a text to Colin.

Sylvie needs an escort home from work. Can you do it?

The dogs were not happy with me when I unseated them to head for the kitchen. That last slice of cheesecake had been calling my name since dinner. Without an ounce of guilt, I put the slice on a plate and dug-in right there at the counter, jumping when my phone rang next to me. The screen gave me an unknown number with a Chicago area code, and I hesitated a moment before picking it up.

"Reese Kentwell."

"Hi, Reese. It's Deidra Bourdain."

Aw, crap.

Turning away from my plate, I leaned against the counter, reciting a quick mantra. Ego in pace. "Hello, Deidra. What can I do for you?"

"Now, that sounds like an invitation to take advantage of. I hear you have compassion in spades. A noble quality for a nun, but not for a gollum."

"I think you've come to the wrong conclusion about me, Deidra."

"Have I? Do you think I'm threatened by your demon nature? I know you and Vincent struggle to keep your fangs away from each other. That doesn't sound like mated bliss to me. By now I'm sure you've noticed Vincent likes his sex rough."

"We're not having a discussion about sex with Vincent."

"Why not? We have so much to share. We've both been taken by a gollum with more pheromones than should be legal. Tell me, has he tied you up to the rec room ceiling yet?"

"What?"

Deidra's laugh echoed through the phone like the soundtrack for every evil queen. "Oh, dear. He probably doesn't think you're ready for that. Well, you better get ready or he'll get bored. Vincent needs a strong female to keep his appetite satisfied, not a wannabe whose ass is only good as an orifice."

Bitch, no...

"Do you have a point with this call, Deidra?"

"Of course. I wanted find out how much Vincent has exposed you to. Now I know it's next to nothing. So, why don't you ask him to show you his rope tricks. After you have a taste of that, if you still want Vincent as your mate, I challenge you to prove yourself in a battle for blood."

"I am not required to accept your challenge. And you're forgetting that Vincent and I are already mated."

"Says who? Vincent? Ask him if he submitted his request to the council yet. His position in the domus requires both of you to meet certain standards. Until the magisters approve the pairing, you are no more mated to Vincent than I am. So, there you have it. Your miserable life in a nutshell."

No Shit?

"Regardless of the reasons, I am in no position to meet your challenge, Deidra."

"Clearly. So, I suggest you do something about it right away. You may not care about proving your worth to me, but you'll need a win on the battlefield to prove your worth to the council."

My repertoire of witty comebacks had deserted me, and I let the silence drag on much too long.

"I can see I've left you speechless," she said. "Let me know how things play out in the rec room."

Slack-jawed, I held the phone to my ear during my stroll back to the couch even after Deidra hung up, abandoning my cheesecake and giving Bonnie and Clyde free rein to greet me with mouth kisses. Once again, my phone startled me. This time, the text came from Vincent.

On my way home with food. Let's stay in and canoodle, just we two.

Despite my shitty mood, his sappy message had me grinning, and I quickly sent off my response.

Sounds like the perfect stress reliever.

Now, I needed to tell Sylvie that couples night was out. Surely, she wouldn't begrudge me one Friday. We were city mates again. I typed out my sorry excuse.

Rain check on the couples night. Vincent wants to canoodle.

It took only a second for her to respond.

Does he do that? Sounds too straight-laced for him.

LOL. Vincent has his moments. Has Colin made contact about escorting you home?

No. I'll be fine. Worry wart.

Let me know when you leave. I mean it.

Yes Mom.

I stared at my phone after reading Sylvie's last text. Why had neither of us heard from Colin? I went ahead and called his number, which rang until his voicemail picked up. Maybe he silenced his phone for a nap. Maybe he didn't want to talk to anyone because he'd had a rough night. It appeared I would be forced to deliver the message personally.

Checking that my boobs were properly concealed under my tee shirt and the hem of my shorts showed beneath it, I trekked next door and knocked. As I stood waiting, my freak show hearing picked up the sound of a male voice singing, proving Colin was home, but why couldn't he hear me knock? Didn't he share the same superpowers? I tried the handle and found it unlocked, of course, so I eased the door open a crack, stepping slowly into the foyer.

I chuckled when I heard Colin's baritone echo from the recesses of his bathroom as he belted out a Boston song – More Than A Feeling. It didn't surprise me Colin was a shower singer, and not half bad. Had he ever regaled Sylvie with his vocal stylings? I glanced around Colin's apartment, remembering the last time I'd been inside it. It was the night I used his spare room to recuperate after one of Vincent's lust-fueled attacks.

Colin's apartment had what Vincent's place lacked - color. His taste in modern art didn't thrill me, but he had a few pieces of merit hanging on the walls and decorating his furniture. In particular, I remember an unusual piece he kept on the Asian hutch in his living room, and as I stared at the empty space where the piece had been, I remembered what it looked like. A solid gold Seal of Solomon. 

Holy Moses. I'm an idiot. The amulet was just here.

My attention snapped to the hallway as Colin walked out of it. He was drying his hair with a towel and didn't see me right away, but I saw him, every naked square inch of him. I started backing up but didn't make it before Colin spotted me.

"Reese! What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, Colin. I came over because I couldn't get you on your phone." I dropped my gaze to my feet as I spoke to them. "I'll just leave so you can get dressed."

"Hold up. Why were you trying to reach me?"

"Sylvie needs an escort home from work. I'm worried about her with all these stalkers on my tail."

"Oh. Sure, I'll do that. You can look at me now, Reese."

I ventured a glance at his legs, slowly lifting my gaze until I noticed he had wrapped the towel around his man parts. He leaned against a barstool, looking at me with way too much humor in his eyes.

"I think this makes us even," he said.

"I think it does. Have you ever considered a career in singing?"

I waited for the blush, but he quickly volleyed back. "I'm selective about my audience. Only beautiful women who join me in the shower are entitled."

"Then I got a freebie, huh?"

"I'm open to an encore, if you're interested." Colin lifted his eyebrows, taunting me.

"There are a number of reasons why that would be a bad idea."

"And if none of those reasons existed, would you take a shower with me?"

"I am not having this conversation with you, Colin. In fact, I should go. Vincent is bringing home dinner and we're going to stay in and veg."

With gollum stealth, Colin closed the distance between us, cornering me in the foyer. "Why do you never want to have those conversations with me?"

"You know why. They would only encourage you, and you don't need more encouragement."

"Oh? So, whatever you say would give me hope?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth."

For some stupid reason, my gaze fell to his mouth, and although my attention didn't linger there, Colin noticed, and he sucked on his bottom lip. I lowered my gaze further and noticed the extreme hard-on he was doing nothing to hide. My eyes then snapped to the front door, which I had left ajar, and this really jump-started my heart.

"I need to go. Don't forget about Sylvie."

"How could I forget about Sylvie?"

"Well, you appear to be forgetting about her right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Making moves on her best friend."

Despite the strong smell of body wash coming off his skin, Colin's gollum scent doused the air with pheromones so strong they made my head spin. I backed toward the door, and Colin swiftly maneuvered to block my exit. All the humor had left his eyes.

"Do I intimidate you?" he asked.

"Well, a few minutes ago I would have said 'no'. Now, I'm not so sure. But I'm not afraid of you, if that's what you mean."

"That's not what I mean. Do you feel vulnerable around me? Like you might succumb to your base urges if I pushed?" He took my hand and pressed it gently against his erection. "This is what you do to me, Reese. It will always be this way for me."

"Please, don't Colin. You know this can't go anywhere."

Colin took control of my thumb and directed it beneath his towel, rubbing it over his smooth head and coating my skin with his sticky lust. His boldness had me stunned, and I let him guide my thumb to my mouth, smearing my lips with his arousal. Impulsively, my tongue darted out to taste him.

"Reese..." he moaned. "Do you know how much I want to kiss that beautiful mouth? How often I imagine you straddling me, letting me fill you up?"

"Stop! Let me go now or I'll whistle for help." I didn't have to ask him again. Colin stepped away from the door, letting me pass, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the corridor empty.

Damn. He needed to get control of his hormones. A confrontation between the Valentino boys had bad blood written all over it. Hopefully, Colin would realize how out-of-line he was and stop these shenanigans before I had to threaten him. As soon as I walked into Vincent's apartment, the smell of marinara hit me, and I froze in the foyer. Seconds later, Vincent appeared holding a box of spaghetti.

"Where were you?" he asked. "I noticed your phone on the coffee table, so I figured you were somewhere close. You like linguine?"

"Yes. How long have you been home?" I asked, trying not to sound overly curious. "Long enough to get the marinara bubbling, I see."

"It doesn't take long to open a jar and pour it into a pot." He walked back to the stove where his water boiled. "So, where were you?"

Geez.

"At Colin's apartment. I needed him to escort Sylvie home from work and he wasn't answering his phone."

I crouched to give Bonnie and Clyde the attention they were waiting for and furiously licked the flavor of Colin off my lips. Then I let the dogs lick them.

"Why does Sylvie need an escort home?" Vincent asked, doing a terrible job of hiding his grimace.

"She's working late and I don't want her taking the subway alone after dark."

"I'm sure Sylvie has taken plenty of subway rides alone after dark."

"Not when crazy stalkers are watching everything I do and who I do it with. CW threatened to hurt her if I didn't do his bidding, remember?"

He nodded, finally relenting. "You're right. Sylvie is one of us now. I'll see what I can do about getting her a nightly escort. Speaking of schedules, you and I need to hit the rec room for more flight training."

The rec room? Where Vincent likes to hang women from the ceiling? I glanced at the clock on the stove. "I was supposed to see Mr. Pearlman's doctor today and talk about his physical therapy."

"Mr. Pearlman's doctor is not going to be at the hospital at five-thirty on a Friday night. If they get antsy over the weekend, they'll call us."

Vincent leaned into my face and kissed me, making me hyper aware of the last thing I had on my lips. His senses were otherworldly, and I waited for him to accuse me of infidelity, but he didn't say a word. He just returned to his bubbling pots while I stood there feeling like the worst mate on the planet.

Why did Colin have to make things difficult? He'd been my comic relief. My escape from the crazy. Now, who would I turn to when Vincent needed to put his ass in time out? Definitely not someone who had too much interest in my ass.