We met Vincent at Zaytinya after a vigorous walk from the house. My parents had been tickled senseless at the prospect of meeting the man responsible for claiming my damaged heart. Mom had done her homework and made the discovery that the Valentinos donated to the same charity she and Dad donated to, which gave Vincent an edge straight off, and Sylvie put in her two cents, saying Vincent had more than half a brain.

Vincent looked good enough to eat as he waited outside the restaurant, dressed in light gray Dockers and a pale blue shirt. I couldn't help commenting on his attire as we were seated.

"I didn't realize light blue was on the list of approved colors. The only thing you'll blend with is a baby nursery."

He shrugged innocently. "I just wanted to show you I can embrace change. And I only had an hour to shop before our brunch date."

I squeezed his hand under the table, unable to contain my blush. He had gone out of his way to please me, and it only got better from there. Vincent impressed my parents with his interest in the current senate race, his affinity for Cognac, and his knowledge of tax levies on Chinese imports and exports. When we returned to the house, Dad and Vincent retired to the study to discuss more topics that didn't interest the rest of us, so Mom dragged me and Sylvie to the garden to talk about her squash and grill me about Vincent. 

"How long have you been seeing him?" she asked. "You seem to know him well."

"I told you, Mom. We met last Friday. He has friends in DC, which led to our unexpected meet-up here."

I pinched Sylvie's arm, hoping she would keep her mouth shut about last night's fiasco, but it didn't help. Mom had that worried look.

"Unexpected, huh? I hope he doesn't try to keep you under his thumb. I would hate to see you endure another relationship like that."

Sylvie raised her neatly-plucked eyebrows and I ignored her. "Don't worry. Vincent is nothing like Heath." I glanced through the kitchen window at Vincent, hoping I was right. He had his cellphone to his ear, and Dad was walking outside to join us.

"You've got yourself a winner there, Reese," Dad said as he patted my back. "He's focused on all the right things."

Dad wasn't able to gush further before Vincent stepped outside, sliding his phone into his pocket. He walked up to me, giving a polite nod to my parents. "Reese, something has come up and I need to leave. Can we speak in private?"

Dad waved us off casually, but Mom didn't appear so unaffected, and she watched me follow Vincent through the gate to the front yard. A cab was already waiting at the curb.

"What's wrong, Vincent?"

"It's a family matter. Nothing you need to worry about. I will keep in touch. Please, don't leave the house alone. Can you promise me that?"

"Sure. Is there anything I can do?"

Vincent leaned in and kissed me, using his fingers to gently tip my head upward. "Just stay here and enjoy yourself. I will see you tomorrow."

Vincent left me standing in the driveway and vanished behind the cab's tinted windows. What had called him away? Had one of the Valentinos fallen ill? Or, worse, been injured in battle?

Later that night, when I laid awake in my bed listening to Sylvie's sleep-induced rasp, my phone rang. "Vincent, is everyone okay?" I shimmied out of bed and slipped on my jeans one-handed as I balanced the phone on my shoulder.

"Not everyone. Colin was wounded during a battle. I'm with him now."

I knew it.

"How bad is it?"

"He's at Johns Hopkins being treated for a severe chest wound. He'll be fine."

"Johns Hopkins? He's in Baltimore? Why is he in Baltimore?"

"Don't worry about Colin. Gollums are hard to kill. I'm more worried about you."

"Tell me why Colin was in Baltimore, Vincent." I wasn't letting him evade my question, and I used firm whisper as I quietly closed my bedroom door. "Was he there looking for Heath?"

The silence that followed irritated me, but Vincent didn't let it drag on too long. "Yes. Once you confirmed a few details, we tracked him down. Then Colin disregarded my instructions to wait, taking it upon himself to rush in foolishly with only two gollums for backup. Apparently, Heath had been tipped off they were coming, and he and four others ambushed them."

"Heath is one of them, isn't he? The enemies you and your family fight against?"

"Yes."

"I knew there was something strange going on with him. He was always so secretive, and sometimes he would come home from work with cuts and bruises. That's not normal for a night janitor."

"No, it's not. I need you back in New York. I need you safe with the Valentinos. As soon as Colin comes out of surgery..."

"Surgery? I want to be there with you and Colin."

"No. I don't want you setting a toe in Baltimore. It's too dangerous."

"I'm not an invalid, Vincent."

"I know, but there is still so much you need to learn. Please, do this for me."

I shook my head in frustration. Of course, he couldn't see it. "How am I going to get home at this hour?"

"I'll give you a minute to figure it out."

I didn't need a minute to know what he was suggesting. "Oh, hell no. I'm not a fan of airplanes, and you think I'm going to fly home in the arms of a gargoyle?"

"Reese, please. Don't you realize how difficult this is for me? I would do it myself if I could. I'm the only family Colin has here until Charleton and Wren arrive."

"Crap. Are you worried Colin might not make it through surgery?"

When he didn't answer, my stomach roiled. I walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it from the sink. As I stared out the window, I thought about Colin and his sense of humor and how determined he'd been to date me. I didn't want him to die. 

From the corner of my eye, I saw movement near the fence, and based on the size of the shadow, I guessed it was a man. He appeared to be trying to hide in the shrubs. "Did you send someone after me?"

"Yes. Jonathan and Ward. Ward is a gollum from Baltimore."

"Should they be here already?"

"No, why?"

"I think there's someone in my backyard."

"Where are you?"

"In the kitchen. At the window."

"Are the doors locked?"

"Of course."

"Well, that won't help if they know you're in there. Get away from the window."

"But how am I going to know who it is? Wait, I see wings. Maybe it is Jonathan."

"No, Reese. Jonathan and Ward won't be there for at least half an hour. Dammit! Okay, listen to me carefully. Don't leave the house, but I want you to turn on every light inside and out. You also need to call the police. Does your dad own any firearms?"

I cringed at the mention of guns. I didn't like them. "He and mom each own a handgun."

"How much ammo?"

"I don't know."

"Gather all the ammo you can find. That may hold them off until the police arrive."

"Hold them off? A couple of well-placed shots and the sons-of-bitches should be down for the duration."

"No, they won't."

My heart thundered inside my chest, making it hard to think. "Okay, Vincent. It's time for you to tell me who these people really are. Are they even human?"

He sighed into the phone. "No. They're demons, Reese. You'll be fighting demons."

PLAYLIST SONG: Witch Hunt - Rush