I'd like to say that I was stunned by that, but it was hard to be anything when I was feeling rather emotionless.

After Drakkus enjoyed his moment in the limelight, pointing out that my ex-boyfriend had sold me out and then apparently flipped teams, he gave me an ultimatum. I was the outsider here. I was the one that was on her own. No vampires in this town wanted to associate with me or any Corbin, so, therefore, the rule of the Corbin family was dead. I was to leave town immediately because there was no point in trying to salvage anything when the house was nothing but a pile of rubble.

I watched as they walked down the street, slowly fanning out and dispersing into the shadows. Like he knew that I was watching, Drakkus made a show of his affection for Kannon.

"Well, that was rather unexpected. Did you know he was bi?"

I looked at Brad, who was standing next to me, watching the figures as they walked down the road.

"No, and I don't care. I'm done with this place. Let's salvage what we can and get the hell out of,"

I rolled my eyes. "Hell."

Brad huffed, then turned to look at the non-existent house.

"You really need to learn how to control your powers."

"I'll say," Anzide grumbled. "I have a lump on the back of my head."

"Shut up, the both of you. What would Niko say if he could see this?"

"Pick up a hammer?"

"Flame thrower," Brad offered.

The two of them laughed. Ignoring them, I returned to the house. The burn marks dragged across the floor, sweeping around the table that was untouched. Nothing burned, nothing askew. I sat down and finished lunch.

"Seriously?" Brad asked as he approached.

"I'm hungry, and we might as well eat. At least then we can decide what's going to happen."

Brad was more interested in finishing his sandwich than the conversation. I'm sure he was itching to find out if his secret stash of doughnuts had survived. I will not be popular if they're burned.

"Okay," Brad sighed heavily. "I'm just going to assume that I know what that was all about and ignore it because I do not want to know."

"Did you need another education?"

"No," he snapped.

"I told you. I know more than necessary about the birds and the bees, thanks to my mother. She was very informative."

"Evie, stop. I said that I do not want to know. Let's just leave it at that and move on to the more obvious issue, where are we going to live?"

"Well, here, obviously."

Brad's face screwed up as he looked at me and gestured.

"You just said that you were done with this town. We're staying now?"

I nodded, mouth stuffed to the brim with the sandwich. I was hungry and wolfing it down fast.

"Where exactly will we be sleeping, Evelyn? You demolished the entire house."

"Not all of it. The basement is still intact."

"And how would you protect yourself from the vampires that want you dead or the demon that is desperate to harness your powers?"

I swallowed the last of my food, wiping my mouth on a napkin.

"To be fair, walls and doors do not stop a demon. It's true that the vampires have physical limitations, but I'm sure if they were determined, they'd get into any place they wanted."

Anzide nodded, much to Brad's frustration. He shook his head and returned to making his sandwich.

"You know, I'm not done with this town."

Brad looked up from his lunch, curiously waiting. Anzide was merely smiling as if he knew me better than I knew myself. That was highly likely.

"Kannon said to me that Drakkus had taken out his own followers,"

He also said that Drakkus would try all angles to get to me, like the guy that was supposedly instantly taken by me. I was a fool, and I fell for it.

"He said that he's seen it. How can I have the rule of this town taken from me for that reason when Drakkus does it all the time?"

"You can't. They killed Niko, yet they fail to remember that."

"Did either of you see them kill Niko?"

We both shook our heads.

"Then without proof that they've actually killed their own, you've got nothing. You cannot rely on what Kannon has said. Drakkus will argue that Kannon would have said anything to ensure you believed that he was on your side."

"Niko was stabbed with a sword that had holy water on it from the Vatican. Who would go to that kind of effort?"

"Someone that wanted to ensure his death was painful. Niko's death is not the path that you're looking for. I can see where you're going, Evelyn. I know what you want, but there will be a different angle."

Brad leaned back, listening to us, silently observing. He smiled at me, earning a frown.

"What?"

"Didn't I say that Drakkus would use your hormones against you?"

"You did. Just like Niko said not to trust anyone."

"Including your own," Anzide mumbled. "It's a sad world, but that's how it is. Some you can trust, and some you can't. You'll never know until it's too late."

After finishing the meal, we began searching through the rubble and cleaning the debris so that we could find as much of our stuff as possible. While we did that, I kept an eye on the surroundings. I didn't want to say anything but that odd feeling that I got when I unleashed my anger, it hadn't settled. It was like I could feel more than I should, like a connection to something had been created. I don't know what, but I do know that it moved.

Brad had left about five minutes ago to fetch gloves and work boots in case of nails sticking out. It didn't matter that a little nail wouldn't do any damage to us. He said that he didn't want to invite the vampires back with the scent of our blood.

The sun filtered in and out of the clouds, making it difficult to search for our things. Anzide was making short work of the planks of wood. Picking them up and tossing them over his head. They'd hit a pile that he'd been stacking at the far end of the property. It made me wonder what the neighbors thought. I soon learned that he'd created a veil over the property to hide it from them.

"Are you still Nephilim?"

Anzide stopped and looked at me.

"Yes. Just like you're still a mixed bag of goodies."

I huffed with amusement.

"Cute, but not what I meant. Are they going to call you for an assignment or something?"

"No, I've been cut from their world. The price that I pay for my deeds. The price that I pay for loving an Eternal."

I stared with disbelief. Anzide frowned for a moment, slight and short, until he realized what he'd said.

"I don't regret it. Please don't misinterpret what I said."

"So, you don't love me, then?"

He paused, then shrugged.

"I do not fully understand the concept of it, but it came to me after I accepted responsibility for what we did. It was like the wind whispered that the Nephilim should not love another creature. I thought about it and considered the definition of it, an intense feeling of deep affection. It made sense, so I guess I accepted that even though I do not fully understand it. It would seem that I am in fact, in love."

Stepping closer, I smiled.

"You sure know how to answer a girl in the most confusing, long-winded way."

"I find it confusing. I find a lot of things confusing. That will change the longer I spend in this world."

"Did you go to another world when you weren't doing their dirty work?"

"It's not another world as such, more like a parallel plane. It's smaller, not much bigger than this town. If I wasn't cut from it, then we could have gone there."

"Sorry, I guess I should have behaved myself."

Anzide leaned forward, kissing me softly.

"Do not be sorry. There were two of us, and I was equally responsible. There are still many places in the portal that we can access."

"Right, so you should have kept it in your pants, then?"

Anzide wrapped his arms around my waist, lifted me off the ground, and twirled me around. I screamed and then giggled. I gripped his shoulders tight, praying that he wouldn't lose his balance and fall over.

He stopped, looking up at me. I'd never seen that smile before.

"Do you want me to keep it in my pants?"

"Absolutely not."

Leaning down, I kissed Anzide, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulled my legs around his waist, the hands sliding under my backside for support. I was wearing jeans, so there was no misbehavior for us. Not that we could, there was no house to give us privacy, and I didn't want Brad returning to find us in the middle of it.

"If you ever want to leave this place," he whispered against my lips. "I can take you and Brad anywhere. I might be cut from their world, but that does not mean that I have changed. I know you though,"

My body slid down, and my feet returned to the ground but still wrapped up in Anzide's arms.

"You feel connected to the land. This is the home of your kin. You were destined to be a part of this land. And I know what else you feel connected to."

I tried to hide it, but I'm sure Anzide saw it.

"It moves," he whispered. "You were disconnected until today, but your powers grew, and the links snapped together. Do not be frightened of it, Evelyn. It moves to ensure it survives."

"Niko?" I whispered, tears begging to be released.

"Yes. You said that his body was missing. There were footprints but no drag marks. He did not die that day, but he was badly injured. Putting him in that cave was the best thing that you and Brad could have done for him. It might be the only reason he survived."

Scrabbling out of his arms, I looked at the forest.

"I have to find him."

"For what purpose? To let him bask in the sun while helping clean up? Leave him to recuperate in the forest. He will emerge when he is ready."

"But the house,"

Anzide moved around me, blocking the view of the forest.

"He will not care. You and Brad are safe. That is all that a vampire like Niko cares about. He is the kind of vampire that we want in this world. To return him to power, you must let him recover enough to stand up to his enemies. Bringing a frail creature out into the world would just expose him to more danger. They do not know that he is alive. Leave it at that for now. As for the house, we will rebuild."

"That costs money, and the only builder in this town has been bought off by Drakkus."

"Then we shall find a builder from out of town."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance."

I gasped, turning around. Anzide stepped in front of me, blocking me from Harlwood's sight. His hand was already around mine, holding it tight.

"No. We do not need your help." Anzide said firmly. "It was kind of you to offer, but it is unnecessary."

Harlwood scoffed mockingly.

"Come now, we can set aside the pleasantries and get down to the nitty-gritty. I came here because I wanted to lay myself bare, to show the true leader of the vampires in this town that I am on her side, not theirs. They are a mockery of the world of vampires, and I have put up with it because I had little choice. I was here when the Corbin line was in rule. I was the one that suffered the most when he disappeared."

"I find that hard to believe. The Fleming clan has always been voracious in their feeding habits."

"True, but they found themselves a demon of their own, lured it in with an offer the demon could not refuse, and since that day, the demon has fed on everything they gave. I have had nothing but the pitiful offerings of the townsfolk who seem to have extraordinarily long lives. What I offer is not a deal that would have either party suffer or gain needlessly. You can take it or leave it. I will carry on regardless."

Looking around Anzide, I glanced up at Harlwood. He smiled at me, fiendish yet so very welcoming.

"What do you want?"

"To be the only demon in this town. In order to get this, I have to remove the other demon, but they will not leave unless they are no longer being fed by the Fleming clan. As the original demon resident of this town, I have the final say as to whether this demon stays or leaves, which they will most definitely be leaving. With the Fleming clan gone, the demon will have nothing. All I ask is that I have your assurances that if the demon comes and asks to be your soul feeder, you refuse. If you promise me that, I will remove your vampire enemies as you demand. In return, I will keep the obscuris veil over this town, and the vampires that remain will be able to feed without repercussion. What do you say, Evelyn? Do we have an agreement?"