The sound of the blender whirring and the promise of a beautiful Caramel Mocha Frappé roused Bethalie from sleep and she found grey light spilling in through the high windows. Glancing at the digital clock on her night table, she saw that it was 10:45 A.M. Five hours of sleep. It almost felt like five minutes.

Sliding out of bed and feeling tired and irritable and officially in need of some aspirin because her head was throbbing, Bethalie trudged down the staircase, trying to give herself a pep talk that would make facing her day easier. However, at the bottom of the stairs, she paused, a little jolt going through her as she realized that her day was probably going to be anything but easy.

There, sitting at her vintage Formica kitchen table, was the Vampire she'd thrown out of her house a few hours before.

Damn.

Evyn, glancing up from the blender and catching Bethalie's eye, cut the machine off and flew across the space, throwing herself in the way to prevent Bethalie from continuing on toward her weapons cupboard. "Bethalie! Please, wait! Please, just hear him out!"

Had it been anyone else besides Evyn, she would have knocked them flat on their ass and continued on her way. But, it was Evyn, so she gritted her teeth and lifted a brow at the woman, waiting for her to speak.

"He was outside the front door when I woke up. I went to tell him to leave but he said—"

"That I'm not leaving you," the Vampire said loudly enough to be heard from across the space. "You can fight me all you want, but I'll keep coming back. I'll follow you wherever you go. I'll sleep on your door step. I'll—"

"The point is, he's as stubborn as you are," Evyn cut him off, annoyed. "He won't leave you and you can't spend all your time staking him and throwing him out in the alleyway."

Bethalie understood where this was going. Or where the co-conspirators thought it was going. "It's not happening, Evyn," she said, trying to side step her assistant, but the girl blocked her path.

"It needs to happen, Bethalie," Evyn argued.

"My father contacted me this morning," the Vampire called out. "He's ordered me to kill you."

Energy shot through Bethalie and her muscles tensed, instantly preparing her for battle. "You can try," she warned, thinking that Evyn may need a little raking down for opening the door to someone who wanted to reap his family's vengeance.

"I have refused my father's command, Ward," the Vampire said. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to keep anyone he sends from hurting you."

"Get out," she said plainly. She hoped he knew that she wouldn't say it again.

"No. He's staying," Evyn said forcefully, suddenly standing toe to toe with Bethalie.

Ballsy. Bethalie was surprised. "Evyn, I don't want to argue with you."

"Well, I want to argue with you," Evyn said, bringing herself up to her full 5'3 inches and glaring right into Bethalie's eyes. "You don't know what you're up against this time! I want him to stay here and protect you!"

"No," she answered as calmly as she could.

"You have other things to worry about, Bethalie. If you aren't thinking about someone hiding in the shadows waiting for you, if you get distracted, and you will, you'll be dead. And I don't want you to die. He stays!"

"He goes," Bethalie answered, her insides starting to vibrate with annoyance. She had a headache and she was beyond cranky. She did not want to deal with this right now. Or ever!

"Bethalie, who better to watch out for you than someone who knows the people that'll be coming for you? He can keep you safe while you get on with your work!" Evyn reasoned.

"I don't need anyone to keep me safe," she gritted out.

"You do this time! I'm asking you to let him stay," Evyn said, her own teeth gritted.

"He goes," she repeated, though she truly despised having to repeat herself.

Evyn looked at her for a second, her brown eyes flaming in a way Bethalie had never seen before. "Fine. He goes. But, I'm going with him." That announcement made, Evyn spun around and stomped across the space, toward the kitchen, snatching hold of the Vampire's arm and urging him out of his chair. "I quit!" she announced haughtily as she started toward the front door, dragging the Vampire with her.

"Evyn!" Bethalie snapped, watching as the woman pulled her hostage across the floor.

"I said I quit!" Evyn shouted. "Good luck to you!"

"Evyn—"

"I said good luck to you!" the woman barked, flinging open the front door and bodily hauling the Vampire out into the hallway.

Bethalie stared after them with her mouth open, hearing the elevator gate being pulled closed. Anger and betrayal flared up inside her, choking her throat closed. She couldn't believe it! Her assistant—her friend—had just walked out with a Vampire! A Vampire! What kind of person would do that? Had Evyn lost her mind? Had Evyn forgotten that they were friends? No, family! They were family! And this was how things were going to end between them, with Evyn choosing a Vampire over her own family!

Well, if that was how Evyn wanted it, then fine! Fine! She wasn't begging anyone to stay with her! She could manage just fine on her own! Oh yeah! Just fine!

Irate and indignant, Bethalie stomped her way over to the kitchen and went straight to the blender, which still held the half mixed coffee drink. Yes, she could manage just fine on her own! Starting with her morning coffee, which she did not need any help at all making! So, take that Evyn! 

Fuming and muttering some very un-ladylike swear words, Bethalie gave the blend button an angry jab...and was moderately stunned when nothing happened. Annoyed, she hit the next button. Still nothing! Letting out an irritated growl, she punched the next button and the next button, with no response from the blasted machine!

Flames of rage suddenly rose up and consumed her. She spun on her heel and stormed over to her weapons cupboard, jerking it open and pulling out one of her batons, extending it with a quick flick and a loud snap. Damned infernal blender! She'd teach it a lesson it would never forget!

Stalking back to the kitchen, she gave the machine one last chance to yield up the results she wanted. She punched a button. Nothing. "When I tell you to blend, I expect you to blend!" she bellowed, lifting her baton over her shoulder and taking deadly aim, hearing it slice through the air as she swung.

Suddenly, there was a burst of movement that her mind couldn't keep up with and when things abruptly stopped and settled back into place, a delayed gasp flew out of her. Addled, she found herself standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking at Evyn and her new best friend, both of whom were watching her with slightly pitying expressions. And the Vampire was holding her baton in his hand, which caused her to feel completely violated.

Mental note: Have baton handles dipped in silver ASAP.

"Calm down, Bethalie," Evyn said in a patient, motherly tone. "You have to turn it on first." She reached over and pushed the little red button that Bethalie hadn't even seen and the blender instantly whirred to life.

If she'd had possession of her weapon, she'd have bashed the traitorous thing into dust. But, since her baton was being molested by a Vampire with very haughty, judgmental eyes, she had no choice but to turn and stomp over to the table. She dropped into a chair and glared at the evil mixing machine, as well as the two people who were looking at her as if she was a helpless rube who should be sitting around drooling into a cup.

"She's not friendly with the kitchen, is she?" the Vampire asked, handing the baton to Evyn, who retracted it and laid it onto the counter top.

"Not really," Evyn announced, stopping the blender and going for a couple of glasses.

"I'd be interested in seeing what happens when she tries to use the stove," he said somewhat humorously.

"I doubt it would be pretty," Evyn said, pouring the coffee and taking the whipped cream from the fridge. "Well, if she could get it turned on, that is."

"I can hear you!" Bethalie snapped, jumping up and stomping over to retrieve her defiled baton, grabbing a kitchen towel from a drawer before heading back to the table. She really wanted to grab the bottle of aspirin while she was over there, but she refused to do it while there was a judgmental Vampire mocking her with his arrogant gaze.

"I'm aware," Evyn shot back, though there was no malice in her tone. She brought over the glass of coffee and sat it on the table. She'd added extra whip and caramel sauce. Probably out of guilt.

Bethalie ignored the coffee for a moment, instead using the towel to polish the handle of her baton, which had been sullied by the touch of another. The brute! Clearly, he was utterly without manners! No one with any breeding at all would ever touch someone's personal defense baton without asking! It was an affront! Yes, an affront!

"Drink your coffee, Bethalie," Evyn softly ordered, going back to her own glass sitting by the blender.

"Yes, Mom," she grumped, cleaning the baton handle until she felt satisfied that all unwanted residue had been removed. Only then she did take a begrudging sip from her glass. "I thought you were leaving," she shot at her assistant, giving both the woman and her new best friend a scathing glare.

Evyn lifted a shoulder, but didn't speak on that point. "I want him to stay, Bethalie."

Well, her assistant sure was like a dog with a bone.

Bethalie really wanted to say no. And then she really wanted to kick every ass within eye sight! But, she had a very uneasy feeling that Evyn actually would leave her. She could always get another assistant, assuming she could figure out how to use the computer enough to request one. But, did she really want Evyn to go? They'd been together day and night for five years. Evyn was a piece of her.

However, besides Evyn being family, she had to face the fact that without Evyn, she'd be dead within a matter of days. Evyn kept her alive. She fed her and worked all the evil kitchen gadgets and used the computer to talk to The Big Guys. It had taken weeks for her to figure out how to use that dreadful IPhone! And forget about the drama of getting the hang of the remote control! That was a hell she did not want to relive!

Damn.

"Bethalie?" Evyn urged. "I want him to stay."

"Fine!" Bethalie suddenly growled.

Damn, damn! Damn!

"Good. But, you have to actually allow him to help you. You can't fight with him," Evyn stipulated, her pretty face set with determination. Bethalie opened her mouth to utter an astonished denial, but was cut off by Evyn raising her hand. "I mean it. You have to let him watch out for you. If you don't, I promise you I will leave. I'm not going to stay here and watch you get yourself killed."

What was Evyn's deal? She'd had angry family members coming after her before and she'd lived through it. This time was no different.

"I said he could stay!" Bethalie snapped, setting her baton aside to pick up her glass. "How many more times do you want to hear it?"

"And I said that you have to let him watch out for you. That means no fighting. No going after him with batons and no staking him," Evyn warned, deadly serious.

Hmmm. Evyn knew her too well.

"Promise, Bethalie!" Evyn demanded. "Give me your word. You...you don't know who you're up against on this one and I don't want to have to send your body back to your parents. You're...you're my friend and I-I...don't want to lose you yet," she said, her voice breaking and her chin getting stiff.

Wow. Evyn was really worried that she was going to be killed. It rather stunned Bethalie to see her assistant near to tears. Evyn was much to...efficient...to show that sort of emotion. Yet, she was clearly...scared. Well, perhaps she should be a bit more concerned about her own safety, but worrying over death just wasn't in a Ward's makeup. If she died, she died. Everyone had to go sometime.

But, her own feelings about being on Bartholomew Grey's hit list aside, she didn't want Evyn to be upset. The woman's concern might cause her to do something that would get her killed...and that was not acceptable.

"I...will let him help me," she told Evyn, trying very hard to mean it.

"Really?" Evyn pressed, a measure of suspicion in her voice.

"Really," she forced the word out, quickly following it with a big sip of coffee, hoping the jolt of caffeine would make it easier. All she got was brain freeze from the icy mixture.

"Good!" Evyn breathed in relief. "I will hold you to that."

Of course she would.

The Vampire who'd been standing quietly by, watching the exchange, walked across the kitchen and over to the table. He gazed down at Bethalie, his hazel eyes burningly intense. She had to forcibly restrain her stomach from doing a little flip. This Vampire clearly wasn't a recent transplant to the Darkside of life. He had his Vamp allure honed to a fine edge.

"I am Noah Grey," he said, giving her a little bow. "Your lovely assistant has already informed me of your name. Shall I address you as Ward or Bethalie?"

"It's your call," she answered, gulping down another swallow of her drink and wincing from the terrible pain that went shooting through her skull.

"It's your preference, my lady," he intoned, his hazel eyes twinkling like large stars. "I do not wish to offend you in your own home."

Her preference was that he take a bath in her vat of Mix downstairs, but that didn't seem to be an option. Yet. "Call me what you want. I could care less," she told him, noting that he had lapsed into the old way of speaking that some Vampires liked to use when they were on the prowl for a...place to park their Johnson for the night.

Well, he was wasting his flowery prose on her. And why was he trying that shtick with her anyway? She was a Ward! What wasn't he getting about that fact?

"Well, now that's all settled, I'll make you some breakfast," Evyn said, eyeing her for a minute before cautiously turning away. She probably figured there would be another beating and subsequent staking taking place. And she had every right to worry. "Should I stock in some food for you, Noah?" she wondered.

"That would be helpful," Noah responded politely.

"I'll make a bed for you later. We have a cot in the storage room," Evyn said as she flitted around the kitchen.

"Whoa there, Nellie!" Bethalie cut in. "I never agreed to let him stay in my house!" The very thought was appalling. Sleeping under the same roof as a Vampire? It was just...weird!

"Of course he has to stay in here. How else will he watch out for you?" Evyn queried. "The people coming for you won't stop just because you're at home. This is where they'll start first!"

"Oh, they'll most definitely be coming after you where you live," Noah answered in a tone that implied he was speaking with experience.

"He's staying in here with you, Bethalie," Evyn stated firmly.

Grrr. Since when did her assistant suddenly become the one giving the orders?

Thinking it best to excuse herself from the situation for a moment, Bethalie stood and walked over to the living area to check on her human, ignoring the headache pounding away behind her eyeballs. He was awake and she could see that he was blinking, which was a step in the right direction.

"Hey, there," she said, pulling the blood stained collar of his jacket aside to check on his wounds. "Can you move at all?"

As an answer, he furrowed his brows and wriggled his fingers. All good signs. The venom was wearing off now. It wouldn't be too long before he had control of his motor functions. Good for him. A problem for her.

"Do you remember what happened?" she wondered, hoping maybe somehow he wouldn't.

He managed a slight nod and by the look in his eyes, she could tell that he remembered in vivid detail just what had happened to him. He knew exactly how he had been put in his current position and he wasn't having the slightest bit of trouble coming to terms with it. But, then again, he was a monster hunter, wasn't he?

"Listen, Mr. Donovan," Bethalie began, seeing his eyes brighten with concern, "I need to explain something to you." And what better time to do it than when he wasn't able to argue or try and run away? "Because of what happened to you last night, the people I work for are insisting that I keep you quarantined here for a while. Which means that you can't leave and you can't contact anyone that you know."

Mace Donovan was looking up at her with fear returning to his eyes. Fear and confusion and perhaps just a touch of rebellion that clearly stated he had no intention of being held hostage by the likes of her.

"You really can't leave," she told him, sounding more sympathetic than stern. "The people I work for don't screw around. If you don't follow their word, they will kill you. So, if I were you, I'd do what they told me. It'll keep you alive longer."

Leaving him to think on her words, Bethalie turned and went back to the kitchen to fetch her baton, deciding to head to her work out space. She needed to try and rid herself of some of her frustration while Evyn whipped up breakfast. Taking her second baton from the weapons cupboard, she moved over to her practice dummy, Vlad, and proceeded to open up a can of whoop ass. For several minutes, the loft was filled with the sounds of her batons whistling through the air and slamming full force into Vlad as she practiced her striking and footwork, focusing her attention on the upper body because in the heat of the moment she often forgot that taking out the elbows could render an enemy completely defenseless.

A few minutes into her work out, Noah appeared and stood close by, arms folded, hazel eyes intently watching her, which made her wish that he was the one she was pummeling senseless.

"Can I help you?" she demanded after a minute of enduring his scrutinizing gaze.

"Actually, I was wondering if I can help you," he said easily. "How are you without weapons?"

Bethalie eased up her assault on poor Vlad so she could eye Noah Grey. "Actually, the whole point of having weapons is to use them."

"But, what if you can't get to them? How are you bare handed?" he asked again.

Against a Darksider who was ten times stronger and faster? Weapons were far more effective than she ever could be on her own. "I can get by," she answered haughtily.

"Do you want to spar?" Noah Grey asked. "Just so I can gauge your barehanded skills. You never know when it might come down to using brute strength."

In all her five years of being a Ward it had never come down to using brute strength. She figured he just wanted to have at her for kicking his ass. He probably needed to heal his bruised machismo. Eh, she was game.

"Fine," she shrugged, laying her batons on the floor, but leaving them extended and within easy reach. Mama didn't raise no fool. "Let's go, Mr. Grey."

Noah inclined his dark head and began to remove his leather coat, laying it carefully across the weight bench before rolling up the sleeves of his blood red shirt, taking meticulous care with the procedure. The jackass. "Ready?" he finally asked her.

"I've been ready," she stated coolly.

"Play nice you two!" Evyn called to them, the warning clear in her voice.

The very next breath, Noah was on top of Bethalie, grabbing her shoulders in an iron grip, his teeth out and his face a pale mask. Adrenaline surged because in that split second...it didn't seem like Noah wanted to spar, it seemed like he wanted to tear her throat out. On instinct, she slammed her forehead into his face, hearing the crunch of bone as her vision blurred from the impact. With a loud growl, Noah jerked backward by a step and Bethalie reacted, using her right hand to land a sharp blow to his jaw and swinging her left arm back so that she could slam her fist right into his groin with all the force she could summon. Noah roared in agony, doubling over and loosening his grip on her enough to allow her to jerk away from him. Bethalie's body instantly squared up and she took a step back, giving herself the room to drive a knee into his solar plexus, feeling his bones give way under the blow. As the air was pushed out of his lungs, she dropped a hard elbow onto the back of his skull, sending him sprawling forward onto his hands. Noah growled in outrage and Bethalie glanced toward her batons, lying only steps away, but she didn't go for them, even though she was burning to. If she picked them up, the sparring match would be over.

That split second of hesitation was all Noah needed to hurl himself at her with lightning speed, hitting her full on and knocking her backward onto the floor. The air whooshed from her body and then Noah was on top of her, pinning her down by the shoulders, his parched lips curled back over his pronounced teeth and his milky eyes swirling with anger. Blood trickled from his nose, dripping down onto to her tank top.

"You hesitated!" he rasped angrily. "Now you're dead!"

"You said no weapons!" she breathed, still poised for battle in case it wasn't over.

In a movement that caused the world to tilt crazily, she found herself standing upright with Noah holding onto her arms to keep her steady. "I did say no weapons," he stated easily, his face back to human in less than a blink. "But, you did fairly well without them."

Shrugging those warmer than normal hands off her arms, Bethalie resisted the urge to lift her own hand in a very rude gesture, so instead she brought it up to the back of her head, feeling the large knot that had formed there. She winced as she pressed on it, figuring she'd gotten it last night, thanks to one Mr. Noah Grey. The jackass.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Noah asked, remorse suddenly thick in his gravelly voice.

"Yes. Last night when you nearly cracked my skull open on the pavement," she shot at him, thinking she might need several aspirins to get rid of the dull ache filling her head.

Noah's brows drew together and his hazel eyes darkened. "Do you want me to look at it?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"If you try, I'll tear your arm off and beat you to death with it," she told him evenly, meaning every single word of that statement.

Evyn suddenly appeared, handing Noah a towel and handing Bethalie a glass of water and a couple of pills before disappearing just as quickly. Bethalie hastily swallowed the aspirin because her head was pounding like a toothache and then sat the glass onto the weight bench.

"You know, you're strong, but if I really wanted to put you down, you wouldn't stand a chance," Noah stated, now holding the towel to his nose.

"That's where the weapons come in," Bethalie pointed out, picking up her batons and retracting them before returning them to the cupboard. She didn't feel quite as hostile toward him now that she'd drawn blood.

"I can spar with you while I'm here. It'll help to sharpen your reflexes," he offered, following behind her as she made her way back to the kitchen.

"I'll think about it," she said, dropping into her chair. It might be good to spar with him. It might actually keep her from killing him. Only next time, she'd not be so kind as to leave the weapons completely out of it.

Evyn brought her a bowl of fresh fruit salad and a piece of whole grain toast with butter and then scurried away to her computer, taking her own meal with her.

"That isn't a lot of food for the amount of energy you probably expend," Noah explained. "Shouldn't you have something with protein in it?"

"I don't eat animal protein," she stated. "This will be fine." At exactly what point during the last thirty seconds had he decided to become her mother?

"Human bodies need protein and nutrients to function properly. You don't want to lose a fight because your body gives out," Noah Grey scolded.

She stabbed a piece of fruit, pretending it was his heart, her hostility toward him suddenly returning. "I've actually managed pretty well so far. I don't need a lecture."

"Fine. It was just a suggestion," he shrugged, tossing the towel into the kitchen sink. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to call my family."

"You family?" she repeated, confused. "I would have thought your family would have been upset with you at this point."

"I declined my father's order, but he doesn't know I'm helping you. Yet. I want to find out what information I can, while I can." He walked away across the space, heading for the staircase leading up to her sleeping loft, which irked her, but she tried to let it go.

She turned her attention to her food, annoyed that she now had two nagging mother figures in the house. The human body needs protein and nutrients to function properly. Blah, blah, blah. She didn't need a Vampire to worry about her eating habits! Her body functioned just fine! She'd just given him a second ass whooping, hadn't she?

She chose not to eat animal protein, but her diet was healthy enough to make up for it. There was just something about seeing all the blood and bodily fluids, not to mention having to scoop up the melted remains of her targets, that had turned her against eating the flesh of another creature. She just couldn't do it.

Finishing up her entirely meat-free breakfast, she put her dishes in the sink and joined Evyn at her desk. "Any new orders?" she asked. Not that she needed anything else added to her list. Avoid assassins, imprison human witness, solve strange Vampire murders, continue on with her regular Ward duties...her plate was pretty full.

"Nothing yet," Evyn answered.

Bethalie leaned her hip against the desk, letting out an annoyed sigh. She didn't know what she expected, but getting no reply wasn't it. "So, I still have to hold the human and find out who put down my targets?"

"Apparently," Evyn answered.

"I don't even where to start. I couldn't find those two targets when they were alive. How am I supposed to figure out how they wound up dead?" she whined.

"You probably couldn't find them because whoever killed them got to them first," Evyn pointed out.

"How in hell did someone know they were going to be put down? Or was that just a coincidence?" she wondered, not sure which option would be better for her.

Evyn shrugged, keeping her gaze on the computer screen. "One might be a coincidence, but both?"

Right. Two dead Vampires, both of whom were slated to be put down for cheating on their diet, both murdered, both drained of their blood and left right out in the open. That was too much to be mere coincidence.

"As far as I know it isn't advertised who's on my list. Otherwise, there would be a lot of vigilante stuff going on," Bethalie said, thinking out loud. "And I doubt there are Vamps running around town telling everyone they've broken the rules. So, how did their names get out?"

And an even better question was, even had their names somehow gotten out, why had both Vamps been killed?

"Well, maybe they did blab to someone. But, it must have been the same someone, since they both wound up dead," Evyn pointed out. "You spent two weeks looking for them, questioning their family and friends. Did they have anyone in common?"

She mentally ran through the faces she had seen while hunting down the two Vampires. There was quite a long list, but one face actually did stand out. Seth, a bartender at a hole in the wall bar on Martin Street. He'd been acquainted with both males, as they had frequented his establishment. He would be the starting point.

"You thought of someone?" asked Evyn.

"I did. A bartender named Seth. He was friendly with both Vampires. Maybe he knows something useful," she answered, feeling a little less overwhelmed now that she had a jumping off point.

She hadn't thought of a common person to look into. Clearly Evyn was Velma to her Fred. Evyn was the brains, she was the brawn. But, she could live with that.

"Well, it may lead absolutely nowhere, but it's worth a shot," Evyn stated.

"I'll go chat with him later. He doesn't go to work until the evening." Which would present a problem because Mace Donovan would probably be up and around long before then. Who knew what he would do once the venom wore off. Try to fight his way out, most likely, which Evyn wasn't equipped to deal with. The man had given a female Vampire a run for her money! He could probably snap Evyn like a pretzel stick.

"What's the name of the bar? I'll see what I can find out about him," Evyn said.

"Stoney's Pub. It's on Martin." She left her assistant to do her techie stuff and went over to check on Mace Donovan.

Mace Donovan. She still couldn't get over that name. Her Granny would love it.

Mr. Donovan was lying comfortably on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling, drumming his fingers on his chest and moving his foot to some phantom beat. She leaned over him, caught by how extremely good looking he was. The man was about as tasty a morsel as she'd ever come across!

"Do you think you can try to move?" she asked him. "The more you try, the faster this will wear off. And the sooner you can have something to eat and drink." Leaving that incentive with him, Bethalie headed up to her sleeping loft to change into some clothes and chase her new self-appointed body guard out of her space. He'd been up there quite long enough.

She couldn't get over it. A Ward with a Vampire body guard? How weird was that?

She found the Vampire sitting on her bed, speaking into his phone in a low, hushed tone. She would have tossed him out right then and there, but he seemed to be involved in a serious discussion, so she veered off to her wardrobe to pull some clothes out before heading to the bathroom to grab a shower, finding herself hoping that the rest of her day played out better than her morning had. But, she wasn't going to hold her breath.