The streetlights flashed across Teren's face as his brows drew together in concern and his eyes softened with sympathy. Aside from the light jazz coming from the radio, the car was pin-droppingly quiet as he regarded me with compassion. My own face was a mixture of quiet acceptance and ancient grief. I bit my inner cheek to stop the emotion I could feel seeping into my body, seemingly absorbing into my skin from the stillness of the car and the solemnity on his face. Finally, his husky voice broke the calm.

"I'm so sorry about your father, Emma."

I'd told Teren about my family's situation, so he'd be prepared when he met them. It was a hard story for me to tell, even after all this time. I didn't cry anymore when I told people what my father had done for my sister, but the ache opened again. It took a few deep breaths and quite a few "let it go" mantras in my head to seal the wound shut again, but after a few moments of Teren's calming gaze, I did.

He'd been sweet and sympathetic while listening to my story, and now he was holding my hand as we drove to the charming cafe that had become almost a second home to my family. A trio of women that I had just invited a man into. This should be interesting. At least they wouldn't eye him like a meal, like I was pretty sure Halina had eyed me.

"Thank you." I replied quietly, my voice still a little thick. Clearing my throat, I added, "It was a long time ago, but Mom still doesn't like talking about it, so please don't bring it up." He gave me a look that clearly said I'm not an idiot and then he turned back to the road. "I should warn you about my sister." I really didn't like talking about the fire either, and mentioning Ashley's appearance was my least favorite part of it-her scars didn't define her-but a heads up was warranted.

Teren turned back to face me. "What about her?"

"She was injured really badly in the fire...she's quite scarred." I sighed.

"Oh." His voice oozed understanding and he squeezed my hand.

"She's all right now, although, she's had so many surgeries I can barely remember them all...but they've done all they can and she's still pretty..." My thoughts drifted off for a second.

He squeezed my hand again. "Don't worry. I'd never stare or make her self-conscious in any way."

I nodded and watched him drive for a moment. All of a sudden, I blurted out, "Can we tell her?"

He knew exactly what I meant. He glanced over at me with a furrowed brow. "It's not something I just go around telling people, Emma. It's...private."

This time I squeezed his hand. "I know that, Teren but..." I sighed. "She's my friend and my family. If I'm going to be a part of yours, I could really use her support."

Teren was silent, and just when I thought he was going to say no, he nodded and looked my way. "Are we telling your mother too, then?"

I grimaced. "God, no...she'd freak out."

Laughing, he shook his head and turned back to the road again.

We arrived at the cafe a little while later and Teren opened my door, just like the gentleman he was. I studied him as I stepped from his car: black, fitted shirt that matched his hair, worn un-tucked over perfectly faded jeans-he looked amazing. I adjusted my own short, black skirt and pink cashmere tank top and fluffed out my bouncy brown hair-I looked pretty amazing too. We made a cute couple. Teren smiled as I laced my arm through his and we strolled into the cafe locked together.

The hostess gave me a Not bad face as she eyed Teren, then she nodded to a table in the back corner. I smiled at her and pulled him in that direction. I started getting nervous as we made our way down the aisle. I peeked over at him to see if he had butterflies too, but he seemed calm and relaxed, like he was meeting my family for the umpteenth time instead of the first. It bothered me some, that he was so at ease, when I had been such a bundle of nerves before meeting his parents. But I decided that that was simply because his family could have ripped my throat out at any minute. My family was pretty...tame, in comparison.

We approached the booth in the back and stopped at the end of it. I noticed Teren's eyes widen just a little as he absorbed the sight of my sister, but his smile never wavered and his gaze was polite, not the unabashed staring that her disfigured head and body usually inspired. My mom and sister were a little more unabashed in their staring at him. They were both pretty curious about this attractive man who had me reduced to a quivering pile of sobs last week.

"Mom, Ash, this is Teren. Teren, my mom, Linda and my sister, Ashley."

Teren politely extended his hand to my mother. "Hello."

Her lips tugged up at the corner. "Hello, Teren. It's nice to finally meet you."

"And you." He extended his hand to Ashley without a second's hesitation. "Hello."

She smiled warmly, her eyes, the only part of her face not affected by her horrific, warped flesh, twinkled at the polite man before her. "Hello."

"May I?" Teren pointed to the seat on the bench next to Ashley, and she nodded. I took the seat next to my mother, who was smiling at him in approval. I ran my foot up the side of his jeans a bit as I smiled at him. He glanced over at me and grinned softly, his hand touching my knee under the table.

We made small talk, Teren asking every polite question there was regarding my mother and sister's lives, until the waitress, Debby, came to take our order. She didn't even look at the three of us women, knowing exactly what we would order. Instead, she eyed Teren, a little too enthusiastically, if you asked me, especially considering the fact that she was married. Teren ordered a really rare steak, which made me bite my cheek to stop the grin; my vamp liked it bloody. He noticed my gleeful reaction and winked at me. I coughed into my hand to not laugh out loud.

My mother kept up a steady stream of conversation about her and Ash, while we waited for our food. Once we were served and all digging into our plates, Mom moved onto Teren's family. "What do your parents do, Teren? Emma said she visited with them not too long ago."

I sputtered on the sip of soda I'd just taken, but Teren calmly answered her. "They run a ranch near Mount Diablo."

My mother seemed as taken aback by that as I had been, although, probably for completely different reasons. It's just not every day that you meet or hear about actual ranchers-human or otherwise.

"Oh...interesting. Maybe someday we could visit?" She smiled at the idea and my sister brightened as well. I sputtered again on the second sip of soda I'd tried taking. My mother shot me a look. "Are you okay, Emma?"

"Yep, just fine," I croaked.

Teren directed a low laugh towards me, then smoothly answered my mother. "Maybe someday that can be arranged. They're pretty busy right now. It's just the four of them. The help won't arrive for another few weeks."

My mom perked up, interested in his story. I was as well. I'd never heard him talk about his family to someone not in "the loop."

"Four of them? Who all helps out on the ranch?" Mom asked.

I cringed, wondering what he would say to that. He smiled and answered as effortlessly as if he were telling the truth. "My father, his wife and her two sisters." I blinked at him but tried to keep my expression even.

My mom shook her head. "Your father must have his hands full, with a house full of women." Teren grinned and I inadvertently giggled. Jack had quite a handful with those women. My mom ignored me; she was too interested in Teren's family dynamics. "So...I couldn't help but notice you said 'his wife' and not 'your mother'..."

Teren looked away and then back at her. His face looked solemn. "My mother died a few years ago...cancer. My father remarried."

Mom stretched her hand out to touch his arm, while I tried not to gape at him. I'd never heard him lie about his family, but I suppose, if our families were ever going to meet, he would need an excuse for his mom's young age. I made a mental note to memorize his lie, in case I was ever asked about it. "I'm so sorry, dear." Mom patted his arm affectionately and by the look on her face, I knew that he had completely won her over.

Sure enough, for the rest of the evening she beamed at him, and the entire table talked and laughed in companionable comfort. Just like that, Teren fit right into my family, like he had always been there. And I loved him just a little more.

As we were getting ready to leave, I grabbed my mother's arm. "We'll take Ashley home, Mom. We were thinking about getting drinks after dinner and we'd love her to come." Ashley still lived with Mom while she attended school, and they often drove together; driving was a touch uncomfortable for Ash.

My mom gave me a critical look. "Emma..." Ashley was also only nineteen.

"I'll make sure hers are virgins, Mom." I discreetly winked at Ash, to let her know that I had no intention of doing anything of the sort. Ashley never got carded, people just kind of let her do what she wanted, which worked out well for us on occasion.

My mom sighed, "Okay...be careful."

I rolled my eyes at her. "We'll be fine." I didn't mention that I had my own personal pit-bull alongside me, although, I really didn't think of Teren as dangerous...unless you were poultry, of course.

We all stood, and were about to start walking up the aisle, when Teren offered his arm to Ashley. My mom had been about to do the same thing, and she grinned ear to ear when she noticed that Teren had beat her to it. "May I?" he said, with as charming a voice as I'd ever heard him use. My sister flushed and nodded. Ashley took his arm and they walked in front of Mom and me. I smiled at Teren's back as they walked ahead of us, heads bent in low conversation. Sometimes he seemed so much older than twenty-five, like he was from a different generation, a sweeter, more chivalrous one. I suppose his house being full of strong-willed vampire women, had something to do with that.

Once outside, Teren gave my mother a warm hug, all the while still lacing his arm with Ashley's. Mom looked downright giddy as she hugged me, and inwardly, I sighed. They loved him...the baby talk was going to follow soon. I'd be surrounded by it on both sides. Although, knowing my mom, the baby talk was going to be preempted by the "marriage" talk. My mom did love a good wedding.

We waved goodbye as Mom pulled away in her little compact, and then the three of us piled into Teren's car. He drove us to a local bar that was relatively clean and relatively quiet. The lights were dim, to create an atmosphere of "let's drink more" I guess, but some people still noticed us as we entered. They all instantly focused on Ashley. She straightened her shoulders, gripped Teren's arm tighter, and dealt with it, as she did every day of her life. My blood boiled at what she had to endure, and I shot some nasty glares at the looky-lous.

Teren quickly led us to a small, round table in a back corner, on the opposite side of the room from the pool table, so we could actually hear each other over the sound of the balls clanking together. Almost immediately, a short, rather dumpy waitress was at our side. Staring at Ash, and not even bothering to hide it, she asked, "What'cha want?"

Teren ordered a beer and we ordered rum and Cokes. The waitress scuttled off and Ashley relaxed her posture, just a bit. I put a hand on her thigh and she leaned her head against me.

"Thanks for inviting me out," she said politely, looking at both Teren and me.

"Well...we did have a hidden agenda," I said.

Ashley lifted her head from my shoulder and stared at me; curiosity was clear in her large eyes. I shrugged my shoulders and lowered my voice, "We wanted to talk to you about something without Mom around. Something you cannot tell her about."

Her back straightened and her curious expression shifted to excitement mixed with worry. "Oh my god, are you pregnant?" She looked back to the bar. "Not to be a prude, but you really shouldn't be drinking if you're pregnant."

Teren laughed pretty hard and I knew he was enjoying the fact that my family was just as interested in babies as his. Well, maybe not just as interested. I lightly smacked her on the arm and she frowned. "No! God, no! This is about Teren, not me. He's...a little different," I stated.

Ashley eyed him with quiet wonder, and he sighed a little, clearly not liking what was coming. "You are? How so?" she asked, her eyes sweeping over him, searching for something that made him as different as she was.

He looked about to speak, but just then our drinks arrived so he shut his mouth and waited. The frumpy woman set down his beer and our drinks, while flicking not discrete glances over Ashley's body the entire time. I felt like screaming at her, "Yes, she's scarred, we know that," but I knew Ashley wouldn't want the sort of attention that would bring to her. Ashley smiled softly at the woman through her half disfigured lips, and even thanked her when she was done.

The waitress mumbled something about enjoying our evening and then slunk off to the other side of the room. Ashley brushed off the encounter as she always did and turned to face Teren, since she was still waiting for his mysterious announcement.

I started to worry that Ashley wouldn't take it as well as I thought she would. What if she screamed? The bar wasn't packed, but there were a couple of beefy looking guys playing pool, and another guy at the bar who had gone way past beer-belly and was shooting for keg-belly. While they probably wouldn't physically be a problem for Teren-he was pretty strong and dang fast, after all-he wouldn't get out of the bar without causing quite a commotion. But I quickly pushed that thought aside. My sister's reaction would be quiet and contained. She wasn't one to bring unnecessary attention to herself. And if I was alive and well after so much intimate time with Teren, then he obviously wasn't that dangerous.

With Ashley intently watching Teren, he seemed unsure how to tell her. He looked over at me and shrugged in an inquiring way. I puckered my lips and thought about the best way to say it without sounding completely insane. There really wasn't one. "Just bluntly tell her?" I suggested.

He thought about that, then shook his head and smiled. "She'll just laugh." I grinned, remembering my initial reaction to the blunt way he'd told me. Ashley looked between us, confused. Teren sighed and leaned towards me. "I don't think she'll believe it unless she sees it."

I looked around the bar again. Aside from the waitress and the three large men, there were a handful of other customers, another waitress and the bartender. A few people were still staring at Ashley; those people quickly turned away when my gaze fell over them. I looked back to Teren. "Can you do that...here?" He had his back to the main part of the bar, but the bartender could still possibly see. He seemed busy pouring drinks and chatting with keg-belly man, though.

Teren took a quick glance around. "Yeah," he said when he faced us again.

My sister was finally tired of being in the dark, so to speak. "Do what? What are you guys talking about?"

Teren met her eyes and held her gaze; a very, very faint glow emanated from his eyes in the dim bar lights. His face was completely serious and I got those nervous butterflies again. "Ashley, I need to show you something. It will explain to you why I'm different...if you let yourself believe. I'm only going to do this once, so please pay close attention."

He slowly opened his mouth and her eyes automatically tracked the movement. What was left of her brows furrowed in confusion as she waited. Slowly, and with more control than I realized he possessed, he extended his fangs to her. The lengthening of his teeth to sharp and unnaturally long daggers was unmistakable. Watching him do it left no room for misinterpretation-he was vampire.

My sister's eyes widened to saucers. "Holy...crap..."

He immediately popped his fangs back up and closed his mouth. Cocking his head to the side, he studied her reaction. He looked as if he were waiting for her to toss her drink on him, or try to kill him. Ashley did neither.

Pointing at him, she turned back to me. "Seriously? Vampire?" I nodded and she broke into the widest grin her scars would allow. "That's so freakin' cool!"

She and I both started giggling as Teren shook his head at us. "What is it with you Taylor women?" he asked. We both laughed a little harder.

Ashley started in on the questions. She asked a lot of the same ones I did-how old are you, what can you do, do you live on blood? After she asked the blood question she blinked, and before he could answer, she said, "Wait...I watched you eat food?"

Now Teren and I glanced at each other and started laughing. In hushed tones, Teren proceeded to explain his condition to her. He left out exactly what he had left out the first time he'd told me his secret-that he was dying and that his family had certain...expectations before he died. Watching Ashley shake her head in disbelief while trying to absorb everything he was telling her, I understood better why he'd left that stuff out on the first go round with me. It was a lot to take in all at once. He was right, segments were better.

While Ashley was laughing over the fact that he had a dog named Spike, a couple of guys walked near our table and sat at the bar. They were the sort of guys who looked like they believed they were Pharaohs, and everyone should really be kneeling at their feet. They seemed in a perpetual bad mood that everyone wasn't. They took one look at my sister and one of them muttered "freak." I was just about to rip the gonads off that one, when from beside me I heard a low, animalistic growl. It was impossibly deep and absolutely terrifying. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight out. I stared at Teren in shock-the noise had come from him.

He snapped his head around to the men. "Apologize," he seethed. I don't know if it was his faintly glowing eyes, the deadly intent in his voice, or the otherworldly growl emanating from his chest, but the guys immediately sputtered "sorry," and took off to the other side of the bar. Maybe, like most bullies, they were just completely chicken when confronted by a true threat. And from what I had seen and heard from Teren just now, he was definitely a true threat. Maybe I'd have to rethink my opinion of him not being dangerous.

Teren spun his head back around to us; he looked pale and unsure of himself. I was about to ask him if he was okay when Ashley touched his arm. He started, but Ash was too excited to notice. "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen! I wish you could have bared your teeth, that would have been just amazing, but I know you can't expose yourself like that." She patted his arm, like he was an obedient puppy that had just defended its master. "Thank you, Teren."

Ashley gave him a friendly smile. Finally seeming to be more like himself, Teren returned her smile and held her hand. "Don't mention it." From the faint tightness around his eyes, I kind of got the feeling he meant that literally.

We finished our drinks with no further provocations, although the men seemed to be gathering up their courage on the other side of the bar; they were eyeing Teren with a We can take him attitude. Not feeling the need to risk a confrontation, that would most certainly end with Teren displaying one of his many extra attributes, we paid our waitress and headed back to the car. I looked back at the creeps and noticed that they were bumping fists and laughing with each other, like they had just successfully evicted us from the bar. Idiots. They had no clue how lucky they were that Teren had no desire to actually fight them. They'd probably pee their pants if he did bare his teeth at them.

Once we were in the car and zooming to my Mom's house, Ashley examined Teren in the front seat. Looking over her shoulder to me in the back seat, she asked, "Is him being a vampire why you broke up?" She nodded her half bald head at Teren as she spoke.

I cringed, not sure how to answer that. I suppose, in the very simplest of terms, that had been the reason behind our temporary split. "Yeah...kind of."

Ashley shook her head at me, her expression disapproving. "That surprises me, Emma." She half-grinned. "Especially with your Brad Pitt as a vampire obsession."

I gaped at her and flicked her on the shoulder. "Shut up."

Teren started laughing. He eyed me in the rearview mirror, not even bothering to contain his chuckles. "Not into Anne Rice, huh?"

Frowning, I flicked him on the shoulder. "You shut up, too."

Teren and Ashley laughed and shared a companionable look. They talked with each other on the ride home, about Teren's work, about Ashley's schooling, and I smiled as I watched them. The few other guys I had introduced to my sister hadn't taken to her nearly as readily as Teren had. I supposed, just like Ash, he wasn't one to question someone else's differences. Lord knows he wasn't one hundred percent normal. And I'd definitely never had a boyfriend who had growled in her defense before. Seemed he was as protective of her as I was.

In Mom's driveway, Ash politely asked Teren, "Can I see them again?"

Teren shifted uncomfortably and looked down. I interceded on his behalf. "He really doesn't like doing it on command...it makes him self-conscious."

My sister completely understood feeling self-conscious and let it drop. She glanced at me, then back to him. "Thank you for inviting me out again."

She opened her door and I opened mine to take her spot. Teren looked like he wanted to walk her to her door, but I gave him a "just a minute" motion with my finger. He nodded and I stepped away from the car with Ashley. I grabbed her hand as I walked with her to the front porch. "Ash, you can't say anything to Mom...or anyone else. No one can know. We're trusting you with this."

She gave me a hug at the door. "I know, Emma. I knew how serious it was the moment he showed me. I wouldn't say anything. I won't...ever."

I gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. I knew you'd understand."

She nodded and then bit her lip. As I turned to leave, she grabbed my arm and pulled me close. With a flick at Teren, she said in a low voice, "Be careful, Emma. He might care for you, but he is still...dangerous."

I put my hand on her arm. "He's not dangerous to me. I'll be fine. I'll be safer with him than anyone else." I kissed her again and then turned back to the car as she went inside the house. Teren was smiling with his head down as I got back in the car. I realized that he'd just heard that entire conversation. "You need to work on that eavesdropping thing...you and your whole family."

He laughed. "Sorry...I'll work on that." He grinned over at me. "You're very sweet."

I laughed, too. "Just don't make me a liar."

"Deal." He restarted the car and drove me back home.

Sitting beside him, I watched his pale eyes study the road. I thought back to our time in the bar. I thought back to his reaction to those jerks. That was a side of Teren I'd never seen before. That was definitely a more vampiric side. I wondered if that side would be more prominent when he changed over. I silently watched him until he pulled up to my driveway and shut the car off. Then I turned to face him. "Did you really growl back there in the bar?"

Embarrassment washed over his face. "Yeah...I think I did." He stared at the steering wheel as he shook his head. "That was...unexpected."

I put a hand on his arm and he raised his eyes to my face. "You must really like my sister."

He smiled. "I do. I feel very...kindred to her. The instinct to protect her was very...intense."

I smiled too and ran a hand along his stubbly jaw. "Would you like to come inside? You can protect me?"

His eyes flicked down my body and then returned to mine, a touch unfocused. "I'd love to."

He woke way before me the next morning, leaving me a rose on my pillow with a note explaining that he'd had to run home to get ready for work. I wondered briefly where in the world he'd gotten a rose at this hour, but then decided that he probably could have run just about anywhere to pick one and been back in plenty of time. Definitely an ability I was jealous of. I wondered why he didn't just flick home, grab clothes and flick back, but maybe he'd just wanted to be romantic with the whole rose on the pillow and not a trace of the man thing. I inhaled the red petals and smiled-it worked, he had me.

Later during my day, an idea started forming in my brain while I was preparing a tax file for one of the firm's newest clients. The firm had several movie stars, recording artists, authors, internet startup millionaires, computer software entrepreneurs and foreign businessmen as clients. The firm was quickly working its way up to rival the "Big 6." Being Mr. Peterson's assistant gave you the opportunity to sit in on some of the meetings with these interesting people. Once again, being his assistant's assistant did not. The particular client that I was working on had developed a dating website that Google had purchased and planned on adding to their enterprise. The man was rolling in the dough now. I barely noticed the staggering numbers on his financial statements as this pesky little idea flicked into life.

I tried to push it back. It wasn't feasible. It wasn't appropriate, and on some levels it was downright scary, but the idea wouldn't leave me and the more I considered it, the more my heart started beating in excited expectation. I could at least talk to Teren about it. No harm in discussing an idea...crazy as that idea may be. I considered the pros and cons for the rest of my day. I considered the consequences as I punched my way through kickboxing, sans Tracey who skipped out to see a movie with Hot Ben. I rethought every tiny detail as I showered and took my time getting ready for my dinner date with Teren.

He met me at my car as I pulled into his drive. He had a half-smile on his lips and his hands shoved in his pockets, and I thought he looked like a very content, and incredibly handsome, normal man. That only firmed up the idea swimming in my head. He opened my door, as the never-ending gentleman he was, and extended his hand to help me out. I smiled and took it, letting him sweep me all the way up to his lips for a tender kiss.

"Hi," he muttered.

"Hi," I muttered back.

I pulled aside as he moved me out of the way and shut my door. We walked to his front door hand in hand and I leaned my head on his shoulder as I plotted how to best bring up my admittedly crazy idea. I set my purse down on the table as we walked through the formal dining room, that now looked small and cozy in comparison to his parents' place. Entering his now quaint kitchen, I glanced at the oven, where something deliriously delicious was cooking away.

He dropped our hands and poured us each a glass of deep red wine. It made me smile that my vampire enjoyed the dark stuff. I tried to not think about the other glass of dark stuff he'd so thoroughly enjoyed at the ranch. To each his own. Who was I to admonish him for something I'd never even tried? I'd heard there were tribes in Africa that drank cow's blood for survival, so it wasn't purely a vampire thing. Maybe I was the one missing out on a scrumptious treat and I didn't even realize it. That thought made my stomach a little queasy, though. Baby steps.

He started to pull us towards the living room, maybe so we could enjoy our wine on his lovely shaded patio. The beginnings of my question slipped out of my mouth, just as I let his hand slip out of my fingers.

"Does being turned heal you of everything?"

Teren frowned at me for a second and then nodded as he understood my question. "Yes. When someone is changed into a vampire, all of their human injuries are healed, and they heal fast afterwards." Smiling, he leaned back against the counter. "I heard about this one newborn that ripped off her creator's arm after she discovered that her numerous piercings had closed. I guess he failed to mention that would happen." He laughed and took a sip of his wine while I absorbed that.

"What happened to him?"

He shrugged in a casual, nonchalant way. "Well, I guess if she didn't reattach the arm before the wound healed itself, then there's probably a one-armed vampire running around out there." He grinned. "Probably pretty pissed off, too." My expression must have been one of disbelief, because he chuckled and said, "It's just a story you hear, it's probably not even true."

Oh, cautionary vampire tales...nice to know they had those. "But the healing thing...that's true?"

He nodded and took another sip of his wine. "Yeah...why?"

I didn't answer him. Looking back on this moment, I probably should have answered him. But I was so sure of my hypothesis, and just so insanely curious, that I did something rather foolish to a soon to be irate vampire. In a casual manner, I set down my glass of wine. He charmingly tilted his head in curiosity. I picked up the slicing knife lying on the counter, the one that he had used to prepare our dinner, and before giving it a much needed second of thought, ran the blade over his knuckle.

His eyes widened as he too late realized what I was doing. He started to jerk his hand away which ended up making the cut much bigger than I'd intended. I had really just planned on a tiny, itty-bitty scratch...but what I got was a deep, welling cut across his finger. He dropped his wine glass, but lightning-quick grabbed it with his other hand before it hit the floor. He couldn't save all the wine however, and a large amount spilled over the edge of the glass and splashed ominously onto the kitchen tile. The blood on his finger oozed deep red and started dripping back towards his hand. He immediately put it in his mouth. Setting down his glass and sucking on his knuckle, his eyes burned holes into me as I froze, realizing what I had just stupidly done, to a potentially very dangerous person.

"What the hell was that!" he yelled at me, taking his finger out of his mouth for a moment. I could clearly see that it was still bleeding, and his fangs had extended at the taste of blood, even his own.

I immediately tossed the knife on the counter and backed up a step, wondering if I was quite possibly the dumbest person on the planet. "I'm so very, very sorry. Please don't be mad."

He shook his head and removed his finger again. "You're sorry? You sliced me open. Are you sure you're not nuts?" His tone had calmed and his expression shifted to concern, like I was now some threat that the big, bad vampire had to be scared of.

That look and the tone of his voice made me relax and step towards him. I let out a tiny laugh. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see the super-healing thing."

I came up and put a hand on his arm, trying to pull his finger out of his mouth to look at it, but he stubbornly pulled away. His brow drew down to a point. "Emma..." He pulled his finger out and I could see fresh blood welling; guilt washed through me. I hadn't meant to hurt him. "I keep telling you, I'm mostly human right now. I won't heal like that, until I've changed over. Once I'm dead, you can slice me open all you like." He put his finger back in his mouth.

I bit my lip and put my head on his chest, genuinely feeling awful, but a little entertained by his comment and the annoyance on his face. Remorseful, I murmured, "I'm sorry, honey...I keep forgetting."

Teren sighed and put an arm around me. "I wish you'd remember. That really frickin' hurt."

The sulking tone to his voice was too much, and I burst into giggles. I looked up into his not-amused face and tried to kiss him, but he pulled away. Sighing and shaking his head, he started heading towards the living room.

"Where are you going?"

He turned and showed me the finger that was still oozing a little. "I'm going to get a Band-Aid, thank you very much." I bit my lip again and tried to stop laughing at the image of my fanged, vampire boyfriend needing to put a bandage on his boo-boo. It was too entertaining of a thought though, and I was still giggling as he left the room, shaking his head.

Once my laughter subsided, guilt overwhelmed me. Sighing, I grabbed a towel and bent down to clean up the blood-red splash of wine on the once pristine ground. It took some elbow grease, and some seltzer, but I eventually got the stain out and tossed the towel into the sink.

I followed where my sulking vampire had disappeared to, and heard him still rummaging around for an elusive bandage in the hall bathroom. I stopped in the door and watched him eventually find a box of them in the very back of the largest drawer. He was still sucking on his finger, a little more enthusiastically than a regular guy would, as he opened the box and pulled one out. He tried to unwrap it with one hand and chuckling, I walked over and took it from him. Pulling his finger out of his mouth, I prepared the special "H" bandage used solely for knuckle cuts and tenderly placed it on his skin. His fangs retracted as he silently watched me. Once he was all wrapped up, I gently kissed his finger, and his wounded look eventually turned into a loving one. Just as he was about to lean over and kiss me, I blurted out the real thought that had been bouncing around my head all day.

"Turn Ashley."

He froze, millimeters from my lips, and pulled back to stare at me. By the look on his face, you would think I had just asked him to stake himself. "What?"

I searched his eyes as I almost frantically repeated, "Turn her. Make her a vampire. She'd be healed, Teren...completely healed!"

He backed out of the bathroom with a sickened look on his face, like any minute he was going to lose his lunch right on his shoes. "No, Emma..."

I followed him with furrowed brows. "Why not?"

He shook his head as he backed into the living room. "You know how they're created. I'm not draining a human."

I grabbed his arm to stop him from moving away from me. He glanced down at my hand and seemed as if he wanted to smack me away. He didn't though. He just continued to stare at me, his body rigid with tension.

"Teren? You wouldn't be killing her. You'd be giving her a new life...a better one."

Now he did smack my hand away. He turned and strode over to the glass wall of windows. I watched the last rays of the sun flash on his skin as he rested his hands on his hips. I knew I'd messed up this talk on so many levels, but we were in the thick of it now. I timidly walked over to him, but didn't touch him again. Finally, he twisted his head to talk over his shoulder.

"You don't know what you're saying, Emma." He sighed. "I don't even know if it would work anyway," he finished quietly.

"Why wouldn't it...?"

His voice picked up heat as he turned his chest to me. "I keep telling you-I'm not a full vampire. I don't know if my blood is enough to change her."

At his tone, I stubbornly set my chin. "It's worth a try. What's the worst that could happen?"

He turned all the way around to face me. "She could die! My blood could do absolutely nothing and she would die, Emma. Permanently!"

I swallowed as I considered that possibility. It was one I hadn't thought of before. "Maybe Halina could-"

He cut me off. "No, she won't."

"But...she'd be normal. She'd be happy..."

Teren took a step towards me and placed his hands on my arms. Squatting down, he searched my eyes. "She is happy...don't you see that?"

I brushed him off and stubbornly shook my head as I crossed my arms over my chest. "She wouldn't be looked at like a monster."

He threw his hands up and laughed once; there was no humor in it. He started pacing the center of the room. "No, she would actually be one."

I stood in front of him to stop his movement. I placed my hands over his arms this time and looking down at me, he clenched his jaw. "You don't believe that. I know you don't," I stated. He shook his head and looked away from me. I thought again of the image of my sister healed and fresh and fast and strong. Tears stung my eyes at the thought of what her life could be, if she didn't have to put up with the whispering, teasing and constant staring. I squeezed his arms. "Please...think of what she'd be gaining."

He brought his eyes back to mine and his body relaxed when he noticed my tears. His voice relaxed as well. "Think of what she'd be losing, Em. She wouldn't be like me. She'd be one hundred percent vampire, like Great-Gran. She'd have to quit school and her dream of being a nurse. She'd have to hide during the day and she'd be..."

"She'd be free of the scars she's had since she was a little girl. Her constant reminder of what Dad sacrificed for her." There was a begging note to my voice and I tried to blink the tears back inside my body, but one escaped me.

He tenderly stroked it off my cheek with his thumb. "She's dealt with all of that for a long time, Emma."

"Because we didn't know of this option..."

"Vampirism isn't an option." His tone stated that as a fact and his voice hardened back up. A part of me got really ruffled. It was easy to say something wasn't an option, when you were swimming in that option. I was pretty certain that his views would be different if he had to look at things through Ashley's eyes-if he'd suffered the numerous painful surgeries, if he'd been brought to tears countless times throughout puberty, when boys and girls were at their meanest, and if he still had to endure life without the simple, loving companionship of a mate, something most couples took for granted every day.

"Yes...yes it is an option! She'd be healed." I dropped my hands from his arms.

Teren narrowed his eyes at me. I could see anger swirling in the paleness and I wasn't quite sure why this topic pushed his buttons so much. With a still heated voice he told me, "She wants to help people. You want to turn her into something that hunts people."

I had a little trouble spitting out my reply to that comment. "Your family doesn't. You could help her. She wouldn't...she would never hurt anyone. Just like you and the others."

"That's not true."

"What?"

Never removing his eyes from mine, he calmly stated, "Some of us have killed."

I felt all the blood drain from my face and watched his eyes take in my sudden paleness. I was instantly assaulted with images of my sweet, gentlemanly boyfriend draining whores in a back alley. I wasn't sure why I automatically pictured trashy women in that scenario, but whatever the woman, the picture was turning my stomach. I had to sit down. It wasn't a voluntary decision, I just sort of dropped down. Luckily, I was close to the couch and most of my body made it down there safely.

"What?" I breathed the word.

He sat down close to me, but didn't touch me, maybe sensing that I would bolt from the room if he did. His voice softened, but it was still laced with anger. That only increased my unease.

"The instinct is there...always. We all ignore it for the most part and for Mom and me, that's a pretty easy thing to do. It's pretty diluted in the both of us." I started breathing again, as I realized that he had just cleared himself as a killer. My stomach tightened as he continued on with who had killed in his family. "Gran has caved on occasion. She's not proud of it and she won't talk about it, but she has taken a life before...a couple times before. Great-Gran is not so hesitant or remorseful."

My pale face surely paled even more, as he confirmed that the one vampire who kind of scared the life out of me was the one vampire who would be the most inclined to take it. Teren watched me closely as he continued. "True, she lives mainly on animal blood, but she gets...bored. Every so often, she'll run into the city, find a lone human, usually a male but not always...and drain him dry. I have no idea what she does with the bodies, but she's very discreet."

"Why are you telling me this?" I felt tears rise again as I studied his steel face. He could have been telling me tomorrow's weather for all the emotion that resided in his features.

"Because I want you to understand that vampires and mixed breeds are different...and if I do what you ask, she will be different. She won't be like me. I want you to understand what you are really asking, because I don't think that you do."

Still, my stubborn streak continued. "You're different...your blood could be different. Maybe she'd be a mixed breed too..."

Teren shook his head. "Even if that were true...and I don't think it works that way, she'd be miraculously healed. How would you explain that to your mother, to everyone?" His lips turned down as he considered things I had not. Things I didn't want to think about because they were inconvenient to my end result.

"I don't know, I don't care-"

"And it will hurt...there is no way around that. She will panic. She will scream and thrash about, trying to get away from me, a man you've convinced her to trust. Are you going to hold her down while I suck the very life from her?"

I clasped my hands together and stared at the pinkness of the blood in my fingertips as I squeezed them together. "Seven seconds isn't so long...it would be quick."

Running a hand through his hair, Teren sighed with irritation. "I said I've heard it can be done that fast-by experienced vampires, who routinely kill." I looked up as his narrowed eyes searched my face. He brought his hands to his chest. "I've never done it. I've never even bitten someone. What if I don't get the exact right spot, in the exact right artery?" He shook his head and his face seemed to pale at the very thought. "It's a lot of blood. What if I can't get it out fast enough? It could take a few minutes. Do you really want to put her through that?"

With a quiet voice, I stubbornly persisted, "If we prepared her..."

He turned his face away from me and his voice went ice cold. "This conversation is pointless. I will not drain a human."

"Not even for me?" I knew I shouldn't have said that...guilt trips were generally not my thing. I realized I was sounding like his desperate grandmother, trying to beg him to get me pregnant. Hmmm, I guess, in a different way, I was a little desperate too. I was starting to understand the older woman better...although, now that I knew she had killed before, I found her a lot less grandmotherly.

"Not even for me," he said in his cold, even voice.

I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but I could hear the heavy iron door swinging closed on this conversation, and I knew once it closed, it could never be reopened. "Teren..."

His face snapped back to mine. "It is not your decision to make. It is mine and it is Ashley's. You cannot condemn her to a life you don't fully understand, simply because you think it will make her happy."

"But..."

"I will not kill a human. Do not ask again."

He stood up and strode from the room. His hands were clenched into fists as he turned the corner and I clearly heard each angry footstep as he went upstairs. A few seconds later his door slammed shut and I sat and stared at my hands. I never in a million years would have imagined that the first time Teren got really angry with me would be over him refusing to turn my sister into a creature of the night. How vastly different my life had become, in such a short period of time.