Claudia marvelled at how much she wanted Alex. No matter how many times he took her, she wanted more. And he freely responded to her hunger with the same intensity. For a moment, she wondered how she could have ever made love to someone else other than Alex. The passion, the heat and the need she felt with her past lovers paled in comparison to what she felt now. She continued making love to her soon to be husband.

She was trembling against him from her most recent release when a high pitched growl reached her ears. Knowing exactly what it was, she immediately stopped kissing Alex's chest. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself and stepped out of the bathroom.

The little boy stood in the corner of the room, his eyes fierce as he stared at Shade, obviously thinking that the vampire meant him harm. As soon as Claudia stepped into the room, the boy sniffed the air. Without hesitating, he ran straight for Claudia and wrapped his short little arms around her waist. Claudia glanced at Shade and then leaned down to lift the boy up in her arms. The boy automatically clung to her neck, burying his face as he did. "What's wrong little one? Shade won't hurt you."

The boy shook his head violently against her, refusing to speak and refusing to look at the vampire.

"He won't hurt you. He's family," Claudia's voice was gentle as she reached out to stroke the boy's head. "This will be your new home now. And we will be living among vampires." At the word vampire, the boy began bawling. "No, no... no need to cry, my little one. They may be different from us but they are our family."

---

Darric immediately enveloped Casey in his arms the moment he laid his eyes on her. A momentary pang of guilt ran through him and Therese's face flashed through his head. But her face wasn't as clear as it had always been. All he could really think of now was Casey. Her eyes, her lips, her smile, her smell... Nothing else mattered except her. He listened to her words. Alex North turning a human into a vampire. "I shall meet with him soon enough. He must have a good explanation for turning a human..."

Her nearness to him was making him heat up. And she only fueled the fire when she pulled the towel off from his waist. He groaned when she started stroking him. He closed his eyes. "You can't be serious about wanting to know about my talk with Caius if you're teasing me like that," he said. When he opened his eyes again, his gray eyes were smoldering with desire. Without waiting for her answer, he made quick work of removing her clothes and wasted no time making love to her right where they were standing.

Alex heard the pup's growl just as Claudia had. When she stopped and left him in the shower he smirked and shook his head. He knew this would be the way it was for a while. Her maternal instincts were good and they were kicking in, in a major way. He sighed with regret that he couldn't have a baby with her. He knew how much that would have meant to her. He was surprised to realize that it would have meant the world to him as well. Alex got dressed and brought her out a bathrobe that would cover her better than that towel. He wrapped the bathrobe around her and got down to look at their newest addition to the family who was scared senseless.

Alex looked at the little boy. He was cute. He had dark sandy blondish locks and blue eyes. Alex went to the cabinet and pulled out a box of cereal and a bowl. Then he went to the fridge and got out the milk. He pulled out the chair at the table closest to the child and poured the bowl of cereal and the little boy seemed a bit curious about the food. He sat down at the table and picked up a crossword puzzle. Alex had guessed right. Scared he was, yes, but he was also hungry. He refused to let go of Claudia but he pulled her to the table to the cereal.

---

Casey couldn't deny her need for Darric. She didn't want to. The instant his hands touched her skin she lit up like a rocket and she wasn't even sure how her clothes came off she just knew that she was up against the wall taken by her lover over and over. There was never enough, she couldn't ever be tired of him. It was impossible. She heard him say something about Caius and her mind went blissfully blank and she wasn't even sure at that moment she knew who Caius was. Her moans and groans of pleasure amplified his reactions to her and she wasn't sure who tired out first. They seemed to last for hours until they were little more than a pile of appendages wrapped up in each other breathing too hard to speak for several moments.

@Kyrisse

Claudia reached down and lifted the little boy up onto the chair. He didn't even need to be told to eat. As soon as he was on the chair, he dug into the cereals and milk. Claudia pulled out a chair and sat down next to him, a wondering look on her face as she watched him eat. "Can you tell me you name?" she asked in a gentle voice.

"Gabriel," the boy answered in between chewing. He looked at Claudia, his blue eyes wide and innocent. "Where's my mommy?"

"Your mommy... isn't here, Gabriel." Claudia didn't really know how to tell the boy that his mother was dead. How do you explain that to someone so young? How do you put that into words?

"But mommy said she would never leave me behind." Gabriel looked Claudia in the eye and a silent understanding seemed to pass between the two of them. The little boy reached out and patted Claudia's hand as if consoling her. "Mommy and daddy are gone," he announced. He didn't look sad. It was like he just knew that there wasn't really anything that could be done about it. "Are you my new mommy?"

Claudia was taken aback at how calm little Gabriel was and how he seemed to understand his situation perfectly. She looked at the small hand on hers and was amused that he seemed to think that she was the one that needed consoling. Kids were really amazing. She smiled at him. "I could be if you want me to be."

Gabriel looked thoughtfully for a few seconds at Claudia before he nodded his head. "Daddy?" he asked.

Claudia leaned down so that she was eye level with her adoptive son and gestured towards Alex. "There's your new daddy."

Gabriel followed Claudia's gesture and frowned when his eyes fell on Alex. He shook his head vigorously as he climbed down his chair and climbed up Claudia's lap. "No, no, no. No daddy," he said.

Claudia raised an eyebrow. "But he's my husband, baby. If I'm gonna be your mommy then he's gonna be your daddy," she explained.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around Claudia's neck and then made a quick glance at Alex again. He shook his head again and then buried his face in Claudia's neck. "No. He stinks," the boy muttered, his voice muffled.

Claudia blinked. "He what?" she asked. She knew what the little boy meant but it didn't stop her from laughing.

---

Breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, Darric reached out and pulled Casey to him. He had never felt a desire to possess someone so strongly before but it made sense. She was his other half, that last puzzle piece that made him whole. There was nothing and no one more important to him than her. He ran a hand gently up and down her tummy. "Baby, the rate we're going, this might not stay flat for long." The idea of having a baby appealed to him. He wanted to try with Therese before but he had been scared that she might not want or know how to handle a werewolf son. But now... did Casey even want to have kids? She was still in school, after all. "I'd have to exert a bit more control cause... if I had it my way, I'd make love to you all the day long every single day." He chuckled. "I don't mean to sound like some sort of pervert who thinks of sex all the time but... He nuzzled her neck. "...yeah, we need to pace ourselves."

Alex realized what the child was referring to and he smirked with laughter. He poured the child more cereal when his bowl started to get low and he saw the sparkle and love in Claudia's eyes. This was what he wanted. Normal life with the woman he loved and the child they were going to raise together. Now all he had to do was keep them out of the dangers that the world they were living in would put them in. He shook his head chuckling and went back to his crossword. Alex watched over the top of the crossword as Sara came over.

Sara sat down at the table and smiled at the little boy. "My name is Sara. Is it ok if I'm your big sister? I can play games and do things with you. I know we have a doggy around here too." At about that time the door opened and Shade and Charlie bounded inside. The tall indian was intimidating to most but the little boy seemed to be curious as well as a little scared. Sara smiled when they came in. "Shade what is the dog's name?"

Alex responded, "Charlie"

"Come here Charlie," Sara petted the dog and it appeared to be comfortable around the vampire clan and that might have put the child a little more at ease.

---

Casey chuckled against his neck and she smiled. "Babies are definitely in our future. You had better make love to me every single day of our lives. I want to have everything our love gives us if that is one child or ten as long as I have you I'll be the happiest woman alive." She lay there in his arms and decided to ask about something else. "So how did your talk with Caius go? And when are you going to meet Alex? I must admit I am curious about Sara."

Gabriel refused to go back to his seat even when Alex refilled his bowl. Claudia had to feed him until he shook his head and refused to open his mouth. He reached out and hugged Claudia's neck again, obviously comfortable being with her. "What's your name, Mommy?" he asked as he peered warily at Alex.

"It's Claudia, baby. And your daddy's name is Alex," Claudia answered gently. She glanced at Alex and gave him a smile. She was sure that if she can love the vampire, so will this little addition to their family.

The little boy shook his head continuously, still refusing to acknowledge a vampire as his father. When Sara came over, he stopped shaking his head, stared at her and shrunk back against his new mommy. He looked at Shade and seemed to be on the verge of crying again when Charlie came bounding in, his tail wagging like crazy. His eyes widened as he watched the dog interact with Sara. And then he laughed delightedly as the dog began licking his foot. With one arm still clinging onto Claudia's neck, he reached down and petted the dog's head. A few minutes later, he looked straight at Sara. "Why are you different from mommy and me?" he asked.

---

Darric laid back. "I had Caius observe the vampire his sister imprinted on and he reported to me what he had seen. He doesn't believe Alex North turns humans into vampires on a whim. I agree with him. But of course, we can still both be wrong. I could go and meet with him right now but they have their hands full with the new addition to their family. Besides..." He leaned forward and began kissing Casey again, his hands roaming all over her body. "I have my hands full as well. Did you think I was done making love to you?" He grinned.

Sara looked at the little boy and thought on how to say it. "Well we all start out as humans and sometimes humans stay that way and sometimes they turn into werewolves and vampires and fairies and trolls and all sorts of other creatures. You never know what you might turn into and you don't get to pick. So being a part of a family that has a little bit of everything is more fun than some boring family that is all just alike right?" She smiled at the child.

Alex listened to Sara's way of explaining it to the child and he hoped that the child would understand it. "Nicely said Sara." Alex looked up at Shade and grinned. "He may not ever get used to you. You are just intimidating."

Shade gave him an irritated look. "Yeah, thanks Dad!"



Casey began kissing him everywhere and she let him take her to heights she had yet to reach. By the time they were finished she was breathless and he seemed to be worn out. Raising up on an elbow she asked him. "So when do I get to meet the pack?" She kissed his chest and neck teasing him as she went. "I want to see them, to know them to be one of them. I want them to know you are mine."

Gabriel stared at Sara for the longest time before he nodded his little head. He peered at Shade, buried his face again in Claudia's neck and kicked his little feet. When he had calmed down, he slowly took a peek at Alex. He mumbled something incomprehensible in Claudia's neck and then pointed towards their room.

Claudia chuckled and stood up. She looked at Sara and Shade. "I'm sure he'll get used to you two soon." She looked towards Alex. "Come on, baby, let's put this little one to sleep."

---

Darric buried his face into Casey's neck. He really outdid himself this time. He was so tired that he imagined he could sleep through a whole week. But it amused him to think that he'd make love to her over and over again as soon as he woke up. "The wolves are on their way back here. In a few days time, everyone will be ready to meet you. And perhaps Claudia too, if she'll agree to run with the pack."

Alex went along with Claudia and they put the child to bed. Claudia was going to stay with him a little while til he went to sleep. Alex needed to check in at the club. He hadn't been there in a couple of days and things tended to fall apart if he was away that long. With Kitty gone and Shade now with Sara only LongShadow was left running the club. When Alex walked in there was a vampire brawl going on in the middle of the dance floor.

He hit the main floor fangs dropped and flung the offenders into the walls and watched them drop to the ground ready to attack until they realized who was there. The club settled back into it's routine as Alex went back upstairs. Long Shadow came up and asked about Kitty. When Alex told him the man openly wept. Kitty had been his girlfriend as Alex had suspected.

Caius stepped into Alex's house and nodded his thanks to the tall Indian vampire. He stepped past Sara warily, aware that she was a newborn vampire. But all the same, he gave her a polite nod of acknowledgement. Not really knowing where to go, he headed into the living room and stayed there. Claudia's text said for him to hurry over followed by Alex's address. He didn't sense any immediate danger but there was one peculiar smell in the house.

"Cai!" Claudia called out as she stepped out of the room she shared with Alex.

Seeing Claudia's eyes confirmed his suspicions. "You have a child in there. A pup. 3? 4 years old?"

Claudia nodded, impressed by how sharp his brother's senses are. "4 year old. We're gonna adopt him."

Caius narrowed his eyes. "We? As in you and---"

"And Alex. He's asked me to marry him, Cai."

"Wait a minute, Claud. You're marrying a vampire and adopting a wolf pup. Don't you think that's a bit too much for a 4 year old?" Caius looked skeptical.

Claudia frowned and stared at her younger twin.

Caius stared back and then bursted out laughing. "Fine, fine. Congratulations on your engagement and your new baby. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a lovely young man. Yes, yes, I'll babysit whenever you need me to."

Claudia pouted more. "You're horrible."

Caius raised an eyebrow. "What? What did I say now?" he feigned ignorance and then grinned. "Seriously though, congratulations. I'm happy for you."

Claudia smiled. "Thanks, Cai."

"So, does this mean that you will no longer run with the pack?"

"I still plan on joining the pack."

"Really? I'm glad then."

Casey had managed to leave her mate sleeping in bed. After her shower she went outside and down to the store. They were running low on a few things and needed to get some things. Casey noticed the vampire club up the street and she gave it a wide berth. She knew that Alex owned that place but that didn't mean that it was a safe place for anyone of her kind to go near. Casey crossed the street to avoid it as much as she could.

On her way back from the store she saw a long haired vampire outside the club. He was obviously upset and screaming and he glanced up and caught Casey's scent. She glanced up as he did and there was a second where time stood still and his anger and hatred of her species was written all over his face. Casey screamed as LongShadow ran across the street and grabbed her. Then he hoisted her into the air.

The instant Alex heard the scream he looked down to see his bartender gone and he ran outside. Casey was fighting his mouth which was trying to rip her throat out instead he was ripping her flesh all over her arms and chest. Long Shadow wanted to hurt her like Kitty's killers had hurt her. Long Shadow was oblivious to the fact that Alex had come up behind him and just rammed his hand into his chest. Alex pulled the heart from his body and watched as his friend of nearly one hundred years died at his hands.

Casey was bleeding profusely and would only last another few seconds without help. Alex pulled her into him and ripped his arm open and tried to get her to drink it. She refused. "Drink it or you will die!" Finally too weak to argue she drank from his arm and she started to feel better. Her body was healing fast and Casey sat up and looked at him. "Who are you and why did you save me? Vamps typically act like he did not like you just did."

Alex sighed. She was right. "My name is Alex North." Casey jumped up and smiled. "Claudia's vampire! That is wonderful! You are meeting with my mate and I tomorrow. Well I think you should walk me home now so probably now instead." Casey wasn't in the least worried about Alex harming her and when she got home she opened the door.

Alex walked her home and when she opened the door he turned to leave but her hand on his arm pulled him in with her. Casey looked like she had fought a battle with hell and lost. Her blood was all over her ripped and tattered clothes and skin. "Darric!"

After introducing her twin brother to Sara and Shade, Claudia led Caius into their room where Gabriel was sleeping. "There he is. He's an intelligent boy and the calmness he displayed earlier sorta reminded me of you." She smiled fondly towards the sleeping boy, her bond to him already strong. The boy might not be her biological son but she vowed to raise him like he was.

"Imagine that. I hope your hotheadedness doesn't rub off on him." Caius smirked.

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Honestly. Sometimes I wonder why I even want you around."

Caius raised and eyebrow and pointed to himself. "Babysitter. You know you need me. Especially when you and your vampire feel a little antsy." He sniffed the air and then nodded. "Yeah, you'd probably need me to be around A LOT."

"Cai!" Claudia exclaimed, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

"Mommy?" came a small voice on the bed. The little boy was sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

"Now, look what you did." She frowned at her twin as she hurried to the bed.

"My fault? You were the one being loud," Caius retorted.

Gabriel looked at Caius and then pointed at him, a smile on his lips. "Daddy?"

Caius laughed, Claudia rolled her eyes again. "No, no, baby. That's Uncle Caius. He's mommy's twin brother. Your daddy is Alex. He went out for a while but he'll be back soon," she said in a soft voice.

Gabriel looked at Caius then at Claudia. "Uncle Caius doesn't stink like daddy."

"Stink like...? Oh." Caius laughed out loud as he walked over to the bed. "I know what you mean kid. But, it's not really THAT bad. I mean, half of the time he smells like mommy."

"CAIUS!"

Caius laughed more.

---

Darric was still sleeping when Casey came back. When she called out to him, he instantly woke up. Smelling a vampire, he was immediately on his feet. The smell was familiar but he had no idea why Alex North would be in his apartment uninvited. He hastily put on his boxers and then walked out of the room.

As soon as he saw Casey's ripped and bloodied clothes, he growled. He reached out and pulled her to his side and then turned his suddenly feral eyes to the vampire. His body temperature shot up as he tried to rein in his growing temper. He smelled Alex's blood mixed with the scent of her blood on Casey. But the lack of injuries was clue to what had happened while he slept. Despite being able to more or less guess what had transpired, he still looked ready to pounce at any moment. "By the state of Casey's clothing and the absence of any injuries, I can only assume that you are not responsible for this. But if you are, then you have some guts to show up in my place."

@Kyrisse



"Darric" Casey said "This is Alex North, he saved me. I was attacked by a very angry vampire on my way home."

Alex could see Darric getting more feral so he spoke up. "Your mate was attacked by a vampire who worked at my club. His name was Long Shadow. He has been a friend for a very long time. His girlfriend was my progeny and she was murdered by a werewolf just a couple of days ago. He had just heard of her death and I'm sure that's why he attacked Casey. I heard her scream and came running out."

"Darric, Alex ripped the heart right out of his friend's body. Then he slashed open his wrist and made me drink so it would heal me." Casey said. Alex nodded respectfully and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let him out of my sight. I'll leave you two to your evening now." Alex offered his hand to Darric to shake.

Darric looked at Casey then at Alex. He considered the words. Here was a vampire that saved a werewolf's life from the hands of a friend. The very same vampire that the twin sister of his right hand man imprinted on. Maybe there was something to be gained from an alliance with him after all. He looked at the hand Alex extended to him. Feeling his anger turn down a notch, he reached out and grasped it. "Alex North, thank you for what you did. I am greatly indebted to you." He gave Alex's hand a firm shake before releasing it. "I apologize for my temper. I believe Caius to be a better man when it comes to control. Please. Stay a while and let me at least thank you properly for saving Casey's life." He gestured to the living room. "I'm afraid that I can't offer much in terms of vampire refreshments though. Scotch, maybe? My name is Darric Shadowforge, by the way."

Alex nodded and took a seat. Casey kissed Darric and went to change, a couple of moments later they heard the shower running. Alex pulled out his cell phone. "Gimme one sec. I want to tell Claudia where I am and see if she needs anything from the store for Gabriel." After he texted her he realized that he hadn't told him who Gabriel was.

"I'm sure by now you know who I am and what I do. Besides owning the vampire club/bar I work for the vampire council. I take care of supernatural problems. The last two of these ...uh, missions gave me new family members. My newest progeny Sara is quite happy it appears. I wouldn't have decided to turn her except that my other daughter Kitty was murdered by newly turned wolves on my property and we were missing having her around and I thought Sara might fit well with my other progeny Shade. It seems they are doing very well together. It's like having horny teenagers in the house. Sara's alternative was death according to orders from the council. I gave her the choice and she is doing well now." Alex smiled at the thought of Shade and Sara together.

About that time Casey came back into the room. Her hair was wet and she was in clean clothes. "That feels so much better."

"I understand you helped Shade with clothes shopping for Sara. I thank you for that. Kitty's choice of clothing ran to the dominatrix style and that is just never good for keeping things calm. She was very wild. It is quite refreshing."

"Gabriel, The council sent me on another mission and this time I took the others with me but I made Claudia stay outside by the car. She refused to be left at home." Alex grinned when speaking about Claudia. "The mission was to kill the captors and retrieve a kidnapped child. The child is a 4yr old male wolf pup whose parents were killed by the captors who were both human and vampire. They had every intent of killing the child as well. Needless to say as soon as Claudia held him and he clung to her like she was his mama. So we are going to keep him and adopt him as soon as we are wed."

@Kyrisse

Darric patiently heard what Alex had to say. He may not be as patient as Caius was but he was patient enough. As information spilled out of the vampire, the alpha wolf was surprised at how open and how willing Alex was to share information with him. They were, by nature, enemies, after all. Or so, he was raised to believe. It was something Caius always spoke so strongly against and maybe the younger wolf was right. Some vampires may be parasites, made to live off on humans and made to destroy them. But clearly, not all of them behave so. He was beginning to understand how one of his kind would imprint on the man in front of him. He was exceptional for a vampire. Giving a human a choice between life and immortality, rescuing a wolf pup, falling in love with a werewolf, killing a friend to save a stranger's life...

He nodded his head slowly. Yes, an alliance would prove to be beneficial, he thought.

His thoughts drifted towards the vampire council... He's heard of it before and he had actually looked into them several times. He knew that they had vampires do their bidding. Alex, was apparently, one of those that do. And by the way he was narrating things, it didn't seem as if their orders would go against Crimson Keepers' directives. He was relieved. He honestly didn't want to be at odds with someone he owed a great deal to.

"I admire your willingness to share information with someone like me. And I applaud the virtues that you uphold. Perhaps we can form an alliance."

"Claudia and Caius trust you, Shade knows and trusts Casey and because they trust you so much I do too." Alex said. "It's kind of nice to think of all of us as a large extended family. I do believe that Claudia is going to join your pack. I gave her my blessing to do so as long as she isn't gone on long trips away from us."

Casey smiled and kinda bounced on the couch happily. "That is great! I can't wait to meet the rest of the pack." Alex smirked at the sheer bubbliness Casey exuded.

Alex stood up. "Well I have to get back. Claudia will be looking for me shortly." He looked at his phone and smiled. "Gotta run to the store. The little guy needs a few things."

Casey stood up and unceremoniously hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you again for saving my life." Alex was caught off guard and smiled a little.

"No problem, thank you for helping Shade the other day." Alex looked up at Darric whose hand Casey grabbed and pulled him to her.

Alex opened the door and left, closing it behind him.

@Kyrisse

"But why do I need to take a bath and Uncle Caius doesn't?" Gabriel complained even as he played with the bubbles in the bathtub.

"Because I don't stink the way you do, you cheeky boy," Caius replied as he watched his sister pour shampoo on the small boy's head. He took a swig from the cola bottle in his hand.

"But daddy stinks more than me," Gabriel looked up at his new mom. "Will you give him a bath when he comes back too, mommy?"

Caius almost sprayed soda from his nose and mouth. He coughed out several times and avoided Claudia's glare. "Oh, no, I'm not answering that one. That question is all yours, Claud." Caius laughed, stood up and exited the bathroom before his sister could find something to throw at him.

---

"Thank you for saving Casey's life," Darric said in his quiet voice as he watched his mate hug the vampire and then planted a kiss on his cheek. Whether he liked it or not, it seemed like his fate and his life were intertwined with the vampire now. Not that he minded. But he was worried about the pack. Not all the wolves would appreciate their leader making alliances with those they considered their mortal enemies. He also found himself wondering what they'd think of Claudia, a wolf that imprinted on a vampire. It wasn't unheard of but it was extremely rare. He nodded at Alex as he turned and left. But before he could let his mind drift off again, he felt Casey grab his hand and pull him towards her.

"It would really do my heart good if you could at least wait for me to wake up before you go out. You might be stronger than a human now but it doesn't mean you're in less danger. Tonight only proved that." He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "I don't know what I'd do if Alex hadn't been there."

When Caius had gotten there Shade and Sara gave him some space but stayed close by just in case Claudia needed them. They went outside and Shade kissed Sara passionately and then he said something that at first threw her off.

"I'm going to teach you to fight now." Sara glanced up and saw a fist about to hit her and she ducked and slammed into his chest sending them both flying, her forwards and him backwards. She landed on him and rolled away quickly and got to her feet. He was already standing and waiting on her. She cracked her back as she stood up and squinted her eyes in mock pain and favored her shoulder.

Shade looked concerned and walked over. "Are you okay? I didn't-"

Sara reached up and kicked him hard in the groin and Shade went down like a ton of bricks. He grabbed her leg and yanked her down beside him with her neck at his mouth. Slicing into her neck slightly he grumbled, still in pain.

"I win."

Sara leaned over and began kissing him and rubbing his sore spot with her hand. "Are you sure about that?" She taunted in his ear. She glanced up and saw Alex pulling into the drive and she got up and laughed and ran towards the cabin. Shade stood up.

"Caius is inside. You ok Alex?" Alex nodded noticing the tension in the air lingering from him and Sara.

"I'm fine. Go play with Sara." Shade smirked and took off at an amazing speed. Alex went inside and chuckled at his progeny.

Shade arrived at the cabin to find Sara in a beautiful nearly sheer satin gown. When she moved it flowed around her and he was mesmerized. She twirled in it. Her long dark hair flowing in a cascade of ebony waves and below it the skirt of the gown doing the same but in white. When she stopped and noticed Shade's intense need bulging towards her she licked her lips and said "I believe I owe you an apology." As she knelt he pulled her up and lifted her into the air to look at her high above his head. Her eyes twinkling in the light.

Shade slid her down against his body, to the ground. Her arms wrapped round his neck so that her feet didn't reach the ground. "Don't ever apologize for hitting a man there if it is done to save your life. Even mine." His eyes were glazed over with his feelings about her. Sara was able to see what he felt and she hugged herself to him and she started to kiss him deeply.

Shade carried her into the bedroom and kicked the door shut. He held her and kicked his boots off. She undid his jeans and slid them over his hips. Sara raised her legs around his waist and as his bulging need became insistent against her gown she leaned back and pulled his jeans to his feet and as he stepped out of the second leg of material Shade moved her gown and slid into home. Sara moaned in surprise. At this point she was hanging partly backwards and upside down. She raised herself up to him, sitting herself so that he moved deeper and deeper.



Casey looked into Darric's eyes and realized how much he would have suffered if she had died. Her arms wrapped around him tighter. "I'm sorry love. I wouldn't have considered going out if I had any idea that this would happen. Although, it's good to know that Alex is on our side don't you think? He killed a friend of his to save me. That says something." She kissed him and held him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Well luckily he was there and we don't have to find out." She murmured her love into his ears and comforted him. She didn't want to tell him the gory details and she wouldn't unless he asked.

@Kyrisse

By the time Alex came back, Gabriel was still in the tub, happily splashing around and sending bubbles flying as he giggled happily. "Gabe," he replied when Claudia asked about what his nickname was. He made a high pitched howl. "That's how mommy calls me during the full moon."

"Oh, your parents bring you with them during the fullmoon?" Claudia asked in wonder, knowing that the small child will not change form yet until he was past 10 years old.

Gabriel nodded, his eyes focused on the bubble that had settled onto the tip of his nose. "Daddy lets me ride his back when he runs through the forest. And mommy plays with me with her big paws."

Wow... Such a different childhood compared to mine and Caius', she thought idly as she watched the boy fondly.

---

"Yes, that is something. Says a lot about who he is and what his principles are," Darric agreed, convinced that forming an alliance with the vampire would benefit the pack greatly. In a few days time, all 10 wolves would join him. He would present to them the idea. He didn't expect everyone to be in agreement with him but with Caius' help, it won't be such a difficult task to do. "Yes, lucky that he was around," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around Casey and led her back to their bedroom.

Alex was whistling as he opened the door and entered the house. Putting the milk in the refrigerator and the other groceries away. He took the clothes into the bedroom and picked out a cute outfit for the child and went into the bathroom where he could hear the splashing and laughter. He tossed a toy into the water and handed the rest of the bathtub safe toys to Claudia.

"Hey babe, hello Caius. I just left Darric and Casey's place not long ago. Casey was attacked outside the club and I had to rescue her." He waited for the questions.

@kyrisse