"Drugs should not be taken lightly because it's mainly a human health issue. I give Daedalus my full authority to kill the Jacquerie,"

The council members deliberated telepathically. I wasn't privy to it. No vampire, polymorphic vampire, or hybrid could read his or her thoughts. I just knew it was boring me. What did they have to discuss? Either give me the authority or not.

Minutes ticked by and my patience wore thin. I sat down with a hard thump, yawned as loud as I could, stretched my arms, then smacked my lips. I lazily regarded them. Rachel looked as if she wanted to place me over her knee and give me a spanking. Some looked uncomfortable, as if they didn't know whether to laugh or be indignant. The youngest members giggled in their hands.

"What about your human pet, Your Highness?" asked Nafi. "The young human at your daughter's funeral."

I moved my neck and loosened the top b.u.t.ton of my shirt. Any mention of Ilida in a threatening manner bristled me, but I suppose that was my l.u.s.t for her talking. In actuality, it didn't matter. Rachel's tone of voice was about to do her in.

Calm down, Daedalus. The rage is building inside you.

I ignored Alec's attempts to calm me down. "We're talking about the Jacquerie, not-my-private-life." I emphasized the last four words.

I didn't bother to hide the vexation in my voice. The bald headed rats in leather were crossing the line. I found myself gripping my fists - about to draw blood with my nails. I cupped the straight edge of the table.

"Your life is our concern. The human is privy to our world when she should be oblivious to it. That in itself is grounds for a trial," Rachel said.

"You want to put me on trial? Go right ahead, Rachel." Vaguely, I heard the sound of the table cracking in my hands. "I hope you'll be able to find someone as ferocious as me to destroy the Jacquerie. Good luck, Nosferatus!"

Alec stepped forward, I held his arm. It's not worth it. I can take care of the Jacquerie on my own without their backing.

This is your job and they're trying to squeeze you like they tried to do with me when I got involved with Tania.

I don't need defending.

I will defend you to the death. That is what family is for. Know this.

I let go of Alec's arm and stepped back.

"My brother, at my behest, has taken the appointment of Enforcer. That means he has the job of protecting you, the Queen and me. He deserves the utmost respect. Don't forget he saved two Council members last year. I will not stand by and let you twist him like you tried me. I give him full authority to kill the Jacquerie."

I had never heard my name and the word respect in the same breath or sentence. When Alec faced me, I hid my shock. Alec nodded his head at me. His green eyes shown the utmost sincerity, but I could do nothing but stare at him in astonishment.

The Council deliberated again.

I smelled the beer mixed with blood and various other bodily fluids from five blocks away. The smell of fermented hopps made me nauseous. My brother, Gauge, didn't fair any better. He turned all shades of green. This had to be done. As much as I hated dealing with the Weesal, he was a necessary evil.

"I can't believe we're going in there. You should take time off go through the grieving process at your leisure, then get rid of the Jacquerie."

"I'm going through the grieving process my way."

"You can't bring your daughter back. Let the almighty King of Vampires take care of this."

"Alec sets the laws. I enforce them. He can't do both." In fact, I was grateful Alec and Tania asked me to be their Enforcer. I needed purpose and to take risks. I needed to get my mind off my loss and Ilida.

It was nine hours after the funeral, and I still couldn't shake Ilida's presence. As if Ilida was bottled and I drank her essence and thereafter she invaded every pore of my body.

Ilida showing up at my daughter's funeral shook me up. How did she know where it was and when it was to happen? Why was it when I saw Ilida, I felt safe? Why was it when I was inside her, I felt like I'd come home?

I could easily link to her telepathically find out what the h.e.l.l she was thinking. Without a doubt, if I do I'll never be the same.

"You're thinking about her."

"Mind your d.a.m.n business."

"That was brave of her showing up at the funeral."

"She tried to warn Juliana or so she said." I couldn't trust what she said, could I? However, I do.

"Not many humans would stick their necks out for us."

A stop sign caught me.

Gauge continued, "I recommend getting in her pants first, then tell her you're a vampire."

I didn't answer Gauge. He would know if I got in her pants or not already. Being twins didn't guarantee us privacy. I could read his thoughts as well as he could read mine. He was being overly polite now. "I made love to Ilida four hours ago."

"That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"You know how we subconsciously mirror each other if we don't pay attention."

"Then I guess you need to look for your mate and get it over with." Burculacas or vampire/lycanthrope are subject to the same tendencies as your average werewolf. They mate for life, protect their lairs, and have packs. Gauge, as far as I know, is the only polymorph in existence. We share the wolf-shifting trait but for him it's more instinctual.

We have the same mother but different fathers. Two eggs separately fertilized at the same time. I couldn't blame my mother, Tena, for getting it on with my stepfather as soon as Radu left. Radu wasn't fit to raise a Cyprus tree, never mind being a mate. Radu returned four years later to kill my stepfather. He was a good soul and good werewolf and I miss his guidance, as I know Gauge misses him, period. "How are you doing, Gauge?"

"How am I?"

"You lost some good customers. One of your pack members was injured." My brother has a hefty dose of loner in him, as do I. We have those wolf tendencies to contend with. When we have s.e.x, it hurts. When we fight, we're hard pressed not to kill.

"My pack is a comfort. I want to talk about you and your inability to trust."

"I refuse to fall into the love-mate trap you wish you could indulge in and Alec so readily endures."

"Bulls.h.i.t. You are afraid to trust and that inability is your way of keeping up walls. I'm surprised you got married two centuries ago," he said.

He had to bring that up. Every time I go to sleep, I relive that moment. I had to shake it off now! I couldn't be distracted when entering a Nosferatu bar. "Why would I take advice from a polymorph who has a mate ready for the taking but won't take?"

"You're friend is pretty."

"She's not for discussion."

"I saw the way you looked at her at the funeral, O adelfos."

I'm stale. O adelfos means brother in Greek. I hadn't spoken the language in so long I almost forgot.

"I'd watch King almighty if I were you. He thinks your little friend is up to no good."

I found a parking s.p.a.ce across the street from the club bar. The cloying stench was much stronger now.

After parking the car, I waved my hand once over the dashboard. The green lights illuminating the controls shut off. "He's doing what you are doing now-being overprotective and annoying."

Gauge, being Gauge, jumped on another subject. "The Swollen t.i.t. How original," Gauge mused. "It doesn't compare to the t.i.tty Twister."

Gauge was trying to take the edge off our conversation by shooting the breeze. Fine. I played along. I need to shoot the breeze before I get down to business. "That was the bar in the movie From Dusk 'til Dawn."

"The name had potential."

"I didn't invite you to come along. If you're having reservations, get the h.e.l.l out of my car." I opened the driver's side door when Gauge stopped me from getting out. I sat back down in the driver's seat. "What?"

Exasperated Gauge shook his head at me. I brought that out in vampires, werewolves, and humans. "I worry about you."

"Don't."

"I don't have a choice since I share twenty-five percent of my DNA with you. You know that twin connection we can't get rid of."

"Like it or not this is my job, now. I can't hide from the world like you do." I wish I could. The Bouncer-a vampire, surprise, surprise-stood around six foot ten inches tall and weighed between two hundred sixty to three hundred pounds with slicked back, mafia hair. I watched the Bouncer open the door for a male wearing a trench coat with the collar raised concealing pointy ears.

The Swollen t.i.t is a bar for male Nosferatus. How they continuously get away with showing their faces in the City is beyond me. Nosferatus need a place to hang out and just be. It's a sanctuary of sorts. Their appearance is such that they would appear to be monsters to humans. They aren't monsters. Their bodies could not withstand the change, therefore, they were newly born vampires but horribly deformed.

Nosferatus filled the bar, watched the strippers do their thing, paid for a lap dance or two, loitered in the back rooms, jerked off, and said good night.

He had no problem with it as long as they got away. This was a part of the City few ventured to. It used to be at any rate. The yuppies are slowly taking over. Where will the Nosferatus go when the yuppies completely gentrify the area? Fireworks will happen then and he'll be there to keep the humans from killing them.

Gauge shrugged. He rubbed his forehead, ruffling his layered dark brown hair. He loved having long hair. When I was Ma.n.u.s' slave, I had no choice but to sport long hair. As soon as I liberated the others and myself I cut that c.u.mbersome reminder off.

"What I don't like is the music blasting out of the speakers like some call to battle. It leaves little to be desired," Gauge said.

"You hate Punk music?"

I watched the flow of traffic as we walked across the slick street of Third Avenue on the Lower Eastside or LES, as the Eastsiders like to call it. The Bouncer stared us down as we walked his way.

"I like the Stones. The Clash never did anything for me but make my head throb." Gauge motioned towards me. "You need a shave."

"Least of my worries."

I planted my feet in front of the bouncer and stared him down.

"What's the pa.s.sword?"

I smirked. The Enforcer doesn't need a pa.s.sword. "Get the f.u.c.k out of my way."

He crossed his arms displaying his impressive biceps and triceps. "Last week's pa.s.sword."

I growled, feeling my animalistic side rear its head, "I said get the f.u.c.k out of my way!" Daedalus jabbed the Bouncer in the gut three times. He bent down, then reached out and grabbed my neck and lifted me up. I grabbed his wrists, walked up his large torso, and kicked him under the chin, flipped backwards, landing on my feet. The force of the kick knocked the Bouncer back, his upper body went through the gla.s.s window. Fresh-drawn vampiric blood ran down the shards of gla.s.s. "Routine."

"Was that necessary? Now you're making me hungry."

Before I could answer Gauge, Nosferatus streamed out of the back, growling, ready to kill me. "A few days at home and he'll be as good as new." I said as I a.s.sumed the fighting stance, held up my fists, and started punching.

One Nosferatu after the other fell at my punch. They are tough skinned and ferocious. They're cannibalistic and will f.u.c.k you if you leave your a.s.s exposed. They are the pinnacle of blood l.u.s.t. I match them in ferocity. I haven't succ.u.mbed to cannibalistic urges, though.

"It's a good thing I ate before meeting you," Gauge said as he licked his lengthy fangs.

"We didn't meet." A Nosferatu grunted as he tumbled down to the sticky floor. "You found me and insisted on coming along."

I walked into the club dragging an unconscious Nosferatu with Gauge in tow. The bartender, a scraggly looking Nosferatu, ran up to us brandishing a machete.

"So much for routine," I muttered.

"This is the tamest evening with you yet. You are loosing your touch."

The bartender swung. I dodged then sucker punched him. "Anytime you want to step in, Gauge." He fell on a toppled table then came back at me. The machete never left his hand.

"Remember my vow of nonviolence? I'll settle for observing the entertainment."

The smell of blood brought out the insatiable vampire/lycanthrope in Gauge. He keeps it under control by not fighting.

I grabbed the bartender's hand that held the machete and twisted it back, breaking the wrist. The machete fell to the ground. The bartender clutched his broken wrist moaning in pain. Vampires are sensitive to pain as well as pleasure. I hauled him up and set him on his feet. He looked at me, confused.

A vampire, human, whatever, should be able to realize his or her American dream. "I'll pay for the damages I caused."

"Whit're ye daeing, mon? This is ma club. No gang banging vamps allowed."

I took note of the lilt. Scottish? The accent tickled my ears. I studied accents as a hobby and a tool for survival. A Scottish Nosferatu. I shouldn't be surprised. Nosferatus came in all shapes and one size: thin and humped back. This one was bowlegged. "I'm Daedalus the new Enforcer."

I watched the bartender's wrist and hand eerily twist around as if animated by a puppet master. Bones cracked, then he tested the movements of his hand. "Och! Warn me next time, laddie."

I nodded my head, reached out, and grabbed Weesal by the collar. "My business is with him, and I'll pay for the damages."

"Ah need a new bouncer, laddie. Can ye dae that?"

"Done!"

The strippers on stage hurled curses any sailor would be proud of at me. I snarled at them showing my fangs. They picked up their discarded clothing and ran off the stage. This was vampire business. Humans not allowed. Still holding the Weesal, I took out a wad of cash and gave it to the bartender. "This is for the girls only for the girls. I'll come back to see if they've been paid."

The bartender counted the money and laughed while walking to the broken window.

"Sit down, Weesal."

Gauge righted one of the bar stools and patted the cushioned seat. The Weesal obeyed and sat down on the stool. His right eye and the right corner of his mouth twitched.