"Doesn't it bother you?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "It did at first, but I've been around them long enough it doesn't anymore."

Maybe with her youth she could adapt faster, but that didn't make it any safer for her. I gave her my most stern face. "Emily, it's dangerous for you to be living in a place like this. I don't like exposing you to so much on a long-term basis. It's bad enough you've been here for as long as you have."

Nik stepped forward. "I would protect her. You've proven yourself resourceful, but neither of you would be safe on your own. You have to know that."

I set my coffee cup down and moved closer to him. "What guarantees do I have that you would protect her?"

A flash of hurt crossed his eyes. "That's not fair, Mel."

I turned my head away; not liking the idea a vampire could make me feel guilty. That had to be a first.

Charlie spoke next. "I'm in agreement with him, Melena. Both you and Emily will be far safer here. I would watch over both of you as well."

"Why?" I asked him.

He cleared his throat. "Sensors are rare, but important. There are things you can do that no other race can; things that can protect the world from great harm by forces even more powerful than those in this room now. Whether you like it or not, you are one of the ones in a position to help the weak and innocent and should be willing to do so. Sometime in the near future you will find this to be true, but you must be alive to discover it. Go back to California now and your chances of survival will be slim."

His words rang as true, the same as Nik's had. Felisha stood up and walked over to me next, putting a delicate hand on my arm. Their "intervention" was beginning to wear on me. I gazed into her beautiful green eyes and tried not to be affected by her pleading expression.

"Melena, we would all be here for you and Emily. No one could harm you without going through us first. I know you've had some bad experiences in the past, but at some point you have to learn to trust."

Unfortunately, Felisha was too nice to argue with so I nodded and said nothing. She gave an encouraging smile before stepping back to give me room. My eyes sought out Lucas. His emotionless mask revealed nothing.

"What about you?" I asked. "Why are you here? Somehow I doubt you care what happens to me."

His golden eyes flashed for a moment before he answered. "I've made your safety my concern. That is all you need to know."

"That's a half-truth and you know it."

He moved forward until he was almost standing on my toes. "Little sensor, I've told you before. Don't push me."

I clenched my fists.

"Or you'll do what?" Might as well try and get him to spell out the truth.

He put his hand on my chin and tilted my face up. A cold smile spread across his face.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

I grabbed his hand and yanked it from my face. He let me. "Actually, I would like to know."

"Better you don't, sensor, better you don't."

The others stood in tense silence. If Lucas made a move against me, none of them were powerful enough to stop him, even with their combined efforts.

I put my hands on his chest, which might have been a mistake because the touch gave me a certain degree of pleasure it shouldn't have, but my goal was to get his attention. He jerked. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. His emotions only revealed annoyance.

"Lucas, for once, give me a straight answer. Why are you with the others in wanting me to stay here?"

He gazed down from his impressive height. "My reasons are my own. Don't bother to keep asking."

That pissed me off. I was sick of his evasive tactics.

"Coward," I spit out.

Anger broiled inside of him. He took a step forward, making me take a step back with my hands still stuck to his chest. My heartbeat picked up as he continued maneuvering me until my back hit the wall. Maybe calling him a coward hadn't been such a good idea.

Lucas grabbed my head and held it between his large hands. My gaze locked with his. I almost could have sworn sparks flew from him.

"Little sensor, you demand an answer, so I'll give you one."

I swallowed, unsure what he meant as he stared down at me. So many emotions crossed his face that it was impossible to make sense of them.

"The one thing you need to know, above all, is that I will protect you. I will always protect you until the day comes when your time on earth is meant to end. Do not try to leave this town or I'll make you regret it. Count on this, if you cannot count on anything else."

And with those words, full of cold hard truth, he left. The flash of his light almost blinded me. My hands gripped the wall for support. Everyone else in the room appeared to be as shocked as me.

Emily was the first to break the silence. "Mel, I think he likes you."

I almost choked on her words. "What would make you say that?"

She shrugged. "In school, when a boy really likes a girl, sometimes he can be really mean to her. But sometimes, he does stuff that gives him away. I think that's what Luc just did."

"Luc?"

She shrugged. "He doesn't like it when I call him that, so I keep doing it."

I walked over to where she sat near the curtained window and gave her a hug. She meant well in her own way and I had to admit her funny logic had lightened the mood.

"So, are we going to stay, Mel?"

I leaned back to seriously look at her. The hope in Emily's eyes was almost too much to bear, and maybe a part of me had grown weak by having her around, but her safety was even more important than mine.

Everyone was right. I'd have a hard time protecting the two of us on my own. It hurt my pride to admit it, but we needed help to stay safe. Noreen might be dead, but the minions she left back in California weren't. They would always be a threat-one I couldn't fight alone. Here, at least, I stood a chance of survival and so did Emily. There would be other challenges to face, but at least we wouldn't be alone.

I smiled at Emily. "Yeah, we can stay."

She jumped up and let out a whoop before running over to Felisha and exclaiming her excitement. The fairy glowed under the girl's attention and I had a feeling they were becoming good friends. I might have considered letting Emily stay with her, except she needed sensor training and no one else could do that but me. At least I wouldn't be alone in figuring out how to raise a fourteen year-old. It was a daunting prospect.

A few hours later I sat on one of the new sofas in the living room waiting for Aniya to come upstairs. Nik had insisted on letting her wake up and get oriented first before seeing anyone besides him. He'd amazed me over the last few days at how attentive he was with her. I'd always pictured a more brutal process, but some of the other vampires in the house confirmed Nikolas took his role as sire very seriously. They said it made the transition process much easier and allowed the newly turned to adjust faster.

More than thirty minutes had passed and I began to get worried. My hand played with a mermaid figurine I found sitting alone on the shelf in the living room. I didn't know how it got there, but was glad for something to keep my hand busy. Everyone else stayed away so I could reunite with Aniya in privacy. It made the room seem almost too quiet.

Footsteps echoed on the wooden floor in the hallway. I put the figurine down and stood up. My senses told me it was her, though she felt different now. During the transition process, her personal signature had been in a flux, but now it had steadied into a regular vampire rhythm. When she came into the room, with Nikolas behind her, I had to admit she looked good. She walked with the grace given to all undead. Despite that, her movements were hesitant and there was a nervousness coming from her.

I took slow steps to close the gap between us, unsure how to behave. I didn't want Aniya to think I didn't accept her new status, but the change would still take some getting used to. This was the woman I had always known, but my senses were giving me the warning sirens that came anytime a vampire was close.

It was her spreading smile that did it for me. My behavior seemed ridiculous in the face of all we'd been through together. I stopped acting stupid and gave my friend a hug. After a brief stiffening of her body, she relaxed and put her own arms around me. She squeezed too tight, but I managed to handle it.

We broke apart to look at each other.

She must have cleaned up before leaving the basement because her hair was wet and she had new clothes on-a pair of dark slacks and a red blouse that complimented her complexion. Her eyes had darkened from brown to almost pure black, but her skin remained its normal olive tone. I assumed it took time after turning and being away from the sun before a vampire began to pale.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Mel," she told me in a tearful voice.

My head shook in denial. "Not your fault. You couldn't have known all this would happen. I'm the one who is sorry for seeing you end up this way."

"You're not mad at me?" she asked, surprise in her voice.

It almost seemed funny, considering all the worrying I'd done about her possibly hating me. She should be angry for getting her killed, well, mostly killed.

"Of course not," I answered her, "but how do you feel about being changed?"

He face dropped and worry came across her eyes once more. "You want the truth?"

My lips twitched. "If you haven't learned this already, you should know you can't lie to me or I'll know."

She frowned. "Have you always been able to do that?"

I nodded and her eyes grew round. She covered her mouth as her face began to flush.

"Oh, God. You knew every time Lisette and I..."

"Yep," I nodded.

"But you never said anything," she whined.

"I couldn't. Now you'll have to learn to keep a lot of secrets too."

She nodded. Resignation reflected in her eyes.

"So you're okay with being a vampire?" I repeated.

After a brief hesitation, she smiled.

"To be honest," she flashed her teeth, thankfully no fangs showed, "I'm glad you told Nik to turn me. Remember all those vampire shows I used to watch on TV?"

I groaned. I'd blocked the memories from my head in the hopes she never got any funny ideas.

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, now I got my wish, even if it didn't come out quite the way I hoped."

Her boyfriend, Philip, had been among those we killed the other night. Lucas had recognized the guy right before removing his heart. Nik had said he broke the news to her when she asked about him during her transition. In my mind, it was for the best, but she might not see it that way. Philip had had plenty of time to brainwash her. Time would tell on that one.

"There is one thing I'll regret," she admitted. A wave of sadness swept over her.

"What's that?" I asked.

"There will be no way for me to be a teacher anymore, and my dreams of having children of my own are over. That's going to take some getting used to."

I sighed. She might have gained immortality, which she seemed okay with, but losing one's dreams would be hard to take. Neither of her biggest wishes could come true in any way I could think of. It wasn't feasible for a vampire.

"I'll be there for you," I reassured her. "In any way I can."

She nodded. "Thanks."

"I'll leave you two to talk." Nik spoke from a few feet away. He didn't move far, though, continuing to act as the protector.

Aniya and I didn't waste any more time before moving to sit and catch up.

Epilogue.

Five days later I found myself at the airport seeing Aniya off. She was returning to California to pack up our apartment and ship everything to Alaska. I'd had no choice but to stay. Nik and the others had reminded me that Noreen's supporters remained there and they would be looking for me. The risk would be too great, they'd insisted. That left Aniya, along with two vampire guards, to go back and take care of everything. They didn't have a reason to attack her.

Aniya's mother would be coming back with her after some delicate compulsion was placed to gain her compliance. The woman would never leave any other way and Aniya understood that. She would also handle Lisette, since our mutual friend would no longer answer my phone calls. Her reticence hurt. I kept hoping she'd understand the position I'd been put in, but some offenses were easier to forgive than others.

Aniya was using a private jet Nikolas managed to borrow. It came from one of his vampire friends and was sun-proofed in case there were any delays preventing the flight from reaching ground before dawn. I watched it take off into the night sky before moving through the dark parking lot to my waiting vehicle.

Due to a recent rain, everything had a hazy quality to it now. The weather reflected my mood. Some pressure lurking deep inside hit me as I realized for the first time in a while, I was alone. No one could hear me or see me. The part of the terminal I was in didn't have much traffic at the moment.

For a few minutes, I let my head rest on the steering wheel while music played at a low volume from the stereo speakers. At the house, too many ears could hear the slightest sound, leaving no room for privacy. I'd been holding it all in, not wanting anyone to think me weak. Now that I was alone, every emotion I'd kept bottled inside came surging up.

A lot had happened in the month since my arrival to Alaska. Everything had made so much more sense before, but now it no longer did, and I had no idea what to do except go through the motions and hope it all turned out for the best.

Tears ran down my cheeks as recent memories flashed before me, Matt's death the most vivid. He'd died because of me and there was no way to go back and fix it. His family would never know and I couldn't tell them. A sob escaped me and I let myself cry for a few minutes in the quiet of the vehicle. My soul needed the release. It had been stained by the things I'd done. It would take some time to get over the guilt, assuming it passed at all.

About the time I began to get myself together, I felt him. He hadn't come back since the confrontation at Nik's house, but he chose this moment to show up. A time when I least wanted him around.

"What do you want, Lucas?" I mumbled through the steering wheel.

"Is that any way to greet the one who saved your friend's life?"

Of course he would bring that up now. My purse was under the driver's seat, so I reached down and grabbed a tissue to wipe my face with before bothering with a reply.

"You know I owe you for that. It's not like you did it for altruistic reasons."

"Perhaps not, but that's not why I came here."