"Yeah, but I'm not sure how long he's going to want to stay with me if I'm constantly on the move. I've already told him he could go home, but he swears he's not leaving until I can go home."

"Well, I'm not sure how long that will be. Just sit tight. We'll figure this all out soon enough."

"I hope so," I mumble.

"Look, I've got to go. Thad says it's too dangerous to keep our cells on with so many dark users nearby. He's gone off with two of the night stalkers right now to speak in private with his contact. If they're looking for you, my calls could point them in the right direction. I'll try to call when I can."

I hang up, doing my best not to cry, and then I pace around the rental house Thad just happen to have handy, wondering where in the hell Kane has been for so long.

Great. I'm a nagging housewife.

The door opens, and I turn to see him walking in, his eyes seeming... off.

"You okay?" I ask curiously, but he doesn't answer.

Instead, he grabs me at the waist and tosses me to the bed, his lips pinning mine as his tongue invades.

Oh damn.

My greedy hands readily return the spontaneous gesture, but he doesn't taste right.

Then it hits me, and I get sick just before throwing my arms out, tossing the imposter across the room, using my magic.

"Who the hell are you?!" I blare, my whole body trembling as I force out my strength to hold him down.

He starts laughing ferociously loud, and then he releases his mask to reveal himself.

Thad.

"You asshole. I could have killed you!"

I drop my hold on him, and he laughs harder while rising to his feet.

"Chill out. It was just a spot of fun."

"A spot of fun?" I scoff. "I'll turn you into a smear of pain if you do that to me again."

He gives me a carefree wink and then stands to his feet, pretending to dust himself off.

"What are you doing here?" I grumble as my body continues to tremble from the adrenaline high.

"I came to show you these. I need you to tell me if you recognize any of these people."

He hands me a handful of pictures - surveillance type shots - and I carefully study the strangers' faces.

"No. Why?" I ask while handing them back to him.

"Because," he sighs, "supposedly these people were seen with your mother a few hours before she disappeared. From what I gather, your council isn't being very forthcoming with you either."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He gives me a devilish grin before propping up on the back of the couch.

"I'll tell you if you kiss me like that again."

I really hate the fact I'm grinning right now, and I do my best to wipe it from my face.

"You're incorrigible."

"This I know. Now, the kiss?" he muses, playfully feigning impatience.

I walk over to him, and then I almost put my lips to his before shoving him over the couch, making him fall in a toppling motion. He starts laughing again as his back slaps the floor, and then he shakes his head while propping up.

"That's not a good way to ask for information."

"Perhaps I should call my dad and tell him you're trying to exploit me for sex."

He narrows his eyes, his smile lighter now. "Firstly, don't call your dad. He's fucking crazy. Secondly, it's a kiss... not sex... not yet, anyway."

I accidentally laugh, and he stands up to walk back around to where I am before he starts his explanation.

"The council sent you to Washington, where the dark users hold the root of their power. I found it suspicious to begin with, and then on top of that, they didn't tell you your mom had been receiving threats."

"Threats?" I prompt, expecting him to elaborate.

"Nothing deadly, they just kept saying she would get what was coming to her if she didn't return what was theirs."

That sounds deadly enough to me.

"What did she have?"

He shrugs, plopping down on the arm of my chair, and then he pulls out a bottle of red liquid I dare not watch him drink.

Blood.

"I don't know. I haven't found out that much. One thing is for certain though, your council is holding out." I hear the swishing of the liquid going from the bottle to his mouth, and I shiver in response.

"Not a fan of blood, love?" he teases.

"Not a fan of blood meals."

"Well, I need less blood than night stalkers if it makes you feel any better." Not really. "So I take it you have no idea what your mother was holding either?" he asks almost rhetorically.

"No. She didn't tell me anything about the politics or even the reality of our world. She always tried to bring out the sunny side of my fate, since I'm constantly at odds with magic. What about Frankie? Does he know anything?"

I just talked to him. Why didn't he tell me any of this?

"I haven't spoken with him yet. He's not exactly very honest with me, given the fact I'm a changer. I wanted to speak with you before he could coach you up. It's hard to help someone when they're holding back."

True, but I don't blame Frankie for not trusting any of them.

"Well, I'm not holding back. Apparently I know very little about my mother's life."

He sighs, frowning slightly, and then he stands up to walk to the door.

"If you think of anything, let me know. Also, watch your back. If anything goes wrong, head to your next safe house. No more hotels."

I glance at the heavy book of procedures he has drawn up. It's resting on my dresser, making me smile.

"Thanks for the long list of places to go, by the way. How the hell do you have so many houses?"

He lets a laugh free, and then he shrugs.

"I've been around a while. One tends to accumulate. So, where's loverboy?"

"Out. I'm sure he's tired of changing places all the time."

"Then tell him to go home," he says with a devious grin. "If you don't like being alone, I can swing by and keep you company."

His boy-next-door persona was washed away the day I met him - well, since I met the real Thad. Now he's the wolfish bad boy who loves to tease me.

"I can't believe I thought you were such a sweet guy," I huff out with a bit of a grin.

"I'm a changer, baby. I can look like anyone... including a sweet guy," he teases, his menacing grin emphasizing his mischievous eyes.

"Change into someone leaving," I mumble playfully while ushering him out the door.

"It's been a long time since a girl kicked me out of one of my houses."

I laugh loudly, and he jerks me by the back of the head to push his lips against mine before disappearing out the door, leaving me scowling at his quickly fading back as he blurs out of sight.

Obviously he was watching me to know Kane is gone, so I quickly go to draw the curtains shut.

The door opens again, and Kane walks in, carrying... nothing. Thad?

"Hey," I murmur softly, not sure if this is Kane or Thad. "You've been gone a while."

He smiles as he walks over to me, and his arms slide around my waist as his lips find mine. He tastes so damn good, and I smile.

Mmm. Definitely Kane.

"Yeah," he says pulling back. "I decided to go for a run after I went into town. I was going to bring you back something nice to eat, but I thought we could go out instead."

"Like a date?" I say too excitedly, quickly masking my giddiness with a more respectable composure.

"Yes," he snickers out while pulling me closer. "Like a date. Judging by your reaction, I'm assuming you've been wanting a date for a while."

I blush lightly while feigning nonchalance, making him laugh a little more.

"Go get ready, and I'll make us some reservations."

I tug at his hand, suddenly a little too turned on to simply walk away. I've never been this enthralled by anyone. At the same time, I feel guilty for dragging him around the country.

"Do you want to go home? I know you weren't expecting to be gone for so long, and I'm sure you didn't plan on living on the move."

He strums my lips with his, and then he shakes his head.

"I'm not leaving you. I'm perfectly fine bouncing around. Now, get ready, I'm taking you out."

I tug at his hand again, and he looks at me curiously.

"Actually, I sort of feel like ordering in now," I seductively release while leading him to the bed.

A smirk begins to play on his lips as he plays along, and he picks me up to gently toss me on the bed.

"Oh really?" he asks with a low, sizzling hot tone.

"Mm hm."

His lips find my neck, his teeth lightly grazing my skin as he sends the most delicious shivers all over my body. His hand slides between my legs, pushing aside the shorts as his finger rolls across my aroused center.

I moan lightly when his touch stimulates the insatiable beast inside me, and he starts pulling my shorts down slowly, drawing out the torture.

"I'm starting to think I've created a monster," he teases when my hand rubs across his erection.

"Maybe. Let's find out how vicious I can be."

He lets out a laugh, and then he pulls my shirt over my head just before his lips find my chest. I moan more, and then I rip his shirt over his head to offer me skin on skin.

His body still astounds me. Each line is carved by perfection's hand. It's surreal how amazing he is. All of him.

My hand slides under his jeans, finding his desire for me, and he moans as his lips find mine. He flips over, bringing me with him as I sit astride his gloriously perfect body.

I bend down, bringing my lips to his, and he grabs my ass to grind my center against his, making me all the hotter.

I start pulling at his pants as my lips start trailing down, and his breath hitches in his throat when he feels my lips on his perfect piece of firmness.

"Alyssa," he breathes in a hoarse whisper, making my head move a little faster as I take him deeper into my mouth.

Then suddenly I'm ripped up and his lips are crushing mine as he thrusts in from underneath. A loud breath falls through my lips in a grunt when he slams in a little harder, no longer taking it easy on me, and I sit up as his hands grip around my ass to aide my rhythm.

I pull his hands to my breasts, and he moans as his head falls back. I push against his chest for balance as his hips buck harder, pushing me to the edge, and then I cry out as I find that incredible release only he has ever given me.

He shudders inside me, releasing his force, and I fall forward to collapse against his chest. My ragged, tired breaths fall free as I work to steady my thudding heart, and his arms wrap around me as he kisses the side of my head.

"You're amazing," he murmurs with a breathless tone of his own.

"I've had an incredible teacher," I playfully retort, making his laughter break free in an expected spurt.