The Drow die like anyone else.

Their situation was hopeless from the beginning. The hedge prevents escape on three sides - hawthorne is major magic-bane, I'm told - and our fire is concentrated on keeping them away from the Gate. Boxed in like they are, they can't even rush us; they'd be cut to pieces.

They die bravely, if that counts for anything after you're dead. Not one man retreats; a few tried to bring their bows into play early on, but all that meant was that we targeted the bowmen first. I'm going for mercy shots, one-hit kills; beside me, Raina is doing the same thing. Jack is like the fuckin' Terminator, but without the Schwarzeneggerian muscles. For all the emotion he displays, he might as well be playing eighteen holes of golf.

A very few of the remaining Drow make a break for it. Dragon burns two of them down in their tracks and Phoenix swoops down to snatch up a third, carries him high into the sky and ignites like a supernova.

Maybe half an hour later, plans have been finalized, strategies  laid out and assignments made. I stayed out of that part of it - I'm an excellent blunt instrument, but not much of a planner. Fortunately, we have plenty of military types who are more than happy to do that part of things... I settle for listening and trying to figure where I can be of assistance.

The final plan - or as much of it as they're telling, anyway - sounds like it might be right up my alley. I had excellent eyesight when I was alive and it's even better now that I'm not....

Back at the Club -

"What the fuck was up with Alise tonight? I didn't think she'd had that much to drink, but based on the way she was behaving - "

"She wasn't drunk," Raina retorts. "Tipsy, sure - maybe - but not drunk."

"Hello! Did you see her and hear her? She was flirting with me, for God's sake! Hell, she more than half implied that she wanted to do more!"

"Maybe she does." Raina has a really peculiar look on her face, somewhere between amused and pissed.

"Excuse me? Dead guy, remember?"

"I seem to remember that I sleep with a dead guy... Ky and Gareth, too."

"My point exactly. None of you guys are human; I mean you used to be human, but now you and your brothers are something else - 'human plus', maybe. Alise is human, nothing more - and humans who flirt with vamps tend to be vamp groupies, like Rath's little entourage. Alise is nothing like that."

"Bear in mind, Nick, Alise is no ordinary human, either. She died, spent a century or so as a ghost and had her humanity restored by magic. She hobnobs with werewolves, vampires and almost-immortal Vikings. She's married to a gargoyle, for pity's sake, a guy who turns into an eight-foot bulldog with wings at sunrise. She knows what it is to be dead, and she's not scared of it, or you. Hell, you saved her life during the Jean-Marc thing."

"I cut up a few werewolves. Big deal. You were the real hero, Rain. You got the Fenris rope, you caught the slimy bastard."

"Yes, and it was you and Jeb who caught the werewolf who led us to Jean-Marc. It was your idea to check for fear-scent, remember? You were the one who made him spill his guts when he was trying like hell not to talk."

"Look, we're wasting time here. I may have played some part in the Jean-Marc thing, sure, but that's a far cry from explaining why Alise should have been flirting with me tonight - never mind the rest."

"None so blind..." Raina sighs. "What would it take to convince you that Alise meant exactly what she said tonight?"

"Oh, that's easy," I say, grinning. "All she has to do is to say it again when she's stone cold sober."

"Then you'll be convinced?"

"Sure, but we both know it's not going to happen."

But Raina has that amused look on her face again....

I have to admit, sometimes I'm a slob. I'd suspect it was a guy thing if it wasn't for Gareth. Damn elf never fails to hang up his coat, or line up his shoes at the edge of the bed, or wipe his feet, or anything. He's so perfect it's nauseating.

On the other hand, my walk-in closet/bedroom had to be straightened up... it was starting to look like the black tornado dropped by and decided to stay awhile. Black t-shirts everywhere, and enough pairs of black socks to stuff a pair of pillows. I straightened up by the simple expedient of dumping everything in the laundry basket, and the laundry basket into the washer. That made me a few minutes late getting to the Tavern, but I'm pretty sure they won't run out of blood in the meantime.

The doors open at a touch. Truth to say, I could smash them off their hinges, but there's no need to be that dramatic; something about a vampire entering seems to draw enough attention in itself, I can't imagine why. Do I really look that thirsty?

Raina's standing hipshot at the bar, sipping at what looks to be one of Monty's experiments; all that's missing is the paper umbrella. She smiles and waves me over, but I'm frozen into stone at the first glance.

Her hair....

I'm used to Raina sporting hair down to her ass; mostly in a braid, but sometimes unbound. It's amazingly sensual in bed, all that silky hair against bare skin, but there are disadvantages too. It weighs a quarter of a ton when it's wet, and it take a month and a half to dry. Also, pulling your lover's hair, however accidental it might be, is not a way to inspire inventive bedroom antics. We'd talked about cutting her hair before, sort of idly, but I never thought she'd actually do it.

It's short now; really short compared to the way it was before, no more than shoulder length at the longest. Whoever did the 'do was a genius; it frames her face perfectly, emphasizing those high cheekbones and somehow making those green eyes even more amazing. I feel a grin stretching across my face and I stride over to the bar and kiss her till even my cold skin warms up.

"You look incredible," I say before she can ask. "Whoever the stylist is, they deserve a fifty-dollar tip."

She grins delightedly. "I hoped you'd like it."

"Oh, I don't just like it... but I'll show you just how I feel about it later tonight, when we're alone."

Say, did that grin just go even wider?

"Gareth finished the pool today... Wanna break it in later?"

"Let me get something to eat and talk to Alise for a few, and you've got a date, fang-face."

"Ooooh, I love it when you talk dirty."

Good old vamp hearing... I overhear Drai say "chaos imp" and then my eyes are drawn to the only person who might merit that description. She's dressed neatly enough in well-worn leathers, patched at the stress points and stained as if by caustic chemicals. Her hair is shaggy and untidy - not a rat's nest or anything, but more like she has more important things to worry about. Looks like she cuts it herself, and I'm guessing she uses a knife.

Just looking at her, I can feel the restlessness, like an explosion barely held in check. Her mannerisms show it, too - pacing, doing things with her hands, running her fingers through her hair... her dark eyes are in constant motion, like the antenna of an insect, darting here, darting there, missing nothing. They're brown, like hot cocoa, with tiny red flecks throughout - like someone lightly sprinkled the cocoa with cinnamon. Once in a while a smile breaks loose, like she's fighting a compulsion to giggle. It's not comforting, it just adds to the overall impression of madness bubbling to the surface.

It's like watching a Mexican jumping bean on a hotplate, and after awhile I get tired, just watching her, and I want to look away - but I'm afraid of what she might do if she's not being watched. She looks like she might set the dumpster on fire, just for the hell of it, or shove a Roman candle up someone's ass and light it.

And this is one of the good guys?

Once we get through the Gate, I feel exhaustion settle over me like a lead cloak. Time runs differently in Faerie, so I can't be sure how much time has passed in Exton, but it feels like two days at least. Three days is approaching the danger zone, both in terms of my need for rest and my thirst. I need to get home, feed and rest - in something approaching that order.

I fly on ahead while the elvensteeds shift into something less conspicuous and Raina mounts her bike. Maybe tomorrow night she can mount me... I grin tiredly as the Lodge comes in sight and I drop down for a landing.

My keys are in my hand before my feet touch ground. I unlock the place and leave the door open for the others while I make my way to my room-slash-grave. I open up the coffin and shrug my duster off and onto the coat hook mounted on the wall. I yawn mightily - hard habit to break - and then I feel eyes on me. I turn, my lips already shaping the words to summon Johnny - but it's only Ky, standing in the shadows, watching with a smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Something?"

"No, I just wanted to watch." She grins. "You have a nice body and I don't see as much of it as I'd like."

"Be my guest." I strip quickly, not trying to be sexy. I can feel the weariness dragging at me.... I open the dorm fridge in the corner and take out a bottle of beef blood, knock back two-thirds of it in two long gulps, then replace it. I can feel some of my strength return, but too little too late. I'll need to remember that for any future trips to Faerie.

I turn to look at Ky - and find her naked, watching me, her clothes in a puddle around her feet. I start to say something, but she steps into my arms and kisses me hard, her body welded to mine. Thank the gods I don't have to breathe....

Long moments later, she steps back. "Thanks. I just needed my Nick fix." She grins impishly. "Hope we can get together again soon, fang-face."

I smile. "I don't think you'll miss me tonight. I'm sure Gareth and Raina can make room for you."

"Oh yeah, we've already talked about that, and we're good... still, it'll be nice to have some time alone with you when we can swing it."

I cast a look back at the coffin. "I'm not running you out or anything, but I have to lie down soon or I'm gonna fall over."

"It's okay, I'm going... sleep tight, Nick."

"You, too, Ky." She gathers up her clothes and walks out, closing the door behind her, and I hear a giggle. "Eventually...."

I am the eye in the sky, looking at you-oo-oo, I can bleed you dry....

So it's not the way Alan Parsons sang it. So sue me.

I can't imagine a place where we're less likely to run into trouble... I keep expecting to see a Care Bear come skipping along, or maybe a Smurf. The lands claimed by the Bright Court are so relentlessly bright and beautiful and cheerful, I feel like I'm trapped in a Thomas Kinkade painting. I may have to check my blood sugar level when we get home....

I feel like that buzzard in the cartoon - "Patience, hell - I'm gonna go out and kill something!"

I make my way through the crowd - funny, how people just naturally step aside for a vampire - smilng and nodding, my eyes with the empty look of a Hollywood star, revealing nothing. I smile at Alise - just a friendly smile, nothing more. "Where's the wrecking crew?"

"Excusez-moi, Nicholas, the what?"

I grin, a genuine grin this time. "Tomas and Ryan. I have something for them." I reach into my duster pocket and pull out two boxes wrapped in Christmas paper.

"Nicholas, you shouldn't have."

"Nonsense, it's Christmas. If not now, when?" Alise looks flustered, that going-six-ways-at-once look mothers get. "Laila went upstairs to bring them down after that appalling noise. She should " - she points to the stairs - "There they are!"

I sketch a bow. "Much thanks." I walk over to where Laila is bringing a clearly unhappy Tomas downstairs. His eyes light up when he sees me. So not a normal reaction to the vamp in your midst.... "Laila, can I have a minute with your prisoners there?"

She smiles prettily. "Nikolas... every time I see you, I think of you punching out Rath because of me. Of course you can speak with these rascals."

I go to one knee in front of the kids. "I have something for you." I hold out the gifts, but don't quite relinquish them when Tomas makes a grab for his. Ryan, more reserved, just watches Tomas for a hint of what to do. "Now, I'm giving you this on the understanding that you're not going to make things difficult for Laila or your mother, okay?" Tomas nods vigorously; beside him, Ryan imitates the gesture. I let the boxes slip from my grip and pull both boys into a hug, one that Tomas returns enthusiastically. "Merry Christmas, guys." Laila smiles as I stand. "Thank you, Nikolas... the boys can be a handful at times."

I make a face. "I bet. Have a merry Christmas, Laila."

I hear subdued shrieking behind me as the boys shred the wrapping paper. A Batman action figure for Tomas, a Robin figure for Ryan.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em....

One hot shower later....

Something has Ky really revved up tonight - not that I'm complaining, mind you. She goes ballistic - sexually speaking - every time Gareth and I get it on. I don't understand why, but this seems like a real bad time to be analyzing things. Later, maybe, when things calm down....

For now we're all slumped in a pile, trading long lazy kisses, basking in the warmth of our shared passions... There will be more erotic play, but there doesn't seem to be any rush to begin... or perhaps it's more accurate to say that it's equally as important to just feel what we feel, that the sex is kind of empty without the warmth of spirit that suffuses us now. No words are spoken; none are necessary. Each look that passes between us, each lingering caress and kiss speaks volumes.

Right now Gareth is on my right, K'thyri on my left. They both seem to enjoy snuggling with me after we get hot and sweaty. Come to that, so does Raina. It probably has something to do with my extra-low body temperature - they can dump heat really fast if their skin is touching mine and I'll never get warmer than room temperature.

Kisses go deeper, caresses linger longer. Ky and Gareth take turns sucking my cock, slow, teasing licks - not foreplay so much as pleasure for the sake of pleasure. Usually when someone says that they like giving pleasure better than getting pleasure, they're full of shit; but our foursome is rapidly approaching that point where giving pleasure is equally as important as getting pleasure, and the reason is as simple as it's trite.

We love each other. Giving each other pleasure is a way to express that love. It's far from the only way, but it just happens that this is something we're really good at - and no, we're not modest about it, in any sense of the word.

Ky watches, eyes shining, when I start licking Gareth's balls. His fingers tighten in my hair, but I refuse to be hurried. Only when his balls are thoroughly wet do I turn my attention to his cock, licking it slowly and thoroughly, then taking him fully into my mouth, down my throat. He begins to thrust and I let him find his own rhythm, content to let him fuck my mouth at his own pace.

Meanwhile, Ky has moved to lie with her head between my legs. She engulfs my cock in her warm mouth, sucking lovingly; her fingers move between her legs and she strokes her pussy and clit with slow, lazy caresses. I groan with Gareth's thick shaft deep in my throat, his balls up against my lips and then Ky eases a finger into my ass. She rotates it carefully, stretching me, her mouth never missing a beat; then she adds another finger. My eyes close involuntarily, focusing on the intimate impalement, but I never stop pleasuring Gareth.

The elf is groaning loudly, his hips jerking, fucking my mouth as I fuck K'thyri's. Then the positions change again; Gareth lies down on his side so he can lick Ky's pussy. She continues to stroke her clit while simultaneously finger-fucking my ass and sucking my cock; and I shift position to take Gareth in my mouth again.

For perhaps ten minutes all is quiet save the muted cries of passion. Then Ky pulls away from my cock - "On your knees, Nick." I assume the position and Ky waves Gareth over. I smile as I feel the head of his cock against my ass. Ky moves in front of me and goes to her knees. Her arms encircle me, her hard little nipples pricking my chest. She nods once and kisses me fiercely as Gareth surges forward, shoving his cock deep. My tongue is busy with Ky's as Gareth fucks me and Ky's fingers are busy in her pussy as she watches, her eyes fever-bright. "Gods, that's so fucking sexy... Raina said it would be, but she didn't say how sexy. Gods... feel how wet I am." She guides my fingers to her pussy and I probe... She's soaked. I finger her, kiss her deeply as Gareth splits my ass wide and fucks me hard. My cock is hard as stone against her soft belly and her mouth is soft and warm and wet, promising more and greater pleasure to come. Her eyes are alight with love as I lean down to take a nipple between my teeth. I lick it till she sighs, then pull back, tugging at the sensitive flesh... She gasps and then whimpers as pleasure begins to cross the border into discomfort and then pain; but she never tells me to stop. Suddenly a soft cry comes from her throat and I stop tugging, licking tenderly now. Gareth is fully inside me, driving deep, hard, intent on his pleasure. I take the other nipple between my teeth and give it the same treatment. Ky finger-fucks her dripping pussy, clearly getting off on the rough treatment as well as on watching Gareth fuck my ass. Her fingers curl around my cock, jerking it slowly. Her fingers move faster, more vigorously as she approaches her pleasure/pain threshold, plunging deep into her clutching pussy. She yelps again, unable to remain silent any longer, then screams and cums hard, three fingers shoved deep in her saturated pussy. I lap at her nipple, keeping the orgasm going; then Gareth yells and fills my ass with his scalding cum.

I hear the bike fade in the distance, and then Ky speaks.

"Wow - two yummy guys all to myself. What to do...?" She gives us a mischievous grin and licks her full red lips.

"I know... while I'm making up my mind, why don't you get comfortable?"

In this context, "get comfortable" means just one thing. We grin and undress while Ky watches, her eyes flicking back and forth from one to the other. I let my eyes play over Gareth's hard body. His summer tan is beginning to fade a bit these winter days, but he's still a fine figure of a man, as they say - slender, with well-defined muscles, but not bulky like a weightlifter. He has an all-over tan, slightly fainter around the groin, but still enough to show that there's been some nude sunbathing going on while I've been sleeping. His cock is half-hard in anticipation.

I turn halfway to see Ky stripping out of her top, dropping her loincloth/skirt thingy... damn, I have to find out what the Wyldfae call that, I can't keep calling it that! Her thong follows suit and then she comes over to where we're standing. Her eyes are alight as she kisses Gareth... a slow, thorough, lingering kiss, not her usual fierce assault.

Her voice is soft, too, when she says "I love you." Gareth's reply is quiet but distinct. "I love you, Ky - always."

Then she moves to me, pressing her tight little body into mine and kisses me in the same way, her tongue exploring, fingers tracing lightly down my back, stopping just where the cleft of my ass begins. I can feel the hunger in her kiss, tightly leashed for now.... "I love you, Nick." She murmurs it against my neck. "I love you, Ky." I never thought to feel this way about even one person, far less three, but facts are facts. This is more than lust, more than friends with benefits - it's love, every aspect of it full-fledged and real.

How did I get this lucky - three times?

Ky's hand slips down to caress my balls, encircle my cock. She motions Gareth over with a tilt of her head and her other hand grips his throbbing maleness. "I want you," she whispers softly. "I want to make love with you both... everything...." We share some three-way kissing, taking our time... we can sense that this is more than just sex - this is a milestone in our relationship, and Raina was wise enough to let things unfold as they were meant to....

K'thyri goes to her knees, still stroking our cocks. She kisses Gareth's balls, gentle open-mouth kisses, sucking lightly... her tongue comes out to lick delicately up the underside of his shaft as her hand continues to stroke me lightly. His cock glistens from her mouth when she looks up at me. "Get down here, Nick," she says. "Help me with this."

I go obediently to my knees and she kisses me again, her hand working up and down Gareth's shaft. I lose myself in the wet heat of her full lips, her tongue. She angles Gareth's cock toward me. "I've seen you do this once before," she says seriously. "Now I want to watch close-up." She releases Gareth's shaft and I lean in to lick it, my tongue playing lazily along the underside, along the big vein; she teases her nails along his tight balls, scratches his thighs gently. I take the head in my mouth, hold it there for a second, then suck lightly. Gareth groans, his hips jerking slightly, and I take more of him between my lips. I have no gag reflex - another advantage of not needing to breathe - so I can deep-throat him for hours if we want to. But there's no rush. This is lovemaking in the truest sense of the word, not a race to orgasm; giving pleasure is how this game is played, sharing more than just bodily fluids. I take another inch, licking teasingly along the shaft, and then another... taking more and more until I can feel him pulsing in my throat. I hold him there and swallow, slowly and rhythmically, then slowly glide back up and offer his cock to Ky. She licks lovingly up and down, occasionally nipping gently... then she plunges her mouth down his cock, swallowing him down, sucking rhythmically. I lap at his balls; he groans hoarsely, his eyes rolling up. She eases back up his hardness, licking as she goes, then nods to me. I move to take him in my mouth, but she holds up a hand.

"Let's let him do this his way", she says; then she turns to Gareth. "My mouth is yours, Gareth; take it - any way you want."

I nod. "The same goes for me, you know that. Let us pleasure you...."

Gareth stands - a little wobbly at first - and grabs a fistful of my hair. I open my mouth and he slides his cock deep. I relax my throat, lick and suck as he fucks my mouth. I can taste his pre-cum and I savor the taste of his excitement before he pulls out of my mouth and repeats the process with K'thyri. I smile inwardly, watching him enjoy himself. I don't particularly believe in the top/bottom concept in homosexual relationships - at least not in the sense that the same partner must always play the same role. Gareth is generally - but not always - content to let me take charge when we make love; but when he chooses to be assertive, I have no problem being receptive or passive or whatever the buzzword is this week.

He's groaning, close to the edge. I open my mouth unbidden and he fucks me while I do my best to drive him insane. Back to Ky; back to me; back and forth now as he approaches his peak and then he howls and cums, spraying my face and then Ky's. Some of it goes into our mouths, but the majority is on our lips, cheeks and chins. We don't miss a beat; Ky licks the cum from my face while I clean Gareth's cock with my mouth, then I clean her face and kiss her deeply. I can taste Gareth's cum in her mouth and we trade it back and forth with wet, sloppy kisses. Gareth goes to his knees and we include him in the kiss, letting him taste his own juices until they're all gone....

I'm hanging out in the hallway in boxers and not much else, having my nightly pick-me-up - blood with a dash of tabasco - when Raina heads out. "Whoa, babe," I say, catching her by the wrist. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"The Tavern," she says, giving me a secret smile. "Two things you need to know before I go, though... I think Ky is going to want to play tonight - with you and Gareth; and although she didn't say so, I think she'll be disappointed if you guys ignore each other to focus only on her."

I absorb this, licking my lower lip thoughtfully. "So that's the way the wind's blowing?"

"I think so. I know, beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt, that she loves you both, and I think that makes all the difference." She grins. "I'd take her up on it if I were you. If I'm right - and I'm an empath, how wrong could I be? - the comfort level is going to rise once she's seen you guys make love and joined in with you. She knows and accepts that you and Gareth are lovers, but she's always been on the outside of that. If the three of you make love together, no holds barred, that'll make her feel like she's really a part of this family, not just a girlfriend. Girlfriends come and go, but family is forever.

There'll still be some hurdles to get over... we'll have to include her some night, you and me, in our love life; and then at some point - and we know it's coming, the only question is when - all four of us will share a bed" - her eyes twinkle - "among other things, and that will be the last hurdle. Once that happens, we're a family - not just four friends, not just lovers. It'll probably lessen her need to return to the Unformed Plane, because her family is here, and your home is where your family is. I think she'll start to think of Exton as home and the Unformed Plane will just be a place. I mean, it won't happen overnight, but I think it will happen.

Anyway" - she smiles and winks - "you guys enjoy yourselves tonight." She kisses me thoroughly and by the time my head stops spinning, she's out the door.

I dump the empty in the trash, go to the fridge for a fresh bottle and go in search of Gareth.

It's Miller Time!

Well, actually in my case it's A-positive time, but the same principle applies.

Business at the Tavern is booming; it seems like every "other" in town has shown up to celebrate Tori's rescue and the bloody nose we gave the Drow. The party atmosphere has rubbed off on my roomies, too, Gareth in butt-hugging jeans and a muscle shirt, Ky in something between a cropped tank and a sports bra - and tight-fitting short-shorts - and Raina... where the hell is Raina?

I focus my hearing, tuning everything else out - and I spot her a moment later, talking animatedly with Stoney and Alise. She's wearing a white gauze shirt over a satiny black bra, paired with a short black skirt and fuck-me heels. Alise is laughing and blushing and I feel sweet normality returning....

I click open my cell and speed-dial Ob... much faster than trying to wade through the mass of dancing bodies between me and the big gargoyle. We talk for a minute and a big grin splits his face. When the music stops, he whispers something to Byte; the singer nods and there's some muttered conversation with the band while Ob steps up to the mike.

"Allll riiiight! Is everybody happy?" The answer damn near blows out the walls; apparently everybody is in fact happy tonight. Ob waits for the crowd to subside to its customary dull roar before continuing. "Turns out we have a guest performer tonight. You all know him... the new and improved 'Batman' - give it up for Nick... Nekronnnn!"

I spiral up over the crowd and glide to the front, landing lightly next to Ob. The bass growls into existence like the wrath of some dark god and I feel an all-over tingle, like a mild shock, crawl over my skin.

I spit out the words like venom.

Oooohhhh yeaaahhhh!

Yeah, we're gonna fight
We do it every night
Baby, when you scratch
You know I'm gonna bite
You can make me die
I can make you cry
Opposites attract
That's the reason why

No one else could make you feel
Like I do, I do, I do
No one ever gets as deep inside you
As I do, baby
Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed of nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails

Near the back, I see Ky smile - a feral grin any vamp would be proud of - and kick off her shoes. She whirls into frenetic motion, arching her back, shaking her hips, improvising as she goes; strutting, spinning, tossing her head - and somehow it all works, fuses with the music in a hot funky jungle rhythm that pulses like a frantic heartbeat. My voice tears through it like a chainsaw ripping through plywood.

First we're gonna kiss
Then we're gonna say
Dirty little words
Only lovers say
Rockin' thru the night
Rollin' on the floor
When they hear us screamin'
They'll be breakin' down the door

No one else could make you feel
Like I do, I do, I do
No one ever gets as deep inside you
As I do, baby
Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed of nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails

Bed of nails, Bed of nails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow
Gonna drive you like a hammer
Baby, put me in your slammer, oh yeah

Ky dances her way to the front, joins us onstage, her dancing becoming ever wilder, more chaotic, a predator stalking its prey... Sweat glistens on her skin as she moves to the beat, as sinuous and graceful as a snake.

No one else could make you feel
Like I do, I do, I do
No one ever gets as deep inside you
As I do, baby
Our love is a bed of nails
Love hurts good on a bed of nails
I'll lay you down and when all else fails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails

Bed of nails, get on my bed of nails
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow
Gonna drive you like a hammer
Baby, put me in your slammer, oh yeah
I'll drive you like a hammer on a bed of nails….

Things at the Lodge have undergone a marked change since we brought Raina home. Her close call somehow brought it home to us; though we're all extraordinarily long-lived - and in fact will never die of "natural causes" - we are mortal; we can die. The result has been a greater, more thoughtful appreciation of what we have - and what we stand to lose. We're all warriors in our own way; we can no more change that than we can change the color of our eyes - contacts, glamours and vamping-out notwithstanding. Sure, we could leave Exton, move somewhere that the chance of an early death would be lessened; but those who remain would still have to fight, and I don't think it's too egotistical to suppose that losing our skills could make all the difference in the way the next fight comes out. Because there will be a next fight. Count on it.

So now life at the Lodge tends to resemble an extended love-in, minus the booze, drugs and dirty feet. We've kind of moved into the playroom, where Gareth and I built a corral of sorts for group sleeping - or Other. It started with a pair of wrestling mats - big ones - laid one on top of the other, with a quarter ton of pillows on top of that. We boxed it in with a framework that kind of resembles a split-rail fence, leaving just enough room to get to the bathroom or the hallway. It's like the grandaddy of all king-size beds; I'm not sure we haven't created an emperor-size bed, in fact.... We lit the room with nightlights and let it go at that. I can see in the dark as if it were midday, and I doubt anyone would choose this room to read in....

Anyway... for the last few nights we've ended up in here, lying within easy reach of each other but not crowding anyone - and we've talked. A lot. There's a certain sameness to much of it - "I love you", for instance - but it never really means quite the same thing.

Gareth, for instance. He's not just my lover... he's the light to my darkness, the calm that turns aside my rage. In a fight, he's a strategist, a planner - as opposed to me charging in where angels fear to tread. He builds things up, while I rip things apart. We're both needed to balance the other.

Or K'thyri. She's Nature untamed, Nature red in tooth and claw - like me. Beautiful and deadly, like the Morrigan. (Yes, I've been studying.) She loves a good fight, danger be damned, and she dances her way through the whole thing. Battle is where she finds her deepest self - well, that and lovemaking. She has razor-keen instincts, and she lives and loves and fights on an instinctive level; not to say that she doesn't think things through, but once her mind is made up, she acts, and that's that.

And Raina.

Raina is the love of my life - always will be. Yes, I love Gareth and Ky, and it's just as real, just as deep as my love for  Raina - but Raina is the missing piece of my soul, the sun that illuminates my darkness, yet doesn't burn me to death. She's my heart, my soul, my humanity and more - if I could only find the words to say it.

There have been a lot of things said, things we might never have said without this last incident - because we realize now that we might never get another chance, that now is all we have. It's easy to say, "I love you" unthinkingly, maybe even mechanically. It's harder to open up and say those things that you find trouble saying, that you can't find the right words for - and it helps immensely when those you love just listen and let you say it, however insufficient the words are, how far they fall short of what you feel inside. There have been a lot of tears shed, too - tears for the miracle of us finding each other, of making this very unconventional family, making it work, against all logic... Tears for how we might have missed it - but didn't. There's been laughter and smiles and warmth and love - love that fills the room and irradiates our home, makes it uniquely our place, the place where we feel welcome before we ever put the key in the lock.

I can drive a car if needs be, but as it happens, none of us owns one, so we compromise by having Gareth's elvensteed counterfeit a car - a minivan, to be precise, even though the damn things are the very embodiment of evil. Have you ever noticed how many minivans there are at the mall?

I carry Raina out to the car and get her settled in while she gives me a look that could make the Titanic go looking for icebergs. Once I'm certain that she can't slip if we have to stop suddenly, I settle myself in the seat next to her, her feet actually in my lap. She suffers all this in stony silence, willing to submit to the indignity only long enough to get back to the Lodge - and then the shit's gonna hit the fan.

When we get home, I carry her again - back to the room we share, and lay her on the bed. I'm getting the coverlet settled about her when she speaks.

"Do I get a cookie and a bedtime story, too?"

I give her a pained look. "Raina," I say, "my sweet, passionate, stubborn, pain-in-the-ass love... do you perhaps recall spending a week in the Manseoleum because you rushed in where angels feared to tread? Do you really want to go back so soon, before you've had a chance to appreciate being home at last?"

"Listen to the vampire, sis," Erik says, smiling. "You took a hell of a knock back there, and Rowan wasn't altogether sure about letting you go so soon."

"So soon?"

"So soon," he repeats firmly. "She made Nick - and Gareth and Ky and me - all promise to sit on you if you didn't behave once we got you home. I can appreciate that you have a genuine feast laid out for you" - Ky smirks and he winks at her cheerfully. Star catches the look and gives him a mock-glare, but you can tell she doesn't mean it, and neither does he; those two are made for each other, if ever a couple was. - "and I know you're starving; but you know what happens if you eat too much after you've been fasting for awhile. You overeat, and then you projectile-vomit all over the distant landscape. Take it slow, Sis; the picnic's not going anywhere." And then damned if he doesn't tip me a wink, too! What the hell? The Great Stone Face has a sense of humor? What's next?

About that time, Gareth rushes in with a plate full of Keebler chocolate-chip cookies. "Someone ask for cookies?," he says with a straight face. "They're made by elves, you know...."

In the floor, Ky is rolling around, clutching her stomach, kicking her feet and trying her damnedest not to giggle, but she's losing the battle....

Raina's face is a thundercloud and I can see the lightning in her eyes, ready to strike all over - but she catches a glimpse of Ky and then a grin fights its way over her face...

The sun goes down and I get up; I can't wait to look in on Raina. Gareth and Ky left me a note today, telling me that Raina had been awake and had spoken a few words before the pain meds put her under again. I want to see her, make my own assessment, then - maybe - speak to Rowan about taking her home. The Manse is a nice place to visit, I guess, but I wouldn't want to live here. Hell, I wouldn't want to die here.

Ky gives up her chair right willingly and staggers off - to do naughty things with Gareth, I'm sure. Raina looks better today. Her color hasn't all come back, but she's not that icky pale she was earlier. I settle in the armchair by the bed, silent as the dead, and just watch her breathe.

Some ten or twelve minutes later, her nose twitches; then she yawns. It's a baby yawn at first, then it turns into one of those I-can-see-your-tonsils yawns. I hear her jaw muscles pop and in the middle of it, she opens her eyes.

I raise a hand but say nothing. When she re-hinges her jaw, she raises her hand in her turn.

"How."

"I know how. What is want to know is when."

"Me, too." She looks around appreciatively. "This is the nicest mausoleum I've ever been in, but a mausoleum is a mausoleum for a' that."

"How's your head?"

"I've never had any complaints... ohhhh, that head!"

"You're better," I say with satisfaction. "Hang tight, I'm gonna go find Rowan and see if I can take you home. You want anything, ring for a sylph."

"Creepy little fuckers," she mutters. "Still, I could use a drink, maybe some of that tasteless broth...."

"I'll see what I can do."

I listen for Rowan's heartbeat and find it four doors down, on the opposite side of the hall. I rap quietly at the door and hear an equally quiet "come in."

Rowan is working on Star, cleaning and dressing the acid burns with some kind of ointment. She turns as I enter. "Sorry, Nick, you're dead. I can't cure that."

I grin. "Actually, I came to ask about Raina. She's champing at the bit to go home."

"Yeah, and I'm sure you have nothing to do with that.... Let me finish here and I'll look in on her. BUT" - she turns those Irish eyes on me, and they're not smiling - "if I let her go home, she needs rest and quiet. No fighting, no riding, no acrobatic sex. Got it?"

"Got it." I make a face. "Damn, she might as well be drugged again...."

"If she doesn't follow my orders, I'll drug her till she's as energetic as a string bean, and you can tell her I said that."

I snap a salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

She flips me off and I go back to Raina's room to await developments. "Sorry, babe, the doc says no swinging from the chandelier...."

"Okay, Nick, come on in."

I nod and Rowan steps aside to let me pass. "Talk to her, Nick. It might help bring her around."

I walk into Raina's room, step up to the side of the bed.

Raina is pale, almost as pale as me when I'm in human form. Her breathing is regular and her heartbeat is steady. Against that, I've seen Raina sleep for a couple of years now and you can always read her personality, her "self" in her face. Now it looks like the lights are on, but no one's home.

I talk for about fifteen minutes, telling her that we won the battle... telling her that her brothers are okay. I tell her that Ky twisted her ankle again and now she's going to be impossible to live with, at least for those who live by day... I tell her that we all miss her and we love her and we want her to get better and come home soon. I'm not really sure what I said after that, it just kind of blurs together... 

I start when Alise touches my arm. "Come away for a bit, Nick. You can try again in a few minutes."

I follow her to a pair of chairs, maybe ten feet from the bed and its occupant. "She's going to be all right, Nick; she just needs to rest."

"How sure are you of that? She looks like watered-down tea. Is Rowan sure there's no brain damage?"

"Quite sure, mon ami. It's the kind of thing that would show up very early, and she found no sign of it. A concussion can be a tricky thing to recover from." She smiles. "I love her too, you know. I have pestered Rowan with many questions since Raina arrived here. Be of good cheer... all will be well."

"I hope you're right." I let my eyes search hers. "She loves you, too."

I'm having a fine old time tonight, cutting down Drow with every sweep of my blade, getting splashed with arterial spray... I wouldn't drink Drow blood on a bet, but it's still nice to see it on the outside instead of the inside. My friends are far enough away that I can just hack at random and be assured of cutting a Drow to bloody ruin - but then I see Raina get hit and go down, bleeding.


"RAAAAIIIINNNNAAA!" It comes out as a deep-chested roar. Now I'm cutting my way to her side, uncaring of the blades that slash at me, every slice a mortal wound. I don't have time for subtlety; I kill and kill and kill, opening a way between me and my lover, sending the Drow to the Hell they deserve almost absentmindedly.

My only thought is for Raina. If she lives, I have to protect her, get her out of here; if not, I have to avenge her and make sure to retrieve her body so the Drow can't mutilate it.

A part of me is screaming, another part is killing with utter detachment. When a dark elf knocks Johnny from my hand, I rip his throat out with my claws and continue on, now tearing bloody chunks from the bodies of those who oppose me. I call Johnny back when the crowd thins a bit and scythe my way to Raina's side. The Drow pull back a little, appalled, I'm sure, by the look of utter rage on my face, the gore covering me from head to toe. I kill them all before stooping to raise Raina to my shoulder in a one-handed fireman's carry. I'm stabbed in the back then, but I pluck the blade from my shoulder and stick it into the first eye-socket I can find. That discourages them for a second and by then I'm moving forward again, now moving toward the exit, killing Drow with every step. I can feel the heat of Raina's breath - shallow, but still there - and a slow, barely perceptible heartbeat. I roar my defiance, letting them see the full length of my fangs, Johnny slick with blood and sticky with thicker things. Arrows flash past me, thudding into the Drow on either side; quieter impacts tell me Ky is deploying her darts. Searing heat skims just past me as Erik releases Phoenix to join the fight. His axe and sword make a bloody circle of steel and every time he strikes, someone dies. Tannr leaps in to cover my back, his face a mask of rage as fierce as my own. There's a flash and a whiff of acrid smoke some fifteen feet away and suddenly Inari appears behind their lines, an avenging spectre in well-worn leathers, dealing out red retribution with every slash of her blade.

There's the harsh music of a hunting horn and Herne's Riders thunder into the fray, splitting the Drow's ranks, wearing their nightmare semblance that might cow fiercer fighters than any we've seen today. HellHounds take out the stragglers and the wounded and that big bastard Guunnar is in the thick of it, grim as Death, killing with a terrible passion.

I can relate.

I don't recall exactly how I made it to the Gate; I can vaguely remember handing Raina to someone - one of the shifter kids, I think - with orders to get her to the Manse. I may have added a threat in there somewhere, I don't remember... Then I put my back to the Gate and wait for the next wave.

Perpetual immurement...!

Suddenly and inexplicably, I find Star standing at my side. Her eyes are wide and her nose wrinkles as she asks. "What does it mean - immurement?"

I keep my voice soft. "It means that he'll be chained inside a coffin - probably a stone coffin - and buried alive. He can't die, but he can starve... starve for a hundred years, minimum. A hundred years, alone in the dark...." My voice trails off. Adrian's sentence is worse than death....

The sound of Ramji's voice is unexpected. "And in a hundred years, I will be waiting."

K'thyri kind of halfway supports me till we get back to the tavern. It'd be more accurate to say that she half-carries me, but admitting that wouldn't be macho. The Flying Monkeys bring up the rear with our prisoners in tow.

I take a deep breath that I don't really need when we get to the tavern - old habits die hard. Ky props me up - elves are a lot stronger than they look - and gives me the benefit of her vast battlefield experience. "You look like hell, vampire."

"You say the sweetest things." The Monkeys enter and dump Rath on the floor like a sack of potatoes. I resist the urge to put the toe of my boot up his ass - barely. Someone thinks to call the old man; he'll want to be here when we question the prisoners...

He's here; I can feel his presence, and the knowledge is like a fire in my veins. I follow the feeling, and suddenly I can see him with crystal clarity, as though everything else were in soft-focus.

The words are like acid in the back of my throat, but my voice is soft, my accent creeping back in. "Your blood is foul and corrupt, twice dead, fit only for the dunghill."

He smiles as he draws his blade, a saber with only a slight curve to it. "You have been a thorn in my side since I arrived in this cursed backwater. It will be good to remove you at last."

I gesture with my unencumbered hand. "Come ahead, foulness, and we'll see."

We come together as if pulled by some dark gravity. Blades clash, seeking flesh. He's good, better than I expected. Good enough to distract me with a feint and draw a deep cut just over a kidney. I spin, drawing him closer as he follows; continuing the spin, I score a thrust to his hip. I give Johnny a twist, gouging more meat from the wound as I whip it out. Rath just grins, fangs gleaming, eyes ablaze with bloodlust and hate. We dance, a dance of thrust and parry, cut and riposte and less subtle things, a waltz of death that can have but one conclusion. He thrusts, taking me in the left armpit and I hiss with the pain of it, but it gives me my chance. I twist, trapping his blade between arm and body and he loses his grip. I grin, feeling the blood drenching my side even as the wound begins to knit together again and I hurl his blade up and away. Huh... wonder where asswipe found an enchanted saber? I send Johnny back to wherever; the closer the better for this kind of work. Then we close again, fangs and claws replacing blades, hissing, roaring, blind with the need to kill, to tear and rend and bathe in hot blood. We tear at each other, ripping away fist-size chunks of flesh, blood aflame... Bloodlust makes me careless and his fangs find a grip in my throat.

One chance, just one.... My hand shoots forward, Rath shrieks and my fingers are wet with warm jelly. I gouge deep, pull back and then my own fangs strike home. No time for subtlety; already the ruined eyes are healing. I rip out a chunk of throat and feed. Rath goes for my eyes, but my head is bowed into his neck and he can only tear furrows into my face and scalp. When I can feed no more, I let his blood drip from my mouth, draining him until he sags limply against me.

His blood sings through my veins, tuning every sense to the highest pitch... I toss my hair back, blink blood out of my eyes as a pair of our young warriors step cautiously forward with a set of Traeger's spell-forged manacles. I let Rath drop then and look around me... It's a mess... bloodier than a slaughterhouse, with dead and dying ghouls all over the place. Erik looks shaken; he's never seen me at my worst. I expect it'll take him a while to assimilate....