part."
"He's right," Daniel said as he stepped forward. "Let's not start bickering."
That's when he looked directly at me.
I was lost in memories of Daniel—fantasies I'd had of him since the first day I'd seen him in Hirokumi's office. Tall, lean, blue-eyed, brown hair. So soft spoken. I'd been fascinated when he'd questioned the Japanese businessman whose employee had been murdered the night before in the office. Daniel had been the first one to believe there had been a link between that murder and Reverend Rollins.
He'd been a homicide detective, and Joe's partner at one time-and my boyfriend. But our romance had been a rocky one—TC had nearly killed him by pushing him off a roof. Next he was overshadowed by me and suffered a cold. Then he was possessed by a Horror and murdered people. It'd been that knowledge that drove him insane. He'd blamed everything on me and tried to kill me—only his Captain, Ken Cooper had taken the bullet. And died.
Daniel had been committed to a facility and later escaped, bonded with a First Born to become a Revenant, and came back to me.
Only...
So many things had changed inside of me. The stress of knowing the Horror that'd hurt him so bad had been created by me forced me to pull away from him. The Horror had driven him to a breaking point. I looked at him and felt guilt. Still.
I loved him...but he was also, for all intents and purposes, a vampire now.
The bonding with Inanna was what cured Daniel's madness. He still knew he'd killed all those people, but she'd managed to dull that pain and bring him back to himself. He was Daniel Frasier once more—but he was also something else.
Aren't we all?
Nothing was ever going to still my heart when it was around him. I still had feelings for him. I still cared deeply for him. And we had never been able to consummate the relationship.
It was odd to me that the fantasies I'd had while we dated—the ones of sexual bliss with Daniel—had been the same ones that had helped me become the Wraith. And yet...
"I can hear you," Alice said softly.
Oh shit. "You can hear me thinking?"
"I can see your memories."
"Can Dags?"
"Not yet, but if you keep that up he will. Turn it down a notch. And stop thinking about Daniel's pants. Remember, there's a woman inside of there now."
I laughed. "Alice, there are two women inside the man I love."
She didn't say anything after that.
I moved away from Joe and stood in front of Daniel. He and I were evenly matched, eye to eye. Dark lashes framed his blue eyes. His hair hung long and shaggy around his face and pulled away into a short pony-tail in back. He wore a long duster, a white tee-shirt beneath it.
"Zoë—"
I smiled at him. "It's good to see you well, Daniel. And tell Inanna it's good to see her. I never got a chance to—"
He took a step closer to me and I thought for an instant he was going to give me a hug. Or even a smile. But his expression remained impassive. Blank. "I'm fine," was all he said.
And then his voice changed and took on that two-toned effect that happened when a First Born spoke through their host. "Is this true? Are you out of body?"
I nodded and felt Dags behind me. He put his hand on my back and I melted into it. I once felt love and compassion from Daniel. I knew he loved me. I knew he cared for me.
But now...there was something different.
"Ah...yes. I'm out of body right now."
Jason returned to his perch of leaning against the TV stand. Rhonda sat on the bed opposite from the one Dags had been in. Joe joined her there. A good two feet separated them.
Had something happened between them? Last I knew the two of them had become an item.
TC stayed where he was—and ate grapes.
Dags moved beside me as Alice re-appeared to his right. Like this, she and I flanked him, much like Maureen and Alice had. Dags held up his palms for everyone to see.
Joe pointed to his left hand. "What the hell's going on with
"He's right," Daniel said as he stepped forward. "Let's not start bickering."
That's when he looked directly at me.
I was lost in memories of Daniel—fantasies I'd had of him since the first day I'd seen him in Hirokumi's office. Tall, lean, blue-eyed, brown hair. So soft spoken. I'd been fascinated when he'd questioned the Japanese businessman whose employee had been murdered the night before in the office. Daniel had been the first one to believe there had been a link between that murder and Reverend Rollins.
He'd been a homicide detective, and Joe's partner at one time-and my boyfriend. But our romance had been a rocky one—TC had nearly killed him by pushing him off a roof. Next he was overshadowed by me and suffered a cold. Then he was possessed by a Horror and murdered people. It'd been that knowledge that drove him insane. He'd blamed everything on me and tried to kill me—only his Captain, Ken Cooper had taken the bullet. And died.
Daniel had been committed to a facility and later escaped, bonded with a First Born to become a Revenant, and came back to me.
Only...
So many things had changed inside of me. The stress of knowing the Horror that'd hurt him so bad had been created by me forced me to pull away from him. The Horror had driven him to a breaking point. I looked at him and felt guilt. Still.
I loved him...but he was also, for all intents and purposes, a vampire now.
The bonding with Inanna was what cured Daniel's madness. He still knew he'd killed all those people, but she'd managed to dull that pain and bring him back to himself. He was Daniel Frasier once more—but he was also something else.
Aren't we all?
Nothing was ever going to still my heart when it was around him. I still had feelings for him. I still cared deeply for him. And we had never been able to consummate the relationship.
It was odd to me that the fantasies I'd had while we dated—the ones of sexual bliss with Daniel—had been the same ones that had helped me become the Wraith. And yet...
"I can hear you," Alice said softly.
Oh shit. "You can hear me thinking?"
"I can see your memories."
"Can Dags?"
"Not yet, but if you keep that up he will. Turn it down a notch. And stop thinking about Daniel's pants. Remember, there's a woman inside of there now."
I laughed. "Alice, there are two women inside the man I love."
She didn't say anything after that.
I moved away from Joe and stood in front of Daniel. He and I were evenly matched, eye to eye. Dark lashes framed his blue eyes. His hair hung long and shaggy around his face and pulled away into a short pony-tail in back. He wore a long duster, a white tee-shirt beneath it.
"Zoë—"
I smiled at him. "It's good to see you well, Daniel. And tell Inanna it's good to see her. I never got a chance to—"
He took a step closer to me and I thought for an instant he was going to give me a hug. Or even a smile. But his expression remained impassive. Blank. "I'm fine," was all he said.
And then his voice changed and took on that two-toned effect that happened when a First Born spoke through their host. "Is this true? Are you out of body?"
I nodded and felt Dags behind me. He put his hand on my back and I melted into it. I once felt love and compassion from Daniel. I knew he loved me. I knew he cared for me.
But now...there was something different.
"Ah...yes. I'm out of body right now."
Jason returned to his perch of leaning against the TV stand. Rhonda sat on the bed opposite from the one Dags had been in. Joe joined her there. A good two feet separated them.
Had something happened between them? Last I knew the two of them had become an item.
TC stayed where he was—and ate grapes.
Dags moved beside me as Alice re-appeared to his right. Like this, she and I flanked him, much like Maureen and Alice had. Dags held up his palms for everyone to see.
Joe pointed to his left hand. "What the hell's going on with
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