Sera was beaming from ear to ear as she pulled to a stop with a whoosh of snow. Pulling her goggles up she watched as Liam slid to a graceful stop beside her. He grinned as he pulled his goggles off. "I'm glad we stayed," she gushed.

"Way to leave the rest of us in the dust!" Danielle panted as she skidded to a stop.

Jack and Doug halted behind her, breathing heavily as they scowled at her. "You're the ones that said you wanted to race!" Sera reminded them.

"That was before we realized that you were hell on skis," Jack muttered. "I think Mike's still stuck in a tree somewhere."

Sera glanced up the hill as Mike cautiously picked his way through the snow toward them. She had to bite back a smile as she spotted the twigs stuck to his boots, clinging to his parka, hat, and scarf. "I hate this stupid sport," he muttered as he stopped before them.

"What did you hit?" Danielle demanded.

His scowl deepened as he angrily ripped a twig from his jacket. "A briar patch." Unable to stop herself, Sera burst out laughing. Mike's scowl deepened as he pulled another twig from his hat. "Glad you think this is funny."

"You would too, if it was one of us," Liam replied with a grin.

Kathleen bounded up to them; she'd given up on skiing a couple of hours ago. "They're having a dance tonight! What happened to you?"

Mike muttered something as he pulled his glasses off. "Mike has trouble following the signs," Liam answered.

Sera laughed even more. "Oh shut up!" Mike snapped.

Kathleen snorted, and then laughed. "Anyway, they're having a big dance," she continued between bouts of snickering. "A kind of reopening celebration. We have to go!"

Sera immediately stopped laughing as she glanced at Liam. The smile slipped from his face as his jaw clenched. "I don't think so," Jack said as he popped his skis off. "Riding back to the cabin in the dark isn't such a good idea."

"I know the trails like the back of my hand," Kathleen replied airily.

"After you have a few drinks in you, I doubt it," Mike told her.

Kathleen glowered at him as she planted her hands on her hips. "At least I don't lose the trails in broad daylight! Besides, if you guys want to go back, that's fine, but I'm staying."

"Kathleen..." Sera started to protest.

"Come on Sera. We've been cooped up in that cabin for three days now. I want to have some fun! Besides, have you seen some of the cute guys here? I'm going to that dance, with or without you!"

Sera closed her eyes and threw her hands up in defeat. There was no arguing with Kathleen once she made up her mind. "Fine," Mike said as he tossed his skis aside. "Whatever you want Kathleen."

Sera was startled by the amount of resentment in his voice. Kathleen scowled at him as she spun on her heel and stormed back to the ski resort. Danielle glanced at them before hurrying to follow her. Sera bent over to pop her skis off; her earlier elation was gone. "There was no need to get so snippy with her," she told Mike.

"You do realize what will happen when that sun sets," Mike said.

"Yes, I do, but Kathleen doesn't and you have made sure of that. Getting mad at her isn't going to do any good. Arguing with Kathleen is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. I would have been able to convince her to go back eventually, but you can forget it now."

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"I'm taking you back," Liam stated bluntly.

Her mouth gaped as she spun on him. "No, you're not!" she declared.

"Sera, you are not staying here."

"I'm not going back to that cabin and leaving them here!" she cried. "That is not going to happen."

"You are not going back there in the dark!" he grated.

Sera's hands fisted at her sides. "I am not going to leave them. Besides, Beth can get into the cabin too."

"I'll be there, and someone else can come back with us."

"So there are even fewer people here to protect them. No way."

"Sera..."

"I am not going back!" Liam's eyes flashed violently, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to back down from this. Her friends would not be harmed because of her. "They are at risk because of us, and I will not abandon them."

"You are not staying here."

She snatched her skis angrily up. "If you force me to leave, so help me Liam, I will go after Beth myself."

His nostrils flared. "What?"

"I will go out of my way to find her, to bait her. I will do whatever I can to draw her out, as long as it means that they're safe. Do you understand me?" He tried to grab her, but she took a hasty step back. His eyes flashed dangerously again. "I may belong with you, but that doesn't mean that you own me! I still have a mind of my own and whether you like it or not, I am staying. And right now you're pissing me off!"

She slammed her skis into his chest, spun on her heel, and stormed after Kathleen and Danielle. Liam fumbled awkwardly with her skis, too shocked to do much more. "Well now, it seems like Kathleen isn't the only one that you shouldn't wave a red flag in front of," Jack chuckled.

Liam glowered as he thrust the skis at him. "Shut up."

Jack laughed loudly as he caught the skis. "You really did piss her off; bet you're glad you'll be spending eternity with her now!"

Liam cast him a furious look as he spun and headed toward the lodge. His friends echoing laughter only served to infuriate him further with each step he took. He made his way through the small crowd gathered within the main room of the lodge. Sera's anger was like a homing beacon as he left the main room and strode down a hallway.

He found her sitting on one of the leather couches in a small sunroom at the far end of the lodge. There was no one in the room as she stared out the multitude of glass panes that made up the entire back wall of the room. Potted plants and trees were stuffed into every available nook and cranny. Deer heads hung on the wall by the small fireplace.

He crossed the small blue throw rug to stand beside her. She didn't turn away from the window as she watched the skiers coming down the hill. The setting sun washed over her in soft rays that lit her porcelain skin and highlighted the vivid violet blue of her eyes. He took a minute to admire her delicate beauty.

"You don't own me Liam."

He turned to watch another group of people coming down the hill. "Sera, you belong with me."

"I know that just as well as you do, but you don't own me and you can't dictate my life."

"If your life is in jeopardy, then I can, and will dictate it!"

Her chin was thrust out as she finally turned to look at him. "No, you won't. You will talk to me about it, and we will decide together, but you are not going to order me around. I won't have it, especially not in front of your friends."

Liam ground his jaw as he tried to keep a firm hold on his fraying patience. "I will not let you be injured, and if that means that I have to tell you what to do, then you are going to do it."

Sera launched to her feet, her hands fisted as she rounded on him. "No I won't!"

"You're just being obstinate now." He was staggered when her eyes flashed with red.

She couldn't believe that he was treating her like this, that he was saying this to her. "I am not being obstinate. I'm telling you that you will not treat me like some possession that you can walk all over, and tell what to do. I am my own person Liam, and so help me God if you keep this up, I really will go find Beth, and..."

Sera was cut off in mid-tirade as he seized hold of her arms. She started in surprise; she'd never even seen him move. He lifted her so that she was eye level with him. "I'm telling you right now that you don't want to finish that sentence. You will stay away from Beth, and as long as there is any threat to you, you will listen to me!"

"Liam..."

"No!" His eyes were filled with torment. "If something were to ever happen to you..."

He broke off as she laid a hand against his cheek. His eyes instantly returned to their brilliant emerald color. "Nothing is going to happen to me," she vowed. "But you can't treat me like this Liam, you just can't. I can't live like that, not forever; I won't live like that forever." His eyes flashed again as his jaw clenched. "Talk to me, don't order me."

He dropped his head to rest against hers. "Sera, when it comes to this, I can't help but order you around," he admitted with a ragged breath. "I am the one that will protect you, and keep you safe. I have to."

Some of Sera's resentment began to melt as she realized that he wasn't trying to be cruel, or unkind to her, he just couldn't bear the thought of losing her. When it came to the issue of her safety the beast in him was just below the surface, and able to break free at a moment's notice. "All right," she relented. "But could you at least try and talk to me, instead of treating me like I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, you're infuriating," he groaned.

Sera frowned at him as he lifted his head to smile at her. "I am not!" she protested.

He lowered her back to the floor. "You're infuriating... aggravating...tempting...and completely irresistible."

He punctuated each of his words with a kiss. By the time he was done, Sera's anger was gone, and her body was beginning to burn with desire. She twined her arms around his neck as she smiled seductively and pressed her body against his.

"And you are just as infuriating, aggravating, tempting, and completely irresistible," she whispered as she brushed her mouth against his.

His lips seared into hers, melting her clear down to her toes as she sighed in delicious contentment. Her fingers stroked the nape of his neck as she opened her mouth to his invasion. "Hey... Oh for God's sake get a room. The party's starting!"

Sera pulled reluctantly away to face Kathleen. She stood in the doorway with her hands planted on her hips as she grinned at them. "Hi Kathleen," Liam greeted.

She shot him a disgruntled look before turning back to Sera. "Well, come on."

"We're coming, we're coming," Sera assured her.

"Sera," Liam growled in her ear.

She frowned at him as she cast a glance out the window. "The sun has set."

His head jerked to the window. "Fuck!"

Sera stroked his cheek in an attempt to soothe him. "It will be all right," she assured him.

"You stay close to me."

"I will," she promised but the tension in his gaze didn't ease.

"Come on!" Kathleen urged.

Sera turned toward her, but Liam grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back against his side. Resentment sparked through her again, she rounded on him, but the look in his eyes silenced any further protest. He was angry, but he wasn't angry at her, he was mad at himself for not realizing that it had gotten so late. He was also extremely worried. It radiated from him as he held onto her.

She couldn't be angry at him, not when he was looking at her like that. "God, you guys are going to kill each other if you keep this up!" Kathleen took hold of her other arm. "Come on Sera, you can part with him for a few minutes."

"Just hold on, okay? I'll meet you out there."

Kathleen's eyes darted between them before she gave Liam a scathing look and left. "What is the matter with her?" he asked.

"She thinks you beat me."

"What?" His eyebrows jumped into his hairline.

She grinned as she playfully bumped his hip. "Yeah, she thinks you're too possessive and that you're going to start beating me."

Liam's eyes flashed with humor as the corner of his mouth quirked. "Maybe I should start; you might listen to me then."

Her mouth pursed. "Just try it."

He grinned cockily as he kissed her. "Stay near me, I mean it."

"I will," she promised.

He let go of her arm and followed her out to the packed main room. The room was huge, with massive cathedral ceilings, and about fifty chandeliers hanging from the beams that ran across it. The bar took up one whole side of the left wall, while the main desk took up half of the right. The other half was covered by a massive stone fireplace that was crackling noisily. A small band had been set up on the stage that jutted out from the back wall.

There were about a hundred people in the room, but they were all moving easily around the large space. Kids ran around, dashing by people, and disappearing through the doors that led to the arcade. Longing stabbed through her chest as she watched them go.

Liam squeezed her arm. She forced a smile as she turned to look at him. His eyes were troubled as they searched her face. "Okay, let's go!" Kathleen clutched her arm and pulled her into the crowd before she could even form a protest. She glanced over her shoulder at Liam, who was watching her. Sera turned away as Kathleen pulled her along.

***

Liam's eyes were focused upon Sera as she stood with Kathleen at the bar. A young man had approached them, and was now leaning entirely too close for his comfort. Liam shifted as annoyance began to rise inside him. Sera's gaze met his and she smiled at him. He managed a nod in return as his gaze shot pointedly to the man.

"She's not going anywhere with him," Mike informed him.

"I know that," he grated through clenched teeth.

"Then stop looking as if you're going to rip his throat out."

"Speaking of throats," Jack drawled. "I'm hungry."

"We all are," Liam replied coldly.

A group of people dancing by in a conga line momentarily blocked his view of Sera. He watched the line as he picked out the girls that could be possibilities for later. He lifted his gaze to find Sera studying him out of narrowed eyes. It was now his turn to smile sweetly. Her eyes filled with fire as her mouth compressed into a flat line. He had only a second of supreme satisfaction before the guy touched her arm.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked her.

"Oh, no thanks," she replied as she sipped her drink. "I'm sure Kathleen would love to though."

Without thinking she grabbed his arm and propelled him toward Kathleen. She turned back around to find Liam glaring across the dance floor. She wanted to feel satisfaction at his obvious anger, but she didn't. All she felt was the powerful need to go to him, to be with him. She put her drink down and began to wind her way across the floor to him. She paused as the conga line went by with arms and legs kicking in a rush of different directions. She couldn't help but smile and laugh as they shouted and danced along.

Liam's hands settled on her waist and he pulled her in front of him. She laughed happily as her hands settled upon the chubby woman before her. The music continued to play as they wound their way through the arcade, into the sunroom, and back out to the main floor.

She cast a grin over her shoulder to find Liam smiling down at her. His hands seemed to sear into her waist as they warmed her from the inside out. The music came to a halt and the line broke up. Sera whirled into Liam's arms and lifted onto her toes to kiss him.

His grin was cocky and slanted. "I'm hungry." His whispered words sent a mixture of yearning for him, and a craving for blood through her. "So are you, love."

She smiled as she lifted a dainty shoulder. "Maybe."

"For more than one thing," he teased as he rubbed his erect shaft against her provocatively.

Her eyes sparked as she grinned saucily at him. "Maybe," she teased.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to fulfill both of your hungers."

His nip on her lower lip sent a firestorm of want rushing through her. "Uh huh," she replied dazedly.

He grinned cockily as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her off the floor. Sera's lustful haze was broken and she recalled that they were surrounded by a group of people. She cast him a threatening look as he led her over to Mike, and Jack. He had purposely distracted her and clouded her mind, just as he had purposely left her in a state of arousal. He chuckled as he kissed her forehead. "Soon," he promised.

He released his hold on her and turned to survey the crowd. "Where are David and Doug?" she inquired.

"Having fun," Jack replied.

Sera frowned at him as he grinned back at her. "I'll be back," Liam told her.

He turned to leave, but Sera grabbed hold of his arm. "Not a girl," she said quietly.

He glanced severely at Jack and Mike. "Sera..."

Her jaw clenched as a wave of possessiveness washed through her. She didn't even want to think about it. "Not a girl."

His smile was wry with amusement as he brushed her hair back. "Would that upset you?" he asked teasingly.

She didn't find it at all amusing. "Well I could always go back to that guy at the bar, and see what he's up to."

Liam's smile faded. "Point taken."

"Good." She folded her arms over her chest as she stared crossly at him.

He bent down and brushed a light kiss along her neck before nibbling on her ear. Sera's irritation instantly melted as her body responded to his. "Your wish is my command."

He kissed her on the cheek and melted into the crowd. Sera watched him for a minute before turning back to Jack and Mike. They were both grinning at her knowingly. "Don't," she warned.

They burst into laughter. "I am so glad that we get to watch this forever!" Jack cried.

"At least until it happens to you," Sera retorted.

Jack shook his head as he smirked. "I don't think so. I'll run the other way as fast as I can first!"

"I'll be right behind you," Mike said joyfully. "No way am I letting some girl get her hooks into me."

Sera scowled at them as she turned her back to the wall and leaned against it. Kathleen was on the floor dancing with the guy from the bar. Danielle was a few feet away dancing with another man. They were both laughing happily as they were easily swung around. Sera felt an answering smile tug at her lips.

"They're having fun."

"Yep," Mike replied absently as his gaze searched the crowded floor.

"What's the matter?"

He cast her a lopsided grin. "Searching for dinner," he replied.

"Oh," she said dully as Jack chuckled.

"Hey guys," Doug appeared at Sera's side with a pretty red-haired girl tucked under his arm. "This is Bridgette."

"Hey," they all greeted absently.

"Bridgette's got a room, so we're going to head up there. Come get me if you need me."

Bridgette giggled as she ducked her head shyly. Mike and Jack exchanged knowing glances and grinned, Sera rolled her eyes at them. "And what room would that be?" Jack asked.

"Two twenty four," Bridgette answered with another giggle.

Doug grinned as he turned and walked away from them. "Why don't we get rooms?" Sera suggested.

"Oh baby!" Jack cried with a mock raise of his eyebrows. "You're not my type, but thanks for the offer."

Sera snorted as she shook her head. "Any woman that walks is your type," she retorted.

Jack grinned as he shrugged his shoulders. "True."

"We probably could get rooms," Mike said. "If they have any open. I'll go check."

He moved swiftly through the throng until he was swallowed by it. Sera studied the crowd impatiently as she waited for Liam to return. Instinctively she drew within herself in order to search for him. The knowledge that he was feeding slammed into her. Sera pulled immediately back as hunger blasted through her, burned into her veins, and caused her teeth to lengthen.

"Hey, you okay?" Jack demanded worriedly.

Sera shook her head and dropped it into her hands as the pulses within the room beat against her. Sera whimpered as she tried to shut it out.

"Come on." Jack grabbed her arm and began to propel her through the crowd.

Sera kept her head bowed and her hand over her forehead to shield her face. The blazing hunger in her eased as the crowd faded away. She groaned as Jack slid her onto a sofa. She didn't have to look up to know that they were back in the sunroom; she recognized the smell of it.

"Feel better?" She nodded, but still couldn't bring herself to look at him. "It will get easier."

Sera risked raising her head to find him watching her sympathetically. "When?" she whispered.

"It takes some time but eventually you can control it with no problem. I promise."

Sera turned her gaze from his to stare at the night. She was still shaking, and there was a fierce burning making its way through her veins. "It hurts."

"You get used to that also."

She turned back to him, but he was no longer looking at her. His pupils were dilated as he searched the room. "Jack..."

"Get out of here Sera!" he shouted. "Now! Go now!"

Sera leapt to her feet as the side door burst open. They spun toward it as cold air blasted into the room on a rush of wind, and violent red eyes. Jack leapt forward, only to be flung across the room, and slammed into the fireplace. Sera screamed as she lurched toward his lifeless body.

"Jack!" Hands snatched hold of her arms and yanked her backward. "No!"

Her wail was silenced as hands clawed over her skin, and covered her mouth. She thrashed in their grasp, kicking and clawing at the hands that pinned her against a massive chest. She knew instantly that it was not Beth that held her, but one of the other things. She bit deep into his meaty palm; satisfaction filled her as his blood spurted forth. He hissed loudly in her ear as something smashed against her head. Sera was left dazed and disoriented as she went limp in his arms.

Cold air blasted against her skin, she had just started to renew her fight when she was hit again, and the world went black.