Resolved, J.T. left the beach as the sun disappeared over the horizon.  No longer dreading what he faced, he decided his decision was better for all concerned.  His condition was a burden none of his friends needed.  His lover needed nothing from a vampire.

The high council met each week at the same location and time.  J.T. gauged his trip to their meeting accordingly.  If nothing else, he could at least be punctual for his own trial.

A cavern deep in the canyon overlooking the Mexico border held many creatures.  Some friendly to vampires and some not.  Cautiously making his way inside, he listened for danger.  The small squeaks and scurries of tiny feet proved comforting to him.  After all, a vampire on his way to death required some minor pleasures.  The sounds emanating from the darkest points inside the cave were welcoming to J.T.   As if by their existence, he existed, he mattered, he held worth.  No one else harbored such sentiment.

***

Aubrie shrugged out of her shirt and hurriedly unzipped her jeans.  “Crap!  I’m late to my own bachelorette party.  Where are my shoes?”

“Sugar, you look dazzling just the way you are.”  Logan leaned on the door jam, his wicked grin gleaming.

The lust in his eyes stirred her own.  “Stop it.  I have to be at Katie’s in less than thirty minutes, and I haven’t even bathed.”  Whirling back to the closet, she yanked out a top before reaching for slacks.  “Help me find my shoes, will you?”

“There’s a pair in the living room. Copper’s laying on them.”

“What?”  Racing from the room, she halted midway.  “Oh, Copper.  I hope you didn’t taste these.  Did you?”  Tugging the leather flats out from under his big nose, she sighed.  “Whew, that would not have been good.”  Clutching the shoes close, she retraced her steps.  “Gotta get going.”

Logan chuckled.  “You’re adorable when you’re frazzled.  I hope you stay just the same after we’re married.”

Her brows arched.  “Stay frazzled.  I don’t see why I can’t.  It’s part of my DNA, you know?”

He snorted.  “Yes, it is.  By the way, the intel on those zip drives pinpoints the location of the Sultan’s latest torture chamber.  Guess where it is.”

She cut a wild-eyed look in his direction.  “No clue.”

“Under the mansion.”  His brows winged up.  “I should have listened closer to Jessie when she said the amulet glowed brightest when she was inside the mansion.  Must have driven her crazy searching high and low and not finding a clue as to where her parents were stashed.  They were under her feet.  Of all the irony.”  Logan reached out to gather Aubrie close.

“That’s wonderful.  I see what you mean about Jessie.  Well, at least we can locate them.  Maybe Luke or J.T. can save them.”

His smile faded a degree.  “Sugar, you know we’re going back, right?  There are no two ways about it.  We have to go.”

She shoved at his chest.  “I know.  I can’t think about that now.  I’ll think about that tomorrow.  Right now, I’m late for my own bachelorette party.”  The sigh was for dramatic effect.  Her insides were churning just thinking about returning to the Netherworld.

The door slammed up front.

“Who could that be?” Aubrie asked.

Luke’s voice filtered back to them over the barking dogs in his wake.   “Hey guys?”

Logan turned.  “What’s up, Luke?”

“We’ve got trouble.  I went back to retrieve our two love birds off their secluded beach, and I can’t find either of them.  They’ve disappeared.”

Aubrie shoved past Logan.  Dressed in a sparkly shirt with her same jeans, she stared.  “Tell me you’re kidding, Luke.  Please.”

He shook his head.  “I wish I was.”

Spinning to face Logan with her hands braced on her hips, Aubrie lifted her brows.  “He’s going to have to find them.  We have three days left until our wedding, Logan.  He’s the only one who can.”

Logan reached for her.  The expression on his face was not helpful.  “Sugar, we have time.  I’ll contact Duke, and we’ll look for them.”

She threw up her hands, before stalking back into the bedroom.  If she had stayed, she might not have managed a civil answer.

***

Katie met Aubrie at the door.  “Welcome to the best party a girl could ask for.”  Turning, she called out, “The guest of honor is here.  Let the fun begin.”

Behind Katie, a trio of men dressed in tuxedos stepped toward three different tables and got to work.  The first table held a mountain of Pistachio ice cream surrounded by brownies.  The three different flavors of brownies included white chocolate, turtle cheesecake, and chocolate.

The next table held the booze.  A keg of beer anchored one end while too many bottles of liquor to count held down the opposite end.  In the center of everything was one of the guys in tuxedos mixing drinks and pouring shots.  When he lit one on fire, Aubrie was certain she was in heaven.

The third table was hidden behind a table skirt.  On either side stood a set of stairs leading up to the table top.  Spotlights hanging from the ceiling of Katie’s apartment flooded the area with light.  Her first idea was a style show.  She watched as the third tuxedo guy worked a turn table behind the setup.  Music screamed out of the speakers next to the unit.  He kept a beat to the rhythm of the tune through his headphones.  Great – Katie had hired a D.J.  Aubrie figured going deaf before her wedding was a viable possibility.  Maybe Logan knew sign language.

Katie opened the door to her bedroom.  Party-going girls flooded out.  Each wore an official Aubrie and Logan heart badge as well as sparkled headbands in their hair.  From the looks of their festive level, they had gotten to the party well before she had.  Afraid they might be breaking some capacity law, Aubrie greeted each person with a hug or a cheek kiss, thanking them for coming.  She was pretty sure none of them would remember being there tomorrow.

Toasts were made over and over again.  Shots were consumed almost faster than the bartender could make them.  Soon the room began spinning, and the voices turned into a beehive.  The drone of the noise proved a bit overpowering.  Aubrie decided it was time for a break.  She excused herself, heading into Katie’s bedroom.  A small girly bathroom sat quietly off to the side.  Smiling in anticipation of a moment’s peace and quiet, she removed Duke’s cowboy hat from its hanger on the door and shut out the thumping rhythm.  Closing her eyes, she exhaled.   As party animals went, Aubrie was sure, she had strained her ability.

The sound of her phone beeping got her to check the readout.  Logan had called no less than six times.  The message he left got her attention.  Better than a sober-up, Logan’s voice telling her to come home immediately, there was an emergency, did the trick.

Battling the fuzz left from too many jello shots, Aubrie splashed cold water on her face.  She pinched her cheeks which had gone numb from the six vodka tonics she had downed.  The only thing to eat was Pistachio ice cream, but she had to have something on her stomach, or she was going to puke.

The rap at the door broke her free of the queasy sensation dancing hardily in her tummy.  “Just a minute.”

“Aubrie?”  Katie’s voice carried over the thumping beat of a disco number.

Opening the door, Aubrie eyed Katie gratefully.  “Get in here,” she said, dragging her friend in and slamming the door.

Katie’s sparkly tiara sat askew atop her gold curls.  Mascara smudged her cheek under her left eye.  She had glitter dots trickling from her lips.  “Girl, are you okay?  We missed you.  You’re not sick, are you?”

“No, well maybe a little.  I’ll be all right.  Katie, I gotta go.  Logan has tried calling me six times.  He finally left a message, and it wasn’t good.  Something’s wrong.”  She examined Katie’s eyes which seemed to cross in her eye sockets.  “If you can wrap this up, we got trouble, I’m afraid.  Luke came by as I was getting ready to leave and he said he couldn’t find J.T. and Jessie.”

“Luke?”  Katie’s eyes stopped traveling in circles and focused in on Aubrie.  “Gone?  Where?”

Aubrie firmed her lips.  “I don’t know, but I have a stinking suspicion.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said.  “Let me get something from the pharmacy downstairs, and I’ll be right back.  Okay?”

Aubrie nodded.  “What about the party?”

Katie clucked her tongue and waved a hand in the air.  “Oh, I’ll just tell Meagan, our little backup party coordinator, I had to leave.  She’ll keep an eye on things until it winds down.  Besides, some of the ladies are planning on sleeping over anyway.”  With a wink, she slid out the door and disappeared into the frenzy of psychedelic colors flashing in time with the heart stopping bump of the disco music.

Aubrie picked up her phone and called Logan.  “Come on, pick up.”

“Hello.”  Logan’s voice held tension.

“Logan?”  Aubrie could hear the concern in his tone.

“By the gods, woman.  I’ve been calling for almost an hour.  Why haven’t you answered your phone?”

“This is why.”  She stuck the phone out the bathroom door for a few seconds before returning it to her ear.  “See what I mean.  My friend, the party animal has outdone herself this time.  What’s wrong?”

“It’s Jessie.  She’s…”  His voice trailed off.  “You need to get here as soon as possible.”

Aubrie’s throat tightened.  Her first thought was Jessie was dead.  But he hadn’t gone there.  Stay positive, she reminded herself.  “On my way.”

With Katie in tow, they made it to Aubrie’s in record time.  Screeching to a halt in the front yard, she was stone cold sober by the time she made it up the front steps.  “Where is she?”

Logan pointed to the bedroom.  “I’ve got her in a trance.”  Before Aubrie could get by, he gripped her by the arm.  “You need to know, she’s been beaten badly.”

The sickening weight of the knowledge knocked her back a step.  “No,” she whispered.  “The Sultan did it, didn’t he?”

Logan shook his head.  “I think so.  She couldn’t say much.  She wasn’t in any shape to speak.”  He wrapped both arms around her, drawing her into his hold.  “Aubrie, the bastard broke her jaw.”

Katie moaned aloud before tears began trailing down her face.  “I’ll check her out.”  Disappearing into the bedroom, she left them alone in each other’s arms.

Aubrie shoved back.  “Where’s Duke?”

Logan’s lips firmed.  “I sent him to get Gus.”  His hand under her chin drew her gaze to his.  “Aubrie, we’re going to have to go back.  It’s time to put a stop to this madman once and for all.”  He held her a minute longer.  The silence spoke louder than any words could.  She would have to join them.