I'd no sooner finished my patrol for the night—which had been horribly dull since there were no monsters to speak of—and collapsed into my bed when I was shaken awake by Micah. Or at least it felt that way. Maybe an hour had passed. Lydia had been there when I went to sleep, adorable and pressed into her pillow like she could shut out the world. She was gone now.

I rubbed my eyes. “Is someone dead?” The question was legitimate. With the way we lived, death was a regular part of every day.

He shook his head. “My father wants us for a sit down with Margot.”

“Fuck.” I really didn't want to. “Why do they need me?”

“Fuck if I know.” Micah groaned. “Why do they need any of us? Why do we keep saying they? This is just my father.”

I rolled out of bed. “Fine. Coming.”

Like two zombies stumbling through life, we walked to the conference tent. Rachel and Chad were already there. I didn't see Glen. Surprisingly, it wasn't just Patrick behind the table. Tiffani sat next to him.

“Come in and sit down,” Patrick called out. I threw myself into a seat. “Sorry to wake you, but this couldn't wait.”

Margot was in the corner. She looked smaller than when I'd seen her last. Like Brynna, I hadn’t realized earlier that she was pretty close to my own age. She wore a pair of gray pants and a black sweatshirt. It was the efficiency clothing made below for emergencies. Her dark hair was pulled back.

Margot was pale. No one would have harmed this woman. Torture was reserved for getting information out of monsters, not doctors, even the Icahn variety. I wondered if she was just tired or if for some reason she'd become afraid.

I owed her more than one favor for all she’d done. If I could help, I would.

“This is Margot. After today, she's here as our guest. I wanted her to speak to you directly so you could get any and all questions asked now. What she has to tell us is going to affect how things are done for the foreseeable future.”

Micah raised his hand. “Why do we have to do this now and not, say, in six hours?”

“There's no time to lose, son.”

That sounded dire. I sat back, fueled by the adrenaline that was taking over everything.

“My name is Margot Renoire. I'm the daughter of two scientists who were colleagues of your Doctor Icahn.” She cleared her throat. “I'm not cloned. They were twice before they had me. But I'm on my first run. Patrick actually remembers my father.”

He nodded. “During the time we were investigating the reports about the Vampire virus, I met him. Weird to think of him still here.”

“Well, he helped Icahn make the virus. Where else would he be?” She shook her head. “I'm a doctor. Obviously, there aren't medical schools left or anything, but I've been through all the studies, passed the tests, and spent time learning surgery at their side. I've taken care of lots of people who've had the unfortunate luck to run into my family.”

Chad spoke up. “Sounds like a great person to have here. Welcome.”

Patrick nodded. “Yes, but she's not done.”

“The woman you encountered, her name is Brynna. That was her name in before time. I cured her.”

She said this like it meant something significant. What had she cured Brynna of? “Something big?”

“Vampirism.”

A hush fell over all of us. Finally, it was Micah who spoke. “Come again?”

“Vampirism was an illness. I cured it. I brought her back. She still has some residual issues. She's changing. We don't know what will happen. My family wants to kill her. They don't want the Vampires cured. Earth is like their playground. Plenty of humans to experiment on, the monsters under their control. I let her go. I freed her.”

Brynna's words suddenly made sense to me. She remembered me. She'd been there when I was brave. She had been a Vampire there. The world tilted sideways. Unable to stop it, I fell from the chair and hit the ground, hard, on my knees.

Chad had the wherewithal to kick a garbage can over to me, and I puked right into it. I'd conversed, not once, but twice with a Vampire who had once held me captive.

The room erupted into noise. I didn't hear what anyone said. I was too busy losing what little I’d eaten. I’d never know which Vampire she was. They all looked the same. But she’d been there. She had kept me in captivity. Brynna had been a bloodsucker.

“The ramifications of this...” Micah sucked down some alcohol. Two days in a row, I was in the bar. I didn't think I'd spent two days there total in the last year. “We're killing them when they can be cured.”

“Not all of them.” Margot had come with us. I couldn't think of a person who needed a drink more than Margot. “One in a million, maybe that’s an exaggeration even, can be cured. I can't tell you why. There were no genetic markers, nothing that differentiated her. Only, it worked. They’re not interested in saving anyone else. They’re just trying to experiment on her so they can figure it out for their own interest.”

I took another pull from my drink. Was it even noon? I wasn't sure, didn't care. “She does something funny to my head when I'm with her.”

She sighed. “Memories. That's another issue. It's very hard to be with her. Makes the people around her relive things they'd usually rather leave alone.”

Rachel didn't drink, but she played with her water. Clancy avoided alcohol, thanks to the years with her dad. “Why is that?”

“The truth is, I cured her. I don't understand her. She needs food but also blood. I… I'm not sure why exactly things have gone as they have. I simply understood that I had to save her from death.” She sipped her drink. “What she's doing now is beyond me. I mean, I am thrilled she saved the children. Only, Genesis can't handle taking in refugees from everywhere. I can't imagine you have the facilities.”

Micah looked at his drink. “No. But we could build more places. Icahn built this place near his Vampire lairs to move supplies through it. We have the map, thanks to Deacon, of all the Vampire lairs. It's possible there are either habitats there or there're good places to put them.”

Margot turned to him. “In section G, yes. All the sections tried different ways. Even with scientific help, A and B melted down.”

I held up my hand. “Back up. The what?”

“Oh.” Margot sighed. “You guys must not know. They remade the world in regions.”

Micah pulled the map I'd given him out of his pocket. He flipped it over. “Draw me a picture.”

I was glad he was feeling so inspired. I, by contrast, hadn't quite found my stomach settled yet. We'd been killing Vampires, and they could be cured. They'd tormented me, killed people I cared about, and they were just sick?

One in a million, maybe. I closed my eyes.

I stumbled into my tent, nearly colliding with Lydia. “Hi.” She grabbed my shoulders, keeping me steady. “Are you okay?”

“Drunk.” I hated to admit it, but there it was.

She narrowed her eyes. “Something happen?”

“Yes. Sorry.” I stumbled over to the bed, face-planting onto my pillow. “Sorry,” I called out another muffled response.

She sat down next to me, putting her cool hand on my neck. “It's okay, love.”

I woke up several hours later with my head pounding. Lydia spoke quietly to someone in the other room. “It's just insane.”

“I know.”

I swung my feet over the bed. With the world not quite righted, I leaned against the counter. Lydia spoke to Tiffani. I hadn't introduced them, but they'd apparently met.

“Oh good, he's up.” Tiffani jerked her chin toward me.

Lydia turned. “I've been filled in. The drunken behavior makes sense now.” She patted my cheeks. “Don't make a habit of it. Totally unattractive.” She winked at me, and I couldn't help but sigh. I loved her so much.

“I won't.” I pulled her in my arms to hold her close. “So we’re killing sick people. That’s great.”

Tiffani threw her hands in the air. “Sick people who really can’t be saved, mostly, and who would kill us. I know that it sucks. It’s like an ache in my stomach, but I don’t see how we have a choice right now. Patrick wants to get Margot set up in a lab to see if she can figure out how she cured Brynna and not others. Then maybe we’ll see if people can be saved.”

I waited a second. I really wanted to say the right thing. “Do you think, in this world, that an ending like that is possible?”

“No.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’d like to think for the sake of my son maybe it’s a possibility. Anyway, glad to see you up. Patrick needs you. In about an hour.”

Well, that didn’t sound good. “Just me?”

“Just you.” She turned and left.

Lydia squeezed my waist. “What do you suppose that’s about?”

“Maybe they’re throwing me out. Don’t worry, love, I’m sure they’ll let you stay.”

She groaned. “If they throw you out, they throw me out. But they’re not throwing you out.”

I only let go of her long enough to pour myself a glass of water. “Maybe watching me hurl up my guts put an end to any headway I was making with them.”

“Doubtful. I would guess Patrick has seen worse.”

I supposed she was right. “How is your new job going?”

“Well, it’s a little complicated. The kids are already here so setting up their care location isn’t so easy since we need them to be somewhere while we get it set up, and there’s no ready place. The engineers are helping and the design crew. They were actually really excited to have this project. Apparently, they'd been looking for a reason to build tents connected to each other with tubing. So we never have to take the kids outside.”

I loved her enthusiasm. This was going to be fantastic, both for Lydia and the children. “At this point, we might as well build structures. Like you had in Geronimo. Build a town.”

She grabbed my shirt and pulled me in for a kiss. “Let's let someone else worry about things for an hour.”

I loved that idea. I scooped her up in my arms. I wouldn't be forgetting the condoms this time. I laid her gently down on the bed. Her slight squeal moved through me like a warm bath. Making Lydia happy for the rest of my life was what I wanted to do more than anything else in the world.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew me down for a gentle kiss. “Deacon, I love you. You're not doing anything alone anymore.”

I knew that, but I appreciated the reminder. I'd never stop being grateful that somehow I stumbled onto Lydia and her crazy town. “I was lost. I don't know if you really understand how much. I thought… I was running away from myself and that's not something anyone can really do. If I traveled far enough, maybe there would be a way to leave myself behind. And there you were. Not so far away. Waiting for me.”

She leaned back on her elbows, letting go of my neck. “Who saved who, love?”

I tweaked her chin. “Maybe we saved each other.”

I made love to her mouth. She met me kiss for kiss. Our tongues danced. She tasted sweet and smelled like springtime. I wondered if from now on, I'd always think springtime smelled like Lydia instead of the other way around.

She moaned into my mouth, pressing her body more tightly against me. My cock stood up and paid attention. I was quickly moaning for her, too. I flipped her over until she was on top of me.

I tugged at her shirt. “Off.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Is that an order or a request, Mr. Evans?”

“Always a request with you, Mrs. Evans.”

Lydia leaned over to kiss me. “It would be okay if it were an order sometimes. Whatever each of us needs.”

“Well.” I could never have in my wildest dreams imagined I'd ever have this conversation. “Right now what I want is for you to please take off your shirt.”

She snorted. “Right, staying on track.”

Lydia pulled her white shirt over her head and threw it on the floor, and then she did the same with her bra. I stroked her nipples until they pebbled under my fingers. She closed her eyes, and when she sighed, it moved right through me.

Her gaze was heated when she opened her lids. “Mr. Evans, take off your shirt, too.”

I took my time doing it. Life was short and over before anyone knew it was going to end. Moments like this had to be treasured. I leaned up so I could kiss her breasts, her chest, her stomach before I finally took off my shirt.

The smile in her eyes was replaced by desire. Her hands traveled down my chest until she got to my pants. They were taken off quickly, and awkwardly, thanks to the position we were in. Both of us stripped until we were naked. I touched her everywhere I could reach, just wanting to feel her skin against my own. She kissed me on my chest then my shoulder. Everywhere her lips touched me felt like a branding.

Not that I had that much experience with sex yet, but usually when I got hard it was sudden and almost overpowering. This was a warmer, slow build to pleasure that I'd never known before. Sex didn't have to be rushed when there was nothing in life waiting around the corner to kill you.

She scooted back and stroked me, from my balls to my tip, several times. My hips arched off the bed. “Thank you, my love.”

Lydia did it one more time before she moved back into position, my cock near her entrance. I scooted her back only so far as I could put the condom on then had her back where she was. I hated the interruption, but we weren't going to make another oops. If she wasn't pregnant now, she wouldn't be until she wanted to be. She winked at me then got up on her knees. It had to be the sexiest thing I'd ever seen—Lydia placing me inside of her body. She was tight, gloriously so, and frickin' warm.

She moved slowly, up and down, up and down. I took her hands in mine to give her something to balance on. Her breasts bounced up with each jerk of her body. Lydia leaned forward, rubbing herself against me in a way that must have given her pleasure. It really was the hottest fucking thing I'd ever seen.

“You feel so good, baby.” Her voice was husky, in the way it only was when we were having sex. I was the only one who'd ever heard this tone from her. I wanted to hear it for years and years. There would be no time that would ever satisfy my need for her, there would be no world where I didn't love her with every fiber of my being.

She touched the side of my face. “Out of your head and here with me.”

I nodded. I didn't need her to explain. She was right. If I was ever to be present in my own life, I had to live in the moment. I jerked my hips up, and she cried out. “Yes, Deacon, oh yes. Just like that.”

When she moved down, I repeated the motion. My cock throbbed painfully, but it was the best kind of discomfort. I didn't want it to end. She squeezed her pussy around me and that didn't help matters.

I held on by a thin rope. It might snap at any time. I let go of one her hands and reached between us to rub her clit. She was swollen and wet. I loved the sensation on the tip of my finger. She was close. It took a few rubs, and then she came on a long sigh.

I'd been wrong before. Watching her take me inside wasn't the hottest thing I'd ever seen. Witnessing her take pleasure from my body was as sexy as things came. With wonder still in my heart, I followed her to completion.

I loved my woman so much.

I walked into the conference tent and found two things surprising. The first was that Tiffani sat next to Patrick behind the table. I'd not expected her. The invitation-slash-order had been from Patrick. Why was Tiffani there? The second oddity was that Micah stood in front of them.

“I'm going to do this whether you want me to or not. We have to make plans for things to expand. I don't know if we should do that here or elsewhere, but we're never going to know unless we go and view the sites. I'm a grown man. If Icahn hadn't done this to us, I'd have been in the Air Force, as you know.”

“Well, you would have tried.” Patrick shook his head, and I winced at what he said. That was rough.

“You know what? I'm not a loser because I wasn't born to be Chad. I'm going. I'm a grown man. If you want to lock me up to keep me here, then you can go right ahead.”

Patrick darted to his feet. “It was bad enough when Deacon was with you. At least I knew you'd have help. How are we going to know what happens to you?”

Micah looked down at his feet then back up at Patrick. “I guess you'll have to trust me to come back. I suppose if I don't, you can go ahead and assume I'm dead.” He turned on his heel and stormed toward the tent entrance, stopping abruptly before he came to me. “I'm finishing your ink before I leave. Be ready.”

My ink? Oh, the tattoo on my back. I'd almost forgotten. “You okay?” I touched his arm.

He shook his head. “No. But someday I will be. I'm determined, end of story.”

“Where are you going?”

He smirked. “Nowhere where you can come. You're here now, brother. And that's as it should be. I've got my own shit to work out. I haven't found my person yet, and I might not ever. The walls of these tents… they squeeze me in. I can't explain it.”

“I understand. And you don't have to explain. Not to me, not to anyone. Be careful.”

He nodded. “Not done with me yet, Deacon. I'm finishing that ink. Good luck with my Dad. Whatever he wants to say to you must be serious if he dragged Tiffani out to be here.”

That's what I worried about, too. I walked past him. I was really going to miss the fuck out of Micah and that wasn't something I would have believed even a year ago. I'd talk to him later. For now, I had to figure out what his father wanted from me.

Patrick pointed at the door. “From the moment he came into the world, that boy had to do things his own way.”

Tiffani sighed. “And what bothers you about that? That he's more like you than his mother? You may have ended up becoming upstanding but that's not how you started, right? Didn't you tell Keith about being saved by the Armed Forces yourself before the FBI? Or am I making that up?”

I only followed part of that. Still, I felt compelled to stick up for Micah. “You get he's amazing, right? He got us help at Geronimo. He saved my ass a bunch of times. He cares about people who maybe aren't in a good place to be cared about. Give him a break.”

Patrick steepled his hands, and the muscle ticked in his jaw. “See?” He spoke to Tiffani. “We're right. I'd never be able to kick him out of a room.”

“I'm on board.” She nodded.

They were obviously talking about me, but I didn't have a clue about what. I was over this conversation already.

“Want to fill me in, or did you call me in here to speak in code?”

Patrick sat back in his seat. “Oh, I see we've gotten your back up. Tone it down. You're not under attack and neither is Micah, believe it or not. Someday you'll be a parent trying to keep your kids alive. He terrified me in before time, too. Doesn't matter now. Basic thing here, Deacon, is that Tiffani and I want you to take over Keith's job teaching the Warriors and his seat on the council, too.”

I couldn't have been more stunned if Patrick had grown wings and flown out of the room. My heart pounded in my ears. I took a deep breath then another one.

“Deacon?” Tiffani's tone was calming. “You're not going to puke are you?”

I laughed, covering my eyes with my hand for a second. “No, I'm good in that regard. I'm stunned. I'm not sure at all why you think this would be a good idea.”

Patrick smiled at me, a strange sight. He didn't do it often. “Look what you did in Geronimo. You taught people who had been living under the thumb of the Werewolves for generations to fight back. They were not given Icahn's special formula that lets us sense the beasts. They didn't die and in under two weeks became pretty good fighters. Then you turned around, in a way no one has ever done, and burned an Alpha Werewolf to death. Not pretty but effective both in the killing and for morale. They're calling you the Alpha Killer out there.”

They were? I didn't want a nickname. They gave false impressions of bravado that I didn't have. “I didn't know that. Can we stop it?”

“I don't want to stop it.” Patrick stood. “I want it to grow. I want them to think of you like they do my daughter-in-law in the way she kept surviving and got Icahn killed. I want that, Deacon. It's good for us to have people like you around. Not to mention, you're a great teacher. Clearly. Say yes.”

Tiffani hadn't risen, but when she smiled, she caught my attention. “Not to mention, it took balls to come and see me like you did. That had to be hell, and you did it anyway. You don't shy away from the scary. Keith would want you to have this job. I know it. I can feel it in my heart. I teach them when they're young, you teach them when they're older. You sit on this council and tell Patrick to shove it sometimes.”

The aforementioned man sat down. “It has been pointed out to me by my son who just left that I am stuck in protection mode and not in helping the world develop into some place where people like you can have a life. We need new blood. We need you. It was always going to be the next generation that saved us.”

Tiffani started speaking again as soon as he stopped. “You wouldn't be fighting every night. Two nights a week, you're off. You'd be teaching in the evenings then going out with the newbies. That's not Keith's schedule, but it should have been. The new generation won't have our ability to sense monsters. You've already dealt with that. You were born to do this.”

They didn't have to sell me anymore. “You don't have to keep explaining. I… ah. I need to talk to Lydia. I promised to consider her in all decisions. Big ones, anyway.”

Patrick nodded. “Let us know in an hour.”

“All right.” This was such a bizarre turn of events. Were they out of their minds?