Hannah watched as Heath and Ellen walked down the street toward Uncle Abe's small blue house down the road. Ellen led Heath up the stairs to Uncle Abe's porch and opened the door for him. She said something to the boy before closing the door. Ellen walked two houses up and dashed up the steps of her own small faded yellow home. Hannah's hand remained on the shutter as she watched her friend disappear into the home she'd recently built for herself.

Ellen may be older than her at thirty-two, but she was the closest girlfriend that Hannah had. She would have preferred that Ellen stay with Uncle Abe or at the tavern with her and Lucas. It seemed like such a lonely existence in that small home all by herself, but then if it hadn't been for Hannah's and Lucas's respective parents taking her in, Ellen would have been all alone in the world. Ellen's mother had abandoned her here when she was seven. The only knowledge she had of her father was that her mother had told her he was of the house of Hendry. Ellen knew the name was a way for her to locate her father's family, but she had no intention of doing so.

Hannah's family had given her work at the tavern and a place to stay. They'd raised Ellen as one of their own, and they had kept her safe. Until their original home had been hit by lightning when Hannah was sixteen, they'd all still lived together. The fire had not only destroyed their home but it had taken both of her parents, and Lucas's mother, from them.

After the fire they had all lived in the rooms above the tavern for a few years before Ellen had decided it was time for a place of her own, and Uncle Abe had wanted another house. Hannah had contemplated moving in with one of them, but after the death of her parents she had thrown herself into trying to fill their roles at the tavern and spent most of her time here. It had simply been easier for her to remain here; Lucas had decided to stay in the tavern because he enjoyed the freedom that came from being out on his own.

Hannah pulled the shutter closed on the window and slid the lock into place as the last star blinked out of the sky. She looked around at the damage that had been caused during the brawl. They'd have to bring up some of the stored furniture in the basement, and try to piece together what was left up here until they could have some new furniture made, but they should be able to get through the next few days with what they had left.

The dull thud of Lucas's boots sounded against the planks as he pulled out a chair and plopped into it. Hannah winced and ducked away as the chair gave out with a loud snap. With a small thud, Lucas sprawled inelegantly upon the floor in a heap of debris.

"Son of a bitch!" He slapped his hands on the ground before tossing a chair leg off of his lap.

Hannah shook her head and planted her hands on her hips. "It was probably broken during the fight."

He glanced at her from under a lock of wayward brown hair that was five shades lighter than hers. His nose scrunched up as his russet eyes met hers. "Maybe it was just old."

"It was perfectly fine last night," she retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled as he shoved another broken leg off of him and rose to his feet. "I'll fix it."

"I don't think anyone is going to be able to fix it," the stranger sitting at another table said.

Hannah glanced at the auburn haired human she had spotted amongst the fray earlier. Shadows marred the soft skin beneath his bloodshot eyes but he was still holding a deck of cards in his hand as he gave her a grin that had probably made more than a few women fall in love with him. Though it made Hannah smile in return, she had no romantic interest in the human. She'd been bitten in the ass by strangers before and had vowed years ago not to get involved with them again.

Old man Turner was the only one still sitting at the table with the newcomer. Judging by the size of the pile in front of Turner compared to the one in front of the stranger, Turner was going to get an earful when he finally dragged his butt home to his wife, which was something that Turner would be doing soon if she had anything to say about it.

"He's going to give it a try though," Hannah told the stranger.

The stranger's eyes twinkled with amusement as his gaze drifted back to Turner. Though it wasn't an everyday occurrence, more and more out-of-towners had begun to drift through their town since the end of the war. There had been some travelers in the town during the years before the war, but far less than there were now, and vampires from this town had never traveled beyond its boundaries. This town was the one place that they didn't have to worry about the fear and distrust they often encountered in other towns. This town was their home and none of them were willing to leave the security it had to offer them.

No, strangers weren't a rare occurrence anymore, but the vampire this man was traveling with had caught her attention. He was the first vampire she'd ever seen not back down from Calvin. She'd been terrified Calvin was going to kill him for his insolence, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the stranger might actually be a threat to Calvin. She didn't see how that was possible though, Calvin was the most powerful vampire within a couple of hundred miles as far as she knew. He never let anyone forget it either as he ruled this town and all its inhabitants with an iron fist.

She was trying to convince herself that her interest in him was because he hadn't backed down from Calvin, but she knew that it was more than that. Though there were a fair amount of handsome men in town, including Calvin, none of them had affected her in quite the same way that this new vampire had. His unrelenting steel gray eyes had been seared into her memory when they had met and held hers. The planes of his high cheekbones and the curve of his square jaw haunted her thoughts. His tussled hair would have been completely black if it hadn't been for the streaks of brown and gold that ran through it. The tanned hue of his skin, and those fairer strands of hair, lent an air to him that screamed of the outdoors, of being able to run wild and a freedom that she would never know.

Uncle Abe had informed her that the vampire had taken two rooms upstairs but she didn't know how long they would be staying in town for. Maybe she would get a chance to talk with him...

She shut that thought down instantly. It was a dangerous thought to have, Calvin would make sure the enigmatic vampire was chased off or killed if she even remotely showed one iota of interest in him.

Hannah folded her hands into the skirts of her dress. Sometimes she wished that she could leave here, but there was nowhere for her to go. Her life was here, her family was here, and she would be vulnerable out in the world, exposed for everyone to see. This was where she belonged, where she would always belong, but she was terrified that she would be forced into a relationship with Calvin that she didn't want. She would be helpless to stop it though if she was going to keep her loved ones safe.

"Turner, don't you think you should be getting home?" she suggested as Lucas inspected the broken pieces of the chair with a curled upper lip. The older human was staring at his cards with a look on his face that made her realize they might have another person sleeping in the rooms above today.

"I'm not sure I'm going to be welcome there," Turner muttered around the toothpick dangling from his lips.

"I'm not sure you will be either," Hannah agreed. "But you better find out before we go to sleep because we won't be opening the door for you in another hour."

Turner pulled the toothpick from his mouth and tossed it onto the table as the newcomer smiled and added the pot in the middle of the table to his large pile of money. Lucas opened the door for Turner and gave a sweeping gesture of his arm before closing and locking it behind him. The human stood up and shoved all of his winnings into a pouch before pulling the string closed.

"It's a nice town you have here, good people," the stranger commented.

"That you like fleecing of their money?" Lucas asked as he dropped the seat from the chair on the pile of wood by his feet.

The redhead chuckled as he slipped the pouch into a pocket inside his coat. "That's always a bonus," he admitted. "My name is William."

"Lucas," her cousin introduced himself as he shook the man's tanned hand.

"Hannah," she greeted as she took hold of the calloused hand and gave it a brief shake.

"Pleasure to meet you both," William said and released her hand.

A loud pounding on the door brought her head around before she could respond to him. "Lola kicked Turner out faster than I'd expected," Lucas said with a small laugh.

"Well he has been sitting here since six o'clock last night," Hannah said as she strode toward the door. She had just thrown the lock on the door when it was forcefully shoved open. A small cry escaped her as she was knocked back a good three feet by the force of the door.

"Hannah!" Lucas shouted as he lurched forward to try and grab her.

He wasn't quick enough though as she tumbled to the floor in an awkward heap that made her teeth clamp together uncomfortably. Lucas released a low hiss and pulled her away from the door as men filtered through the doorway. Kane was in front but Calvin strode confidently through the doorway with the collar of Turner's shirt twisted in his hand. The hapless human's toes scraped across the wood as he was led forward. Turner's eyes had been bloodshot and swollen from lack of sleep when he'd left, but now they were mere slits behind the bulging and already bruised lids that framed them. A nasty black and blue bump was starting to form on Turner's wrinkled forehead.

Hannah had to force her gaze away from poor Turner's swollen face and up to Calvin's smirking one. Resentment boiled hotly through her but she managed to suppress it as Calvin's hooded, predator-like eyes met hers. Ruthless, that's what he was, completely ruthless. A bad feeling about what was about to unfold settled in her stomach. She grabbed Lucas's hand as he helped her back to her feet.

"I'm sorry Hannah I didn't realize you were so close to the door. Are you ok?" Calvin asked with false sweetness.

There was no remorse in the hawk like eyes that studied her. Apprehension trickled down her spine when his gaze drifted past her to Lucas. His smile widened as he dropped Turner before him. Turner didn't even have time to get his hands underneath him before he face planted on the floor. Blood trickled out of his brutalized nose, he managed to push himself onto his back but he didn't move again. Hannah fought the urge to help the poor old man but Calvin would only be uglier to Turner if he realized he could manipulate her by hurting him.

"What is the meaning of this Calvin?" she asked quietly. "You cannot just barge in here whenever you feel like it, there are rules..."

"Rules that I established," he interrupted brusquely. He moved in on her, coming so close that she had to take a step back as he pressed against her. She'd been forced to touch him far too much over the past couple of days for her liking, she wasn't going to do it anymore than she had to if she could avoid it. "Rules that Turner has informed me have been broken. He has confirmed that there was indeed a fight here last night."

Had he been waiting outside for everyone to leave? She wondered frantically as her gaze shot back to Calvin's men crowded within the door of the tavern. She quickly realized that was exactly what he had been doing. Her heel hit the wall as she backed up against it.

Turner released a low moan. "I'm sorry Hannah," he said in a voice choked by the blood that trickled out of the corners of his mouth.

"It's ok Turner," she assured him as a round of coughing shook Turner's slender frame. William moved to help the older man but Lucas grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him away with a shake of his head. Knowing that there had been a fight, Calvin now had all the info he needed to imprison the young human.

"There was no need to hurt him," she said to Calvin.

"You lied to me when I was here last night," Calvin chided with a wave of his finger.

"Nothing happened that we couldn't take care of." She was impressed she was able to keep the irritation and anxiety from her voice. "No one was injured and everything is fine."

"This may be your family's place Hannah, but it is still subject to the laws and when those laws are broken I am to be told."

Her teeth ground together as she strained to maintain her composure. A part of her wanted to scream at him while the rest of her wanted to grab the others and bolt out of this room as quickly as possible. She couldn't lose her cousin and she couldn't stand the thought of the human being tortured when he'd had no way of knowing what he'd be walking into when he'd entered this town.

"There were no laws broken; it was simply a small scuffle that was immediately handled," she said in a choked voice.

Calvin's gaze drifted from her to Lucas. Hannah froze as she got the distinct feeling that Calvin was a wolf circling his prey. Look away, don't hold his gaze, she pleaded silently, but her cousin wasn't one to back down, not even from Calvin. Not even if it meant imprisonment or death.

"I was informed you were part of the scuffle," Calvin stated.

"I was involved, yes," Lucas confirmed.

Her non-beating heart sank into her toes as a cold sweat broke out on her skin. "You'll be coming with us, as will the human," Calvin commanded.

"Wait!" Hannah cried as she instinctively stepped between Lucas and the vampire grabbing for him.

Calvin's guard stared at her as if she had just started blubbering gibberish when she smacked his hand away. "Hannah!" Lucas grated as he grabbed for her arm. "Hannah get out of the way."

She shook Lucas off though and pushed the guard's hand away when he made a grab for Lucas again. William was standing in front of Kane with his bow on his back and a stake in his hand. He had a look on his face that clearly dared Kane to even try and touch him. She didn't know where the stake had come from, but she wasn't overly thrilled that the human was so well armed against her kind.

Her shoulders began to ache from holding Lucas back. Her head spun as the situation began to spiral out of control. If the gleam in Calvin's eyes was any indication, this was exactly what he had been aiming for, and they were all going to find themselves in the stocks, jail, or dead before the day was over.

"What is going on here!?" her Uncle Abe demanded as he emerged from the kitchen.

"Stay back Dad!" Lucas warned.

"No!" Hannah gasped when Calvin's hand encircled almost all of her forearm and he pulled her against his chest. It felt as if a thousand bugs were crawling over her as her flesh revolted from the touch of him. "Let go of me!"

She jerked on her arm but his grip became bruising upon her as he refused to relinquish her. "Easy Hannah, I simply would like to speak with Lucas, this human, and the other vampire that was with him last night," Calvin said. "No one has to get hurt."

It was a lie, she knew that, but there was little she could do to stop him right now. "Stop this!" Uncle Abe shouted.

"You better put that away boy," Kane growled at William.

To her utter astonishment a smile merely curved William's mouth as he twirled the stake in his hand. Jesus, he was insane, she realized.

"I've taken down bigger than you," William returned.

Kane lunged toward William; somehow he managed to duck Kane as he spun away. Hannah jerked on her arm and bit back a cry of pain as Calvin's grip began to squeeze her bone. She was tempted to lash out at him but it would only send him over the edge and sign Lucas's death certificate if she did. If she played her cards right she might be able to get Calvin to spare him. If she didn't, he would destroy Lucas right here and now. She kept her body in between Calvin and her cousin, but that wasn't going to be enough to stop Calvin from taking Lucas if that's what he decided to do.

A table scraped on the floor as William managed to get it in between him and Kane. Kane released a disgruntled sound and flipped the table into the air. Wood splintered as the table crashed against the dark wooden beams that framed the building. Throwing her hand up, Hannah ducked as splinters of wood rained down on all of them.

"Enough!" A booming voice reverberated through the room with enough force and authority to freeze everyone in place, including Calvin. Hannah glanced around rapidly as she sought the source of the voice, but it wasn't until she spotted movement at the top of the stairs that her gaze was drawn to the man striding down the steps. Despite the awfulness of this whole situation, she couldn't stop her mouth from dropping as the vampire William had been with last night stepped off the last step and purposefully strode toward them.

There had been an aura of power about him last night, but now it seemed to radiate from him like moonbeams on a cloudless night. Even shirtless and barefoot she suspected that he could take down almost every vampire in this room. The rays of the sun spilling through the door played over his hard chest and sculpted abs, his steel gray eyes pinned Calvin to the spot. Even though he stepped out of the light and into the shadows as he closed in on Calvin, she was able to see the flecks of blue speckled throughout his gray eyes.

His hair, still tussled from sleep, stood out in spikes about his face. It was a look that may have made other men appear boyish, but the expression on his face was anything but boyish as his gaze fell on Calvin's bruising grip upon her arm. His upper lip curled into a sneer as a ring of fire encircled his eyes.

It was the red gleam in his eyes that finally forced her mouth closed as a dull heat suffused her face. It was silly of her, especially right now, but she couldn't shake the pleased feeling that trickled through her at the realization that he didn't like Calvin touching her. Her gaze darted away from his bare chest, but despite her best attempts not to look, her eyes were inexorably drawn back to him.

She'd grown up in this tavern, she was used to how wild and riotous men could be. She wasn't used to seeing such well-built ones, half naked, with their loose fitting pants hanging low on their slender waists, but then she'd been entirely captivated by him even when he'd been fully clothed.

"What is going on here?" His authoritative voice whipped out of him as he folded his arms over his chest and unrelentingly met Calvin's gaze.

"Were you involved in the fight here last night?" Calvin demanded instead.

"Is that what this is about?"

"Fighting is illegal in these parts and can be punishable by death!" Calvin lashed out as his composure momentarily slipped.

"Says who?"

"I say, I am in charge of this town."

A smile quirked the stranger's full mouth as his head tilted to the side. Then his gaze settled on Calvin's hand wrapped around her arm. Any pretense of amusement faded as his upper lip curled to reveal his elongated canines. A sound that was a cross between a snarl and a roar, and was entirely inhuman escaped him as he took a step closer to Calvin.

"Release her!" he commanded harshly.

He was defending her, but even she took a step back from him as he approached. Over her shoulder she saw Lucas step closer while William edged to the side in an attempt to circle behind Calvin.

Calvin flung her arm away from him and took a step closer to the new vampire. They stood toe to toe, neither backing down as they glared at each other. Violence seemed to pulse within the room and she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised to see the windows shaking from the growing tension.

"What's your name?" Calvin demanded.

"What does that matter to you?"

"I like to know the name of every human and vampire I have executed."

Both of these strangers were insane, she decided when the new vamp released a snort of laughter. "My given name is Jericho."

Hannah had forgotten her uncle was in the room until a small sound escaped him and he almost fell over. He somehow managed to get onto one knee and bow his head. Hannah exchanged a confused look with Lucas as his father took hold of his hand. "Down son," Uncle Abe murmured to him.

Lucas tugged at his hand, but though he looked like a good wind would blow him over, Uncle Abe was stronger than he appeared as he continued to hold onto Lucas. Hannah was beginning to believe everyone was losing their minds as she gawked at her uncle. "My friends call me Jack." Her attention was drawn back to Jack as he continued to speak. "I don't think we're going to be friends though."

Calvin stared at Jack like he was trying to figure him out but Hannah didn't think that was going to be at all possible to do. "I see," Calvin finally said with a glance toward where her uncle remained kneeling and then he looked over at William.

"I think you just might." Jack said with a small nod. "The king's laws don't allow for death, or even imprisonment for fighting unless someone is injured or killed. Since no one was either of those things last night, and since I know you're not the king, you have no say here." Hannah remained unmoving as Jack's unflinching eyes settled upon her. "Or unless the owner of this establishment intends to press charges for property damage, do they?"

It took her a few seconds but she finally found her voice. "We are the owners," she said with a glance at Lucas and her uncle.

"Do you plan to press charges?" he asked in a clipped tone.

"Like the laws would apply to you," Calvin grated through clenched teeth.

Hannah took another step away from Calvin. A muscle in Jack's forehead jumped as he focused on Calvin again. "The king's laws apply to everyone, including the king. Do you plan to press charges?"

Hannah shook her head as she edged further away from the two men she was certain were about to go at each other like rabid dogs. She kept waiting for Calvin to strike out, to attempt to destroy him like he would have any other man, or vampire, that had dared to stand up to him. He remained unmoving though as his right eyelid twitched. She was terrified of incurring Calvin's wrath by going against him, but she was going to do whatever it took to keep her cousin free of Calvin's hands.

"No," she whispered.

Jack gave a brisk nod as his arms fell away from his chest and he took a step back. "Then the matter is settled."

She'd never heard anyone dismiss Calvin before but if the frustrated look on Calvin's face was any indication, he wasn't going to do anything about it. "Let's go," he commanded his men as he nodded his head to the side. "Kane!" he barked when the stocky vamp continued to eye William like he was something he was tempted to stomp. Kane bowed his head before following Calvin out the door.

Hannah wouldn't have been more shocked to see elves break through the windows and start singing Ave Maria as she was to see Calvin walking out the door. Her gaze slid back to Jack as he stalked across the room and slammed the door closed behind him. Thoughts tumbled through her mind so fast that she couldn't grasp hold of just one as he slid the bolt into place. She may have just signed all of their death certificates and yet she couldn't tear her gaze away from the smooth skin playing over his well-muscled back. Her fingers twitched as she was gripped with the overwhelming urge to run them over that skin, she had to know what it would feel like as it flexed and flowed beneath her hands.

Thankfully Lucas was faster to recover and nowhere near as idiotic as she was. "What the hell just happened?" he demanded.

Hannah couldn't tear her eyes away from Jack as he turned away from the door. His gaze fell briefly on her before sliding to her uncle. His brow furrowed as he frowned disapprovingly. "Get up," he ordered briskly. Hannah couldn't quite figure out what her uncle was doing as he remained where he was. Jack stepped away from the door and hurried toward him. Taking hold of his arm, he helped Uncle Abe rise to his feet when he seemed unable to do so on his own. "I'm not worth this."

Hannah exchanged another look with Lucas but her cousin appeared just as mystified as she felt. "But you are," Uncle Abe insisted.

Jack didn't look at all pleased with Uncle Abe's answer as he released his arm and quickly stepped away. His face was inscrutable as he turned and walked toward her. Her head tilted back, her mouth parted when he stopped before her and took hold of her arm. Tingles slid up and down her skin, heat pooled all the way to the tips of her toes as his fingers prodded at her tender flesh. She couldn't stop her fingers from clenching as she stared up at his striking face.

"Are you ok?" he demanded.

"I'm fine," she managed to get out.

She started and almost let out a small squeak as his fingers slid down the bare skin of her arm before he released her. Her hand fluttered up to rub over the area that he had just touched. There had been a lot of men in and out of here over the years but none of them had affected her in this strange, bats flying around in her belly, kind of way.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked as Jack grabbed a toppled chair and set it right.

"Lucas!" Uncle Abe hissed.

Jack didn't even bother to look at her cousin as he turned to William. "It looks like we'll be staying here for more time than we had planned."

William nodded as he pulled out a chair and plopped onto it. Turner's low moan drew her attention back to the man. "Turner!" she blurted, ashamed to realize she'd forgotten about him. She hurried over and knelt at his side to examine him.

His battered eyes blinked opened and focused on her. "Don't tell Lola about this."

"I don't think you're going to be able to hide this one old man," Lucas said. "Come on, we'll get you into a room upstairs and get you cleaned up. My dad can let Lola know where you are and that you'll be home later."

Turner groaned even louder. "Just kill me before she does."

Hannah stifled a laugh as Lucas carefully lifted Turner onto his feet. "I'm going to take him up but I'd like to know exactly what just happened here when I come back down," Lucas said.

Hannah was curious about the exact same thing, but she wrapped Turner's other arm around her shoulders and helped Lucas carry him upstairs.