As night fell, Lyra woke with a thudding headache burning through her brain. Yet she knew it wasn’t really her head that hurt. She wondered if Joe or Sav had taken a bad fall. She should have been able to tell which of them it was, so she was confused. Unless, somehow, both of them had been hurt?

Steve and Lisel still slept soundly, wrapped in each other’s arms. He’d taken quite a liking to Lisel and Lyra didn’t begrudge him that. She’d known when he’d crossed over that he wasn’t exactly the same man who’d been with her in that other life and she couldn’t hold him by the bonds of a vow he’d made before he’d been born.

Steve woke quickly and looked around. When he spotted Lyra watching him, he said, “Something’s wrong, Phil’s really troubled.”

“I know something’s up, either Joe or Sav has taken a nasty blow to the head,” Lyra said quietly. Leesha woke from her bed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure, but we need to find them all,” Lyra said quickly. Steve woke Lisel, who’d been sleeping normally, and the four of them took off into the night.

“Lyra, can you find them?” Steve asked.

“No, I can’t tell where they are,” she whispered desperately. “Something’s blocking them away from me!”

“Then we’ll find Phil and see what he knows,” Steve said, heading in the direction of Phil’s pull on his heart.

The four of them found themselves landing in Joe’s back yard, where Phil sat as if he was waiting for them. He smiled up at them, unsurprised by their appearance in front of him. He looked at Steve and said, “I hoped you would hear me calling you, mate!”

Lyra was heading for the house when Phil stopped her. He said quietly, “They’re not here, Lyra. Someone took them this afternoon, must’ve knocked both of them over the head while they were in the studio. I walked in just as she drug them out and flew off.”

“She? What did she look like, Phil?” Lyra asked hurriedly.

“Kinda tall, really long black hair and really weird eyes,” Phil said. “Do you know her?”

“Her eyes were so pale they were almost colorless, right?” Lyra asked and Phil nodded. “Yes, I know her. Damn it! What does she want with Joe and Sav?”

“You did really upset her the last time you two met, Lyra,” Leesha said quietly.

“But she was torturing those poor bastards!” Lyra said quickly. “Oh, Jesus, I’ve got to find them, NOW!”

“What’s going on?” Steve asked as Lyra walked away.

“Lyra busted up Crystala’s party one night two hundred years ago after she found four men tied up on racks, screaming for their lives and being drained like beer from a keg. She was having fun letting them suffer, even though almost all of us kill quickly out of respect for the blood,” Lisel said quietly. “It’s not right that not only should humans feed us, but that we get entertainment from that feeding. Taking the blood is a very serious thing among us.”

“It’s sacred,” Leesha finished slowly. “Not something to play around with.”

“Oh,” Phil said quietly. He looked over at Lyra, who was kneeling a few feet away from them, then turned back to Leesha. “What’s she doing?”

“Trying to find them,” Steve said. “The more powerful a vampire is, the greater likelihood she can break through any block put up by another one, if she uses enough concentration.”

Lyra leapt up into the sky without saying a word. Lisel was right behind her, knowing she might need help if she confronted Crystala and that she wouldn’t be thinking straight because Sav and Joe were in danger. Phil looked at Steve and said, “Take me with you!”

“No, Phil, it’s too dangerous!” Steve said quickly. “We’ve got to be able to concentrate on Sav and Joe and not risk any more mortals!” Then Steve and Leesha took flight, using their link to Lyra to follow her as Phil sat down to wait.

Lyra followed her link, letting it lead her to an old castle in the Irish country side. She landed on the roof and crouched to try and feel Joe and Sav’s presence. She could feel them inside just as the others landed on the roof behind her. There was no hiding her being there from the vampire inside the castle. She walked over to the turret and threw the door open, walking straight into the fortress. The others followed right behind her.

Lyra ran through the castle, straight towards the room where Joe and Sav were being held. As she crossed the threshold, she realized just how much trouble she was going to have. Steve, right behind her, hissed at the sight of a wall of flame bisecting the room. Lyra paced for a moment and caught a glimpse of Sav laying in a cage. She could tell he was weak by the way he sprawled across the hard wooden slab that did him for a bed. Moving down the barrier of fire, Lyra searched for Joe. When she found him, she let out a scream that froze the blood in Steve’s veins. Crystala was latched on to Joe’s neck and Lyra could tell he couldn’t take much more of what she was doing to him. Lyra leapt through the inferno without thinking about it, her jacket lighting on fire as she passed through. She landed and rolled to put out the flames, then sprung at Crystala. Crystala had thought the bonfire would give any vampire pause and had believed she would have time to take Joe completely before Lyra could make it across. She was wrong.

Lyra grabbed Crystala by the jaw and pried her off Joe, throwing her into the wall on the far side of the room. Crystala lay stunned for a brief moment, surprised by Lyra’s sheer strength. Lyra took just a moment to lick Joe’s wound shut, stemming the flow of the blood from his neck. His eyes opened and she heard him sigh her name before Crystala lunged at her again. As Crystala slammed Lyra into the wall, she tried to attack Lyra’s throat. She wanted to get Lyra’s powerful blood for herself.

Leesha and Steve looked at each other and flew through the flames together. They landed beside Joe and Leesha lifted him gently. Steve ran over to the cage where Sav lay, trying to get the iron bars apart with no success.

“NOOOO!” came Crystala’s scream as Leesha flew back across the flames with Joe still in her arms. “He’s mine now!”

Lyra crashed Crystala into the wall again, hissing, “They never were yours, Crystala!”

Grabbing Lyra by the collar, Crystala flew across the room and hit Lyra’s head against the wall, saying, “You won’t spoil my fun this time, Alyria! I’ll take both your pets away from you, just as you took mine!”

“They’re not my pets!” Lyra screamed as she kicked out at Crystala. “They’re people!”

“They’re food and nothing more, you stupid sow!” Crystala growled. “At your age, I’m surprised you don’t know that by now!”

“Humans are the very source of our life,” Lyra said as she backed away from Crystala. “Their lives are sacred, not something to toy with!” Lyra grabbed her and slammed her into the bars of Sav’s cage. He looked up at her weakly, not sure what was happening. Steve focused on Sav and said quietly, “We’re here, man, just hang on!”

Sav nodded slightly, then lay his head back down, trying to get his head to stop spinning. Steve could see the marks covering his bare chest, marks Crystala had left open after she’d taken Sav’s blood. Furious at her treatment of his friend, Steve turned to watch the two vampires battling over the floor. Lyra was on the bottom as Crystala tried to maneuver her into the fire.

Steve took a deep breath and leapt at Crystala. The unexpected blow threw her off balance, leaving her vulnerable to a shove from both Lyra and Steve. She tumbled into the flames, her clothes igniting almost immediately. Crystala ran screaming across the room, falling into the bars of Sav’s cage as her body finally went still.

Lisel was finally managing to douse the fire Crystala had thought would protect her as the vampire’s body turned to ash. Lyra kicked the ashes apart and found the key to the cage, opening it quickly and taking Sav into her arms. He opened his eyes and looked at her in disbelief.

“Lyra? Are you really here?” he whispered faintly.

“Yes, luv, now let’s get you out of here!” she replied, carrying him quickly out to the roof. Steve picked up Joe and followed her, while Lisel and Leesha brought up the rear. They flew straight back to Joe’s place, where Phil was waiting for them still in the back yard.

“Thank God!” Phil exclaimed as he saw them land. “I’ve been waiting for hours!”

“Well, I’m glad we made it back, Phil, but you’re going to have to help me take care of these two,” Lyra said quietly. “They’ve both lost a lot of blood and there’s nothing I can do to help them unless I bring them over. I don’t think either of them wants that yet.”

“You’ve had a bit more experience in this area than I have, just tell me what to do,” Phil said with a small smile.

They took the men into the house and Lyra had them both put into Sav’s bed. She lay down between them, just holding them both. Nightmares were common after an experience like they’d been through and she didn’t want either of them to be alone.

Lisel and Steve decided to make their way back to the coven house outside London before dawn, rather than run the risk of Steve being seen by someone who didn’t know about him.

Leesha put her arm around Phil and said, “Let’s leave her alone with them, she knows what she’s doing.”

She led Phil into the living room and sat on the couch next to him. Phil turned and asked, “So, how long have you, well, um...”

“I’ve been a vampire for around six hundred years, Phil,” Leesha said, running her fingers through his hair gently. “Does that frighten you?”

“Not after getting to know Lyra a bit, no,” Phil said quietly. He smiled at Leesha and his hand came to rest on her thigh softly. “How long before you need to get back into the dark?”

“Um, ‘bout an hour, I’d guess,” she said softly.

“You know, the basement here has a room that might be perfect for you,” Phil suggested.

“Then I’ll probably head down there,” Leesha answered. “Care to join me for a bit before the sun comes up?”

“Sure, I’ll show you where it is,” Phil offered, taking Leesha’s hand and heading for the basement. “There’s even a bed in there. I think Joe had it ready in case Lyra or Steve needed it.”

“That was thoughtful of him,” Leesha said quietly. They walked quickly, hand in hand, into the basement.

Sav was the first to wake, a nightmare pulling him out of his sleep. Lyra turned over to him and pulled him into her arms, comforting like a mother would her child.

“Shh, luv, it’s okay, she’s gone now,” she said softly.

“Why would she do that?” Sav whispered.

“I don’t know, luv,” she answered. “I think she was just a very sick individual. Are you hungry?”

“No, just very, very tired,” he said quietly, pillowing his head on her breast. “I need to sleep.”

“Look up at me, Sav,” Lyra said and he turned his face to hers obediently. She looked deep into his eyes and said, “I can give you pleasant dreams, if you want?”

“Please? I can’t stand to see her face again right now,” he said, fear still evident in his eyes. Lyra held his gaze for a moment, concentrating on his thoughts. Slowly, he relaxed in her arms as she managed to erase the thoughts of Crystala from his mind. Within a few minutes, he was sleeping soundly, giving his body a chance to recover from Crystala’s attack.

Phil opened the door to the dark room and started to look for the light switch. Leesha stopped him and said, “Do we really need any light?”

“Hmm, guess not,” Phil laughed as he saw Leesha close the door. She ran her hands up his back, able to see him fairly well even in the dark. Phil stood there, completely blind in the pitch black. Moving in front of him, Leesha undid the buttons of his shirt without touching his body. He could feel her breath as she moved close to him, yet he couldn’t quite touch her. He wasn’t sure where she was. One moment she was touching one side of him, the next moment he felt her body on the other side. She slipped his shirt off his shoulders, the movement of the fabric the only thing touching his skin again. Her fingertips traced over the muscles of his back, feather light, sending chills down his spine. Then he felt her hands tugging at his jeans and grabbed for her blindly.

She leaned into him and kissed him roughly as she unfastened his jeans. He reached for her again, but missed this time as she darted behind him. She skinned his jeans off him, leaving him naked in front of her. Then she was in front of him again as Phil was suddenly wishing for the light so he could at least see her. “Can you please slow down and let me catch you once in a while?” Phil asked quietly. “I want to touch you, too!”

Then she pressed her now naked body to him, letting him feel all of her. His hands ran over her back, pulling her closer to him. Leesha led him over to the bed and pushed him back onto it. She ran her hands up his muscular thighs, massaging the flesh until she reached his straining cock. She leaned over and ran her tongue up his thighs and circled slowly, closer and closer to him. Then she lowered her mouth slowly onto him, taking his hard prick into her throat inch by inch. Phil groaned as he felt the back of her throat closing over him. She swirled her tongue over him, listening to him groan with pleasure. After a few moments, she trailed her warm mouth up his torso, stopping briefly to enclose each nipple in her lips and flicked slowly at it with her tongue. Then Phil felt her shift and her body carefully lowered onto his rock hard cock. She moaned softly as her pelvic bone ground against his. With patient movements, she brought his body to the edge of orgasm. She wanted him completely and nuzzled at his throat, wanting to taste him. Phil tensed, remembering with panic the way Steve had attacked him.

He started to push her away, suddenly terrified. She leaned back down to him and said, “Shh, Phil, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

“But I can feel it, you want to bite me!” Phil nearly screamed.

“Yes, Phil, I do, but I promise you, you’re not in any danger!” she whispered softly. “I’m in complete control of what I’m doing, Steve wasn’t. I think you’ll like it.” She nuzzled back at his neck and Phil was torn. He wanted to trust her, yet Steve’s attack was stuck in his mind. Slowly, Leesha felt him relax as he made a decision. He whispered quietly, “Okay.”

Leesha lowered her mouth slowly to his throat, kissing gently down the line of his vein. Her body never stopped its motion, and Phil’s body was close once again to his climax. She felt him tense, ready to explode. Then she sunk her fangs gently into his white throat as she felt his hot seed pouring into her body. Phil gasped, the sudden pain no match for the pleasure her body had just given him. She held him tightly to her and felt his arms close around her as he whispered her name. He felt the tingling pull on his vein, her warm lips still closed on his throat. Then she released him, lapping gently at his neck to clear away any blood that remained. Her body collapsed onto his as he sighed.

She ran her hand gently over his chest as she asked, “Are you okay?”

“Perfect, luv, just perfect,” he said quietly. They adjusted themselves into a comfortable position and drifted into sleep just as the sun was breaking over the horizon.

Joe woke quietly. His dreams had been filled with nightmares, yet his body had been too exhausted to allow him to wake up before. Lyra felt him stir and looked at him, not sure what he was feeling. Staring down at her, seeing Sav laying against her, Joe realized he felt safe. Considering she was like a beautiful predator who could turn on him any moment, he was surprised at that feeling. Yet when he looked into her golden eyes, there was no other word for what he felt.

“Lyra, thank you,” Joe said softly.

“No, Joe, don’t thank me, please,” Lyra answered quietly. “If you’d never given me your blood, if not for the link between us, Crystala would never have tried what she did to you.”

“I’d go through it again, just to keep the link,” Joe whispered weakly. “I know you can’t stay, but please, come back again soon!”

“I will, have no fear,” Lyra replied. “I’ll leave instructions with Phil on what you and Sav need.”

At the mention of his name, Sav came around and looked up at Lyra.

“Please, don’t leave me, Lyra,” Sav whispered softly. “Not yet!”