.Chapter Nineteen.

Tessa knew it without a single doubt. She was fucked.

The whispers from La-Rin had guided her through creating a barrier. It had also taught her how to tap into all the extra power. But right in the middle of a life and death battle with a blood crazed vampire wasn't the best time to learn or try new techniques.

And with every strike from the bastard's claws the shockwaves rattled her bones with the backlash.

What could she do?

Deven was on his way but there wasn't enough time.

La-Rin yelped as the barrier shattered around her. The glass-like shards crumbled to something similar to glitter before disappearing completely.

And Soldier Boy, James Bishop, jumped at her and his baby.

She dodged backward. "Wait, wait, wait! Let's talk about this."

Was it the baby? Was he just trying to reach his son? No… His face didn't even show recognition. Nothing but snapping fangs and flying drool. His eyes had gone solid red. His skin was starting to deteriorate. He was nothing like he'd been in the alley just a few hours ago.

As he was now, could he still be saved?

La-Rin pulsed in her hand. He's beyond salvation. Destroy him now!

If only she'd had more combat training. As it was, his wild flailing was keeping her from getting even one hit. And her dodging was coming to an end too.

Another barrier? Should she run? Keep fighting?

Then she tripped on the fucking garden gnome.

And Soldier Boy leapt at her.

It was all over. She was going to be done in by that extra stupid combo attack. And all she could think about was how she'd forced Deven to love her only to abandon him so soon. All that unnecessary pain for her own satisfaction. Why did it have to end like this?

And then they were blasted by a black tornado. Straight down from the sky like lightning. The rush of wind shoved her backward. The smoke or ash or raw power fell over them both.

She kept her arms wrapped around the baby and forced her eyes open. The darkness wasn't solid black as she'd thought. The fluttering of butterflies filled the space.

But somehow it seemed to affect each of them differently. She was locked in place unable to even struggle. The baby was giggling happily. And Soldier Boy… The baby vamp screamed over and over in agony.

Only then did she hear the terror in Deven's telepathic voice. "Tessa! I'm coming. Hang in there."

"I'm okay."From the depth of his fear just that much reassurance wouldn't be enough. She gritted her teeth and forced her muscles to obey, scooching back an inch at a time until she was outside the swarm of black butterflies.

Then Deven's arms came around her and dragged her further to safety. The heat of his body blocked out the chill of the cold rain.

She clung to him and asked, "Should we wait or run?"

But before Deven had time to answer… The black tornado that had surely been Father Time, it just dissipated like mist on hot concrete.

Tessa felt a burn of energy as it built within her.

Not hers. It wasn't her magic. It was all La-Rin, and it came with a flood of desperate emotions. The rush poured through her like a deluge drowning her with the painful negative memories. Lost and alone. Given one task but trapped, confined, locked away and unable to protect that one small blessing. This time she wouldn't lose hope. She'd fight back with everything she had, protect what mattered most.

"Wait! No, don't do it, La-Rin. Don't hurt Deven."

Because that was exactly who the dagger had intended to strike.

She couldn't let that power hurt Deven. Part of her wanted to fling the dagger away from them, but that felt wrong. Instead, she cradled it in her palms and forced her muscles to relax. "It's okay now. We're okay now, La-Rin."

"Easy, I won't hurt her or you." Deven kept his arms around them, one shielding the baby. His chest tight against her wings. His face next to hers as he spoke directly to the dagger.

The energy softened to a gentle glow and a slight hum. The memories and emotions eased as well. Until she could see only one that remained.

"Oh…"

A face much like her own but with pale platinum hair and brilliant blue eyes stared down at them. The woman wore a sad smile, one full of regret. "I'm sorry my darling. Sometimes when we bet everything, that is exactly what we end up losing." She brushed away tears that welled up like tiny glistening diamonds. "I'm leaving her with you La-Rin. I know that together you can be strong and happy."

It was about that time that Mrs. Bishop came running over to reclaim her child. Considering the number of feathers he had in his tight little fist, she didn't mind passing him back to where he belonged. Then they all trailed through the sliding patio doors and into the woman's house.

"I know we need to stay and handle some of the woman's questions, but I'd give about anything for us to get out of here even a second sooner."

"Agreed." Deven did a quick check of the house and returned with a couple towels. "Here. Dry off a little and talk with La-Rin."

She started to smile at his comment. But that was when she noticed the long black scorch mark on his forearm. "Did La-Rin burn you?"

"Yeah, but it'll heal."

Something deep in her gut started trembling. "La-Rin?"

There was no answer, but the emotions started spinning again through her. The heaviest being one of regret.

"I'm not mad. And I won't abandon you because of a little mistake. But we do need to understand each other better if we're going to be part of the same team."

"Team?"

"Yes, team. I'm so very glad that we finally got to meet again. But it won't be just us against everything else. The people of Division Eight are my partners and my family. Now that you're with us, they are your family too."

"Family…"

"Please La-Rin, help me protect them."She stroked her fingers along the hilt, letting her feelings comfort the blade. "Do you understand?"

There was another flash of memory, the woman from before but this time smiling. "Family."

There was a soft pulse of power, this one almost like a gentle breeze. Within seconds the clouds parted, and thin rays of moonlight cut across the glass patio doors. The wind and the rain tapered off to nearly nothing. As if the tropical storm just kind of gave up.

"What just happened?" Deven asked.

"Ah… Not exactly sure, but I think La-Rin just turned off the hurricane." She moved to the door to stare out over the water of the bay. The storm was not gone. It had only been pushed back. "It's a barrier. A big one."

He looked out the door. "A barrier. Seriously?"

"Seems like it." She sat back onto the foot stool. "What's next?"

Deven sat down beside her and took hold of her hand. His thumb stroked over her wedding band. "We'll follow Mrs. Bishop back into the city and set her up in a hotel for the night. We will need to call Quinn and get him an update."

"And then?" She suddenly felt exhausted. Was it from the long night? The fight? Or the city-sized barrier that her baby sword was making?

He looked a little worried. "Unless you want to drive back tonight, I guess we should get a couple rooms too."

"One room is plenty." The thought of a peaceful night alone with Deven all to herself… Now that was a nice thought.

And he found a way to make it even better. "How about the honeymoon suite?"

"Hell yeah."

* * *

Quinn answered the phone on the first ring. "Hello? Did you get him?"

It was Deven's phone, but Theresa's voice answered him. "Yes and no. It was not as simple as we'd hoped."

He wanted to prompt her to share the details, but knew it was unnecessary. The girl was always good at filling in the important facts. He settled back into his seat behind his desk.

"We managed to reach the wife in time and protected her and their child. But before we could subdue the subject, he was killed by Father Time."

"Killed?" He'd expected something else.

"Yes, we still have no confirmation of the identity of Father Time, but he stopped me from being attacked and it appeared that James Bishop was destroyed completely."

He hesitated to ask but needed to confirm one fact. "There were butterflies?"

"Yes, the same ones as before. Inky black butterflies that seemed to be manifestations of his power."

He sighed and pain throbbed in his unmoving heart. It had to be Georgie. And there was no way he would face his children against such a dangerously powerful vampire. Then again… She'd said he had protected her, hadn't she? Maybe they wouldn't be in any danger at all, but he couldn't risk it.

"Should we try to track Father Time from here?"

"No, I'm sure he's long gone by now. You both did really well to stop the fledgling. I'm proud of you. How is Deven handling the storm?"

"He was rattled at first, but I found a way to distract him. This might be the right time to let you know what I'm pretty sure you already figured out. I'm in love with Deven." There was a slight pause. "We actually got married a few days back during the wedding chapel mission. I know we didn't ask for your blessing, but I hope it's something that makes you happy."

He caught himself grinning. "Theresa, my dear girl, I am very happy for you both."

"Really?"

"Really. So happy in fact that I want you two to take a week off to enjoy a honeymoon somewhere. Just be sure to stay in touch with Zeven and Harley."

"Thank you, Quinn. Thank you for everything." She hung up while still giggling.

And the time would work out well. He could leave both happy couples off the clock for a short while and see if he could find his friend who seemed to have turned into a murderer.

The doorbell chimed.

He left his office to head out to answer it before it could bother Harley who was still resting in the makeshift delivery room. Zeven was out shopping for a couple of surprise essentials they needed, and Joseph was in the kitchen fixing Harley a snack.

The door chimed again. And then there was a quiet knock.

He reached the front door and was about to pull it open when there was another knock, louder this time.

He opened the door and flipped the switch for the porchlight, and nothing happened. Not that he needed it to see. The streaming moonlight poured over the familiar looking petite girl. Dark almond eyes and long thick black hair pulled into a low tail. He'd noticed before but the girl was very attractive.

Had he ever caught her name? Ah, yes, it was Madeline. "How can I help you tonight?"

"Bella sent me."

He felt a surge of excitement before he reined it in. "She"s awake?"

"Yes, she was." The girl never took her eyes off him. Although she was not currently brandishing a weapon, she was well armed. Something about her stance hinted that she was ready for a fight if needed.

Something sounded off. She was too controlled. And he was beginning to suspect that she also wasn't human. "I left my phone number this time. Why didn"t she call me?"

"Perhaps it"s just old habits. She wanted to see you in person."

"I see." That clinched it. The girl was fabricating a story. She was careful not to say anything that was an outright lie, but she was certainly not offering the truth either. The question was, why?

"I came at night to make travel safer." She glanced around him into the home where she hadn"t been invited. "Do you need help carrying anything?"

"No, I don"t think so. Even if Bella forgot about the convenience of the phone system, I haven"t. It simply makes more sense to just call her myself." He reached into his pocket to pull out his mobile phone.

That was the moment the girl attacked. She leapt forward and sprayed him in the face with a small can of aerosol.

The expected burn never realized. But he felt his consciousness slip away like a cloud in a midnight sky.