Gwen woke and felt really wasted. She lay in bed not moving, trying to remember what happened. The last thing she remembered, was talking to the older vampire, Andrei. Vampires, oh how she hated them. She had to get out of there fast. She thought, "Am I a prisoner?" She sure felt like one.

She needed to join her pack and run again. The moon was still full and her pack ran and hunted. She wanted her stuff and a ride back to her apartment to get ready. She lay quietly and listened to the conversation outside the room. The vampires talked to the group. They suspected a person named Molly Callahan of killing the man she found. That sounded good and she could leave now.

Gwen got off the bed, stretched to work out the tightened muscles and went into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face to wake up completely. She thought, "How will I get out of here?" She had to get out. She could call her pack leader. She dried her face and tousled her hair. She walked out of the room boldly toward the table. She looked for her little backpack. She wanted her cell phone.

Before she got her cell phone, there was a loud knock at the warehouse door. Kevin went to the door and opened it. A tall well-dressed woman entered. She quickly walked toward the table where Gwen waited. The woman looked at the assembled people and huffed.

"What do we have here?" she asked in an authoritative voice.

"This is the Preternatural Police Squad. Who are you?" Slade asked.

"My name is Raven Blade and I represent Gwen as her lawyer. Is she being held under suspicion of committing a crime?" Raven replied.

"No, she witnessed a crime and we are taking her statement," Eran said.

"Are you done because I am taking her with me when I leave? Gather your things, Gwen. We are leaving." Raven barked.

Raven exchanged business cards with Eran. Gwen picked up her stuff and followed Raven out of the warehouse. Gwen felt relieved as she left. Gwen sat in Raven's car as they drove to the wolf pack gathering. Raven was an alpha female of the pack. She represented pack members in legal matters and handled pack business. Gwen felt comfortable now, but needed a good run.

"Where are we going Raven?" said Gwen.

"We are going to the pack meeting tonight. They will want to know about this murderer and the new police squad. I sensed there were four vampires there. Did they mistreat you in any way?" Raven examined her.

"No, they were very cordial. They fed me a big breakfast, gave me a place to sleep, gave me clothes because I was naked, and fed me a huge dinner. The older vampire questioned me but I don't remember anything I told him," Gwen answered timidly.

"Hmm, he used his vampire powers on you. I will have to look into the legality of that. Anything else you can think about?" Raven asked.

Gwen answered, "Not right now."

Raven drove out of the city towards the base of the hills in the west. She drove for thirty minutes and turned off the highway onto a two-lane road that headed into the hills. The road ended at a large farmhouse with a big red barn. There were about thirty vehicles parked in front of the barn. Raven stopped in front of all the parked vehicles. She got out of the car and removed her suit jacket, tie and blouse. Gwen got out and removed her sweatshirt top and shoes. She followed Raven into the barn.

The werewolf pack lounged around the bales of hay in the barn. In one corner was a stack of bales that appeared to be a throne. A very tall well-built man sat there. He obviously was the alpha male leader of the pack. On his left was a very tall woman who appeared to be his mate. Raven walked boldly through the barn and stood to the right of the throne.

The leader leaned down and whispered to Raven, while he looked at Gwen. Raven shook her head and whispered back. The leader nodded his head. He looked directly at Gwen and smiled. Gwen smiled back and relaxed her composure. She assumed that Raven assured him that things were fine and the pack was safe from harm.

The pack leader stood and gestured, "It is time." The pack immediately took off all their clothes, folded them neatly and went out the back of the barn. As they entered the darkened field, they changed into a pack of werewolves. They ran into the field toward the woods beyond. As one, they howled at the full moon and continued to run.

*******

The group around the table stared at the door, as Gwen and Raven left. Eran expounded, "Wow that was interesting. How do you think she found Gwen? She did not call anyone." Eran looked at the business card. Nothing stood out as unusual, but the name was somewhat different for a lawyer.

Kevin and Eran continued to download the files of the twenty-four mysterious deaths from New York City. They knew there was a lot of data, but it would help in their investigation. Kevin stood to stretch and Slade moved to stand next to him. He watched as Eran's fingers flew on the keyboard and files downloaded displaying on the screen. As they displayed, Eran saved them into the new preternatural squad database. Soon she saved all the data away and created a catalog of everything collected. The tedious work of examining the photos would wait.

Eran closed the data collection app and opened the police file for local lawyers. She wanted more information about Raven Blade. The vampires acted strangely when she entered. Their reaction was the same as Leona's when she met Gwen. It might be nothing, but if there was a shape shifter wolf pack nearby, it was important to know. The only preternatural they knew about were vampires. It was important to get to know what else was out there. So far, she learned about vampires, shape shifters, fey and succubi. What else could be out there?

Eran joined the other squad members at the table. They sat waiting to hear her results of the searches. She told them that she loaded twenty-four cases from New York City. The examination of the crime scene photos would start in the morning when the main computers could compare the photos. The current computer was Eran's laptop. The online storage of the preternatural squad was not ready yet.

It was after midnight and Kevin was still on duty. His relief never showed. He was tired, but stayed awake because Gustaf was there. He wanted to sleep badly but sat at the table with everyone else. Gustaf looked over at him and noticed that Kevin's mind drifted.

Gustaf took out his phone and called the Vampire Justice System Security chief. When the chief answered the phone Gustaf stood and walked around, "Where is the relief of our security man with the preternatural squad?" Gustaf listened and replied, "Get someone over here now!" He hung up angrily and returned to the table.

"Kevin, go to bed. You have been on duty too long. Your relief never left the compound and is on his way now. You will be paid for all the extra hours spent here," Gustaf said.

Eran walked into the sleep chamber of Connie with Kevin. She made sure that he went to sleep rather than eavesdrop on the rest of the group. She watched him hit the bed and immediately fall asleep. He was so tired, but wanted to stay awake for the discussions. Eran assured him that she captured everything discussed. With that assurance, he fell asleep.

Eran walked out to the new squad room area (basically a long table) where Gustaf talked with Slade.

"Having that lawyer show up and just walk in was not a good thing," Slade said.

"Yes, it was. I will start planning a more organized layout for this place where it will be a working squad room. An entrance area will have a desk area where a person sits. He or she will guide them to a second floor where there will be a squad room with desks, interrogation rooms and holding cells. Downstairs will be hidden from the entrance and remain untouched except for four more sleep chambers," Gustaf replied.

Slade remarked, "That will be good. We don't want another incident like earlier. Thank you Gustaf."

Gustaf tipped his head to Slade, "Anything for our combined forces."

With that, Gustaf and Andrei went to their car and left the warehouse. Slade knew that the architects would work on the plans starting that night. He knew that putting things over their heads was best. This warehouse was a great headquarters and the ability to live here was the best. Right now though, they had work to do.

Eran overheard the discussion between Slade and Gustaf. She scanned the files taken from the New York City Police. There were patterns she saw about when the deaths happened and how spread out they were. The murder they saw that day did not fit into the pattern so far. There had to be more, which they had not seen. Based on her calculations, they missed two murders somewhere. She suspected that they happened when Molly moved in and tried to set up her lair.

Eran posted the missing dates into her timeline. It looked like the pattern was a body a month. She needed to scan the city's files for unusual murders or deaths. She looked at Slade and said, "How can we get the two missing murders? If they went through the morgue, it is easy, but what if they went through normal channels?"

Slade stood there thinking. His reply was curt and short, "Look at the Death Certificates filed around then."

"Do they post pictures of the bodies?" Eran asked.

"I don't know. You will have to ask after looking at the age of the deceased and listed cause of death." Slade replied. "First though our shift is over and we need some sleep. Dawn is approaching again. Go to bed."

"Okay, good night boss," Eran said sleepily. She dragged her tired body into Connie's sleep chamber. She removed her clothes and crawled into bed beside Kevin.

Slade greeted Kevin's replacement and suggested they walk the exterior perimeter of the area. They left the building and started walking about looking at the cameras and lighting. They were behind the building when Connie and Lorena stumbled into the warehouse.

Connie was a wreck and Lorena could not help her at all. They left the squad around midnight to attend a gathering of new vampires in training. Connie adapted well to her new lifestyle up until tonight. Something happened at the gathering that Leona did not see or hear. Connie completely broke down, started sobbing uncontrollably and sat on the floor away from everyone else. No one could stop her, so Leona sat with her.

Connie's mind kicked in after they had arrived at the party. Thoughts ran through her brain about being a vampire. One thought that ran through it stopped her and hit her hard like the explosion that got her there. That thought was "I AM DEAD."

Being a vampire was nice and had many things good for her, but that main thought hit her hard. She never could see sunlight or feel its warmth. Never walk in the park with a man on a spring day in the rain. Her humanity was gone, never to return. She still had her friends but they were human. As soon as she felt these pangs of memories and feelings, she broke down. She needed someone to talk to and explain these things. Leona was not that someone.

Connie needed human contact. She needed a friend who knew her as a human. She wanted someone to hold her, comfort her. There was one person who could help now. As she rode back to the warehouse, she thought of him. Just the thought of him made her calm and relax. She felt better but unable to move. She wanted her 'prince charming' to take her away in his arms.

Leona pushed Connie out of the car into the warehouse. Connie fell out, sat on the floor and could not move. Her shoulders hunched, her hair disheveled and her dress was a total mess. Her makeup was pink rivulets from the tears she cried. She sobbed still but softly and quietly. Leona stood over her for a few moments, but walked away to make some tea for both of them.

Just as Leona finished the tea, Slade entered the warehouse. He waved to Leona and saw Connie on the floor. He rushed to her side and she looked up at him smiling weakly. Here was her prince. He picked her up and carried her to the couch, where he set her down gently. He sat next to her and caressed her. Her sobbing stopped, but the tears continued. Leona brought over a large mug of tea for Connie and a fresh brewed coffee for Slade.

Connie wrapped her hands around her mug and looked at Slade, "How can you love me? I am dead, useless, used up only 'alive' at night. What good is that?"

Slade understanding her feelings avoided answering them directly. Instead, he pointed out, "You are still a detective and a very good one. We need you. You provide a service, which this city needs. We love you, whether you are a human or vampire. We all know it was not easy becoming a vampire and facing these radical changes. You did it though."

Connie put down her mug next to Slade's coffee on the coffee table. She reached up and touched Slade's face. She buried her head in his chest and let out a long relaxing sigh. She caressed his face softly and said, "You smell. You need a bath and so do I. Can we take a bath together before I turn in for the day?"

Slade looked at Leona, who shook her head reluctantly that it was OK. Leona went into Connie's room and got her sleep clothes and her special soaps. Slade carried Connie into Leona's room, put her down and filled the tub for two. Connie slowly undressed and watched Slade undress too. She looked at Slade admiring his manly figure. She at one time wanted him as her boyfriend, but now she had a closer bond to women. Slade belonged to Leona and Leona made that known to all who came near.

Slade sat in the tub and Connie climbed in facing him. She had love in her eyes, but not the desire or lust that would follow. Slade grabbed her body wash and poured some in his hands. He took her leg and washed it from each toe to just above her knee. He repeated with the other leg and continued up her thigh. He washed the other thigh and saw Connie relax and sink deeper into the bath. Her tension and angst about the night drained away.

Leona came into the bathroom and started her morning shower. She looked at Slade and smiled. Connie moved so Slade could finish washing the rest of her body and hair. When he was done, she got out of the tub, went into the shower and rinsed off. She dried off quickly, dressed and returned to her coffin.

When Connie left, Slade went to Leona in the shower to wash her and him. They spent a long time cleaning each other and teasing. Slade was happy and Leona was hungry. They stopped the shower, dried off and returned to the bed in her sleep chamber. Slade lay in bed, while Leona kissed down his body and stopped at his inner left thigh. She opened her mouth, extended her fangs and lovingly kissed his thigh drawing her lifeblood from him. As she drank, he drifted to sleep. When she finished, she covered Slade, kissed him softly and went into her coffin for the day.

*********

Carlo descended to the cell where Sean was a prisoner. The bar maids kept him fed and made sure he was healthy. As Carlo approached, Sean stood and warily watched him. Carlo ran his hand across the bars as he looked at Molly's latest treasure. He was strong and appealed to Carlo's taste in men. Carlo started to speak, but paused.

Sean asked, "Why am I here? What is going on?"

Carlo slyly smiled, "You are a guest of my mistress, Molly. We have plans for you."

"What plans?" Sean asked sternly.

"All in good time, Sean, all in good time. You will be well fed and cared for as long as you feel like," Carlo hinted.

Sean quickly caught on and switched the conversation. "Why are you interested in me? Is there something you want or need?" He saw a twinkle in Carlo's eyes and a slight flush to his face. He knew what Carlo wanted. He liked what he saw in Carlo, but had other plans in mind.

Carlo stood away looking wistfully at Sean in the cell. He wanted so much to be in there with him. Sean reached through the bars and touched Carlo's hand. Something electric and magical passed between the men. Carlo drew closer to the cell, his body against the bars. Sean wrapped an arm around Carlo and looked him in the eye. Sean moved his head closer and softly kissed Carlo. As their lips touched, Carlo melted and reached through the bars to draw Sean closer.

Their lips lingered and Sean could not find any keys to escape from his cell. He pushed away, but Carlo lingered against the bars. His heart fluttered and he found this man to be one he wanted to possess and use as his own. He moved away from the bars and scanned the naked body in front of him. As he traversed the luscious body, his mind worked on ways to have Sean all to himself. How could he rip this man away from Molly? Would she just give him up or is there something she needs?

As Carlo sat on the couch looking at Sean, Molly approached the cell. She looked at Sean and saw an aura that was familiar to her, but unseen for a long while. She looked at Carlo and saw the same aura. She knew immediately that Carlo and Sean shared a bond, a need, a desire. She had a decision to make. Should she let Carlo have Sean or drain Sean and leave Carlo lacking? Right now, she needed to feed and Carlo was here. Sean could wait. A fey would satisfy her more right now than any puny human.