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A Young Vampire's Cohabitation Arrangements [Youjo Senki/Dresden Files]

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Pinklestia said:
I think that with Tanya's money, Dresden raw power and Bob knowledge, they warded their house as much as they could. It may not have the protection of the Carpenters House but it probably comes darn close so it would be harder to sneak inside Harry's dreams now.
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… yes. But the point is that the description of the NN side of things perfectly fits Harry and his home in the OTL and it was done on purpose. So, what does it look like now that Tania is with him? What strange pair of monsters will there be seeing as how it will again be a mirror of the real world side.
 
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21. Prohibition's End
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    • Prohibition's End​

    This had probably been the worst weekend of Inari's life, and it wasn't even over yet.

    It hadn't been all bad; she and Tania had managed to talk through some of the stuff that had been bothering them, but the rest of it had been… not good.

    She had tried to be brave, tried not to be the one hiding behind other people for a change, and what good did that do? She'd almost killed Charles!

    "You ok?" Charles asked her gently as they stumbled out of the tunnel. Inari cringed at his worried tone. She did not deserve his concern, after he got hurt–almost died because of her.

    "Oh, right," he mumbled, "dumb question."

    "I'm sorry!" Inari sobbed, looking away so she didn't have to see his expression, but she couldn't bear to let go of him.

    Part of her noted Papa Carpenter helping Justine out of a chair (how did she get there?) but that barely registered over her fear of losing her friend.

    "For what?" Charles wondered after a pause, "not your fault your dad's some kind of crazy cult person–"

    "I almost killed you!" He really let her get away with too much.

    "You'll have to explain that one to me," he replied flatly. "No way kidnapping me was your idea, and it's not like…" He trailed off, and Inari turned back to look at him worriedly. Charles looked up at her with a slight flush on his face. "I mean, kissing you is lethal figuratively, but not like it's lethal literally…right?"

    Something must have shown on her face. Welp, no real point hiding it now. "My family are vampires."

    Charles stared at her blankly, then looked up at the sun past the treetops. "Either popular tropes are wrong–"

    "Sex vampires!" Inari blurted out, before cringing in embarrassment, fear at how he would react sending a chill through her chest.

    Charles stared at her for a few seconds, and she almost looked away, but tamped down on her anxiety. She wasn't going to run from the consequences–

    "You know, that makes too much sense," Charles muttered, starting off into the distance.

    Huh…? "You believe me?!"

    "Sunshine, your family apparently sparkles, and Tania's boyfriend can shoot fire out of a stick. If I'm not dreaming then I'll have to accept that some weird stuff is real."

    That wasn't the point! "You almost died!" Inari exclaimed.

    "But I didn't," Charles pointed out absently. "That would explain how you two look so damn beautiful and don't seem to notice."

    Inari felt her face heat up, even as frustration swelled in her chest. They were talking about his life here! This wasn't the time for flattery!

    "Not to mention how physically strong and full of energy you two are…" Charles mused.

    "How can you be so calm about this?!" Inari burst out. "I…I almost killed you," she repeated dully, slumping against him.

    Charles sighed, stumbling slightly, before adjusting to her weight.. "I'm not exactly calm, really, just trying pretty hard not to freak out right now." Oh no! How could she have missed that?! "But yeah, it wasn't your fault." Now she felt worse!

    But…

    "You…you're not mad?" Inari whispered hesitantly into his ear.

    "Inari," Charles hissed. "Your family had you fucking tortured until you passed out. How the hell do you expect me to hold that against you?!"

    He didn't hate her! But still… "I still almost killed you."

    Charles snorted. "You are a freaking miracle, Inari."

    Whah?! Stop saying stuff like that with a straight face!

    "Not talking about how you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, that's not that weird, but with a family like that, apparently vampires, you still managed to be the kindest person I know. Not sure what else I'd call it."

    For a moment, Inari forgot about all the bad things that had happened that day, her mind blank with embarrassment and relieved glee that her friend didn't hate her.

    "Though it wouldn't be a bad way to go…"

    "Charles!" Inari hated how nonchalant he was about his life, but she couldn't help but feel a bit flattered, no matter how messed up it was. For now, she just hugged him closer.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    The day was won.

    Her sire would no longer be a problem, Inari, Harry, and all of her siblings were alive, if injured, with Hayek being the only undeserving casualty.

    All in all, that was a success, and part of her did feel elation, so why did it still feel so wrong?

    Tania cradled Hayek's corpse gingerly against her chest. He was already old, part of her chided, and had not been long for the world anyways. One more irrational part of her screamed that it was another indignity her sire had inflicted on her, baying for further revenge.

    The childish part of her waxed sentimental over Hayek, and to be fair, the ornery little creature had been with her for much of this life, he deserved a more pleasant end.

    If she had taken him home instead of leaving him at the manor–

    Then Lieutenant Murphy would not have had the opening she had taken, and who knew what the result might have been after that?

    Besides, Hayek had never quite gotten used to the townhouse, having spent most of his life at the manor, where he had plenty of space to wander. And if the unusually cunning hedgehog had stowed away in her pack, Tania had figured that he would have been more comfortable in his old haunts, especially at his age.

    Tania sighed, leaning into Harry's one armed hug as the group made their way through the woods around the manor. It wasn't because of the weather; it was warm and the elements didn't bother her much after she became a vampire anyways. Not to mention she could just put her jacket back on.

    But it was nice, having his arm around her, his touch trailing lightning where it cupped her side. Her Hunger wanted more, but it wasn't the time or place for that.

    Even if it was, Harry was still in love with Susan, and even if that changed, any relationship between the two of them would likely be too influenced by Tania's Hunger for it to be counted as True Love, which would open Harry up to too much unnecessary danger, given his tendency to find himself in trouble. If only he could stop being so distractingly attractive!

    Tania felt her body shiver again. What was wrong with her?! From what she remembered of her experiences after combat in her previous life and the aftermath of the brief fights she had participated in during this life, having some involuntary movements while coming down from the adrenaline was normal, but she had never been so bothered before! She knew her vampiric body was ridiculous in how strong of a libido it had compared to her previous one, but this was absurd! They had all just suffered injury and stress, Inari had almost done something she'd never live down, Tania herself had almost killed members of her own family! This was a serious situation, so why did her irrational brain fixate so much on that…kiss.

    It had just been a distraction, pretending to acquiesce to her sire's demands, given that he was not aware of Harry's protection, it was not supposed to mean anything!

    So why was she just so damn horny?!

    "Tania?"

    Tania almost jumped as Harry murmured worriedly into her ear, her overly sharpened senses turning the soft touch of his breath into feathers running down her neck and spine.

    Her heart still pounded in her chest, her breath came in heaves, and her flesh itched. Did Harry have more nails? Wait, no, he couldn't afford to transfer energy right now, and her Hunger was not even running that low–

    Harry's hands brushed down to her waist, fingers running across bare skin in an attempt at a comforting gesture.

    Tania froze, breath caught in her chest she tried desperately to ignore her Hunger's accursed urges. The memory of this body's first kiss was almost too much–

    "It's alright," Harry consoled her gently, "you're free now." That was great, but now she had a new problem!

    "What are we going to do with her?" Lieutenant Murphy asked, voice sounding shaky. Tania really owed her a lot, and she'd make sure Thomas at least apologized later.

    Wait, when did they get to the manor? And who–

    "I'm waiting here!" Oh Justine.

    "Don't feel right doing that," the Lieutenant muttered. She was right, Justine shouldn't be left alone in her state.

    "Justine," Michael said, "I can take you somewhere safe, and Thomas will come pick you up when he's ready."

    "But here is closer!"

    "Is it safe to leave her here?" Harry asked, hand still at Tania's waist. "The guards were ready to dump her body if Thomas had drained her to death."

    "They aren't a problem anymore," Tania pointed out, not daring to look him in the eye lest she do something inappropriate.

    "If you are in a safe place," Michael continued gently, "Thomas will be happy, and then he'll come to the safe place too."

    "Really?" Justine wondered. "...Ok."

    There was probably a more efficient arrangement than just imposing more on Mr. Carpenter, but Tania just could not get her thoughts in order.

    "I could use a ride," Charles requested, "if one of you doesn't mind."

    "Can he and I stay with you today, Pops?" Inari asked hesitantly.

    Michael smiled and promised to get them home too. Ordinarily, Tania would have felt more responsible for Inari, but her twin was always more comfortable at the Carpenters, and part of her didn't think it would be a good day for Inari to stay with her and Harry.

    Harry was hers–her tenant!

    "Do any of you happen to know where de Rossi wanted us to bring his car after this?" Harry asked. Charles and Inari had paused at Harry's question while Michael loaded Justine into his truck.

    "He didn't say," Lieutenant Murphy muttered, "maybe back to the same place? I need to get my bike anyway."

    "Is that a good idea?" Harry asked. "Figured the police would be there."

    The Lieutenant glanced at Harry, gaze lingering a bit on Tania, a complicated expression on her face. "Better not leave my bike there then."

    "My motorcycle is there too," Tania pointed out.

    "Wait," Charles interjected. "Why do you have professor Clifford's car?"

    "He is also a vampire." Tania explained helpfully.

    Charles blinked, then turned to stare at her "Oook, good to know. But why's the car here?"

    "He let us borrow it," Lieutenant Murphy answered, "though he didn't tell us where to return it."

    "You know he has a phone, right?" Charles pointed out blandly.

    Damn hormones! She really should have thought of that! Oh wait, she needed to get a new phone.

    Tania shook her head slightly, trying to shake off the persistent itch. Harry's hand slid up her side and cupped her arm, its progress leaving her Hunger giddy.

    "Do you have a place for him at your place?" When did Inari get in front of her?!

    Oh, she meant Hayek…

    Charles was on the phone, and no, there wasn't really a good place to give Hayek a proper resting place at the townhouse.

    "There's his favorite spot out back," Tania mused. "But I don't think we have the time right now." She really just wanted to get home.

    Inari offered a few suggestions, and Harry pulled away to let them talk. Her damned Hunger almost made her feel empty without him, to the point Tania couldn't really remember what Inari said.

    But given her longing looks at Charles, and flicker of silver in her eyes, Inari was having trouble staying on topic too. Her Hunger was asleep, but only just.

    They decided to keep Hayek at the Carpenters for now, then they could have a proper ceremony when they weren't about to keel over or aroused out of their minds.

    Harry returned, and Tania clamped down on her feelings as hard as she could, barely coherent enough to give Inari a hug as she handed off what was left of Hayek and her twin got into Michael's truck, after which Tania, Harry and Lieutenant Murphy all piled into Professor de Rossi's car.

    Charles slipped into the passenger seat, having managed to convince Inari to let go of him for a bit, probably to direct the Lieutenant to whatever location was necessary.

    Harry threw his arm around her again, and Tania squeezed her eyes shut, the muscles in her core clenching against the itch, her head lolling against her partner's shoulder. Her clothes had never felt so stifling before. She had even taken a lot of it off already.

    "She ok?" Charles asked.

    Tania did her best to nod. "As good as she can be," Harry explained. "She kind of just ate a lot." When did he begin to understand her so well?!

    A flash of heat burned through her, and Harry rocked her soothingly, the contact just making it worse! The insufferable man didn't even know what he was doing to her!

    "Oook, her family's weird," Charles drawled. "My best girl friend is a vampire." He raised a finger.

    "Inari did not fully fledge," Tania corrected, gritting her teeth at how close it had been.

    "Okay, vampire pupa, whatever. My boss is also a vampire." He raised another finger. "Tania's boyfriend is a wizard or something."

    "We're not dating," Harry objected, a denial which Tania found uncomfortably disconcerting.

    "Sure," Charles scoffed. "What's next? Billy being a werewolf?"

    "Oh right," Harry mused, "you do know them."

    Charles turned around to stare at him. "He's a werewolf."

    "Well...yeah," Harry acknowledged.

    "How the fuck did I end up in this situation?!" Charles groused, throwing up his hands in disbelief. "Unless you guys are more common than I'm assuming."

    "The concentration is a bit unusual," Tania admitted, glad for the distraction from her all too comfortably warm cushion of her tenant.

    "I'm going to have to ask so many awkward questions," Charles muttered. "Is anyone else I know some sort of unusual supernatural creature?" He paused for a second. "Am I–?"

    He shook his head and sighed explosively. "I'm going to sleep now." He leaned back in his seat and was out like a light. Part of Tania envied him, the other part was too invested in staying awake.

    "He handled that better than I expected," Lieutenant Murphy muttered. "Better than I did."

    "To be fair," Harry replied, "you've been through worse."

    "It may be too early to judge him well-adjusted," Tania observed, shifting to get a better look at Charles (and most certainly not as an excuse to press herself against Harry more!) "I do not know if the gravity of the situation has quite sunk in." She cocked her head in thought, coincidentally pressing herself into Harry's neck. "On the other hand, Charles has always taken hard evidence seriously."

    From what Tania could see in the rearview mirror, Lieutenant Murphy's lips thinned, a difficult to describe mix of emotions roiling within her, before it was shoved away to focus on the task at hand. Truly a commendable woman.

    "Wasn't he supposed to be giving directions?" Harry asked.

    The GPS chose that moment to tell them to take a right.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Contrary to his reputation among certain people, Harry was actually a pretty observant person. It was kind of necessary to have any success at all as a private investigator (though the business part had not been that successful until recently). Part of it came from how he sometimes snarked jokes that made it seem like he couldn't read the room, or how little he knew about the pop culture of the most recent decade.

    It wasn't entirely unwarranted, since he was literally technologically handicapped, which made keeping up with new hip things a little more difficult, and he did have a bad habit of mouthing off at people who he really shouldn't be insulting, both those incredibly dangerous and those that really didn't deserve it (the latter made him feel guilty).

    Now that he thought about it, he had cultivated a bit of that reputation for gormlessness on purpose, which, funny enough, showed that he did pay attention after all.

    But it wasn't like Harry could claim to notice everything around him. Hell's Bells, he missed a lot. If he had paid more attention, maybe Elaine wouldn't have been mindraped, maybe Susan would still be running around doing serious stories on supernatural things that were mostly hoaxes, and maybe Karrin wouldn't be so beaten down by her job. Maybe Kim would still be alive.

    But all that aside, right now Harry didn't know how much longer he could pretend not to notice the affection he shared with Tania.

    It wasn't just due to her Hunger, like they had thought at first. In hindsight it never had been–Harry had always been a sucker for a pretty face who needed his help, and Stars and Stones did Tania take that trophy and run with it.

    But if that had been it, it–whatever it was they had wouldn't have developed. Once he'd figured out she was a White Court vampire, Harry had been a bit more cautious–part of him had even thought she might have been just a really good actor, but that wouldn't have fooled Michael, and in Harry's experience, most monsters of the kind Tania might have been wouldn't have bothered with bringing him food and insisting on fixing his self-destructive habits.

    To be fair to past-Harry, he had been in a really bad way right after Susan got turned. But Tania hadn't really taken advantage of him. Instead she had dragged him back to being a functional human being, something not many people would have bothered with, and Harry had not let Michael try.

    Tania had been there when he needed it. She'd also been the first person Harry had met who hadn't looked at him funny about advertising as a wizard. She'd even thought it was respectable! It wasn't like he needed support for his career choices, but it was…nice to have someone appreciate it.

    In short, Harry was pretty sure that his…feelings for Tania were more than just pure lust or induced by her Hunger. Now, Harry had to admit that there was a lot of lust. Every inch of Tania's unfairly attractive body pushed his caveman brain's buttons really hard, and honestly, Harry was a bit surprised he had managed to control himself so well this far.

    At first, it hadn't been that hard. When they first met, he had been more concerned about how sick she had looked than how pretty she was. Finding out that she was sort of Michael's adopted kid had kicked away most other thoughts of that. After that, after Susan…Harry had not been in a state to do much of anything, not to mention being pestered by a Raith had a very different implication.

    But now?

    Harry was in a better place than he'd been in for a long time, ignoring the recent near death experience. Money wasn't as tight as it used to be, and he was getting regular business, even if a good part of it didn't really exactly fall under being a PI anymore.

    Tania had been a big part of that, and frequent exposure had shown that her initial horror at her vampiric nature had not been faked. She didn't mind the improved physique, but mostly appreciated it for how she now barely needed sleep instead of the supercharged makeover or mind whammy ability.

    She instead absolutely loathed the parasitic nature of her Hunger, and Harry had been able to help her with that, both with the life energy storage, and by being someone she could interact with who she couldn't feed on.

    Their relationship really had been "mutually beneficial." Tania had pulled him back up to his feet and really helped him get his life in order, and Harry had helped her manage her nature, not to mention the small matter of freeing her from her monster sire's influence.

    But what now?

    Tania knew how attractive Harry found her, even if she usually didn't react to it, to the point he forgot about it more often than he really should. In hindsight, the fact that she was willing to put up with him and his inner caveman should have been a clue that the attraction was a bit more mutual than he had first thought.

    Harry had kept a close eye on Tania in their earlier interactions, not just because she was very nice to look at, but also to watch for signs of Raith trickery. He hadn't found any, and it was a bit funny that he had been so focused on looking out for predatory interest that he overlooked a sort of awkward teenage affection. His own self-loathing at the time had made dismissing genuine affection far too easy, in hindsight, not to mention her age, despite her precocious maturity.

    Now, with Tania pressed against his side, her face flushed with victory and very clear arousal, her breath tickling his neck and her heart pounding hard enough he could feel it where they made contact, Harry could not really pretend that she wasn't also very attracted to him.

    Most importantly, her Hunger was sated and drowsy.

    His touch did not burn.

    This was all her.

    How was he supposed to respond to that?

    ...And Susan?

    Their last meeting hadn't been a clean break, but despite their True Love, it didn't look like it was to be. How ironic was that?

    Tania yawned, letting out a tired groan and shifting against him, almost falling off his shoulder as Murphy took the car around a turn. Harry tightened his arm around her torso, keeping her upright (oh, she had forgotten her seatbelt), doing his best not to think about the smooth flesh he was touching.

    Harry yawned too, and against his better judgment, he glanced down to check on his stupidly sexy landlady–

    Who was mostly topless.

    Ok, he was too tired to think about this, he'd just enjoy this for now.

    The day's events, combined with Tania's warm, comforting weight, meant Harry fell asleep pretty quickly.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    He woke as the car slowed to a stop. It took a moment for him to register where they were and who the soft and warm presence against him was. Harry yawned, blinking the fatigue out of his eyes. Tania grumbled sleepily as he shifted, tightening her arms around him (when did that happen?)

    "Had a nice nap?" Murphy quipped from the front seat, her voice sounding a bit strained. Oh, she'd had about as bad a day as they did, and she had to drive.

    "Where are we at?" Harry mumbled, feeling a bit guilty, but he couldn't really drive with his hand, and Tania hadn't been in a good state to do so. Of all of them, Murphy was the least banged up. Physically, at least.

    "At a hospital," Karrin replied,"to get your hand checked out." Oh no.

    "They better not put me near anything important," Harry muttered. Wizards and finicky, life-saving electronic equipment, did not mix at all.

    "Don't be a baby," Murphy grumbled, "as bad as your hand looks, they're not going to put you on a ventilator just yet."

    Charles yawned loudly from the passenger seat. "Oh dang, that's a nice bike." He pointed at something Harry couldn't see, drawing Murphy's gaze.

    "Did those two old geezers seriously load my bike on that dinosaur of a truck?" Murphy sighed.

    "Hey!" Harry objected, "there's nothing wrong with hitching a ride on a dinosaur!"

    "Except for dinosaurs being extinct," Charles pointed helpfully.

    "He did not specify living ones," Tania murmured in Harry's neck, and he almost bit his tongue clamping down on his excited shivers. He was sure Tania didn't get any tips from her older sisters, so how did she keep doing stuff like this?!

    "Your boyfriend's a necromancer?" Charles asked with some trepidation.

    "No," Tania denied, even as Harry winced slightly. Depending on interpretation, their life energy batteries might end up put into that category. Better not let Morgan learn about them.

    "I was referring to the robotic possibility," Tania explained.

    "Life will find a way," Harry quipped. Assuming animatronic Jurassic Park counted.

    "Let's just get your ass into the hospital," Murphy sighed.

    "I can cover the costs," Tania added, still leaning against Harry.

    "Oh right," Charles muttered, "you're rich." Wasn't he just at Raith manor? How could that possibly come as a surprise?

    Murphy let out a groan, before unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the car. She probably had enough of them for one day. Charles shrugged, before following suit, though he had to lean a bit on the door as his legs wobbled unsteadily. Harry kind of didn't want to get out, even if his hand hurt, now that he was thinking about it. Tania didn't seem to want to either.

    "Hoss!" Eb growled, "stop being a layabout."

    Harry sighed, moving to exit the car himself. Tania made a sound of protest. Oh. It probably wasn't a good idea for her to go out in public without a shirt on. "Here," Harry whispered, reaching out and retrieving her jacket, "wouldn't want you to catch a chill."

    Tania gave him an annoyed look, but started shrugging on the jacket, leaving Harry free to get out of the car.

    He blinked as the setting sun pricked at his eyes. Eb was looking about as pissed as he was that one time Harry had wandered off the farm for some reason he couldn't even remember.

    Harry nodded at his mentor, bracing for the coming tirade. "Sir."

    The hard look on McCoy's face softened, and he shook his head. "Goddamn it, Harry, you really are as reckless as your mother."

    The old monster had said that too. Harry winced. "Not one of my best moments."

    "If that did not count," Tania observed, following him out of the car, "I would certainly like to have seen what would qualify." There was a strange tinge of awe and uncharacteristic eagerness in her voice, something that Harry suddenly wanted to see more of.

    "What are you doing here, Raith?!" the old man spat, eyes ablaze again.

    "Retrieving her motorcycle," Cleph de Rossi cut in, hauling Tania's bike off of the back of Eb's truck and setting it on the pavement. Eb glared at the old vampire, who just shrugged. "What? Do you want to keep it? It probably won't work long around you anyway."

    Now that Harry thought about it, he was a bit surprised they hadn't tried to kill each other. He knew from personal experience that his mentor had a bit of a temper, and well, de Rossi was a Wrath vampire.

    "Can we get his hand checked out already?!" Murphy snapped, "pretty sure Inari needs to have her leg checked out too."

    "Yes," Tania concurred, pushing Harry gently in the direction of the entrance. "Thank you for your assistance, Professor, Senior Council Member." She bowed politely to them. "I will be sure to provide you due compensation."

    Cleph raised an eyebrow speculatively, but Eb scoffed. "I don't want anything you're selling, Raith," he growled. Oh no, Tania was not going to let that go.

    "I assumed sexual favors would be of little use to the White Council at the moment," Tania replied flatly, "for a variety of reasons." Did she just? "But surely you are aware that there are other ways to aid your efforts?" Harry sighed and shook his head. Eb was definitely going to interpret that the wrong way. Poor Tania, being a Raith really colored every interaction she had with people in the know.

    "I do not need, or want your help," Eb growled. He was being a bit rude, but honestly, it wasn't completely unreasonable. Harry had not exactly been polite to Tania early on, though luckily for him she was too stubborn to be deterred from feeding him. Now that he thought about it, she took having food very seriously–their fridge was big.

    "I see," Tania replied, nodding solemnly. "I understand." Great, now she was going to get something indirectly, which was not going to make him feel any better.

    "Come on Harry," Murphy sighed, giving him a shove, "let's get you some medical attention before you pass out." Now that she mentioned it…ow. His hand hurt. So did the rest of him. The batteries were probably starting to wear off.

    What followed passed in a haze. Harry vaguely remembered getting marched into the hospital, getting directed to a room, and then falling asleep almost before he ended up on the bed. Also one of the lightbulbs in the room popped.

    Great.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Tania did not have much experience with hospitals, as the Raith family had their own dedicated medical staff. It had made sense in context of their wealth, and now with the added complications of their divergent physiology, seeking medical attention at a general hospital would not be particularly useful for herself, especially given her regenerative capability.

    Unfortunately, Harry, being a more normal human, lacked that ability, as convenient as it would have been, and Tania was only familiar with first aid, so here they were.

    Neither of them liked hospitals. Harry, being too altruistic for his own good, avoided them due to fear of his magic disabling crucial electronic equipment. For herself, hospitals evoked uncomfortable memories of another life.

    Now she had yet another reason to avoid these places, something she would not have noticed without her Hunger. She had once thought that doctors and nurses would be the height of professionalism, and ironically enough, the ones her family had hired often were, at least when they were functioning. For whatever reason, the staff here were incredibly horny. They had only been here for two hours, and Tania had already noticed a few licentious affairs taking place. Perhaps it was the stress of the occupation?

    If that was the case, Tania could perhaps relate. If not for the events that passed the past two days, she would have been absolutely mortified by her lack of self control. Even though she knew Harry enjoyed her attention, it was still incredibly rude and unprofessional. But with what he had done for her, especially today, Tania found she did not really regret being so blatant with her feelings, since it meant that Harry could not possibly fail to understand her interest was genuine, something she until recently had not been entirely confident in herself.

    Despite having lived multiple lives, Tania did not have much experience in romantic entanglements. In hindsight, the Salaryman had been very oblivious, and that had also bled over into the Child Soldier as well as her current incarnation.

    In theory, a romantic relationship was not fundamentally different from a professional one, with both parties seeking a mutually beneficial agreement for the satisfaction of biological, emotional, or material needs. Some of that already applied to her and Harry, but there were…complications in it going any further.

    Aside from the obvious issue of her Hunger, it also did not seem right to interfere with True Love that already existed, even if Ms. Rodriguez's condition also made any relationship impractical.

    Then there was the question of whether Tania was actually capable of such a thing to begin with. True Love was supposed to be some sort of mystical, altruistic state, something that went against her natural inclinations. There was nothing inherently wrong with charity or altruism, but Tania could admit she was not one of those people who were willing to give freely, not like Harry–she would not take advantage of him!

    "Tania?"

    She blinked, startled out of her thoughts as Mr. Carpenter stepped into the room. Tania looked away from the bed where Harry was sleeping, a vague memory of a nurse examining him flitting through her mind, but she could not remember anything more concrete than that. Just how tired was she?

    "Yes, Mr. Carpenter?" Tania replied, turning her gaze back to the man Inari had essentially adopted as a surrogate father.

    The older man glanced at Harry, before fixing her with a meaningful look. "I'm sure you'll be glad to know that Inari has physically recovered, and Charles is not seriously injured, even if he will have to take it easy the next few days."

    Tania flushed, a rush of shame and embarrassment flowing through her at not having deigned to stay with her sister after what happened to her–did Inari even want her to be there, after what happened? No, she should have some time alone with Charles so they could work out what happened between them–

    Mr. Carpenter let out a light laugh, stepping over and settling into the chair next to her. "Inari knows you love her, and she loves you enough not to begrudge you time with others you care deeply about."

    "She is a far better sister than I," Tania sighed. She had never been very good at relationships, in any of her lives.

    "You are the best sibling she has," Mr. Carpenter retorted good-naturedly.

    "That is damning with faint praise," Tania answered flatly.

    "Could any of your siblings have done what you did for Inari?" Mr. Carpenter pressed. "Would any of them have even tried?"

    Tania paused in thought. "Thomas would have tried." He deserved that much, even if he hadn't really had a plan, as far as she knew. Not that she could claim the success as her own. That lay more with the other two people in the room.

    "Inari has you to thank for her rescue, Tania," Mr. Carpenter concluded with a soft certainty that made Tania almost willing to believe it, "you did not choose what you are, but I am proud of the woman you are growing into."

    A long, ragged breath burst its way out from Tania's throat and her eyes welled with tears…of happiness? Parental approval had not mattered very much to her for a long time, so why…?

    Why did she feel so relieved? He had promised to stop her if she ever went too far, but this was not the relief of surviving danger.

    Was this why Inari latched onto him so much?

    Margaret really did not quite appreciate what she had.

    "Though on that note," Mr. Carpenter continued, a hint of amusement coloring his voice, "I do have a question for you Tania, if you don't mind."

    "I do not." A part of Tania cringed, sensing something uncomfortable, but Mr. Carpenter had just saved them from her sire at great risk to himself, so he was at least owed this much (if not much more). Besides, it was Mr. Carpenter, he would not ask something untowards–

    "Do you Love him?"

    Tania froze, her mind skipping a beat. For all she had been trying to process that same question, she had no answer. "I don't know."

    "Do you truly not know? Or are you afraid of what your honest answer would mean?"

    "Both!" Tania snapped, taken aback by the strength of her own reaction. "Diagnosing Love is not a simple task!" Well, that wasn't quite true.

    "Love is fundamentally simple," Mr. Carpenter pointed out.

    "So is flight!" Tania retorted, "but that does not make accomplishing it simple! Safely, that is."

    Mr. Carpenter smiled sadly. "It is true. Your heritage makes Love a greater challenge–"

    "I don't believe so," Tania cut in. "I have a mechanism through which I can receive objective feedback, which would theoretically simplify things, if not for the other…complications."

    Mr. Carpenter paused, looking over Tania's expression. "You don't fear the pain when your Hunger tries to feed on someone protected by True Love?"

    "That is inconvenient, certainly," Tania replied, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, "but it supplies undeniable proof of True Love, as well as prevents me from draining the life out of my entirely theoretical partner." Her gaze flicked over to where Harry was sleeping. "This seems more of a blessing than a curse, an acceptable inconvenience at most."

    She looked back up at Mr. Carpenter, before hastily averting her gaze from his proud smile. This was so embarrassing. "Besides, I have been told that Love hurts." She was never going to be able to live this down if Harry heard her.

    "Then what is stopping you?"

    "There is significant risk in testing that mechanism," Tania answered. She was already making a fool of herself anyways, and Mr. Carpenter was perhaps the only one she could confide in who she could be sure would keep it confidential. "If it isn't True, then I would have robbed Harry of his protection, and worse, I would be unnaturally influencing his free will, not to mention his current protection means he already loves another."

    She paused, pursing her lips. Should she say more? Get it all off her chest?

    Mr. Carpenter nodded, either encouraging her, or supporting her if she chose not to speak? She wasn't sure, but she got the sense he would not be upset regardless.

    "What if I do it wrong?" Tania whispered, her face burning in mortification. "Despite what I am, I don't exactly have much…experience in such matters. Not to mention the risk of losing control."

    Mr. Carpenter laughed, shaking his head fondly. "It sounds to me you have an answer," he observed. "Are you willing to say it aloud?"

    Tania opened her mouth, then snapped her jaw shut with a click. Did she have an answer?

    There was a shuffling of sheets and a groan from the bed.

    "Harry! Are you feeling better?" Tania stood calmly from her chair to check on her partner.

    He blinked sleepily, a dopey grin on his face. "Yeah, now that you're here."

    As it turned out, Tania had not quite reached her limit of embarrassment for the day.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Hospitals were not Harry's favorite place to be. With all the sick, injured and dying, the atmosphere around them tended to be negatively charged, not to mention his magic making delicate equipment join the ghosts. It didn't help that his mother died–was killed in a hospital.

    Waking up to see Tania always made things better, there had been a few bad days when she had been the only thing dragging him out of bed. Seeing her flustered was an even nicer sight. It was good to see she could still be so adorable after all that happened today.

    "I meant your health! Not your sentimental feeling!" Tania's face was flushed, was she still hopped up on life energy? Speaking of which…

    "Don't you need those too? To help you eat?"

    Tania gave him an unimpressed look. "It would be irresponsible for me to try feeding on you due to your injury, even if I was able to and did not have moral objections."

    "And if I wasn't injured?" Harry asked jokingly.

    "If you were willing," Tania shot back, a teasing gleam in her captivating eyes. Huh, didn't expect her to just say it like that. Harry wasn't sure how to respond.

    "I do hope you two will be able to behave responsibly," another voice chimed in, tinged with amusement. Was that…Michael? Oh…bad timing there Harry.

    He turned his head to see the stupidly brave man sitting placidly in one of the bedside chairs. Michael smiled. "It's good to see you've woken up, Harry. The doctor said you were an idiot for continuing to use your hand after the injury, but I told him it was a matter of life and death."

    "We really had a lot of close calls today, didn't we?" Harry muttered.

    "Too many," Tania sighed, "but I will ensure you are properly compensated for the risks."

    "You saved my ass–" Michael coughed "–saved my butt too, so I'd call it even."

    "And you ensured my freedom," Tania declared, leaning down over him to lock gazes, her eyes boring into him with a burning intensity. "And that is something I can never truly repay." Her platinum blonde hair gleamed almost silver under the hospital ceiling light, framing her head like a halo.

    Harry stared. He'd have done it just for her, but he'd had plenty of other reasons too. It had been for Inari, and for mom. But…(Would it be so bad for her to be in your debt?)

    "Owing me a favor wouldn't be so bad, would it?" Harry snarked, smirking slightly as Tania rolled her eyes in exasperation.

    "It would not, if you used it for your own purposes, but I know you would only call it in for someone else's sake." Because calling it in for someone else would not be repaying him in her eyes. She also probably had a point there.

    "Anything I want?" Harry teased.

    Tania did not look away, even as a bit of pink rose up in her cheeks. She instead leaned further down, until her mouth was next to his ear. "Only for you."

    Harry gulped. She wasn't being suggestive accidentally this time. And that…well that gave him ideas. Really tempting ideas.

    "It seems you and I need to have a talk, Harry," Michael interjected, a gentle threat in his tone, like a father questioning his daughter's boyfriend.

    "This is not what you think it is!" Tania objected, flushing in embarrassment and almost jumping back away from Harry's bed.

    "I haven't seen Harry for some time now, so I would like to have a chat with him." Michael continued, giving Tania a questioning look, "what did you think my intentions were?"

    Tania opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again, before running a hand over her face with a sigh. "This day has seriously impaired my ability to think."

    Harry could relate, and he'd even had a short nap to help recuperate. Wait…

    "When was the last time you ate, Tania?" She had fed on life energy, but she was probably going to crash if that was all she was running on.

    Tania frowned at him. "Is that really your main concern right now? I am quite sated for the moment."

    "Human food," Harry clarified. "And by human food I mean food humans eat, not me."

    Tania let out a breath, closing her eyes for a moment. "I suppose I could use some food, and some rest."

    "And you should talk with your sister," Michael added, mild admonishment in his tone, "Inari is worried about you."

    "She's the one who was badly injured!" Tania pointed out, before pinching her nose between her palms. "And here I am leaving her alone." Her eyes met Harry's apologetically. "Not that I regret ensuring your safety."

    "I'm sure Inari gets it," Harry reassured her. "She's very forgiving."

    "Perhaps too much so," Tania muttered, reaching down and giving Harry's hand a thankful squeeze, before turning around and glaring at Michael. "Do not disturb him too much. He needs his rest." She stepped out of the room, and the two men watched her go, Harry perhaps a bit more intently than was polite for most people.

    Michael did not immediately say anything after Tania shut the door, maybe waiting for her to walk out of earshot, or to let Harry be the one to start talking. The silence seemed to drag on, as if there was something important that needed to be said.

    "Is this going to be a shovel speech?" Harry asked, trying to deflect the serious talk with humor.

    "Do you believe you need one?" Michael replied with a small huff of laughter.

    "I mean…" Harry continued, "I'm a lot older than her, and you're the closest thing she has to a real father, so…" He was pretty sure Michael didn't know about their current living arrangements, otherwise Charity would have been very mad at him.

    "That's very flattering for you to say, but you are both adults? Aren't you?" Michael pointed out with a slight smile. "Plus, I would be just a bit hypocritical if I took issue with a difference in age." Oh right, Michael was a decent bit older than Charity. Still…

    "You are right, though," he continued, "if the two of you were different people, I would be more concerned. But I know you, Harry, and that means I know that you would not take advantage of her." His smile grew and he shook his head fondly. "And I also know that Tania will try not to abuse your trust, in her own way."

    Harry frowned. "What do you mean?" This was not the way he expected this conversation to go.

    Michael gave him a serious look. "Tell me, why did Tania ask you for help?" What answer was he looking for here?

    "She needed it," Harry replied slowly. "She wanted to be able to protect herself from supernatural threats."

    "That was the initial reason," Michael pointed out. "Do you know why she went back to you?"

    "Cause I'm a wizard?" Harry answered, only partly joking, since it wasn't like wizards were common.

    "And what does that allow you to help her with?" Michael pressed. Where was he trying to go with this?

    "I already told you," Harry groused, "she wanted ways to help protect her against the stuff that goes bump in the night."

    Michael raised an eyebrow. "She is not a woman with a shortage of resources, Harry. That first time, she came to you because you are one of the only ones who openly declare to be a wizard, but if all she wanted was protection, wouldn't she have gone to her family once she realized what they were?"

    "She didn't want to be like them," Harry shot back. "She even asked you to put her down if she went too far!"

    "Then what did she want?"

    "I guess I was someone who could help her without her family knowing," Harry shrugged. "And I was able to give her some tools to help keep her safe."

    "Have you?" Michael questioned.

    "As best as I could!" Harry snapped back. "I can't kill everything that could threaten her, as much as I want to."

    Michael's gaze did not waver in intensity. "Harry–"

    "I know what you're going to ask," Harry interrupted.

    "Is she safe around the coin?" Michael finished, undeterred, cutting Harry's indignation off at the knees.

    "It's buried," Harry replied weakly, "and Tania actually listens to me when I tell her something is dangerous." Unlike Susan and Karrin, now that he thought about it. Still…the coin was very dangerous, and in hindsight, Harry wasn't quite sure why he had kept it in the first place (Dangerous indeed, but powerful). Part of him was a little grateful, since he might not have ended up living with Tania if he hadn't had the pressure of needing a place to secure the nickel from hell–

    "How hurt would she be, if you gave in to the coin?" Michael asked softly.

    She'd be…upset, probably. Harry wasn't exactly sure why Tania was so viscerally against things that could influence people's minds (probably her family), but given how happy she'd been to find out he was resistant to her aura, it seemed likely she would not be happy if he sold his soul to a Fallen.

    But wouldn't the power that could bring make it easier for him to keep her safe? Why was he so sure about how Tania would react?

    "She cares for you, Harry," Michael whispered, "more than I have seen her care for anyone other than Inari. And what you did today should show just how much you care about her."

    Harry didn't reply–wasn't sure how to. He couldn't deny it, Tania was very invested in his well being, and he was the same with her. He really didn't know why, was it because she had seen something she related with in his soul? That had kind of happened with Susan.

    "Be careful with her heart, Harry," Michael implored. "Please." A sad smile crossed his face. "She's been guarded and mature for as long as I've known her, and it's good to see her so at ease with someone."

    "Are you…giving us your approval?" Harry asked, feeling confused. "Not that we're together. But shouldn't you be asking me if I love her?"

    Michael smiled. "This time, you are already thinking on that question. Just don't wait until it's too late."

    Harry frowned. "Michael, you know every woman I've been with has had their life destroyed." He had thought Elaine was dead, and Susan was no longer entirely human.

    Michael gave him a look. Harry didn't meet his eyes, even though he felt the weight of his gaze.

    "Harry."

    Harry looked to his side, his eyes drawn to Michael's solemn, yet fond expression. "You live a dangerous life, doing what you believe in. Does Tania understand that?"

    Harry nodded. Of course she did, she was attacked by a blamp, so she knew the dangers were very real.

    "Are you safer together or apart?" Michael asked leadingly.

    "...Probably together," Harry muttered, looking away, not sure how to feel about that. It wasn't like Susan, who'd still be fine if it weren't for him.

    "Then what are you afraid of?"

    Harry stiffened, staring at the ceiling tiles as he tried to push down the hurt from old wounds lanced open and brought to the surface.

    "I'm scared I'll get it wrong, Michael. I've not been good at this relationship thing." Not just romantically, he'd not been the best friend either, or student.

    "No one of us is perfect, Harry," Michael reassured him. "But we can work to improve." He smiled, eyes distant. "I remember my own marriage had its fair share of trouble at the beginning."

    "Really, you?" Harry scoffed incredulously, even as that revelation gave him some hope for the future.

    "It may be hard to work out a loving relationship without a personal example," Michael explained with a sympathetic tone that spoke of experience, "but we all have the capacity for it–you have the capacity for it."

    Harry didn't reply–couldn't, not with the roil of emotions threatening to burst up through his throat. Hell's Bells, why was he so pathetic that kind words made him want to bawl like a child?

    "You will find me when you are ready." Michael stood, reaching over to give Harry a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder, before moving to head out the door.

    "Oh," he began before leaving the room. "Make sure to cherish the time you have together."

    "What?" Harry blurted out, voice raspy, raw, and very much confused.

    Michael turned back and smiled. "I do have seven children, after all." He turned and left.

    Harry stared at the door in disbelief for a few long seconds, before he dropped his head back onto the pillow. "He's basically telling me to propose, isn't he?"

    That had been more awkward than the talk about Susan had been.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    The group that had assembled to fight Mavra's scourge and then Lord Raith dispersed gradually. Professor de Rossi had left shortly after everyone who needed it got medical attention, and Murphy had followed not too long after. Tania hoped there was a way she could ensure she was recompensed properly for the indignity she suffered.

    After Inari, Charles and Justine got checked over, they left with Michael, though Inari did not leave before giving Tania a very thorough hugging. In most other circumstances, Tania would have been a bit embarrassed by the public display of sisterly affection, but it was reassuring to know that Inari did not blame her for this mess.

    Frustratingly, her arousal did not really dissipate, even though her Hunger seemed sated for the moment, which made waiting for Harry to be processed an exercise in frustration, made doubly hard by the angry glare his mentor kept boring into her.

    Yes, her sire had tried to kill Harry and succeeded at killing his mother, but Tania had nothing to do with that! Hell's Bells, her sire had tried to enslave her and her twin! Perhap telling the old wizard that her sire was no longer a threat could alleviate some of his anger, but Tania was fairly certain that he would doubt any word that came out of her mouth.

    More frustratingly, he refused to let Tania back into Harry's hospital room. Stars and stones, she may be a Raith, but she had some sense of propriety–much more than most of her siblings, in fact! She was also not a qualified nurse, that was Inari's goal.

    Not to mention that she did not have to be at the hospital to visit Harry's bedside–wait what was she thinking now?! Why was it so hard to think?

    She really needed proper rest; life energy could only take her so far–she was distracted enough she could barely process the weather report (rain in the near future, she'd have to store her bike inside).

    "What are you still waiting for, Raith?" the old wizard growled.

    "Harry will need a ride," Tania replied thoughtlessly.

    Wizard McCoy narrowed his eyes at her. "And you'll give him a ride home on your bike? With his injured hand?"

    Tania winced internally, she should have thought of that. "After all his help, the least I could do is call him a taxi." Perhaps a larger vehicle would be worth the investment.

    "He doesn't need anymore of your hooks on him," the elderly wizard spat, "I gave him a ride out so I'll take him home." He burned with a furious protective anger, tinged with regret and pain.

    "Is there any way I can convince you that I have no ill intentions towards Harry?" Tania asked softly.

    "Leave, and let him be," Harry's mentor grit out, his tone suggesting that there might not be any way Tania could convince him otherwise.

    "I see." The former was…acceptable, to give Harry some time alone with his mentor, but the latter was not, Harry would end up neglecting his health without her insistence.

    Tania stood. "Farewell, Wizard McCoy." She turned and left the hospital. Hopefully Harry would understand. She could explain herself later.

    The spare motorcycle she had used today was parked next to Wizard McCoy's large truck. Tania donned her helmet, straddled her bike (sadly not with Harry), and switched it on–oh…

    Harry may have had a point about the vibrations…

    ♤♤♤♤​

    When Harry got checked out, he found out that Tania had paid the bill, but she was gone. Probably with Inari then.

    "Hoss." Eb was still here, guess he was Harry's ride home.

    "Sir."

    "You survived."

    "More or less."

    "Still yourself?"

    "Yeah."

    "Good. Let's get you home."

    Harry nodded. "Might be better to talk there, more privacy than here."

    His mentor grunted an affirmative.

    "Everyone else headed home?" Harry asked as they got into the truck.

    Ebenezar harrumphed in ambivalence and started the truck. "Not sure why the Knight is bothering with the little Raiths. Doesn't he have kids that'll be at risk?"

    "Michael is a good judge of character," Harry countered, "and Tania and Inari are not like their sisters at all."

    Eb became very still. "That's what M–your mother told me about Lord Raith," he whispered.

    Harry didn't know what to say to that. But there was really no comparison; his mom had met Lord Raith when he was already millennia old, while Harry had about a decade on Tania.

    Still, mom's death had left a hole in his life, and Harry had never met her, never heard her voice…until today.

    For Ebenezer, it must have been like losing a daughter (An apt observation, child).

    "Has Tania done anything to make you suspicious?" Harry asked. Maybe Eb's feelings were clouding his judgment. His own feelings sure had after Susan was turned.

    "She manipulated you into risking your life for her." Eb pointed. "Don't tell me you can't see that?!"

    Harry sighed. Out of context, he could understand why Eb might think that, and he was sort of right. But Tania didn't exactly manipulate him, she asked for help with a very real danger. And while he would have been willing to help her anyways, learning that the old monster killed his mother had really set him off. And Tania wasn't the one who revealed that.

    "She wasn't the one who told me the old fucker killed mom," Harry pointed out.

    Ebenezer let out a long breath, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "I thought you deserved to know."

    "Guess I have to thank you for that," Harry muttered. "Not sure my magic would have had as much kick if I didn't hate him as much as I did."

    "Did you get him?" Eb asked, starting the truck. Harry wasn't sure if his mentor actually wanted an answer, or was just using the noise of the truck to cover it.

    "He's not a threat anymore," Harry declared with much satisfaction.

    "Good…Good." Ebenezar whispered, putting the truck in gear and starting it into motion. He didn't seem to want to talk just yet.

    The quiet, and the relief from this crazy day being almost over, meant Harry was asleep before he knew it.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Eb's truck wasn't exactly the smoothest ride, so he didn't exactly sleep well, the occasional jolt stirring him awake momentarily. The pitter patter of rain also didn't help. As a result, by the time they arrived at his townhouse, Harry actually felt less rested than before. His burned hand ached, and his limbs felt like lead, but he was home now, and this conversation had waited long enough.

    Was Tania home? Her bike wasn't out front, so probably not. She wasn't far though.

    "Didn't have time to ask earlier," his mentor grunted, "but when did you move into the new place?"

    "Something like a year and a half ago," Harry answered with a yawn. "Thought I told you about it?"

    "Must've forgot if you did," Eb muttered, before shaking his head and giving Harry a once over. "Can you walk, or do you need some help?"

    Harry blinked the sleep from his eyes and stretched as best he could, wincing as abused muscles ached. "Think I can make it to the door." He pushed the truck door open and made to step outside, pausing as his back twinged in protest. "Probably."

    It took him more time and effort than he would like to admit getting down from the truck, but he did make it down safely, only needing a little help from his staff. Ebenezer looked at him with some worry in his eyes, but let him stand on his own.

    Getting to the door was much harder than it usually was, but the feeling of arriving home buoyed him enough that it wasn't really a problem. Opening the lock was a bit awkward with one hand mostly out of action, but it was only a bit slower. Harry looked over his shoulder as he pushed the door open. "Why don't you come inside? Then we can talk."

    Eb nodded. "I'll take you up on that invitation." While crossing a threshold uninvited wouldn't be debilitating for a wizard, especially not one of his mentor's caliber, Harry trusted him enough that it was only polite.

    He went inside, leading his elder through his new residence, heading towards the kitchen. It was quiet, aside from the sound of the rain hitting the roof.

    "Feel free to take a seat," Harry suggested, waving to one of the chairs around the table. Ebenezer followed his suggestion, his gaze sweeping around the neatly organized kitchen.

    "Nice place," the old man mumbled grudgingly. "Cleaner than I expected from you." His eyes honed in on the little bits of organization Tania had set up. Her side was better organized than Harry's old place had been, even with the help he got from the brownies.

    Tania had been a bit confused by how neat his side of the place had been after he moved in, since while Harry wasn't nearly as sloppy as his appearance made people think, he was nowhere near as particular as she was. Good thing she accepted the non-answer he gave her when she asked him about it, otherwise the brownies would have been offended. Though nowadays they actually left some things for Tania to tidy up herself, since they seemed to catch on that she shared some of their enthusiasm for that.

    "Thanks, old man," Harry snorted, opening their oversized refrigerator and retrieving one of Mac's beers and one of the little bottles of milk Tania liked. He walked over to the kitchen table and settled into the chair across from his mentor, sliding the beer across the table, keeping the milk for himself. "Here, figured you'd want one of these after today."

    Eb took the bottle, but furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Not having one for yourself?"

    Harry shook his head. "With how banged up I got today, don't think alcohol's the best idea right now." Tania would be annoyed at his lack of care for his own health, and he really didn't want to stress her out more after recent events.

    "But milk, really?" Ebenezer drawled, cracking open the bottle of beer, "Do you go to sleep before the sun sets like an old codger too?"

    "You would know," Harry snarked back, stalling from the point of their conversation a bit, trying to sort through the confusing emotions that bubbled up now that the imminent threat was over. He popped his milk bottle open with some difficulty, not wanting to use his injured hand, then took a sip, trying to gather his thoughts.

    "You said we needed to talk," Eb said. "Well, what do you want to know?"

    Harry set his bottle down onto the table carefully. "I knew you were a bigshot, being on the Senior Council and all that," he began, "but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be enough to get the reaction you got from Kincaid and Cleph."

    "Since when were you so chummy with vampires and the Hellhound, Hoss?" Ebenezar sighed.

    "I've seen Kincaid fend off a mob of Reds without flinching, and de Rossi's lived long enough to see plenty of war," Harry narrowed his eyes at his mentor, "so why were they so afraid of you?" He wasn't going to let him change the subject.

    "We wizards can be terrible foes," Ebenezer replied softly, not truly answering the question. "Given how the Red Court views you, you should understand that, Hoss."

    "Just tell me what the Blackstaff is," Harry cut in. He had thought Eb wanted to cut to the chase, so why was he beating around the bush now?

    His mentor was silent for a moment. "You've figured out my job earlier, didn't you?" He sighed, deflating into his chair, eying his bottle of beer. "Have you thought about what that means?"

    What…oh.

    Casaverde.

    The satellite had not just hit vampires.

    "You've kill people with magic?!" Harry hissed, rocking back in his seat. "And with the White Council's sanction?!"

    "Sanction to kill," Eb replied, his face severe, "to enthrall. To invade the mind of another. To seek knowledge beyond the Outer Gates. To transform others. To reach beyond the boundary of life and death. To swim against the currents of time."

    Harry stared, eyes widening in horror.

    "You taught me that magic was to be used responsibly," he whispered, the sting of betrayal raw in his voice, "that it came from life. That its power comes from our deepest desires. That to use it for evil was a risk to our souls, so we needed to use our power wisely, honorably and with restraint!" His voice rose as he continued, shock giving way to churning rage–

    "Ah, I wasn't aware we had a guest. I was about to inquire what you wanted for dinner, but I can leave you two alone for now if you need."

    Harry's head snapped around. Tania leaned into the doorway, the frame partly obscuring her body, but it was clear she was dressed only in her choker and a white bathrobe, platinum blonde hair still damp and a few stray droplets of water dotted across her unblemished pale skin.

    A sharp intake of breath snapped his attention back to Eb to see his mentor's eyes narrowing in rage.

    "What is she doing here, Hoss?" Ebenezar demanded, voice cold and almost too quiet. "Why did you let a Raith into your home?!"

    "Well…" Harry fumbled, "she kind of lives here?" He really should have seen this coming.

    "She lives here?!" Eb barked, brows furrowing in suspicion.

    "Did you think I lived with my sire?" Tania pointed out, stepping out into view, one hand cautiously fingering her shield charm. "Surely you would understand why I would avoid that."

    "I can understand that," Ebenzer replied coldly, eying her suspiciously, "but don't pretend that is the true reason you are living together."

    "Technically, Harry lives next door," Tania pointed out unhelpfully, "the townhouses are simply connected so they share a threshold for mutual protection."

    "Hoss…" Eb sighed in disappointment, a sound Harry hadn't heard for quite some time. "Do you seriously believe that's it? White Court are liars."

    Tania's lips pursed at the accusation, but she didn't speak up, eyes flicking over to Harry questioningly. She was tense, eying Ebenezer like he might attack her.

    "I do, actually," Harry shot back. "Tania's been nothing but sincere with me since I met her." The woman in question smiled slightly at his defense, but his mentor was not so easily deterred.

    "Has she?" He inquired. "From what I can see, she's using you to further her goals, and all she's given you has made it easier for her to control you."

    "It was a mutually beneficial relationship," Tania interjected, taking a step into the room, gesturing between her and Harry. "That was made clear from the beginning. I assist him with material issues, and in exchange he uses his magic to secure myself against supernatural threats."

    "So what have you given him in exchange for overthrowing your father?" the old wizard demanded, glaring a hole through her.

    Tania pursed her lips, glancing to the side. "We did not have time to discuss the details, but it would have to be something of equal value."

    "This is how it starts, Hoss," Ebenezer sighed. "She'll ask for more and more of you, if you let her get away with it, until she has so much of you you have almost nothing left for yourself."

    "Tania asked for my help to save her twin sister from her father," Harry returned. "So what if she didn't have something ready to give in return immediately? If we waited Inari would have been raped by her own damn father!"

    Eb's frown softened slightly, before his face hardened and he shook his head. "And when she uses the same kind of motivation to manipulate you into doing more and more dangerous things for her? What then?"

    "What more could I ask of you aside from confronting my sire?" Tania muttered, exchanging unsure looks with Harry. There were many things she could ask for that Harry would not mind, but she wouldn't ask anything crazy, right?

    "If it was too crazy, I'd say no," Harry eventually answered, "and you'd accept that, right Tania?"

    "Of course." She nodded, looking affronted that he even had any doubts. "It is best for there to be mutual agreement, otherwise both parties will not be as fully invested."

    "Right," Ebenezer scoffed, eyes hard, "it's not as if you Raiths ever make agreements in bad faith, or without cheating."

    "I do not invade his mind!" Tania hissed, eyes flashing silver, her fingers flexing, almost curling into fists. "Why would I wish to inflict on others what my sire tried to inflict on me?!"

    "Your siblings seem to have no problem with it," Eb observed drily, eyes flicking to how Tania had gradually moved closer to Harry, "and even if I believed you, your Hunger can't be trusted."

    "She cannot feed on him," Tania insisted, reaching one hand towards Harry–

    The room thrummed with power, almost robbing Harry of breath, and Tania froze, her hand not quite touching him, her silvery eyes widening in panic.

    "Don't fucking touch him," Eb ground out, eyes flashing with an almost distant rage.

    Harry reached up and wrapped Tania's stiff hand in his, noting the burn marks following where his fingers trailed across her skin. She still didn't–couldn't move.

    "Let her go, Sir," he asked his old mentor carefully, a cold sweat snaking down his back, the casual display of power highlighting just how dangerous Eb was. He gestured towards the burns. "See? I've got protection against her Hunger."

    "Hasn't it been years?" Ebenezer blinked in a moment of genuine surprise. "No. It's impossible!"

    Harry frowned, a bit offended that his mentor didn't think he was capable of that kind of commitment–oh.

    "Well…uh," he muttered, shifting awkwardly, letting go of Tania's hand. "The two of us haven't been–we haven't had sex. It would have been a bit awkward, what with the burning."

    Eb nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing even further. "And has she tried to…fix that problem?"

    What? How would Tania be able to– "No!" Harry shook his head. "For God's sake she sometimes tells me I should try to reconnect with Susan!" And he had tried, but with little success.

    "Just what is your game, Raith?" Ebenezer demanded, tilting his hand slightly and forcing Tania's head to jerk awkwardly until she was facing him. "Is it to crush his Love by encouraging him to chase what he lost? After which you could swoop in and claim him for yourself?"

    "What?" Tania gasped, suddenly able to speak, even if the rest of her remained paralyzed.

    "I know you heard me."

    "Surely you care about your student's emotional well-being, correct?" Tania asked, narrowing her own eyes at the old wizard. "Harry was distraught when he lost Susan, so it would clearly be beneficial to his mental health to receive some closure, especially since they developed True Love."

    "Developed?" Eb questioned.

    "About a year and a half ago," Tania replied. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry felt slightly put out that they were talking about his love life like he wasn't there.

    "When did this…arrangement between the two of you start?" the old wizard continued, confusion growing on his face.

    "About the same time," Harry answered.

    Eb looked taken aback. "She waited for you to have the Raith's Bane before pulling this?"

    "Otherwise I could not be sure he was not unduly influenced," Tania explained.

    The old wizard's face furrowed in thought, before his eyes hardened and his hand twisted again.

    Tania tensed, her Hunger suddenly rushing to the surface and she convulsed, thrashing against invisible chains, mouth twisting into a soundless snarl.

    "Eb! Stop it!" Harry yelled, almost lunging at the old man.

    There was a gasp next to him, and Tania would have slumped to the floor if Harry hadn't managed to catch her. "What the hell?!" What did Eb do?!

    "Hrmm…" the old wizard grunted, face scrunched up in discomfort. "I still don't trust this," he began, but his stance relaxed slightly, "but I've seen enough that I will trust you to make your own decisions, Hoss." His eyes locked onto Harry's gaze feeling like it was piercing his soul, and for a moment Harry wondered if you could get more than one soulgaze with a person.

    "Thanks?" He should probably be relieved that Eb was standing down, but all this…was a very different side of his mentor.

    "He was in my head!" Tania whispered, through clenched teeth, pressing her face into Harry's neck, using the burn to keep her Hunger restrained.

    "Eb, why?" Harry gasped softly, somehow still feeling betrayed.

    It was one thing to already know that his mentor, the one who had taught him the Laws of Magic–had beaten their importance into him, could violate them, it was another to see him turn it against someone he cared about.

    Harry pulled Tania tighter against him. It reminded him too much of Justin.

    "Had to make sure," Eb muttered, one hand rubbing at his forehead.

    "That was against the Laws…" Harry whispered, voice tight with shock and anger.

    "She's not human, Hoss," the old wizard sighed.

    "You could have Soulgazed her!" Harry shot back.

    "And risk letting a White Court get a look into my innermost being?" Ebenezer scoffed. "We are still at war, Harry."

    "That does not need to continue," Tania suggested, voice still tinged with uncertainty.

    "So you did use my g–student to topple your father," the old wizard concluded.

    Harry frowned. "That wasn't–"

    "I can let it go," Ebenezer continued, "this time."

    "Goddammit!" Harry snapped. "If you've looked into her head then you know she's not like her family!"

    "Maybe," the old wizard partly conceded. "Or maybe she's just young."

    "You have what you wanted," Tania bit out, steadying herself and pushing off Harry to stand on her own. She glared at the old wizard, but the trembling in her arms showed that Ebenezer had her rattled. "If you have no further business here, please leave."

    The Blackstaff stared back at her, unfazed, before glancing over at Harry. "Is that what you want?"

    "I think that would be best," Harry replied, voice surprisingly steady, a sort of eerie calm settling over his mind.

    "I am trusting you, for now, Harry," Ebenezer declared, his gaze steely and cold. "But if you're wrong…I will handle it."

    With that, the old wizard pushed past the two residents and strode to the door and out of the townhouse.

    When the door closed, Tania slumped, stumbling over to the table and collapsing into the chair Harry had been sitting in earlier, head clutched in her hands. Her body was tense, drawn taut like a tense wire.

    Harry knelt next to her, sliding an arm around her side comfortingly. Having someone mess with your head was very violating for anyone, and Tania hated this more than most. She leaned into him, starting to tremble as her composure failed now it was no longer needed.

    Part of him understood his former mentor's wariness, and he knew that Tania's older sisters, and his own brother had done similar things, but they never pretended to follow the Laws of Magic, and now, knowing what the Blackstaff was–could do…Harry wasn't sure he could trust McCoy, let alone the White Council that kept looking for reasons to lop practitioners' heads off.

    "Perhaps…" Tania started hesitantly, and Harry suppressed a flash of anger–he was supposed to stop this kind of thing from happening! "Perhaps we should not invite other people here, in case they misunderstand."

    "Yeah, probably for the best," Harry replied, giving her arm a squeeze. He doubted there would be a worse reaction, but he had not thought the man who had taught him the Laws of Magic would break them right in front of him.

    There was also a part of him that liked the idea of keeping their cohabitation between the two of them.

    Tania took an unsteady breath, but her trembling steadied, even as she leaned into him.

    "How are you holding up?" Harry asked.

    "We need to find ways to shield our minds," Tania answered, in her typical fashion.

    "Yeah," Harry couldn't help but agree. Unfortunately, it wasn't something he had been taught much about, which may or may not have been deliberate, now that he thought about it. But that wasn't what he asked.

    Tania sighed. "I understand your mentor's suspicion, but I feel…violated." She pressed her face into Harry's neck, hissing slightly at the burn. Her Hunger must have come to the surface in her defense. "This was supposed to be a safe place!"

    "I shouldn't have invited him in without telling you," Harry apologized, a guilty pit forming in his gut.

    "It would be slightly hypocritical of me to blame you for a failure to realize the extent a parental figure is willing to go to," Tania observed graciously.

    "Still should have seen this coming," Harry muttered. "He was pretty hostile to you from the beginning."

    "We can only prepare for the future," Tania replied with an air of finality. "And I did drag you into something dangerous without proper compensation."

    "You don't have to worry about that–"

    "On that subject," Tania stressed, raising her head to give Harry a chiding look, "what would you like for dinner?"

    Harry blinked, was it really ok to talk about what Eb did later? His stomach growled, and he yawned. Maybe she had a point.

    "You really up for cooking anything?" Harry asked. "You've got to be tired too."

    "I will be–" Tania's assurances were interrupted as her own yawn spread her soft, pink lips, giving him a glimpse of her very dexterous tongue. Her put out expression once she regained control of her reflexes was pretty cute.

    "Let's not burn the house down because we fell asleep at the stove," Harry suggested jokingly, mostly. "I could go for a ham sandwich."

    "Really? After all you've done today, you want a ham sandwich?" Tania replied flatly, giving him an unimpressed look, her version of a pout.

    "Hey," Harry objected, smirking, "it's a ham sandwich from you."

    Tania's expression didn't change, but Harry spotted the slight blush on her pale cheeks.
    .
    "Grab the buns," she ordered, almost playfully, "I will grab the meat."

    Harry snickered internally at her phrasing, and did as he was told.
    AN. Well, it's been quite a while. Apologies that this took so long, but working through some of these scenes, particularly with Eb, took quite a while. Life has also been busier this year.
    As usual, thanks to @Rakkis157 @Sunny @Half_Baked_Cat @Vista of the Burning Heavens @Daureod @Dreadis darklore and everyone else in the Discord for helping me proofread and betaread.
    The next chapter will probably be the last one for the events of Blood Rites, and most likely the last main story chapter for this thread. I'll probably make a new one if I feel inspired to continue on to the next book. Otherwise, I do have some other ideas, so will probably be making a snippet thread at some point.
    Thank you all for reading my amateur work and I hope you had at least some fun along the way.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • will a link to the new thread be linked here as well?

    this has been an amazing ride as someone not really familiar with either properties (well, a little bit of Tanya).
     
    Well, I'm not sure if McCoy really understands just how much he put his foot in it right there, but he sure put his foot in it there.
     
    WrandmWaffles said:
    This had probably been the worst weekend of Inari's life, and it wasn't even over yet.
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    Unfortunately for Tanya theres still more.

    I don't know if the Eb discussion could have gone worse, instead of having the chance to talk through what it means, the responsibilities, safeguards and whatever else it turned into a first hand demonstration. Which doesn't make it look particularly good or used cautiously.
     
    great chapter. but sad that the main story will end soon. really hope you will do the other books too. just what butterflies will there be from Tanya here beying by Harry's side.

    And i think Murphy noticed how close the two are and its been bugging her a lot here. still id love her pov at some point too, at least in a canon omake
     
    "Sunshine, your family apparently sparkles, and Tania's boyfriend can shoot fire out of a stick. If I'm not dreaming then I'll have to accept that some weird stuff is real."
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    I like this guy.
    "If you are in a safe place," Michael continued gently, "Thomas will be happy, and then he'll come to the safe place too."
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    This is something that a lot of people don't get about Michael and the other Knights. That good does not equal stupid and their genuine empathy truly does help them.
    professor Clifford
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    ...is that a joke about the big red dog? (and how the two first names that he uses are the same if spelled different)
    Tania did her best to nod. "As good as she can be," Harry explained. "She kind of just ate a lot." When did he begin to understand her so well?!
    A flash of heat burned through her, and Harry rocked her soothingly, the contact just making it worse! The insufferable man didn't even know what he was doing to her!
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    Heh, Hunger-chan is full Tania, you don't get to blame it this time.
    "He handled that better than I expected," Lieutenant Murphy muttered. "Better than I did."
    "To be fair," Harry replied, "you've been through worse."
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    And the sad part is that out of all the people who have been through horrible shit Murphy is the only person alone when she really shouldn't be.
    Most importantly, her Hunger was sated and drowsy.
    His touch did not burn.
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    So all we have to do is keep on feeding her Ramps and we have an in.
    "I see," Tania replied, nodding solemnly. "I understand." Great, now she was going to get something indirectly, which was not going to make him feel any better.
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    Is she going to gift him a herd of livestock thanks to her experience with Harry?
    Even though she knew Harry enjoyed her attention, it was still incredibly rude and unprofessional. But with what he had done for her, especially today, Tania found she did not really regret being so blatant with her feelings, since it meant that Harry could not possibly fail to understand her interest was genuine, something she until recently had not been entirely confident in herself.
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    Is she finally being honest with herself?
    Mr. Carpenter laughed, shaking his head fondly. "It sounds to me you have an answer," he observed. "Are you willing to say it aloud?"
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    Have I mentioned yet that I like your Michael?
    For Ebenezer, it must have been like losing a daughter (An apt observation, child).
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    ...Not good. Very not good.
     
    WrandmWaffles said:
    The next chapter will probably be the last one for the events of Blood Rites, and most likely the last main story chapter for this thread. I'll probably make a new one if I feel inspired to continue on to the next book. Otherwise, I do have some other ideas, so will probably be making a snippet thread at some point.
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    Damnit... Why must good things end! Seriously though, this has been one of the best Dresden Files fics I've EVER read, I'm going to be sad to see it go. The back and forth between him and Tanya has just been perfect. Even worse, it feels like they've only just hit their stride towards being together.

    Also, I'm VERY surprised Harry didn't take a swing at Eb there at the end. He usually doesn't react well to someone harming a friend, much less his totally-not-a-girlfriend. Was he just that tired that his instincts knew that wouldn't end well, or has Tanya actually gotten him to learn some self preservation?
     
    This fic rocks and I regret seeing the end of it. In an ideal world we would see every Dresden book done in this style with Tanya's presence butterflying the events there are. White Night in particular would be hella interesting.


    Random Aside: There's a fic weirdly similar to this one, a Worm crossover where QA makes a deal with the White Court Hunger demons to kinda-sorta become one of them and download Taylor's mind/soul into the brain of the brand new White Court baby QA was assigned to.

    Taylor in that fic grows up to be a LOT like Tania in this one. Same writer?
     
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    RazorSmile said:
    This fic rocks and I regret seeing the end of it. In an ideal world we would see every Dresden book done in this style with Tanya's presence butterflying the events there are. White Night in particular would be hella interesting.


    Random Aside: There's a fic weirdly similar to this one, a Worm crossover where QA makes a deal with the White Court Hunger demons to kinda-sorta become one of them and download Taylor's mind into the brain of the brand new White Court baby QA was assigned to.

    Taylor in that fic grows up to be a LOT like Tania in this one. Same writer?
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    Just by checking the threads wrandom has made, not unless it was only off site or on a different account.
     
    WrandmWaffles said:
    Yeah, that's not my work, not sure if any similarities is just coincidence or some inspiration
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    Probably just convergent evolution. Taylor Hebert and Tanya Degurechaff are actually a lot alike in methods and character. It makes sense that their reactions to growing up in a a White Court vampire body would be not unalike, even when written by different (good) authors.
     
    22. This is Not a Good Cataloguing System, Harry
  • Threadmarks
    • It Makes Sense to Me, Tania!​

    Karrin Murphy woke up feeling like utter shit, on several levels.

    She had felt like shit since yesterday, when she got back to her house–her empty house.

    She wasn't sure why that bothered her–that was a lie, she knew exactly why it bothered her. She was over thirty years old, and had risen as far in the ranks of the Chicago Police Department as she probably ever would. It wasn't that she hated her job–it was an important job, one that needed to be done.

    But she had poured so much of herself into it, to the point it felt like all she had outside of work were two failed marriages and strained family relationships. That hadn't bothered her that much before–she hadn't let it bother her, until now.

    She had thought Special Investigations had been making a real difference, dealing with the supernatural incidents that other departments refused to touch, and if she was being entirely fair, they were making a difference, but the more things she faced, the less meaningful any of their actions seemed.

    The damn Loup Garou had torn through the whole station and they could do nothing about it, and she would have been dead if Carmichael hadn't taken a bullet for her. Then there was the Nightmare that she was helpless to fight, and had left her shaken for months.

    But in some ways, that hadn't been as bad as yesterday.

    She had long ago resolved herself to facing danger, even risking her life in the line of duty, but there was something viscerally violating about being subdued so easily by the Goddamned sex vampires.

    Karrin hated feeling helpless, like she had been with the Wolf and the Nightmare, but yesterday had been worse. An invulnerable werewolf and a dark spirit were things that no normal human could take on, and to some extent, that was also true of the sex vampires.

    But they looked too damn human. She had spent her whole career fighting tooth and nail to be taken seriously by most of the men on the force, trained harder, worked longer, and she had reached a point where she could hand quite a few of them their ass on the sparring mat.

    And then the vampires gave her a come hither look and she could do nothing. If not for that stupid hedgehog…Karrin pushed that thought out of her head.

    She had tried so hard to be strong, and time and time again it seemed to mean nothing. Harry had done more to cut down on the number of monster attacks just with his fiery reputation than S.I. had managed in years of dedicated work, vampires could shoot a fully automatic weapon more precisely than she could shoot a handgun (not to mention openly flaunting firearm laws), and despite all her discipline, she still caved to the rape vampire about as quickly as a street whore to a few hundred dollar bills.

    That her ex-husband was fucking her younger sister, and her friend who she might have had some interest in was clearly taken by a younger, richer and sexier vampire college girl who Karrin couldn't really bring herself to be mad at because of the evil mind rapist and literal rapist vampire father!

    Was this what her life was going to be now? Stuck bailing water fruitlessly, with nothing to show for it? Left behind by everyone else. And it wasn't really their fault, no matter how it angered her. Mom was right that she had no real say over Rich anymore, and she had never made a real move on Harry, the dense idiot.

    She had no one to blame but herself.

    And didn't that just royally suck?

    Karrin groaned and forced herself to roll out of bed, wincing as her body protested the slow, but entirely too fast movement. She definitely wasn't old, but she definitely wasn't as young as she used to be.

    It didn't help that she was emotionally drained too.

    On the bright side, despite the crap little Lisa pulled with Rich, the family gathering hadn't been the worst part of the weekend, on the other hand, almost being seduced and raped by vampires took the cake.

    She let out a sigh as she splashed cold water onto her face, trying to scrub the grime of sleep away. Things really were crap if she had to use that kind of logic.

    Karrin looked at herself in the mirror. She looked about as bad as she felt. Her eyes had bags under them, her hair was disheveled and all over the place, and her face looked like it belonged to a hospital patient.

    And she usually was more of a morning person. God Damn it all.

    She brushed her teeth, stumbled into the shower, and spent a lot more time scrubbing herself clean than she usually did, trying to wash away the dark thoughts, to no avail.

    Time seemed to pass both at a crawl and in a blink, and Karrin found herself staring at her microwave as she warmed up some breakfast, with no clear recollection of what had happened since she was moping in the shower.

    Mom's food was so much better.

    Tania was a rich girl, but for some reason, Karrin suspected that the vampire girl could cook better than her too. She was already so seemingly perfect, so why the hell not?!

    God, was this really her life? Cheap soap opera drama with her family, a thankless job, and no love life…she sounded like a character from some dumb TV series, and unlike a lot of those (not that she had seen many of them), there wasn't going to be some tall dark and handsome stranger to sweep her off her feet. Real life didn't work that way.

    In real life, tall, dark and handsome went with younger, prettier girls.

    Oh for Christ's sake! Was she really jealous of a girl whose own father tried to rape her and her twin?!

    That was almost the worst part. No matter how justifiable Karrin's frustrations with her previous day were, Harry's new girlfriend just had to have had an even worse day, so she even felt bad about getting mad at her!

    She was so out of it that a part of her almost enjoyed the attention the vampires had given her–No, that had to be the mind control, she was not that far gone!

    Karrin sighed, dropping her head into her hands with a frustrated groan. Was mom right?

    She shook her head. No, at least not entirely.

    No matter how crap she felt, S.I. still needed her. While the department was now actually something functional, unlike when she had first taken over, a lot of it was still held together by string and force of will.

    But…mom probably did have a point.

    She did not really regret ending her two past marriages, since neither had been really healthy, though she may have been less charitable to Rich than she should have.

    But it wasn't just that. Karrin couldn't remember the last time she spoke to her mother or sister without it turning into an argument at some point. As much of a pain as Lisa could be, and as aggravating Mom's disapproval was…Mom was right about her sharing at least some of the fault.

    Her mind flashed back to her talk with Harry, to the confused look on his face when she implied she wanted to avoid her family, and to his almost wistful expression as he took in the Murphy family gathering. It was more serious than the ridiculous man usually held himself.

    He hadn't ever had much family, and he had lost most of it. Karrin still had hers.

    And he was Goddamn right. She had been pretty close to death more times than was comfortable the past few years. There really was a good chance she would never get the chance to grow old with someone. She should have realized that her concern about Harry's wizard longevity was just an excuse. They would both be lucky if they got a chance to grow old at all.

    And now he had someone else. Someone who seemed to appreciate him, and could somehow stomach his jokes. She could even outlive him, even if he reached old age.

    Guess he deserved some good luck after all he'd been through.

    Karrin pushed away the rest of her mediocre breakfast, or was it brunch? She hadn't slept this late for a long time. Her appetite just wasn't there.

    She stared vacantly at her dinner table. She couldn't tell for how long.

    After a while, her brain slowly recognized the pile of paper as yesterday's mail. Had to be. Today was Sunday, and she hadn't even gone out to get it anyways.

    Sunday.

    She hadn't gone to mass since…when?

    You know what? After Michael saved their asses yesterday, with no sword or gun, almost a literal prayer…maybe she owed the Lord at least this much.

    Karrin looked at her clock and winced. It was a lot closer to noon than she had thought. There was still evening mass tonight, wasn't there?

    She vaguely remembered Harry mentioning that White Court vampires weren't much bothered by churches, but they seemed to fear Michael. So…maybe it would help.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    After an altogether very weird day, Charles stumbled back into the apartment he shared with Xander, almost fumbling the key due to how out of it he was.

    "Oh hey, you survived!" Xander greeted, looking back from his desk.

    "Indeed," Charles replied, closing the door behind him. Though it had been quite a bit closer of a thing than usual.

    "A bit late though, I was about to send out a search party," Xander commented.

    "Probably wouldn't have worked," Charles mused, taking his shoes off and going to wash his hands, "since I was sort of kidnapped–mannapped? Adultnapped? What's the etymology of 'kidnap' anyways?"

    "I think it was originally referencing children getting, well, kidnapped, before eventually being used for other people too," Xander explained. "But seriously, where were you, if you don't mind me asking?"

    "Well," Charles began, plopping down in his chair, "it seems like Inari's father thought we were dating or something, so had me kidnapped."

    "Wait, you were actually kidnapped!" Xander exclaimed with concern.

    "Yup," Charles confirmed, before narrowing his eyes at his roommate. "Though there is something I have to ask before I explain anything."

    "What?" Xander blinked. "Well, I'm glad you seem ok, but go ahead?"

    "Do you also happen to be some sort of unusual supernatural creature?"

    Xander stared at his roommate for a few seconds. "Are you sure you're ok–?"

    "Just answer the question," Charles interrupted.

    Xander paused in thought for a second. "I'm Catholic? I guess."

    "I said unusual," Charles clarified flatly.

    "In that case…" Xander shrugged. "No. Why do you ask?"

    "Because apparently Tania and Inari's family are vampires, Billy is a werewolf, and Magic is real."

    "Uh…" Xander stared. "Are you sure you didn't discover drugs or something?"

    "Does adrenaline count?" Charles questioned.

    "Hallucinogenic drugs," Xander specified.

    "Does Inari count?"

    "I…don't think so?"

    "Then no."

    "...so what happened?" Xander asked, still concerned. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

    "I already went there," Charles replied, rubbing his knuckles gingerly. "Still in pretty good shape given I got zapped and then dragged into a cave where Inari's father was doing some vampire cult thing, then got in a fight with his guards because they hurt Inari, and then Tania and her wizard boyfriend showed up and then I can't remember exactly what happened because Inari took my glasses. Oh yeah, Inari kissed me. I guess we are dating now?"

    "Uh…congrats?" Xander offered, not sure how to respond. "It's good that you're doing well, given the circumstances, but are you sure you don't need help?"

    "It doesn't quite seem real," Charles muttered, only half-listening.

    "I can imagine," his friend replied reassuringly, "getting kidnapped can't be fun. Should we call the police?"

    "Not that," Charles waved off, "that seems pretty real, kissing Inari didn't. It was…I dunno how to describe it."

    "Congrats on that," Xander said, "but I still think you should maybe call the police about the kidnapping part."

    "Don't think the cops can do anything about vampire lords," Charles muttered, "besides, Tania and her friends seem to have taken care of it."

    "You're being literal about that?" Xander asked with some concern.

    "Yeah," Charles confirmed, "as crazy as it seems."

    "Well," Xander pondered, "I don't think you'd go this far to play a prank on me…and you know what?" He chuckled slightly. "The idea of Tania being paranormal…makes a little too much sense."

    "Well, they said that Billy is a werewolf," Charles added, "and Professor de Rossi is another vampire, so maybe we could just ask them to confirm."

    "Oh come on, we've seen Tania and Professor de Rossi outside when it was sunny," Xander countered. "Tania's also been to mass and didn't combust."

    "Apparently, sex vampires," Charles returned, face blank.

    "Seriously?!" Xander snorted, before pausing, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You know…that…makes a little too much sense."

    "My thoughts exactly," Charles huffed.

    "Ok," Xander muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "What is this? Are we in some sort of bad urban fantasy story or something?"

    Charles grunted. "As if Chicago wasn't already enough of a mess."

    "I think I'm going to need to see more evidence before I believe this myself," Xander sighed. "Not that I think you're lying or anything."

    "That's fair," Charles acknowledged. "Maybe we should go talk to Tania's wizard boyfriend?"

    "Tania's what now?!" Xander exclaimed.

    "He's in the phonebook," Charles explained.

    "No, the boyfriend part," Xander clarified.

    "He just fought Tania's father for her hand in marriage or something," Charles replied, shrugging. "Fairly sure that qualifies."

    "This I gotta see," Xander declared.

    The two of them blinked as a grumbling sound filled the room.

    "Lunch first?"

    "Good plan."

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Tania awoke feeling surprisingly refreshed, given all that had happened the day before. Perhaps it was because of the relief from her sire no longer being a threat, even if Wizard McCoy had demonstrated that there were other dangers still.

    Her Hunger was also oddly quiescent, maybe because of the amount of energy she had consumed the day before. That didn't explain the incredibly vivid dream–

    Tania felt her face heat up as what she remembered of the dream played out again in her mind. Damn it, Hungry-chan, wasn't she satisfied?! A frustrated sigh escaped her and Tania tightened her arms around her oddly warm…pillow?

    Her eyes snapped open and she looked down to see Harry sleeping soundly under her.

    Embarrassment flooded through Tania like a wave as she realized that her limbs were wrapped around his surprisingly comfortable torso. She tried to remember how this had happened, but made no move to change her current predicament

    As the fog of sleep began to clear, she remembered Harry falling asleep at the table, after which she carried him to the bed. He was not extraordinarily heavy for a man his size (though he was fairly dense), and Tania was stronger than any normal human had right to be, so it hadn't been terribly difficult…she must have been tired enough that she fell asleep right after putting him down.

    On any other day, that would have been embarrassing, but after yesterday, Tania felt that she deserved a little slack.

    Though…this was the second time she'd ended up like this. Was this going to become a common occurrence?

    At the manor, she could blame it on her Hunger's influence. Last night, she could explain with fatigue. But the fact remained that this had repeated, and she realized with a start that she didn't really want it to stop.

    Just what exactly was the nature of their relationship? At this point she could not really pretend it was merely tenant and landlord, or even security and ward. And just what did she want it to be, or become?

    Her Hunger stirred sleepily, seeking the sensation of Harry's life energy, drawing Tania's attention to where the two of them made contact–

    Pain and excitement jolted through her brain as her Hunger made her suddenly all too aware of where skin pressed directly against Harry's face where it rested against her chest.

    Her dream suddenly flashed into her mind's eye, and Tania let out a strangled gasp as every single salacious detail suddenly etched itself into her memory instead of slipping away.

    She should really pull away, but this…she didn't want to.

    Harry mumbled in his sleep, shifting his head slightly, perhaps disturbed a bit by the noises she had made, the feeling of his stubble odd and all too intriguing.

    Tania tried to push herself up, but Harry grumbled and pulled her closer, his long arms slipping under her loose bathrobe and circling around her back.

    He was warm. This was nice. Getting up could wait.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    If Harry had a dime for every time he'd woken up with Tania hugging him, he'd have three dimes, which wasn't much money, but still seemed weird given it was Tania.

    He really wouldn't mind getting more theoretical dimes this way, Tania's chest was wonderfully soft and warm–

    Harry tried to shove that thought aside as he tried to figure a way out of this predicament. Tania had her arms and legs around him again, and he probably couldn't roll off the bed this time.

    Tania grumbled in her sleep, her arms tightening around his head, pressing her warm skin against his face.

    Harry's breath hitched, wondering whether it would be better or worse if Tania woke up with them like this.

    Letting out a slow breath, he tried to extricate himself from her all too comfortable embrace, only to realize his good hand had ended up tangled in her hair, and his movement ended up pulling her head back slightly, drawing a cute sigh from his captor. He flexed his fingers, running his hand absently through her silky hair as it knots loosened.

    Tania stirred, letting out a yawn, tensing her arms and further smothering Harry in her pillowy chest, a groan vibrating through her as she shifted sleepily.

    Her arms loosened and slid out from under his head as she arched her back and stretched, hands folded above her head, arms extending towards the ceiling, giving him a glorious view down her beautiful form.

    The muted light passing through the room's window blinds cast her in an otherworldly hue, and Harry was transfixed.

    She was breathtaking.

    Her shapely pink mouth opened in another cute yawn, and Harry vividly remembered the taste of her lips, and the feel of her mouth against his.

    Tania sighed, her arms relaxing and folding behind her head, arching her back like a cat to stretch, before sliding down to the mattress. She leaned forwards, bracing herself on her hands right above him, silvery hair falling like a curtain around them.

    Her captivating silvery blue eyes blinked open languidly, finding his own immediately. Harry stared, and Tania's lips flickered up in a slight smirk, eyes hooded sultrily and flashing with amusement and lust.

    "Good morning, Harry."

    "With a view like that, it certainly is," Harry breathed, smirking slightly at the pink flush spreading over Tania's pale, smooth skin.

    "There's no need for flattery," the gorgeous woman on top of him sighed, rolling her striking eyes slightly, though Harry didn't miss the pleased look that graced her face.

    Harry just smiled, taking in the beautiful sight, sure that Tania knew full well it was genuine.

    "You are far too easy to please," Tania huffed, glancing away from him, cheeks flushed a pleasant pink.

    "You're not that hard to please either," Harry pointed out, reaching up and running his fingers through her silvery hair, which was loose and messy, but still looked artful instead of disheveled.

    "I am not easy," Tania sniffed, tilting her chin up challengingly, "not like my less discerning elder sisters."

    "Didn't say you were," Harry reassured her, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her hair. "Which is why I'm glad you've put up with me."

    Tania frowned slightly, leaning into his touch. "You have been more than helpful. More than I really deserve." Her eyes fluttered shut as he stroked her head gently. "Any woman would be lucky to have you."

    Harry paused. Elaine and Susan hadn't been that lucky. But for once, regrets about them faded away as he thought about what Tania was implying.

    "And are you feeling lucky?" he asked, almost hesitantly. The signs were all there…but…

    "Yes," Tania breathed, locking eyes with Harry. "Without you, I could not have stopped my sire, and then…" Her eyes squeezed shut and her lips twisted into a grimace. "I do not want to think about what could have happened to Inari–to me."

    "Not what I meant," Harry chided softly, stroking his hand gently along the side of her face.

    Tania pursed her lips and glanced to the side, but did not pull away. "Breaking your protection would be too risky," she whispered. "I already owe you too much."

    "I owe you a lot too, you know?" Harry pointed out. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she leaned down, bringing their faces closer together.

    "After that night, I was a mess," Harry continued, "could barely feed myself, barely left my home." He cupped the side of her face in his hand. "And there you were," he whispered, "bringing me food and making me eat it. Reminding me that there were people out there who cared about me."

    "That was the agreed upon payment," Tania murmured softly, eyes flickering shut, "nothing more."

    "Then what about all this?" Harry asked, reaching back up and rubbing his finger over the shield charm set in her choker.

    "Compensation for inadvertently making you homeless," Tania answered breathlessly, leaning forwards as if he was pulling on her choker.

    Their faces were almost touching now, her body contouring against his in a wondrous sensation that almost wiped all thought from his head.

    "We don't know that it'll break," Harry pointed out, hand cupping the back of her neck.

    Tania's eyes shot open, and a startled look passed over her face as she realized how close together they were.

    "But the risk–"

    Harry craned his head up and kissed her gently on her soft lips, drawing a satisfied sound from her as she suddenly reciprocated with great enthusiasm, pressing both of them back down onto the bed, lost in their connection.

    Her hands gripped the sides of his head, fixing it in place so their eyes remained locked as they kissed. Her legs tightened around his waist, their bodies molding together as much as the clothes Harry was still wearing would allow. His good hand cupped the back of her head, fingers threading through her lustrous hair, while his injured arm hugged her tightly.

    She tasted…like every nice thing rolled into one, sparking through him like a shot of coffee. Refreshing like a cold beer after a long day, and as warm and comforting as hot chocolate after coming in from the cold. The two of them plundered each other's mouth like people drowning and searching for breath, tongues twining together in a heady sensation.

    Harry didn't want the moment to end. Nor did Tania let go, so their lips remained locked together until his lungs burned, and then longer still.

    After what seemed like an eternity that still passed far too quickly, Tania stiffened and then collapsed against Harry, limbs relaxing and going still. He rolled to the side, reluctantly breaking their kiss. Tania's tongue almost seemed to stick to his, and as they separated, he tasted something sweet, salty and coppery?

    Heat suddenly surged through him, and he had rolled over on top of Tania before he realized what was happening, but her gasping breath and the sting in his wrist gave him just enough pause.

    "Tania?" Harry whispered urgently. "Are you ok?"

    "-ess," she almost slurred, staring up at him with unfocused eyes. "-us' 'ur'd m' tongue." She shook her head, blinking her eyes back into focus. "My Hunger doesn't know what's good for her," She gasped breathlessly, her quick inhalation doing interesting things to her chest.

    "We…don't have to test it now," Harry managed to bite out through his mind and body's screams of protest, leaning his weight down against her.

    Stars and stones he ached for her.

    Tania cocked an eyebrow imperiously. "Why wait?" She wrapped her limbs around him again–

    A thump sounded out through the townhouse.

    Harry and Tania shared a look, untangled themselves and were on their feet in a flash, eying the door to Tania's room.

    Was someone there-?

    "Mrrow!"

    "Yip!"

    A disgruntled Mister yowled outside the door, before letting out a surprised hiss as the scratching pattering of doggie feet heralded Mouse's arrival.

    "We forgot to feed them, didn't we?" Harry groaned, not able to tear his eyes away from his girlfriend's(?) tantalizing figure.

    Tania sighed, crossing her arms under her chest, before giving Harry a once over. "I'll take care of it, you really need a shower."

    As frustrated as he was feeling, Harry had to concede the point.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Feeding Harry's imperious cat was a familiar experience for Tania. It wasn't that Harry neglected the furry bob-tailed thing, but Tania tended to be an earlier riser, and Mister the cat quite disliked being made to wait.

    As a result, the unusually large domestic feline was quite put out that the two of them had slept in this morning, meowing impatiently and swatting at her. As far as he was concerned, surviving mortal peril was no excuse to delay his breakfast.

    As far as Tania was concerned, Mister was fat enough that his cry for nourishment did nothing to quench her ire at him for interrupting her and Harry. They had been so close–

    Tania shook her head, trying to shake off the lustful haze, idly dodging Mister's irritated swipes as she poured dog food into one of his food bowls. Mouse yipped cheerfully in thanks as she set his breakfast down in front of him. He was certainly an intelligent little puppy. They would have to get him his own pet accessories.

    Mister hissed at the small dog, who, oblivious, began munching on his food. The jealous cat crouched, hair fluffing out aggressively, ready to leap on the interloper–

    Tania snatched him out of the air by the scruff of his neck, holding him up and away as the oversized cat wailed and flailed his limbs in distress. Tania held him there until she partly filled another one of his food bowls, after which she set the sulking cat down in front of it.

    Mister took one look at his smaller than usual meal and meowed piteously, looking up at Tania with an affronted look.

    Tania was unmoved. "You are fat. You are now on a diet."

    The admittedly plump cat mewled plaintively, before nibbling at his food with the air of a bereaved destitute orphan. Serves him right for cutting short her time with Harry.

    Though…if their relationship was what she thought it was, they would be spending a lot more time together–they already did spend a lot of time together, now that she thought about it.

    Tania sighed, petting Mouse on the head, mind drifting back into a blissful haze, ignoring the cat's progressively more pitiful performance. It would have been risky for them to test their relationship, but her hindbrain was convinced that it would have been well worth it.

    With the animals fed, Tania went about feeding herself. With human food. As in food humans eat. Screw you Harry! Now that phrase kept invading her thoughts. Like Harry. Though was it really an invasion if she didn't mind it so much?

    Shaking her head, trying to knock away the intrusive thought, Tania stepped lightly to their refrigerator. One of her favorite things about American culture was the commonality of large refrigerators and stocking up on groceries. They would have had to go grocery shopping much more frequently if they had been using a smaller refrigerator, given the amount that Harry ate. Yes, it was that, and not how much she liked cooking. Having more food at hand also made her feel more secure in the event of an emergency, whether natural or not.

    She collected butter, bacon, eggs, and ingredients for miso soup from the refrigerator, setting them on the counter, before collecting several bread rolls from the pantry. In short order, the bread rolls were buttered and warming in the oven, the bacon and eggs were sizzling, and the miso soup was gently simmering in a pot. The smell of cooking grease and miso paste wafted through the kitchen, wonderful to the senses. Mister the cat yowled plaintively, winding himself around her legs, but Tania ignored him, though she did cut a small piece off for Mouse, who was sitting patiently by his bowl, panting happily.

    As their breakfast finished cooking, she heard the shower turn off. Harry should be out soon. With a slight smile at the thought, she scooped the bacon and eggs onto two plates and pulled the bread rolls out of the oven and placed them into a basket. The soup would take a little bit longer.

    A few minutes later, Harry meandered into the kitchen, wearing boxers and a slightly too small t-shirt that accentuated his physique nicely. He yawned slightly, running a hand through his damp hair, before striding over to stand next to her as she stirred the soup to inhale the pleasant scent of miso soup.

    "That smells really good," he murmured into her ear, and Tania couldn't stop the delighted shivers running through her body at his proximity, even though he had said something similar many times before.

    "Of course it does!" Tania returned, it was her cooking after–

    "But not as good as you," Harry cut in, a dopey grin on his face.

    "Wha…?" Tania stared at him for a moment, mouth slightly agape, before feeling her face flush hot at the strangely gratifying compliment. The heady taste of his lust wafting over her senses alongside the scent of now prepared soup.

    Harry snorted in amusement, reaching up to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face, his touch was gentle, and felt oddly comforting. "Huh, your hair got all mussed up."

    Tania mock glared at him. "And who was responsible for that?" She turned off the heat, stirring the pot for a moment, before ladling a bowl of soup for each of them.

    "I can fix that for you," Harry offered, and the thought of him running his fingers through her hair again settled pleasantly in her mind.

    "I would like that," Tania replied with a smile. "But eat first, or else the food will get cold."

    Harry laughed, an altogether pleasant sound, walking over to the table and pulling a seat out. "Well, after you, princess," he suggested with a smirk.

    "That is not how the White Court works," Tania returned with a roll of her eyes, but she sat in the offered chair, craning her head up to give her partner an unimpressed look. It just made him chuckle in amusement, and he sat across from her at the table, the two of them tucking in to their breakfast as they suddenly realized just how hungry they were.

    Harry all but inhaled his food, letting out a hum of appreciation that sent a jolt of excitement through her, which she tried to disguise with a sip of her soup. The questioning look on his face told her she failed, so she just smiled, enjoying how the tinge of his emotions colored the taste of her food. In some ways, it was a shame how the…satisfaction of life energy had made regular human food (that humans eat) seem less fulfilling, but even the ambient energy was excellent seasoning.

    Mister yowled, rubbing himself against Harry's leg urgently, drawing his attention away, which annoyed Tania more than she would like to admit. "What's up with him?" Harry asked.

    "He's upset about his diet," Tania replied primly, taking a neat bite out of her eggs.

    "Diet?" Harry asked, reaching down to give the oversized cat a scratch between the ears.

    "He is fat," Tania elaborated, pointedly ignoring Mister, while sectioning off a portion of her bacon and holding it below the table for Mouse. The puppy eagerly snatched up the snack and laid down against her foot, tail wagging happily.

    "Are you mad at him because he interrupted us?" Harry laughed.

    "Of course not!" Tania objected, feeling heat flash through her face.

    Harry smirked, giving her an amused but entirely unconvinced look, and Tania felt herself flush under his gaze. She shifted in her seat. Had they forgotten to turn on the air conditioning? She had thought it would have been cooler after it rained.

    The infernal cat butted his head against Harry's leg insistently, but just received a pat on the head instead of any food. "Sorry Mister, but the missus says you're on a diet." Tania shifted again, even if said jokingly, being referenced as such pleased her a bit more than it really should.

    Perhaps she should have changed robes, this one felt too heavy for the current temperature. The hot soup warmed her pleasantly, but also made her clothes feel more stifling.

    Having finished her soup and her breakfast, Tania leaned back against her chair, definitely not paying attention to how Harry's eyes watched her movement intently, before darting away in embarrassment.

    He tried to focus on his meal, but he was clearly distracted. Both of them ate quite fast, but she'd given Harry an appropriately large portion, so it took him longer. Normally, Tania would get a head start at cleaning up, but today she was content to sit and relax as he finished, savoring the occasional sheepish glance he sent her way.

    Mister had slinked off in a huff, pursued by a curious Mouse, much to the cat's displeasure, which left Tania and Harry alone together for the rest of their meal, which they spent in companionably silence, their nonverbal affection coloring the air in a soothing way.

    "Finished?" Tania asked as her partner scraped the last of his meal into his mouth. Harry nodded, taking care to look her in the eye.

    Tania leaned over the table to take his plate, bringing her chest level with his face, smirking slightly as he lost the fight not to stare. She carried the plate, bowls and utensils to the sink and began washing them off, bending over slightly more than necessary.

    Harry let out a satisfied sigh, before standing up and moving behind her. "Thanks for the food," he rumbled into her ear, giving her hip a teasing squeeze, before striding out of the kitchen.

    Tania stood there, frozen for a few long moments, as she realized with a start that she had been deliberately moving in a way to attract his attention. How long had she been doing that?

    It was very unprofessional, but so very gratifying, and well, if they were a couple…then it was part of the job description, to an extent.

    She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, absently sliding her robe looser as it rubbed uncomfortably against sensitive skin. It didn't help that much, but she was able to at least finish cleaning the dishes–

    In her distraction, her bathrobe has been splashed with water, so with a sigh, she headed toward her room. She needed to get changed, anyways

    The phone on the wall rang before she could leave the kitchen. It could be Inari, so Tania paused and picked it up.

    "Hello?"

    "Hello, Tania," Lara's voice said.

    Tania hung up the phone, sudden rage shooting through her. How many siblings did she help cull?! All those years of acting maternally, and she sided with their sire when it really mattered?!

    The rational part of her pointed out that Lara was one of their sire's favorite victims, and that her suggestions were better for survival, if not for living, but the rest of her snarled in betrayed rage. But all of her was sure that she could not trust her eldest sister like she once did.

    She had known that ever since she discovered what they were, but part of it had not really sunken in. It was an uncomfortable thought to realize the person who raised you was broken enough they concluded that it would be better for you to be raped and have your mind violated than dead. It was disconcerting for Tania, even with her memories of past lives. It had to be worse for Inari–

    And here she was, distracted by her own lusts rather than checking up on her twin. If she were fair, Inari would be quite justified in not trusting her fully anymore.

    The phone rang again, and Tania reflexively picked it up.

    "Little Sister–" She hung up again. Why did she think it would be Inari this time?

    Should she call her twin? Inari was with the Carpenters, who would probably be better at comforting her than Tania would be. This sort of encouragement was not her strong suit.

    The phone rang a third time, and this time Tania stared at it for a moment.

    Harry walked back into the kitchen, holding her hairstyling kit. He paused, giving her a quizzical look, before his eyes widened as he took in her form. His admiration was quite gratifying, but at the moment, Tania just looked at the phone as it continued ringing.

    "You gonna pick that up?" Harry asked, trying very hard to keep his eyes on her face.

    "It's Lara," Tania replied, amusement at his sudden bashfulness improving her dipped mood almost as suddenly.

    "Oh," Harry muttered. "Probably owe her an apology."

    "Whatever for?" Tania asked, turning to eye him questioningly.

    "Well…" Harry shrugged sheepishly. "I kind of did tie her up and choke her out."

    Tania stared at him, taking a moment to realize what he was referring to. "I doubt Lara would hold that against you," she scoffed. "She might even ask you for a repeat performance." Tania narrowed her eyes at Harry. "But you would decline, of course?"

    "Uh…yeah," Harry answered after a second of confusion. "That's just weird."

    The phone continued to ring.

    "But you probably should still talk to her," Harry suggested. "Even if she really betrayed your trust, I think she was trying to care for you, just in a really messed up way."

    "...At the very least, we need to sort out the family finances," Tania acknowledged hesitantly, picking up the phone gingerly. "Hello, Lara."

    "Tania," her sister's voice answered, sounding a lot more haggard than she had ever heard before.

    "What is it you want?" A part of Tania winced at how rude she was being, but it was impossible to pretend that things were going to go back to the way they had been before.

    "...Things are never going to be the same, are they," Lara whispered, almost wistfully.

    "That is a good thing," Tania bit out, "or did you enjoy your previous arrangement as our sire's stalking horse?"

    "I–" Lara's voice sharpened in indignation, before a resigned breath slowly escaped her. "I suppose there are few things as unforgivable as familial betrayal."

    "You told me to let him rape me! Rape Inari!" Tania snarled, clenching the phone too tightly in her hand. "Even worse, you told me to submit to being his slave like you were!"

    Lara was silent for a moment. "Is there anything that would allow you to forgive me?"

    Tania frowned. Was there? What could make up for such a violating betrayal? Why was Lara asking this? What else was she planning?

    A scraping sound jolted her out of her circling thoughts, and she turned to see Harry setting a stool next to her. She smiled at him thankfully, taking a seat. He was probably right, this conversation would take some time.

    "I–!" A soft breath escaped her as Harry started running the brush through her hair, the pleasant feeling sending shivers through her as her body relaxed under his ministrations.

    "Tania?" Lara asked hesitantly.

    Ah. "I do not think there is any one thing that can accomplish that." Her breath hitched as the brush caught in a tangle, loosening as Harry gently pulled through.

    "But it is not impossible."

    "If you convince me that you will never betray my trust in such a way again." Her earlier ire cooled, largely drained away by Harry's practiced fingers gently pulling against her scalp, leaving her mind clearer for the conversation.

    "I will not do so willingly," Lara replied grimly. "But I will need your assistance to ensure our newfound freedom."

    Tania stiffened. "Is there a problem with him?"

    "Not exactly," Lara answered with satisfaction. "He will no longer be a problem." Her voice came out breathless, suddenly oozing with lust.

    Tania snorted silently to herself. "Then what is the issue?" Her eyes fluttered shut as Harry ran his fingers through her hair as he gathered it into a ponytail at the nape of her neck.

    "His absence will be an issue though," Lara explained. Ah.

    Harry pulled on her hair, twisting it into a bun, the motion gently craning her head back.

    "Tania?" Lara asked curiously, voice tinged with surprise and amusement. "Are you with your lover at the moment?"

    "I am with my…" Tania paused, tilting her head back to look Harry in the eye. "I am with my boyfriend now." She arched an eyebrow, daring him to correct her. He just grinned and gently tilted her head forward, hands tangled pleasantly in her hair. "What relevance does that have?" Tania wondered.

    Lara let out a light laugh. "I forget how young you are, sometimes, little sister." Tania could hear the smirk on her voice. "You sound as if you are enjoying yourself. Why don't we meet at the manor? Then we can discuss securing our future safety."

    "That would be more secure than a phone line–"

    Did Lara think she and Harry were–

    How shameless! A shiver of pleasure shot up her spine as Harry pinned her hair into place.

    "Enjoy yourself, little sister," Lara laughed. "If you need advice, you know I am more than willing."

    Perhaps in retaliation for her earlier behavior, Lara hung up on her.

    "Think it's a trap?" Harry asked, tucking a few loose strands of her hair into place.

    "I find it unlikely," Tania replied. "Given she referred to the other White Court houses, it seems likely that she wants, or perhaps needs our assistance."

    "I don't particularly like what your older sisters do," Harry began, a frown in his voice, "but they're still better than the Malvora or Skavis."

    "I do not know the details, but I cannot imagine a leading family built on Fear or Despair being an improvement over the current situation," Tania observed. "Even disregarding my admittedly biased outlook on the matter."

    "Wouldn't have thought a family who fed on Wrath would have as reasonable a head as Cleph," Harry pointed out, now done with her hair. "What's up with him anyways?" He leaned against her, arms wrapping around her torso in a loose hug.

    "I…am not privy to the specifics of his family life, although he has mentioned a few of his children to me," Tania replied, pressing herself back against him, arms reaching up to circle his neck.. "One runs a conspiracy nut newspaper, one is a bartender, one is a physical therapist of sorts, and his wife runs a protective formalwear shop, and must feed by angering ignorant people who cannot tell the difference between the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei logo from that of the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold."

    "The what?" Harry asked in confusion, hands stroking her side gently.

    "The Nazis and the Social Democrats," Tania sighed.

    "People get them confused?" Harry asked, taken aback.

    "Yes," Tania confirmed, before shaking her head slightly. "But we are getting off topic." She frowned in thought, tilting her head back to look up at her boyfriend. "It may simply be that Professor de Rossi is the 'old man in a profession where most die young,' so to speak."

    "That's a good point," Harry mused, eyes flicking down her body for a second. "But still, doesn't that still mean that it would be possible for White Court to be less utter bastards? No offense." He winced apologetically.

    "My mother was never married to my sire, so I am a bastard, in a manner of speaking," Tania smirked, shifting in her seat.

    "A real charming one," Harry grinned back.

    "Will you cease distracting me?!" Tania scoffed with a roll of her eyes, even as she felt her lips quirk up in amusement.

    "Right, right, important topic," Harry acknowledged, "I'll keep a lid on it for now." Tania mock glared at him, and he just grinned.

    "...I think you are correct that it is possible for us to be more than just parasites." Tania pursed her lips doubtfully. "But it seems unlikely that will bear fruit."

    "Maybe things could change, now that the old monster is gone," Harry shrugged.

    "That would assume they would want to change."

    "Don't they?" Harry asked. "I didn't think any of your sisters looked particularly eager for things to stay the same, given how fast they jumped your sire."

    Tania grimaced. "I did not need to be reminded of my family's incestuous activities." She stilled as a particularly disturbing thought came to mind. "What if one of my sisters becomes pregnant?"

    Harry winced, trying and failing to suppress a sort of repulsed lust. Tania glared at him, and he shrugged sheepishly, before letting his eyes rake across her form, his affection for her sweeping away the intrusive thought.

    "We beat them once," he pointed out after a slightly awkward silence. "If they try anything we can do it again."

    "I suppose," Tania agreed, with some hesitation. "Though I don't really want to fight my family again so soon."

    "There's going to be at least some diplomacy," Harry returned. "Lara does seem to like the sound of her own voice."

    Tania sighed. "I do have to clear the air with them. At the very least to ensure they will leave Inari alone."

    "Another day visiting Raith manor," Harry muttered. "This is starting to become a trend."

    "There is another problem," Tania declared, drawing a concerned look from Harry.

    "What?"

    "You styled my hair before I took a shower."

    "...Oops?"

    "It's fine. As long as you do it again afterwards."

    "…Mind if I join?"

    "We…would take too long."

    ♤♤♤♤​

    This would be the third time Harry was heading to Raith manor in as many days, which in other circumstances would be a concerning trend. To be fair, it was still pretty concerning even with Tania by his side. Hopefully today would be less of a mess than the last two visits had been.

    It was not starting off that well, since Harry's injured hand meant he couldn't drive, or ride behind Tania on her motorcycle (no, stop imagining it inner Harry!) That meant they were left with driving the Blue Beetle, which had actually not been banged up at all during this misadventure, now that he thought about it.

    Huh. Usually he needed to get the doors replaced or something after stuff like this happened.

    "I still cannot comprehend how you can endure this," Tania groused from the driver's seat, long, flexible legs bent a bit awkwardly because of how small the car was.

    "It's not that bad!" Harry protested reflexively. But yeah it was awkward.

    "You are six inches bigger than me," Tania pointed out flatly, giving him an unimpressed glance, "and I find the fit uncomfortable." She was dressed in an expensive formal suit, probably one of Mrs. de Rossi's. Both of them were a little tapped out with all the fighting they had been doing recently, and they were pretty sure Lara didn't want that, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

    "What? Can't handle a little discomfort, Princess?" Harry teased, doing his best not to stare. For some reason, Tania had picked a blouse with a very deep cleavage, so with the suit jacket on, it almost looked like she wasn't wearing a shirt at all. The suit was also cut tightly to her frame, conforming nicely to the shape of her body, something that he now knew quite well.

    "Oh no, I find this perfectly enjoyable," Tania retorted, a sarcastic drawl in her voice. "But I don't understand why you continue to subject yourself to unnecessary discomfort."

    "You took my apartment, told me to change my fashion sense, and now you want me to dump my old car too?" Harry snarked without any real heat. Though it did sound kinda bad when he put it that way.

    "I suppose I can understand its sentimental value," Tania sighed. "But I think we should acquire a more secure or comfortable method of transportation."

    "Second thoughts about your giant vibrators?" Harry was pretty sure she liked motorcycles because they were easier to park in a city, but with the stuff that happened recently, he could see why she would be considering a bigger car.

    "While convenient, I don't believe they will suit my needs as well anymore," Tania shrugged. "Not if we want to stock protective equipment in the vehicle."

    "Well," Harry conceded, "maybe a thought for later."

    "Ah, yes," Tania mumbled. "That was slightly premature."

    They fell silent for a minute, now focused back on the immediate problem.

    "Do you think your sister will react badly when we show up armed?" Harry asked.

    "For you, I doubt it," Tania replied. "I am fairly certain she would be understanding of my own need to be armed." She pursed her lips in a thoughtful expression, before shrugging slightly. "Though now that I think about it, I do not need weapons to be dangerous to them."

    The memory of her bowling through her sisters and almost literally ripping Lord Raith apart flashed through Harry's mind, a thought that made him feel weirdly hot under the collar. It had been strangely beautiful to watch. And maybe knowing how the same Tania could melt into putty under his touch had something to do with it.

    "Yeah," Harry mused. "How come you seem to be stronger than them? I know age doesn't mean more power for White Court the same way it does for the Ramps and Blamps, but older Whamps are usually stronger, and at least more experienced."

    An uncomfortable look passed over Tania's face. "Perhaps it had to do with me being larger than them?"

    "It'd give you reach," Harry considered. "And I guess that'd give you an edge if you're in the same weight class." He frowned. "But you were throwing them around like you were in a different weight class entirely." Both in the physical and metaphysical sense.

    "I think being underestimated played a significant part," Tania hedged. "Perhaps my sire's influence over them also made them less coordinated than they would otherwise be."

    "Dunno about that," Harry muttered. "They looked very in sync to me."

    "Then perhaps I have more fresh experience fighting vampiric foes," Tania suggested. That would make some sense, and Ramps were stronger and faster than Whamps typically.

    "Probably part of it," Harry agreed. "Whatever it was, I think you beat them up enough that they'll hesitate a bit before trying anything."

    "They better not, if Lara seriously wishes to win back my trust."

    They spent the rest of the drive in silent anticipation.

    The Raith mansion looked much the same as they pulled in, but there was already a notable change at the gate. Antonio was there again, but he had a few buddies with him.

    "Well, you certainly look all grown up, miss," Antonio greeted them, giving Tania's outfit a speculative look. "I'd say you should put on a shirt, but…" he shrugged. "I know how you ladies are when you find a guy you like."

    "I am wearing a blouse," Tania objected.

    "Really?" Antonio asked with some surprise. "If you are, it wouldn't make a difference if you took it off and gave it to your boyfriend here, you'd be showing off the same amount of skin."

    Tania glared at him. "Can we pass, Antonio?"

    "Sure," He waved them through as his buddy opened the gate.

    "Since when did he comment on your clothes?" Harry asked as they rolled towards the manor entrance proper.

    "He occasionally made comments when we were younger," Tania replied. "Though he never joked about that before."

    "I mean, that blouse is a bit different than what you usually wear," Harry pointed out.

    "You don't like it?"

    "Well, I don't know, since I can't see it."

    "I'm not taking the blouse off–"

    "That's not what I meant!"

    "...right now."

    Tania pulled the car to stop as Harry facepalmed. Was Tania trying to get him to pick out her clothes or something? Most of it looked the same! And she looked great in or out of any of them!

    But that was enough getting distracted. There were also two guards at the door, and these ones also looked a lot more alert than the Ken and Barbie twins. Judging by how they held themselves, they knew how to handle a gun. Good thing they weren't going to shoot them.

    Probably.

    "Hello Ms. Raith," one of them nodded as Tania stepped out of the car. "Your sister requests that you and your plus one join her for some refreshments in the east garden."

    "Will she be alone?" Tania asked, eying the new guards speculatively.

    "I believe a few of your other siblings will be there as well," the other guard replied.

    "I see." Tania nodded, stepping past the guards. Harry followed her, and the guards did as well, trailing after them a short distance away, though they seemed more concerned with protecting them, which was a fairly new experience for Harry.

    Tania led them through the mansion and then outside again, into a beautifully managed terraced garden that looked like it belonged in some period drama, complete with faux ruins, possibly actually ancient statues, with the plant life overgrown in a controlled way to lower visibility, either to make it more interesting to explore, or for more privacy for Raith activities.

    There was a fancy looking table on the top terrace, made of fine, looping wires, surrounded by similarly designed chairs, and loaded with some expensive looking snacks and drinks. From the looks of it, the other Raith siblings had begun partaking before they got there.

    Lara sat in one chair, dressed in white clothes accented with red roses, not unlike the ones blooming on the bushes behind her. Her hair was drawn into a long tail and she sipped primly at a glass of wine.

    Natalia stood ramrod straight beside and slightly behind Lara, dressed in a uniformly black suit. Her eyes tracked the approaching group carefully, a hint of concern showing despite her expressionless face.

    Thomas stood off to the side, looking like he felt a bit out of place. His eyes met Harry's, and he nodded, trying to form his usual charming smile, but it looked a bit strained.

    Felicia, dressed similarly to Lara, and looking no worse for wear from Harry blasting a hole through her chest last night, was nibbling on some sort of cracker, leaning against the table and tapping her foot impatiently.

    Elisa stood in the shade of a rosebush, a bit away from the table, arms folded, staring off into nowhere. She was wearing a dark colored hoodie, and looked like she really would rather be anywhere else.

    Lara rose as the new arrivals got closer, setting her wine glass on the table and spreading her arms in welcome. "Tania! It is good to see you," she beamed at her younger sister, and it seemed at least partly genuine. "You as well, Harry." Her gaze briefly swept to him, brimming with a mix of emotions that was hard to follow.

    "Lara," Tania greeted carefully. "What is all this?"

    The older Raith smiled, gesturing to the chair across from her. "Just a small family discussion, little sister."

    Tania settled into the chair gracefully, eying her sister speculatively. Harry, not feeling comfortable around this many White Court, even if they were all keeping a lid on their Hungers, chose to stand. Better if they needed to fight. Thomas shifted, moving a bit closer so he could back his brother up if it became necessary.

    "This seems quite overmuch for anything simple, Lara," Tania accused. "What is it that you want?"

    "Straight to the point, as always," Lara tittered, laughter sounding like tinkling bells. "The other families will be in for quite the surprise."

    Her face grew serious. "And that is what we must discuss, as much as I would like to say I simply wished to celebrate our freedom."

    "Didn't you do that last night?" Harry snarked, drawing an annoyed glare from Natalia, but Lara just laughed.

    "I suppose that is one way of looking at it."

    "But it leaves a power vacuum," Tania cut in, looking like she would much rather not remember what her siblings had been doing the previous evening.

    "Indeed," Lara confirmed.

    "And what will the consequences be?" Tania asked, folding her hands on the table.

    "If we do not manage to ride the fallout, they will kill us," Lara explained simply.

    "How do you plan on ensuring that does not happen?" Tania frowned, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Strike first? Eliminate their ability to perform such an attack?"

    Harry stifled a snort. That was Tania alright.

    "They would never see that coming," Lara conceded. "But we lack the strength for that, and as you have demonstrated, it may be possible to turn some of them to our side." She smiled, gaze flicking between Tania and Harry. "Better to make friends than enemies, wouldn't you say?'

    "You really want to make friends with the Skavis or Malvora?" Thomas burst out. "That'll never work."

    "Oh, no," Lara denied. "I am aware that they would simply view it as another opportunity to move against us. But we do need to at least maintain the usual politeness."

    "So they do not have casus belli?" Tania asked. "From what I understand, they are already inclined to work together, so it seems unlikely we could push them to collaborate more."

    "In part," Lara confirmed. "It would also confirm to them that something has changed, and free them to act accordingly."

    "You plan on pretending that dearly lobotomized dad is still around?" Thomas wondered disbelievingly. "What? Are we going to say he's in seclusion or something? They'd never believe that!"

    "They are what they eat!" Felicia chimed in, biting a baby carrot in half. "One's too much of a coward to act first and the other will never really believe they can win." Her voice was still light, not as smoky as most of her siblings, but she didn't sound quite as…childish as she had yesterday.

    "Not so simple as that," Elisa scoffed. "They would've gotten bumped off already if that was all there was to it." She also sounded different, with a more pronounced New England accent.

    "Their leaders control their lessers through said Fear and Despair," Natalia explained. "They are thus able to coordinate towards unified action, unlike the remaining Tarquin or Barbarossa." She still sounded the same.

    "Pride is a lonely road," Lara said airily, "and Wrath is too volatile for long term aims. Unless you can control it."

    Just how many different types of Whamp were there? Lust, Fear, Despair, Wrath, and now Pride? Couldn't they feed on something nice? Like the feeling you get when hugging puppies?

    "Are you suggesting that the S and M are unlikely to move if there is uncertainty?" Tania cut through the chatter, getting back onto the main point, even if she worded it a bit funny.

    "Not openly," Lara hedged, tilting her head slightly.

    "Then we will have to be prepared," Tania declared.

    "We?" Harry pointed out. "Sure you can trust them, after what they've done?"

    Natalia made to retort, but Lara stopped her with a gesture.

    "Trust?" Tania mused, gaze sweeping over her older siblings. "Not the same as before. But our enemies would not discriminate even if I distanced myself, would they?"

    "That is hard to say definitively," Lara hedged, clearly pleased that Tania seemed willing to work together. There was an almost proud look in her eyes, if tinged with plenty of regret.

    "Regardless," Tania continued, narrowing her eyes at her older sister, "you are my siblings, even if you've betrayed my trust. As much as that angers me, you are still preferable to the other families."

    "Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis," Thomas drawled, an amused grin on his face.

    "Didn't they chain you down and try to kill you?" Harry blurted out, giving his brother an incredulous look.

    "Yeah…true," Thomas shrugged. "Not really over it…the other families would do worse though."

    "I will find a way to make it up to you, Tommy," Lara reassured him. "I owe you that much."

    "Like you owed him a bullet to the chest?" Harry remarked drily, reminding them of their short gunfight outside the film site.

    "That was under a different set of circumstances," Lara replied slowly, a wry grin pulling at her crimson lips. "If you do not hold a grudge regarding that scuffle, I will not hold a grudge about you manhandling me."

    "If anything, you'd want him to do it more, you freak," Elisa snorted.

    "Hey! No kink shaming!" Felicia objected, glaring at her sullen sister.

    "Don't get me started on you," Elisa sighed. "Miss daydreaming about a man who drilled a hole through you."

    "I was shot through the heart!" Felicia cried, kicking her legs petulantly.

    Harry wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, and based on how Tania narrowed her eyes at her bickering sisters, he probably shouldn't.

    However…there was something different here. It wasn't as if he knew Tania's Whamp sisters all that well, but this kind of behavior was very different from the creepy mindraped synchronization he had seen from them last night. It was a bit more actually…sisterly. Like each Raith here was actually thinking for themselves.

    And for someone who had clearly set up this meeting place to assert her place of dominance, Lara did not respond to her sister basically undercutting her. It could have been a ploy to show that without their old man, they could be sisters, but for a second, Harry saw a flicker of pained nostalgia in the older vampire's eyes, a surprisingly hopeful look for someone like her.

    It could be acting, but Harry had seen Lara crack before, and this looked like another example, just in the opposite circumstances. In the alley, her immortal life had been inches away from ending, while here, she was in a secure position with a lifelong weight suddenly lifted from her shoulders.

    From the way Tania tilted her head minutely, it seemed that she saw that too.

    Lara was very good at hiding her monstrous nature, and this slight glimpse of vulnerability did more for that than Harry would like to admit.

    "Were they like this before?" Tania asked softly.

    "Not quite," Lara replied in the same tone. "But we can't become innocent again, can we?"

    "No," Tania agreed solemnly, and her image in the sight flashed through Harry's mind.

    Harry set his hand on Tania's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Tania leaned into his hand, pressing her silky skin against his, something he hadn't expected, but she had become a lot more physically affectionate recently. And well, he didn't really mind.

    Lara looked amused at first, but her expression morphed into confusion and then outright shock for a moment, though Harry wasn't quite sure about what. Sure, Lara didn't think he was a complete idiot anymore, but Tania had enough charm that it shouldn't be that surprising he had fallen for her.

    And he really had.

    With the smug satisfaction oozing from his girlfriend, she seemed to know it too. Either that or she was getting one over her older sister.

    "Perhaps now, we will have more opportunities to live our own lives?" Tania asked, both hopefully and also challengingly.

    Lara stared at her, curiosity and some confusion leaking out from her controlled expression. "Perhaps. But it is a dangerous world, so we must stick together, even in our newfound freedom."

    "I do not disagree," Tania replied evenly, "but do you include Inari as part of the family?"

    "Of course!" Lara exclaimed, looking genuinely taken aback by the question. "Whyever not?"

    "She has not yet fledged," Tania pointed out.

    "Kinda hope she never does," Thomas mumbled, drawing pointed looks from both Lara and Tania. "What? The old man's not here to gag us anymore."

    "Explain," Tania requested politely.

    "Well, you know…" Thomas began hesitantly, "If one of us has their first time with someone they're in True Love with, then it kills the Hunger and they become a normal person."

    Wait, really?!

    "A very unlikely occurrence," Natalia pointed out, "given the nature of youths and our father's demand for secrecy." She glared at Thomas for a moment, then blinked and shook her head, realizing that there was no need for that anymore.

    "Truly?" Tania asked in a carefully even tone. "Are you suggesting that Inari might have a chance at living a normal life?"

    "For all that's good for," Felicia snorted.

    "If…anyone is able to manage that, I think Inari would be the one," Elisa murmured quietly.

    "Is it actually true?" Natalia asked, glancing down at Lara. "I do not remember something of the sort ever happening, even if the rumor was persistent for as long as I remember."

    Lara frowned. "Truthfully, nor do I. But there must be some truth to this, or else there would be no need to obscure it."

    "At the very least…" Tania sighed. "At least she will have an informed choice, unlike the rest of us."

    Complicated expressions passed over the Raith siblings' faces. Even if some of them were much more comfortable with their vampiric nature than others, it looked like none of them had nice memories about what happened when they fledged, or what happened shortly afterwards.

    Harry squeezed Tania's shoulder again, and she relaxed slightly.

    "We should not lie to her any more," Tania said finally.

    "And if she doesn't want anything to do with us anymore?" Elisa asked.

    "She…is more forgiving than we deserve," Tania replied softly.

    There was silence for a long moment in the garden, the Raith siblings all pondering something in their heads, while Harry waited, feeling a bit like he was intruding.

    Finally, Tania looked Lara in the eye and nodded. "Our family has never run on trust, and I do not think we can, even now, not with the extended family. I am still not sure I can trust you, and I know you no longer fully trust me either. However…"

    Lara cocked a head questioningly.

    "I believe it would be better if greater trust could be reestablished," Tania continued. "After all, there is more benefit in collaborating if we are not stabbing each other in the back."

    "We are all liars, Tania," Lara pointed out, leaning back sensually in her chair. "We rather have to be. It is not as if we could be truly honest with each other, let alone with ki–with mortals."

    "Not publically, as of yet," Tania conceded, "but that was not what I was speaking of."

    "There are some things that must be kept secret," Lara countered. "Things that can create grave peril if they become more widely known. Dangerous not just to our interests, but to all others as well."

    "And what exactly are our interests?" Tania asked, tilting her head back questioningly.

    "Peace," Lara declared, spreading her arms wide and arching her body in a way to show off. "I want peace. This war has not been good for our interests, or your White Council's, Harry dear."

    "That is all well and good," Tania replied. "But I doubt you are suggesting an attempt to convince the Red Court to come to terms. They are committed, and are unlikely to stop. Not to mention that the other families likely do not mind seeing the White Council reduced, and are already sniffing for weakness like you said."

    Lara smiled. "So peace is also in your interests, then?"

    "Naturally," Tania conceded. "But it is not your sole desire, is it now?"

    "Of course not," Lara replied. "I also want prosperity, though I am certainly willing to share."

    "It can hardly be called prosperity if only one person benefits," Tania remarked.

    "Then we have an accord, then?" Lara asked lightly.

    "Didn't take you for a Honda girl," Harry snarked, reminding the two sisters that there were, in fact, other people present in the garden.

    The older Raith sister rolled her eyes dramatically, and Thomas groaned, palming his face with his hand.

    Felicia giggled. "I don't know what he meant but it sounded funny!"

    "Don't encourage him," Elisa sighed, before a slight smile pulled at her lips. "But…it feels good to laugh for real, for once."

    "I do not see what the Japanese have to do with this conversation," Natalia grumbled, giving Harry an annoyed look.

    "I have never heard all of you speak so freely," Tania observed softly. "It is refreshing."

    "We have never been so free," Lara replied in the same tone.

    "But you said we can't celebrate!" Felicia complained. "What's up with that?!"

    "We have to at least delay the spread of the news," Natalia explained with a resigned sigh.

    "Though I never said you could not have fun, Felicia dear," Lara clarified with an indulgent smile.

    "But it's more fun when you're there too!"

    Harry and Thomas shared an uncomfortable glance. Even without their daddy dearest, it looked like the Raith sisters were still weird.

    "To be honest…I wish I could go without for a bit," Elisa mumbled, retreating into her hoodie slightly. "Doesn't feel right without him and…I don't like that."

    Hell's Bells, that was messed up.

    "Maybe I can help?" Felicia offered.

    Elisa's face twisted in discomfort. "For Chrissakes you're my sister!"

    "Hasn't stopped you before though."

    "When Daddy messed with our heads–!" Elisa snapped at her sibling, before catching herself. "I'm not doing that anymore."

    "Felicia, you said yourself, no 'kink shaming,' as you call it," Tania interjected.

    "Fiiine!" Lara's mini me drawled.

    "I think the point has been made," Lara declared with a low chuckle. "Felicia, Elisa, if you have other places you would rather be, then feel free."

    "Is that wise?" Natalia asked with a frown, apparently worried about being outnumbered by the more rebellious members of the family.

    Lara gave her a meaningful look. "If they wanted to kill me, they would have already done so."

    Natalia looked like she swallowed a lemon, but nodded.

    The more childish Raith whooped and hopped off the table before sauntering off to do who knows what, while the morose one left to take a nap or something, given how tired she looked.

    "Is there something you would like to say with less of an audience?" Tania inquired.

    "There are many things I would like to say, many things we should have spoken of before now," Lara mused, "but I believe I will take a page out of your book and be more direct."

    She leaned forward, resting her chest on the table and clasping her hands under her chin. "I think it should be clear that the two of us are the ones who care the most about the direction our family takes."

    Raising one delicate hand, she began counting off. "Felicia fledged too young and has not matured nearly enough, Elisa barely was allowed to have a thought of her own in decades, and while you two could, neither of you have ever cared much for it, have you, Thomas? Natalia?" She gave the other two siblings an expectant look.

    "I did not have much chance to think for myself until I was too old to learn," Natalia answered blandly.

    "Never thought I'd live long enough for it to matter," Thomas shrugged.

    "Have I ever mentioned how your family is fucked up, Tania?" Harry muttered.

    Tania snorted, tilting her head back to look up at him as she leaned back in her chair. "You could have phrased that better, but I don't think any of us could deny that." Harry did his best not to react to the slight smirk on her face as she noticed his gaze wandering. "Not to mention your side of the family had its own share of issues."

    "You got me there," Harry conceded.

    "Our family tree is going to be so messed up," Thomas snickered.

    "Oh, there is no tree at all," Lara cut in with a laugh.

    "I am forced to agree with the Wizard," Natalia admitted, a frown on her face. "Though may I ask how his presence is supposed to improve things?"

    "Ah, thank you, Natalia, we have indeed strayed from the main topic."

    "I do not intend to usurp control of the family," Tania declared, locking eyes with her oldest sister. "Especially not in regards to public facing roles. Even if I were capable, I am too young to be respected by those I would need to interact with."

    "I'm glad you see that," Lara replied with a pleased smile. "And to your point, I myself lack quite the reputation to be taken seriously by many of our competitors, even though I am older. This can be an advantage, but still poses problems."

    "Are we just going to pretend dear old dad isn't a vegetable then?" Thomas scoffed. "And hasn't Tania been doing a lot of the accounting and stuff anyways?"

    "I organized and streamlined a lot of the processes there, but I am not in control of them," Tania objected.

    "That's an oddly specific denial there, little sister," Lara tittered. "I can never tell if you are a poor or excellent liar."

    Tania paused for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

    "On the one hand, you are still young, and still need to work on your tells," Lara drawled. "On the other hand, you and your wizard friend have managed something that hundreds of beings thought more dangerous than you both failed. Even more, you took him by surprise." She smiled crookedly. "Surely you see how unnerving some would find this?"

    "I once thought family meant something for us," Tania replied coolly. "But it clearly meant something different to the rest of you."

    "It can change," Thomas cut in quickly, giving Lara a sharp look. "We can change."

    "We cannot show weakness, not now," Lara shot back.

    "Didn't we look weak because of his inaction and passivity?" Tania pointed out. "Yes, a major shift would look suspicious, but a failure to change would also be fatal."

    "What kind of change would you recommend?" her older sister asked, eyes narrowing in thought.

    "You have already made some changes," the younger Raith remarked. "The new bodyguards are clearly more than ornamental, and I know you prefer a more reciprocal arrangement when possible, as that allows for better performance."

    "But that is not what you are referring to, is it?" Lara observed pleasantly.

    "For one, our Hungers can feed off of things other than humans," Tania began. "And with the mechanism Harry developed to store life energy, this means that we do not have to be as concerned about ruining our investments in human resources by having someone take too deep of a bite. There are many creatures that will be missed far less than even the most unwanted human, especially as surveillance technology improves."

    Lara and Thomas glanced at each other, looking taken aback. "Feeding off of what you are suggesting bears significant risk, even with our ability to heal," the older Raith sister remarked. "And I admit to being surprised that you are so adventurous."

    "Admittedly, it was not originally my intention," Tania hedged. "But after killing several that sought to feed on me, it became a…preference, shall we say."

    "How the hell did you manage that?!" Thomas blurted out, eyes widening in horror.

    "Initially…" Tania trailed off, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Initially I managed by ripping their throats out and draining their life force that way, but it was incredibly messy and inefficient. It is much easier to drain them if they are staked to the ground."

    Her siblings stared at her blankly, before giving Harry a questioning look.

    "It works surprisingly well," he added. "A lot of them really can't help chasing what looks like a human woman down a dark alley to their deaths."

    "That…being able to feed in such a way…" Lara murmured.

    "That's not normal," Thomas whispered.

    "That would have been useful to know a few years ago," Tania said drily. "It would have saved me a number of headaches and cleaning bills. Regardless, you are both capable of feeding off of the batteries Harry made."

    There was Tania glossing over how weird she was again.

    The two older siblings shared a glance, something unspoken passing between them.

    "Feeding using the batteries is filling, if not as invigorating as Feeding directly," Tania continued, interpreting their hesitation as being about her pitch and not her being weird. "However, there is much less risk involved with the batteries, and they can be stored for later use if necessary, which proved very useful in combat situations."

    "Or when one of us is badly injured," Thomas added thoughtfully, turning to give Tania a solemn nod. "It stopped me from doing something I could never live with. So thank you, Tania."

    "Think nothing of it," the younger sister waved off, "you are my brother, after all."

    Yeah…Thomas being his half-brother too was making this whole thing a little weird, but Harry pushed that thought to the side.

    "That much is obvious," Lara agreed, a thoughtful look on her face. "But how easily are these batteries created? And how long do they last? I cannot imagine vital energy lasting long outside the body."

    "There are two types that we have found to be feasible," Tania replied in her lecture voice. "First, is a piece of iron imbued with a facet of emptiness. It will eagerly absorb energy, and does not lessen the 'taste,' so to speak, significantly. However, the energy will degrade in quantity and quality over time, lasting a few weeks at best if properly stored, a few days if not. These are also quite simple to make. According to Harry's estimation, any practitioner with a shred of thaumaturgical talent could create one given the instructions, though the number and rate at which they are able to do so would vary."

    "And the other type?" Lara prompted, curiosity evident on her face. "I presume it is better for longer storage?"

    "Just so," Tania confirmed. "Silver objects hold charge for much longer, perhaps indefinitely, especially if the object has some thaumaturgical resonance. Utensils, for example, and piercings, for some reason."

    One of Lara's eyebrows arched elegantly, and Thomas let out a sound halfway between a sputter and a laugh.

    "It varies a bit depending on the person using them," Harry added. "At least, if you're storing some of your own energy in them for later. So for you…it'll probably be something, well, sexual."

    Lara hummed in amusement. "That sounds quite intriguing, Harry Dear."

    "Of course," Thomas scoffed, shaking his head slightly.

    Harry just rolled his eyes and ignored them.

    "The energy tastes more stale in comparison," Tania went on, "but does not really degrade over time, as far as I have observed."

    "And you say they are simple to create?" Lara asked, face returning to a neutral state, but her eagerness still bled into her normally perfect poise.

    Tania shook her head slightly.

    "The silver batteries take a fair bit more talent to make work," Harry explained, "but it isn't super complicated." Specifically, it was harder to get the release mechanism right, setting up the battery itself was about the same.

    "What about capacity?" Lara pressed, now clearly interested.

    "That is something more difficult to quantify," Tania admitted. "Without active use, one battery is enough to keep my Hunger quiescent for about a week, and of the ones we have made, a common Red Court Vampire can be drained for enough energy to fill anywhere between five to a dozen batteries depending on the situation. It is unfortunately not an exact science. And of course, if you draw on your Hunger, that will deplete their stores."

    "Sounds…almost too good to be true," Thomas murmured. "How come no one ever tried this before?"

    "I would not know," Tania replied, "but it seems likely to me that it comes largely due to a lack of trust. Our Hungers push most of whatever magic we have in a specific direction, so something of this kind would have relied on normal human practitioners. Given our sire's tendencies, he likely did not approve of the idea of giving someone else power over him."

    "I bet no one thought of it because they were too horny, or just didn't think it was worth bothering with since it isn't that hard to feed on someone," Harry interjected, only partly joking.

    "Perhaps it is a blind spot of ours," Lara mused, giving Tania a searching look. "This was not entirely your idea, was it?"

    Tania shook her head.

    "I came up with the idea," Harry acknowledged, "but she was the one who realized how useful it would be for her."

    The older Raith siblings were silent for a moment, clearly deep in thought.

    After some time, Lara spoke again. "What do you want in exchange for the knowledge for these batteries? Tania? Dresden?"

    "Use them," Tania declared. "As much as many normal humans would be perfectly happy to have intercourse with one of us, the addictive and supernatural nature attached to us can lead to problems. Using these batteries would insulate against the deleterious effects and potentially reduce the impulsive decision making our Hungers can lead us to."

    "You want us to attempt more equitable relations with humans?" Lara wondered. "That is a risky thing to attempt."

    "I think our sire's current condition helps demonstrate the limitations of thralls," Tania pointed out. "Not to mention that you clearly see the value of functional subordinates compared to the slavishly loyal."

    She glanced up at Harry, a small smile quirked her lip up. "And, after all, our partnership is an example of the usefulness of such arrangements."

    Harry wasn't sure that their relationship could be in any way normal, but if this got the Raiths to act more human than vampire, it could be a good thing.

    "Perhaps there is some merit in the idea," Lara admitted, "but I think we have talked enough about business." She gave Tania a knowing smile. "I'm sure you have some celebrations planned, no?"

    Uh…maybe? Harry tried not to think about what almost happened in the morning.

    Tania flushed slightly, but looked like she still had something to say. "I suppose some of the details can wait, but I do have a largely unrelated question."

    "Oh, do tell, sister," Lara crooned, an expectant smile on her face.

    "You mentioned that if an unfledged has their first sexual encounter with someone who shares True Love with them, it kills their hunger, is that correct?"

    "As far as we know, that is the case," Lara confirmed. "Why? Has Inari finally made a move on her boyfriend?"

    "Perhaps," Tania shrugged. "But what about a fully fledged White Court? What happens during their first time?"

    Both her siblings stared at her in incomprehension.

    "You…are still a virgin?" Lara mumbled blankly.

    "How the hell is that possible?" Thomas yelled. "Didn't you get assaulted–?!" He trailed off, realizing what he just said.

    Tania shrugged. "I was assaulted, not raped. I do not think Black Court care much for such things."

    Her siblings stared at her in horror, and Harry noted some realization flickering in their eyes. For a moment, Lara looked afraid of her own sister. Why was that?

    "How did you survive?" Thomas croaked.

    "I am not sure," Tania replied. "It may have been stunned by a holy symbol I happened to be wearing. When I came to my senses all that was left was dust."

    "I see…" her older sister murmured, looking into the distance thoughtfully.

    Thomas met Harry's eyes, and he sighed. "We really owe you one, Harry."

    "You owe Michael for that one," Harry returned. "I only helped a bit."

    "Do not discount your own efforts," Tania huffed, giving him an unimpressed look. "Or at least respect the value they had to me."

    "Yeah, yeah, got it," Harry sighed.

    Lara let out a short laugh. A genuine, uncontrolled one. "You two are certainly close."

    "Not sure exactly how it happened, but…" Harry narrowed his eyes at Lara, his voice dropping threateningly, "you know what happened to the last vampire who hurt a woman I cared about. I'm sure you're smart enough not to make the same mistake."

    "I am not nearly as short sighted as Bianca was," Lara declared quickly, looking slightly rattled by Tania's revelation.

    "Don't think I've ever heard something like what happened to you," Thomas murmured. "So I have no idea. Probably nothing will happen?"

    "Aside from severe pain," Lara pointed out.

    "Ah, so nothing worth discussing," Tania concluded.

    The two older Raiths gave Harry unreadable looks. He tried (and failed) to not think about what Tania was implying.

    "How are you going to explain this to the rest of the family?" Thomas wondered.

    "You let me worry about that," Lara replied coyly. "Though be prepared, you may have to perform some diplomacy in the near future."

    "Great," Thomas sighed. "I don't really know what I expected, but I shouldn't have been surprised that this made everything more complicated."

    Tania glanced briefly at her watch. "While this has been a fruitful conversation, we have some other engagements." She stood, nodding to her siblings. "I will see you again soon."

    "It was lovely for you to come back and visit," Lara replied with a smile, as if this was really just a family meet up and not some political shenanigans.

    "Don't do anything too crazy, you two," Thomas called.

    "When has that ever been a concern?" Tania scoffed over her shoulder.

    "Uh…Tania, do you remember how we got into this situation to begin with?" Harry pointed out.

    "Hush! It was a perfectly rational move!"

    "Right, let's go with that."

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Rosalina loved her family. Well, the ones who raised her at least. Her cousins were a hoot and Aunt Erika was a softie under her serious exterior. That didn't mean they weren't scary though.

    She had crossed Uncle Cleph's line once. Never again.

    And now, they all seemed a bit nervous about something, which scared the hell out of Rosalina, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it.

    When they recommended that she visit the Carpenters' place for the day, that just made her more nervous.

    Her vampire family was telling her (also a vampire) to go to the home of a Knight of the Cross. Auntie Erika had flipped her shit when she first heard that Rosalina had made frenemies with Molly Carpenter, and even up 'til now, her family had been a bit nervous about how close she was getting, because it was really not a great idea to seriously mess with the family of the Fist of God.

    But now they basically threw her out the door in the direction of the Carpenters, still not telling her anything about what had them all riled up, and that scared her. More than visiting the Carpenters scared her.

    But she wasn't that kind of bitch, so here she was, walking up to the front door of the most aggressively normal house that was anything but–

    It was quieter than normal…usually at least one of the kids was out and about in the yard. Just what the heck had happened?!

    Still, Rosalina was no chicken, so she knocked on the door sharply as always, standing outside and trying her best not to think about the angels guarding the place. Sure, she was mortal enough they'd leave her alone, probably, but she feared God enough not to want to tempt it. That…and she really did like the Carpenters.

    The door opened and Molly poked her head out. "What do you want, bitch?!" the blonde snapped with little real heat.

    "What, I can't decide to come visit my friends?" Rosalina shot back, a wide grin spreading across her face. Molls never failed to disappoint.

    "I really don't want to deal with you right now," Molly groaned.

    "Who says I was talking about you?" Rosalina shot back snidely.

    "Why you–!" Molly clenched her jaw and let out a slow breath, the familiar scent of her anger forcibly tamped down. She let out a sigh. "As much fun as bitching at you can be, Inari's been through some really terrible stuff, so I don't think this is a good–"

    "Wait, what happened to Inari?" Rosalina's roommate was a total sweetheart, who would want to hurt– "Ah, shit…"

    "Some family stuff," Molly explained, giving her a weird look.

    "Empty Night…" The bottom dropped out of Rosalina's stomach. Her own awakening had been bad, and the Raiths did it in an even more fucked up way. "Is she ok?"

    "Yeah…a bit shaken up, but she doesn't seem hurt."

    Rosalina frowned. If it was what she was thinking, Inari wouldn't look hurt. "Is Charles alright?"

    "Charles?" Molly asked, giving her a confused look. "I heard he needed to go to the hospital but was mostly ok, what's he got to do with this?"

    Oh right, she didn't know, did she?

    "Wait…the fuck did you do Rosalina?!" Molly barked.

    "I didn't do anything!" the redhead shot back heatedly. She had standards!

    "Yes, you did not do anything."

    Both belligerent young women froze, turning to see the speaker. Inari stood in the foyer behind the eldest Carpenter kid, face flat and so uncharacteristically inexpressive that Rosalina could have believed that this was Tania instead, if not for the usually cheerful twin's hair being loose, something the more serious twin rarely would allow, even if their nature meant that they looked good even if slightly disheveled.

    "Inari?" Molly asked worriedly.

    "Why, Rosie?" Inari whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

    Rosalina wasn't sure what to say, and she was pretty sure her uncles' suggestions of shooting or hitting something wasn't going to help someone like Inari. Molly looked entirely lost.

    "I…wasn't supposed to," she finally mumbled lamely.

    "I don't know what you're talking about," Molly remarked, "but when the hell has that ever stopped you?"

    "More than you'd think," Inari replied before Rosalina could respond. "Believe it or not, by her family's standards, Rosalina is a good girl."

    "What?" their normal friend glanced between them, blinking owlishly.

    "And…I'm the bad girl," Inari mused, almost giggling.

    Molly and Rosalina shared a concerned glance, the confused blonde mouthing a 'what the fuck?!' while the redhead felt the sinking feeling in her gut only grow worse.

    "Fuck your family," she declared, dealing with awkwardness the only way she really knew how, "aside from Tania they all suck."

    Inari broke into hysterical giggles. "Fuck my family indeed! Hahaha. And they really do suck!"

    "Shit," Rosalina coughed. She really should have worded that better.

    "What?!" Molly screeched, throwing her arms up in the air. "Can someone explain what's going on?!"

    "Why don't you invite Rosalina in, Molly?" Inari suggested, voice suddenly dead serious, all laughter wiped away.

    "What do you mean?" the Carpenter asked, "I already opened the door for her. Dad said only things that–wait!" She narrowed her eyes at Inari. "How do you know about that–?!" Her eyes widened until they were the size of saucers and they snapped to Rosalina. "What are you?! Was this whole thing a trick?!"

    "Uh…" the Wrath vampire stuttered, not expecting to be outed like that, especially not by Inari of all people. Shit, what did she do?! The only way she knew how to make friends was with aggression, but she had enough sense to realize that it wouldn't work the best in this situation.

    "All these years, you were lying to me about what you were?" Molly shouted, face red with anger and betrayal, one hand clutching her crucifix. "What are you trying to do with us?!"

    "I ain't doing shit!" Rosalina denied. "I thought you were cool cause you were always ready to get up in arms about stuff and it tasted good!"

    "Tasted good? What the fuck does that mean?!"

    Rosalina sighed, shoulders deflating. She was a shit liar, and well, she wasn't gonna risk lying right on heaven's doorstep.

    So she loosened the leash on her little rabid friend, her vision sharpening enough to see her own reflections change in her friend's eyes, skin paling, hair turning blood red, and eyes glowing silver, even as shock widened Molly's eyes, before morphing into anger.

    "You're fucking White Court?!" Molly growled. "What the hell are you trying to do with my brothers?!"

    Rosalina blinked. What?

    "She's not that kind of White Court," Inari interjected softly.

    "Huh?" Molly started, turning towards Inari.

    "Her family feeds off of anger," the pale haired girl explained, voice whisper quiet and distant. "The ones you were thinking of? That would be me."

    Molly's jaw dropped, and she stood there in stunned silence, and Rosalina could practically hear the gears in her head turning behind her flummoxed eyes.

    "So Thomas, Natalia…Tania…" Molly breathed. "Mother of God, it all makes sense now!" She frowned. "But why…? Why did Dad never…?"

    "He must have known," Inari murmured, eyes downcast. "I guess he thought we deserved a chance to escape our family's fate."

    A flood of conflicting emotions warred on Molly's face. "How many of my friends are fake–" She shook her head. "No. No way." She pointed at Inari. "I've known you and Tania since we could barely walk, there's no way you were faking all that."

    Inari smiled, eyes glimmering with tears. "I'm glad you see that, Margaret," she whispered.

    Then the blonde turned to Rosalina, a less certain look on her face. "I've known you for years too, but…I thought you were terrible at lying…"

    Rosalina had to concede that, but she wasn't great at telling the truth either. "Uh…yeah? I don't think I lied to you about anything except calling you ugly and stuff like that."

    "So what?! Was it all a game then?!" Molly yelled, face turning red as something clicked in her head. "Trying to piss me off so you could…feed…on my anger?!"

    "Uh…no?" Rosalina stammered. "That's how I made friends with my cousins…?"
    "Don't try lying to me now," Molly snarled, her fist balling in rage. "You seriously expect me to believe you being such a bitch is you acting friendly?"

    "Well–"

    "No one could possibly be that dumb!"
    Ouch…but…it had taken Rosalina way too long to figure out that most people weren't like her family. She had Matthew to thank for that. Where was he, anyways? Hopefully he wouldn't hate her.

    "I guess I'm fucking dumb, then," the Wrath vampire sighed, squaring her shoulders, and stepping across the threshold into the house.

    A sharp pain flashed through the base of her skull, and the world suddenly looked duller, her limbs felt heavier, more fatigued, but the constant violent urge in the back of her head faded, but all Rosalina focused on was the shocked look in her friend's eyes as she recoiled–

    A chick, larger for its age, staring into the wide expanse of sky out of the boughs of the great tree it was hatched in, under protective wings of her parents.

    There was a fire in her heart, a yearning to be strong, great and free, watching the birds of prey soaring through the sky and aspiring to be like them, not heedless of danger, exactly, but not yet fully understanding the dangers of the wider world.

    It fussed over its smaller siblings, watching over them with an intensity similar to her mother, even as she quarreled with her elder.

    A sparrow could never be an eagle, but small creatures can still bring great Wrath, and humans were a lot more resourceful than they were often given credit for. This one…as young and yet weak as they were, had a spark of defiance, and was a step away from pecking out an enemy's eyes.

    Rosalina sucked in a lungful of air as she stumbled, not quite sure what had just happened. She and Molly had locked eyes plenty of times as they bickered, but this was new.

    "What–?!" Molly gasped. "What was that?"

    "What was what?" Inari asked, glancing between the two of them worriedly. "You looked at each other and just kind of froze up for a second." She frowned, looking at Rosalina and judging her reaction. "You didn't do that, did you, Rosie? You look a bit shaken."

    "Wasn't me," the redhead confirmed. "We've stared each other down plenty of other times, not sure why this time was different." She felt like she had heard about something like this, maybe from one of her family…but they could have been pulling her leg.

    "You…shit," Molly snorted, almost collapsing against the wall, a near hysterical grin on her face. "It's weird as hell but you're actually not a rebel at all, and how the hell aren't you always roiding out with that thing in your soul?"

    "It ain't smart to get people pissed enough to try and kill you," Rosalina replied, feeling slightly violated, if relieved that Molly seemed to understand. "That only happened once, and I really don't want to do it again."

    "Did you…see into each other, or something?" Inari wondered. "Is the saying that eyes are the windows to the soul more literal than I thought?"

    "Uh…maybe?" Rosalina mumbled. "There're things you shouldn't look in the eye, but that's usually cause they can do stuff to you that way."

    "And you can't?" Molly asked.

    "Well, not specifically? I don't think?" the redhead answered hesitantly. Her Hunger's influence seemed stronger on people she looked at, but she wasn't sure if that actually had anything to do with eye contact, or if that was just a more animalistic thing.

    "Hmm…" Inari mused. "I know some people who don't ever really make eye contact with people, but most of them are hurt in some way or scared. Well…I guess Harry doesn't either–well he's also been hurt, but that's not why…"

    "You can't be serious," Molly whispered.

    "Who?" Rosalina blurted. She knew of a few people named Harry, but none of them made sense in this context.

    "Tania's boyfriend," Inari explained, entirely unhelpfully.

    "Right…" Rosalina drawled, while Molly stared at the pale haired girl in shock.

    "B-but! What?!" Molly stuttered. "How did–? When did that–?! Are you fucking with me now?"

    "I don't know." Inari shrugged. "They've been close for at least four years, or so? No…not quite four years, but they've kind of been in denial until recently."

    "How the hell was Tania the first one to get a boyfriend?" Rosalina murmured disbelievingly.

    "Wait, they were dating the whole time?" Molly squawked. "How is that fair?!"

    "Err…kinda? I'm not really sure how it worked–" Inari shook her head, cutting off that train of thought. "Anyways, do wizards have some special thing about looking people in the eyes?"

    That…kind of rang a bell…but it wasn't like Rosalina knew that much about that stuff. Just not to cross any wizard with a sword. Though…if it was a wizard thing…

    Rosalina glanced at Inari, wondering if they should try the same thing. While she was pretty sure it wasn't some White Court thing, this was the first time she'd left the Rawhr-Rawhr Brain Buddy behind at the door.

    A sliver of unease crept up her spine at the thought of Inari seeing into her like what she and Molly had, but Rosalina quashed it. She wasn't a coward! And it probably won't work anyways.

    She gave the other White Court, or at least fledgeling, a meaningful look, and Inari looked her in the eyes for a long moment. Nothing happened, but Rosalina suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to back away.

    "Well…it doesn't seem to work for either of us," Inari observed, glancing over to Molly. "So whatever happened seems to be something to do with you."

    Molly glanced between her two friends, eyes no longer as suspicious, but still filled with uncertainty. "How can that be true…? You two are the…vampires, I guess?" She sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm just a normal girl. Never really had a chance, did I?"

    "Normal my ass," Rosalina snorted. She was the daughter of the Fist of God, and maybe a potential wizard?

    Inari let out an amused huff, though she gave her despondent friend an understanding look. "Molly, just because me and Tania are a bit crazy doesn't mean you aren't special too. Most people don't skip a couple grades, and well, no one seemed to think you looked out of place as part of our friend group."

    "Really?" Molly scoffed. "I'm not as smart, not as pretty–hell, I can't even keep up in sports stuff."

    "Uh…we're all older than you," Rosalina pointed out. "The last bit's pretty normal."

    The blonde gave her a hurt look, and the redheaded vampire cringed. Shit, she could have worded that better.

    "You shouldn't worry about that, Molls," Inari replied, shaking her head slightly. "You've skipped a couple years in school, so most of the people you're around are older than you. The fact you can mostly keep up means you're pretty amazing." She moved to hug her friend, but paused, almost flinching.

    Rosalina could kind of understand how Molly felt. She was in the same year as Tania and Inari, but she was four years older, and by God they made her feel practically retarded in comparison sometimes, and even Molly was better at school stuff than her. If she hadn't figured out that being dumber than the wunderkind didn't make her actually stupid, she'd have felt a lot more insecure about being shown up by girls quite a bit younger than her.

    "Do you really mean that?" Molly whispered. "I kind of always felt like you were just humoring me sometimes."

    "Of course I mean it!" Inari cried. "You're practically a little sister to me!"

    "That…yeah…I guess that makes sense," the shorter blonde sighed.

    "Molly," Inari insisted, stepping closer to her friend and surrogate sister. "Please, I'm being serious here. Look me in the eyes and you'll see I'm not lying."

    The youngest girl hesitated for a moment, before looking up and locking eyes with her friend. The two of them stood still for a second, but Rosalina could see tears welling up in their eyes.

    Then the moment passed, and both girls sucked in gasps of air as they collapsed into a hug.

    Molly started bawling, and Inari was crying too. Rosalina briefly considered whether she was supposed to be crying too, before deciding it was better to just join the hug so her two teary friends didn't fall over or something.

    The three of them stayed that way for a bit, long enough for the two crying girls to calm down. It was a little weird that no one had bothered them through the whole exchange, since Rosalina was pretty sure the rest of the Carpenters were also home, given it was a weekend and school hadn't started yet, and the house wasn't big enough for no one to have heard anything.

    Maybe they were just courteous enough not to interrupt, which usually made no sense to even consider for little kids, but the Carpenters were weird like that.

    They didn't speak for a good long while. Molly and Inari were a bit too teary and Rosalina decided that not opening her big fat mouth was probably the best option, but the cards were all on the table, including the one that none of them had known about.

    As it turned out, the rest of the family was actually waiting for them to talk it out, with Mrs. Carpenter rushing out and offering them cookies once Molly and Inari had started to get a hold of themselves.

    Rosalina couldn't help but feel she was intruding a bit, but the cookies were nice, and the little Carpenter kids were cute, looking like they weren't sure whether they should be mad at her for making their big sister cry, or happy that they had worked through some of their problems.

    Really, she was just happy that Mr. Carpenter was not angry at her, though he did seem a bit worried.

    Once Mrs. Carpenter had gotten the kids to sit down at the table for some snacks, the patriarch of the family pulled Rosalina aside.

    "You were not invited in, were you?" he asked, though he clearly knew the answer.

    Rosalina shook her head. "No, and honestly, I kinda prefer you don't. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to be able to think clearly." She shrugged. "Besides, I figure if anything happens that needs me to roid out, one of you guys could just ask for help, and I think that counts?"

    The unassumingly dangerous man gave her an approving nod. "It seems my trust was not misplaced," he remarked, eyes twinkling with amusement, "no matter how crass you can be."

    "Sorry about the cussing," the redhead muttered sheepishly.

    "You are forgiven," Mr. Carpenter granted sternly. "At the very least, you did not take the Lord's name in vain."

    Rosalina gulped. Yep, not doing that in this house.

    "I must admit to being a bit surprised that you and Molly grew so close, though in hindsight I suppose she did need an outlet for her frustrations, and you have enough restraint for that."

    "Uh…" What was she supposed to say to that?

    "Though you should probably apologize for feeding on her without her knowledge, however lightly."

    "Right!" Rosalina agreed quickly. "She learned to temper herself enough that I really can't get much from her anymore."

    "Hmm…I wonder if that is your kind's purpose," Mr. Carpenter mused, but Rosalina was spared guessing about stuff she had no clue about by the doorbell ringing.

    It turned out to be Inari's friends Charles and Xander. Or maybe boyfriend, Rosalina amended as she watched the baby Raith almost tackle Charles, the guy grinning like a loon, despite apparently almost getting eaten? Or at least that's what Rosalina assumed.

    He was a bit weird, but Rosalina could kinda see how his tendency to not remember how rich the Raiths were might be a bit appealing to someone like Inari. That and he was willing to try her food combinations.

    Still, it left Rosalina feeling a bit like a third wheel, so she went and chatted with Daniel and Matthew about paintball.

    The two guys looked like they wanted to ask about what exactly happened with their older sister, but ended up not doing so, maybe because they sensed it was something personal, or they figured that that was just kind of how she and Molly got along.

    Man, Rosalina was not looking forward to them learning about her being a vampire. She hoped they took it as well as Inari did, though her roommate had been more worried about her bloodstained clothes at the time.

    Wait, on second thought, these guys grew up with Tania, Inari and Molly as their reference for girls. Geez, Rosalina felt bad for the chicks in high school who'd try to get their attention. They'd be a catch too, if they picked up even a fraction of their dad's character.

    Some time later, the doorbell rang again.

    Rosalina had a guess for who it could be, and turned out to be right, as Mr. Carpenter opened the door to reveal Tania and a really tall guy–oh that Harry.

    "I'm glad to see you look well, Tania, Harry," Mr. Carpenter greeted. "Why don't you come inside?"

    "It is good to see you, Mr. Carpenter," Tania greeted, stepping through the door. "How is Inari?"

    "Hey Michael," Harry waved, following the Raith into the house.

    "Your sister is strong," Mr. Carpenter replied, "But she is still clearly shaken by what happened."

    "What…uh, what happened?" Rosalina asked, waving hello to Tania and her apparent boyfriend. "If you don't mind me asking."

    Tania and Harry glanced at her, before sharing a meaningful look. Ooookay, they were probably fucking. Somehow.

    "My sire tried to force the issue of Inari," Tania replied simply, her eyes flashing silver momentarily. "And I objected, vehemently."

    Despite being suppressed by the threshold, Rosalina's Hunger snapped up as much as it could, stricken by the urge to fight or flee as Tania's Hunger loomed threateningly.

    Empty Night! Rosalina flinched, her Hunger recoiling from the more dangerous one. Tania's Hunger had always been strong, but this was new…she…she didn't eat the White King, did she?!

    "Um…it's good that you won…? I assume you won," Rosalina offered haltingly.

    "We did, even if it was a close thing," Tania nodded solemnly. "And it was not entirely without loss." She glanced down at a small container, which smelled faintly of blood, now that Rosalina focused on it.

    "He was a very brave hedgehog," Harry added.

    Rosalina blinked. "Hayek was involved? What, did someone step on him or something?" The two people involved gave her flat looks. "Right…sorry."

    Tania sighed. "I suppose you couldn't have known." The pressure relented as the Raith's Hunger…went to sleep?!

    "You're…Cleph's kid, right?" Harry asked. "Or was it niece?"

    "Technically a distant cousin," Rosalina replied automatically, most of her mind trying to come to terms with just how weird Tania's Hunger was, "but I just call him uncle most of the time."

    "Well he seems alright for a vampire lord," Harry remarked with a shrug. "Really good shot too."

    Uhh…just what did Tania and her boyfriend get up to? "I'll tell him you said hi the next time I see him?" Rosalina offered.

    "I imagine that Professor de Rossi will want to speak with Harry in person in the near future," Tania added, as if that was just some everyday occurrence, "so there is no need. Though we do need to find a proper way to thank him for his aid. Do you have an idea of a gift he would appreciate?"

    Uh…was that really what was important right now?

    "He likes historical weapons, I guess?" Rosalina offered. Uncle Cleph did have a bunch of old weapons in his collection.

    "I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised," Tania mused. "Thank you for the advice, Rosalina."

    "You're welcome, I think?"

    "So why're you here, anyways?" Harry asked, giving Rosalina a curious look, though not looking her in the eye like…

    Wait…wizard…eyes being windows to the soul…was that a Soulgaze?! Was Molly actually a wizard? How the hell was that possible?

    "I know Harry is quite the fascinating specimen, Rosalina," Tania drawled flatly, "but I am also a bit curious why you are here."

    Okay, they were definitely fucking. "I don't really know," the redhead shrugged. "My aunt just suggested I hang out here for the day. Didn't say why, and it was a bit weird, since she flipped her shit the first time I came here."

    The two tall people shared a glance, before turning back to Rosalina with thoughtful looks on their faces.

    "I see…" Tania mused. "Their concern is unnecessary, but I suppose it makes sense." Not elaborating further, she stepped past the wrath vampire and Harry followed after her, also not explaining anything.

    "Wait! How do you know more about what my folks are thinking than I do?!" Rosalina cried, getting a bit fed up with being left out of the loop.

    "I wouldn't say that," Harry said with a shrug. "Just that they probably told you to come here since it's one of the safest places in the city."

    Rosalina let out a grunt of frustration. "Then what are you guys doing here?"

    "Putting Hayek to rest somewhere safe," Tania replied.

    Shit! Right, her hedgehog died. What the fuck was going on?

    Did…did Uncle Cleph and Tania…knock off the White King?! Was…that something she could even ask about?!

    But Tania didn't seem to have more time to chat, and their hosts also joined in the mourning over the little spike ball.

    Now that she thought about it, Hayek the hedgehog had been with them for a lot of their lives, so it wasn't that surprising they looked quite sad too, though it was a bit weird to see Tania express grief, childhood pet or not.

    Rosalina still felt quite a bit out of place though, since she wasn't that familiar with their spiky friend, and the thought of what Tania had been up to recently distracted her from paying too much attention.

    Everyone was taking it seriously though, so Rosalina did her best to look solemn and keep quiet.

    "Are you alright, Rosalina?" She was snapped from her thoughts by Matthew's voice, the young kid looking at her worriedly.

    "I'm fine Matt, thanks," she replied absently.

    "Alright, what's bothering you?" Matthew insisted, giving her a disbelieving look.

    "Am I being that obvious?"

    "You aren't trying to pick a fight," Matthew answered blandly, face as sincere as always, and Rosalina couldn't help but flinch.

    "Well, Matt, you know how something weird went down with Tania and Inari's family?"

    The kid nodded. "Do you know more about that? We're all pretty worried, even if they seem fine right now."

    "Maybe," the redhead mused. "You probably don't have to worry about it, but do you ever get the sense your family is up to something sketchy and you feel nervous about it?"

    "Kinda," Matthew shrugged. "I know Dad's work can get dangerous, and well, Marge gets into a lot of trouble, but that's probably not as bad as whatever you're worried about."

    "Yeah, fair enough," Rosalina muttered. "Dunno how I always forget your family is a bit weird, even if you seem really normal. Not that that's bad, cause it would be pretty nice if more people were like you guys."

    "Err…thanks?" Matthew replied, looking confused. "Though what's got you so worried, if you don't mind me asking?"

    "I…guess it just seems like there's gonna be a lot of things changing soon," the redhead explained. "It may be good–I think if the thing that happened went the way I think it did then at the very least the worst case scenario didn't happen, but it still makes me nervous. Especially because…well…" She chewed her lip worriedly.

    Molly knew what they were now, so the cat was out of the bag. She shouldn't care what the kids would think about her being a vampire, but Rosalina still felt weirdly worried about it.

    "Well what?"

    Rosalina turned and looked at the boy, deciding at the last second not to meet his eyes just in case. She didn't know when that stuff started to happen for wizards, but it had already happened once, so she was a bit unsure of risking another one. "I'm…not exactly who I seem to be?"

    "Oh, so you aren't a vampire?"

    "What?! How did you–?!" Rosalina gawked at the kid, shocked that he would throw stuff like that around so nonchalantly.

    Matthew gave her a flat look. "We all heard you girls yelling, you know. We usually do. You're pretty loud."

    "And you took that seriously?"

    "Inari doesn't lie," Matthew pointed out. "Sometimes she just doesn't know stuff. She also never forgets."

    "Yeah…she can be a little scary sometimes," Rosalina remarked, watching him for any reaction to her heritage, to which she found none.

    "She and Tania are twins, and they aren't as different as people think," Matthew added thoughtfully.

    "...You…really aren't gonna ask about the vampire thing?"

    "Maybe, I'm kind of curious," the kid replied, not seeming terribly bothered by the whole thing. "But I'm not gonna ask if you don't want to talk about it."

    "You're kind of a weird kid, aren't you Matt?" Rosalina snorted. "What? Not scared I'm gonna drink your blood or something?"

    "I don't think that's what you want from me," he replied. Wait, what did he mean by that?! "And well, you aren't very good at pretending to be someone else, so you're still Rosalina, just a little more weird."

    "You always know what a girl wants to hear, Matt," the redhead muttered sarcastically, even though she was just a tiny bit relieved to hear that the kid didn't suddenly think she was a monster. Well, she was, just not a…you know, monster monster.

    "I don't even know if you girls know what you want to hear," Matthew grumbled, looking away and shaking his head in annoyance.

    Rosalina laughed. He got her there. What a weird kid.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    Tania stood in front of the small grave marker they had made for Hayek the hedgehog, wondering to herself when she had gotten so attached to the small creature.

    Her emotions in this body were so much stronger than in her first, and in some ways even her second, but she managed to keep them contained most of the time.

    It wasn't just the brave sacrifice of her usually aloof pet, but also the frantic rush of blood and terror the past few days, and with the sudden release of tension, her feelings were straining dangerously against her fraying control.

    Maybe that was why she had almost tried to jump Harry's bones. On second thought, she actually tried, they were just interrupted by that damnable cat.

    Her Hunger stirred at the thought, and Tania did her best to clamp down on the heady swirl of conflicting emotions, not to mention the desire burning through her veins, making her skin itch and the fabric of her clothes feel strangely uncomfortable.

    This couldn't be because her Hunger needed more energy, she was full up after tearing into her sire the previous night…or perhaps it was the excess of energy itself that was interfering with her emotions?

    Frankly, this mix of feelings was bizarre. This was a serious occasion, and she should not be so–

    Harry slipped an arm around her shoulders, and her Hunger calmed, giving her more space to think.

    "He was the best hedgehog I've ever known," the irreverent wizard declared solemnly.

    "He was the only hedgehog you have ever met," Tania pointed out drily, though inwardly thankful for his comforting gesture.

    "Doesn't make it any less true," Harry waved off. "Always knew he was a stubborn little guy, but still didn't expect him to go out like that."

    "He was reaching the end of his lifespan," she murmured. "I suppose he decided to face his end on his own terms."

    "I hope I can be that brave when my time comes," Inari whispered, hugging her twin on her free side.

    "Don't speak of such things," Tania chided without any real heat. "That isn't something we have to worry about right now."

    "Maybe," Inari mused, "but all the stuff that's happened has got me thinking."

    "I can give you two some space to yourselves, if you want," Harry offered. "Not sure how much I can help."

    Tania shook her head. "No, I would prefer you stay."

    Inari gave him a small smile. "After yesterday, the number of people I trust has gotten quite a bit smaller, but you're still on it."

    Harry looked oddly flattered by that. And he should be, as despite how many friends Inari made, the list of people she trusted deeply was relatively small.

    "Well, happy to hear I have your approval," Harry chuckled.

    "But you better treat Tania right, mister!" Inari declared, giving the tall wizard a serious look. "Or else we will all be mad at you!"

    "Inari, is that really necessary?" Tania sighed, giving her twin an exasperated look.

    "Hey! I have to find some stuff to tease you with," Inari shot back with a grin.

    "Shall I do the same about you and Charles?" Tania replied blandly, causing her twin to flush and look away, her face falling suddenly. Right, that was probably not the best thing to bring up. A jolt of realization shot through her as she remembered what their brother had said. If Inari and Charles were really in Love, then it was in their best interest for their relationship to be consummated as fast as possible.

    Inari gave her a questioning look, seemingly sensing some of her thoughts.

    "Though regarding Charles, it might be best if you get married quickly," Tania suggested, a twinge of amusement rushing through her as her twin flushed scarlet.

    "T-tania! What do you mean by that?!" Inari sputtered. Even Harry looked at her with some surprise.

    "If your first time is with someone with whom you share True Love, then it will kill your Hunger, and you can live a normal life," Tania explained.

    "Kill my Hunger?" Inari asked, "Why do we call them that? She seems more thirsty than hungry."

    Harry snorted (of course he would find that amusing) and Tania elbowed him discreetly so he wouldn't undermine the seriousness of the situation.

    "And…when you say normal, does that mean I'll just become like a normal human?" her twin continued thoughtfully, before her face twisted into a frown. "But I might still hurt Charles…and did she really do anything wrong?"

    "There are ways we can mitigate that risk," Tania returned. "And according to Thomas, yes, you would be a normal human."

    "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" Charles asked from somewhere behind them.

    "What do you mean?" Tania turned to give him a questioning look, part of her realizing she had noticed him, but for some reason had not paid his arrival any thought.

    Odd.

    "You're kind of assuming that Sunshine wants to be a normal human," he pointed out.

    Tania frowned. "I did not think Inari would want to live a life that requires her draining the life of other people."

    Charles shrugged, glancing at Inari. "Yeah, that's not something you'd want, but…being a normal human means you'll move on while your family doesn't. Besides, it's really up to you, first of all."

    Tania blinked. He had a point. It would also be painful for Inari to have to separate fully from the family, no matter how much their trust had been broken. She really should have thought of that.

    "Not to mention that being normal means you don't have as much ability to fight back against stuff like what happened the other day," Charles added. "Thanks for bailing us out, by the way."

    "You're taking all this rather well," Harry commented, giving the nondescript looking young man a curious once over.

    "Well I did a fair bit of freaking out already," Charles replied nonchalantly. "And I got a girlfriend out of it so it isn't the worst thing that could have happened."

    "Charlie! We talked about this!" Inari exclaimed, slipping out from Tania's hug to loom over her boyfriend. He wasn't exactly short, but she was still quite a bit taller.

    "I…I almost hurt you really bad," she continued, deflating slightly. "Why…why are you so cavalier about the stuff you've gone through?"

    "It really wasn't that bad compared to some of the stuff other people went through," Charles pointed out.

    "That doesn't mean you should be so ready to throw your life away!" Inari cried. "You know that if I…end up becoming like Tania, then I'd end up killing you, right?"

    It was telling that her twin did not for a moment consider anyone else for that process.

    "One life for immortality?" Charles remarked, almost idly. "Seems like a pretty light cost compared to a lot of stories about it."

    "No it isn't!" Inari snapped, grabbing her friend by the collar. "Not when it's you!" Her eyes glimmered with tears, and she looked a moment away from crying.

    "You care about me more than your family?" Charles muttered skeptically.

    "Don't try confusing the subject! It's not the same thing!" Inari shot back.

    "Don't think I'm worth that much–"

    "That's up to me to decide, Charles!"

    Inari wasn't usually so forceful. It seemed that she really cared for him.

    "Well, they're pretty cute together," Harry murmured in Tania's ear. "Though…he's kind of a little bit too ok with dying."

    Tania gave her partner a look of exasperation. "That's rich coming from someone who exhibits risky behavior often."

    "Well at least I got you to back me up now, right?" Harry shot back with a grin, and Tania felt her face heat up yet again. What was it about him that made her so irrational sometimes?

    "Stop distracting me!" she hissed, glancing back to Inari and Charles. It looked like the two had reached some sort of agreement, but her twin still looked upset, and Charles…well, his face didn't reveal much, which suggested he was deep in thought.

    "It seems to me the two of you are in Love," Tania remarked, loudly enough for them to notice.

    Inari's head whipped around and she stared back at her twin in surprise. Charles just gave her a perplexed look.

    "That…huh…" Inari murmured, glancing at Harry, a thoughtful expression on her face.

    "By what criteria are you judging that?" Charles asked curiously. "I assume you aren't making that assertion via wild speculation."

    "Well…" Tania began, "you are both unusually patient and kind regarding each other, which is rather significant as you are kind to most people, Inari, and you are quite patient overall, Charles."

    "I can't say I expected you to start with that," Charles muttered, sharing a knowing glance with Inari.

    "Neither of you seem to envy each other, nor are you arrogant or rude," Tania continued.

    "I don't think that's the right checklist for this situation," Charles pointed out. "Since I'm pretty sure you're talking about the romantic one and that list is not for that."

    "English is kinda vague about love as a word, anyways," Inari added, laughing awkwardly.

    "I don't think you should discount that so readily, Charles," Mr. Carpenter interjected as he approached the group. "This might be the first time Tania makes an assertion like this–"

    "Second," Tania corrected.

    "Second time," the older man amended with a chuckle, "and we all know Tania is very willing to argue her point."

    "That doesn't necessarily make her correct," Charles observed. "Though she usually is at least able to support her arguments. I'm not so sure that works for this situation though."

    "You were quite willing to risk your life for her for no tangible gain," Tania pointed out. "That is a solid point in your favor."

    "I mean…I was probably going to die anyway if I didn't do anything, so there was no greater risk to trying to fight," Charles replied.

    "I think I see how you two became friends," Harry remarked drily.

    "Even if that is true, Charles," Mr. Carpenter interjected, "you shouldn't dismiss your actions as if they meant nothing. Even if you feel like they ultimately didn't accomplish anything, there are others who appreciate your willingness to stand by them even in the face of death."

    "That…is a fair point," the unassuming young man conceded thoughtfully.

    "Now, I have something important I need to speak with Tania and Inari about," Mr. Carpenter continued. "Would you mind if I speak with them privately?"

    Charles shrugged. "You're the boss here."

    "I guess you're basically their dad at this point," Harry snorted, before a conflicted look passed over his face.

    Tania elbowed him in annoyance. Why would that bother him when Thomas being a half-sibling to both of them didn't really get a reaction? But that was not important.

    "What would you need to say that you do not want Harry or Charles to hear?", Tania asked defensively.

    "It's not that I do not want them to hear it," Mr. Carpenter denied. "It is simply something that I believe is important to speak with just the two of you first. I do not think it would be a bad thing for you to tell Harry and Charles, in fact, it would be a good thing." He smiled slightly. "Relationships should not be built on lies, after all."

    Was it some relationship advice then? Admittedly, he was perhaps the best example Tania had to ask for advice, especially since he had some experience dealing with the effects of the supernatural on said relationship, even if she could not see the appeal of the way he went about it.

    "You aren't going to give them a shovel speech?" Inari asked hesitantly, only partly joking.

    Mr. Carpenter laughed. "Knowing what they did yesterday, I am fairly certain that wouldn't work."

    "I dunno…" Harry snarked. "I think I'm more scared of you than I am of Lord Mario."

    "Oh, was that his name?" Charles asked, a skeptical look on his face.

    "You two are a little bit too unconcerned with your own wellbeing," Mr. Carpenter sighed, shaking his head in fond exasperation. Tania couldn't help but feel he was being a bit hypocritical.

    "If you have something important to talk about, I think you should go and do that," Charles mused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I'm still trying to figure out how to explain this to my parents." He frowned. "Having a girlfriend is probably something important to tell them, but I feel like that might make them disregard everything else as fantasy."

    As much as his deceased parents had clearly left a hole in his life, Harry's face suggested that he was just a bit glad that they were no longer around to comment on their relationship. Well, if he did not want to be part of that conversation, there was no reason to drag him there. Anything Mr. Carpenter said was likely worth considering, at least, even if Tania didn't follow his advice.

    "Are you sure?" Inari asked. "I'll probably just tell you about later anyways."

    Charles shrugged. "It's fine, I need to pay my respects to the hedgehog that helped save my life anyways."

    Inari looked a bit hesitant, but a quick glance at Tania led her to yield, perhaps sensing that the men seemed to have reached an understanding.

    The twins followed the older man towards the house, while their partners stayed by Hayek's grave.

    "So…did that really just happen?"

    "I think so. It's a bit hard to believe, isn't it?"

    "Yup. Didn't think a girl like them existed, let alone two."

    Tania smirked as she heard some of what the two men were muttering. It was quite flattering.

    The inside of the Carpenter home was unusually quiet. There were still seven juveniles running around, but their typical exuberance was a bit subdued, all of them clearly sensing something serious had happened, even beyond the death of a pet.

    That didn't stop the younger ones from hounding Rosalina into playing hide and seek, but it did mean that Mr. Carpenter was able to maneuver them into his study without being accosted by one of his many children, closing the door behind them.

    Once they were alone, he let out a long breath, and for a moment, Tania could see the signs of age on his weathered face. There were laugh lines, but there were also signs of stress. Now that she thought about it, she did not actually know much about Mr. Carpenter's past, but it must have been one of significant struggles. She wasn't sure if he had a real retirement plan, but his determination to defend the opportunity of others to have a peaceful life was admirable.

    "So…what do you want to tell us?" Inari asked hesitantly, looking a bit like a young child who had been caught with her hand in the candy jar.

    Mr. Carpenter looked her in the eye, then turned and met Tania's, and she realized with a start that they were about the same height. They had grown a lot in the past few years, physically and otherwise, and by the distant look in his eyes, Mr. Carpenter could see it too.

    "First and foremost, I must apologize to the two of you," he began, speaking softly, but with enough solemnity that neither of the twins interrupted even though they did not understand why he felt the need to apologize.

    "I've known, from the beginning, what your family was like," he continued. "And to my shame, I did not tell you of the dangers that came with that when I should have."

    It wasn't that surprising. For one, as much time as they spent with him, they weren't his children, and thus not fully his responsibility. And while Tania herself might have been able to comprehend such an explanation when she was younger, she wasn't sure if she would have handled learning about something like that very well as a child, or if she would have even believed it. Not to mention that Mr. Carpenter had a responsibility to his own family, and meddling in the affairs of vampires could jeopardize them.

    "You…you knew?" Inari whispered, her face scrunching up in confusion.

    "I did," Mr. Carpenter confirmed with a nod. "And I should have explained it to you–"

    "Why?!" Inari cried, throwing her hands in the air. "Why did you let us near your kids?! We're a danger to them!"

    "Inari," Mr. Carpenter replied softly. "I know you care about my children. I will not think less of you for letting your own pain out."

    Inari stared at him with watery eyes, before she inhaled a deep breath, closing her eyes, some tears running down her face. After a moment, she exhaled slowly.

    "Why?" she asked plaintively, staring at the ground. "Why hide it from me? Why let me think I was something other than a monster in the making?"

    Tania's head snapped to her twin in shock. If she was a monster, then Tania was what? The Demon Lord?

    "We all have the potential to be monsters," Mr. Carpenter countered softly. "And we have the choice to turn away from that path." He smiled gently at Inari, similar to the ones he gave his own children. "And I am confident you will make the better choice."

    "How could you have known that like ten years ago?" Inari gasped out through clenched teeth.

    A sad expression passed over his face. "It can be a difficult thing, being the children of evil people. But I had faith you could be better, and I was right to. Even about you, Tania."

    "My sire's behavior was simply too inefficient and destructive," Tania objected. "Rebelling was just the rational choice."

    "And your Love for Inari played no part in it?"

    Tania could not deny that. It hadn't been entirely logical.

    "You can certainly be selfish," Mr. Carpenter continued. "But you quite obviously care for others as well, Tania. Even beyond your belief that reciprocity is important to maintain good relations."

    Was there really more to that…? For once, Tania was close to letting herself believe that. There were…too many opportunities down that road to pass up.

    "You say I have a choice, but you never gave me one," Inari pointed out slowly, narrowing her eyes at Mr. Carpenter, squaring her shoulders defiantly, but there was real fear of rejection in her stance.

    "I did not give you some very important facts that could influence that choice, yes," he answered apologetically. "I had thought to explain that to you when you reached puberty, but you two grew up so fast, and by that time, I hesitated, worried that it could destroy your relationships with Molly." He smiled sadly and bowed his head. "I was wrong to do so, and quite mistaken about my own children's ability to give grace. Can you forgive me for what I withheld from you?"

    "I don't see why you need to apologize," Tania replied. "You already gave us much more than you were ever obligated to. And in all fairness, I may not have believed it if you had told me."

    "So you can forgive him? That's surprisingly gracious of you, sis," Inari muttered, looking unsure of herself. "And here I thought I was the nice twin."

    "You are," Tania declared. If anything, she would be the evil twin. Even now, she was already a vampire, while Inari wasn't.

    "If you cannot forgive me, I understand." Mr. Carpenter looked them both in the eyes. "But know that my door will always be open to you if you need help."

    "Don't make it sound like we're never coming back, Pops," Inari sighed. "I…I know that it probably would have sounded crazy, but I can't help but feel hurt by it." Her eyes hardened. "But Tania's right. Yes, you hid it from us, but even if you're as good as family to me, I had a family, brother and sisters of my own that should have been the ones explaining things. But they did not. I don't know if I can forgive them, but at the very least, I can start by forgiving you."

    Mr. Carpenter smiled. "You are very kind, Inari. Thank you."

    Tania nodded. "And it isn't as if you could have predicted my circumstances, especially since neither of us share our older siblings' proclivities."

    Both her twin and her surrogate father frowned at the reminder.

    "That was…ick," Inari muttered. "Really don't want to think about that."

    "You have also offered us sanctuary in your home on many occasions, not to mention saving us last night, while asking nothing of us," Tania continued seriously. "It would be a bit crass to have expected more."

    Mr. Carpenter sighed, shaking his head fondly. "You two really did grow up fast. Part of me feels sad that you had to go through the circumstances that you did, but I am humbled by the maturity the two of you have developed."

    "Well…we did have a good role model," Inari mumbled, her ears turning pink as she glanced away bashfully. Her development was indeed impressive, since their family was less than helpful in that regard, while Tania had the memories of the Salaryman and the Child Soldier to work off of.

    Though she was forced to admit that even she had looked up to Mr. Carpenter at times. As much as Tania was skeptical of his reliance on faith, his actions were brave and selfless, so should be respected.

    "I am glad to have been part of your lives," Inari's surrogate father declared with a smile. "And I am glad you have found partners you can trust."

    "I'm-m glad you were a part of our lives too…" Inari stammered, her eyes welling with happy tears, throwing herself forwards to hug the Knight who saved them. Mr. Carpenter returned the hug and gave her an affectionate tap on the back.

    "Thank you for helping us this much," Tania offered. "I will make sure to repay you in some way." Mr. Carpenter did not want anything in return, but it would be wrong to take advantage of his generosity.

    "Ha! The two of you have basically helped raise some of my children," Mr. Carpenter laughed, "so you have already helped us out quite a bit."

    Tania didn't argue, but that still felt inadequate. Margaret and her siblings were all fairly rational for youths, they would probably have been fine without their interference.

    "Even if you do not care to collect, we will forever be indebted to you, Mr. Carpenter," Tania declared solemnly.

    "C'mere Tania!" Inari called, "you don't have to be all serious right now!" She reached out and pulled at her twin's arm.

    Tania did not resist.

    ♤♤♤♤​

    While the day had not been nearly as stressful as the previous one, Harry was glad to get back to their place.

    It was good to see that Inari and Charles seemed to be handling things alright, even if they were clearly shaken, but whatever Michael said to the twins seemed to have helped a lot. He always seemed to know what to say.

    Harry had checked in briefly with Arturo after that, and while the film had basically been put on hold for the police investigation, which now extended into the investigation over the disappearance of several suspects, the man himself had safely gotten married. To Joan, so Inari turned out to be right.

    Arturo had been very apologetic about not being able to pay Harry enough for what he did, but he wasn't exactly sure what the filmmaker meant, since he handed over the agreed upon amount. Either way, Harry didn't care that much about it, especially not with Tania being as distracting as she was.

    How the hell had he managed to miss the signs of her interest for so long? How did she?! She could literally taste what he felt about her!

    That wasn't important though, Harry thought as he watched Tania slide out of the driver's seat of the Blue Beetle, taking a moment to admire the view. It just meant he didn't feel bad about staring anymore.

    Tania's hips swayed more than usual as she headed towards her door, so she clearly knew he was watching, and Harry couldn't keep the dopey grin off of his face as he got out of the car, locked the door, and headed inside his side of the townhouse.

    Mouse the puppy greeted him enthusiastically at the door, while Mister the cat gave him a disappointed glower. Harry reached down to pet the excited little dog. "Who's a good boy?" The puppy yipped excitedly. Mister yowled piteously, ambling into the kitchen area as if starved.

    Harry snorted at the overdramatic display, but poured out some food for the two animals and refreshed their water bowls. Mister looked disappointed by the amount, but Tania said he was on a diet, so Harry decided he was going to go along with it.

    Ok, maybe he was a little mad at Mister for interrupting them, especially now she was officially his girlfriend. It was pretty funny. In hindsight, it really should have been obvious that Tania had more than just professional or security interests about him from the very start.

    She was one of the most straight-laced people he'd ever met, but she'd clearly been shaken by the events of that night, and he'd helped her out, even giving her information that could help her fight back.

    To be fair, Harry had been in no shape to notice or read into things after what happened that Halloween, especially after developing a sudden burning hate for vampires, but he really should have noticed after she suggested he basically move in with her.

    The only thing keeping him from feeling like a total moron was the fact that Tania herself hadn't really seemed conscious of it.

    Now that she was…Hell's Bells…

    Harry tried very hard not to think of Tania approaching dating with the same intensity as she did most other things, and what she might come up with, especially if she asked her sisters for advice. Sisters with centuries of sexual experience…

    He hurriedly took a shower, trying to let the running water wash away those thoughts, but now, if they were actually a thing…was that really wrong?

    Oh, what the hell was he doing? Harry wondered as he dried himself off. Was it really ok to be dating a girl ten years younger than him, even if she behaved like a serious woman twice her age? Especially since he'd known her since she was a teenager? She still was a teen, technically.

    Tania was an adult, so there was technically nothing wrong, and even Michael didn't seem to have an issue with it…still, it felt a bit wrong. Maybe it was the part where he just helped her beat the crap out of her family. They were monsters, sure, but now that his anger had cooled a bit…it kind of seemed a bit skeevy out of context.

    Never mind the fact that he had done all that to save Inari and her boyfriend, but since he had also fought them to avenge his mother…it almost looked like he had seduced Tania and used her to get revenge against Lord Mario…Oh God! Was that what Lara thought?!

    Harry sighed, shaking his head slightly as he pulled a beer out of his icebox (obviously, they kept the fridge in Tania's side of the townhouse.) It wasn't that he didn't trust Tania's judgment, but she deserved better than him. All of his other relationships hadn't ended well, and it wouldn't be fair to her to risk the same thing happening to her–

    "Harry?"

    He blinked, startled out of his thoughts, turning to see his vampire landlady giving him a curious look, head tilted to the side, silvery hair loose and flowing down to her shoulders and drawing his gaze down to the loose bathrobe she was wearing.

    It left little to the imagination.

    "Tania," Harry replied dumbly. Was there a point to hiding his lust when she could sense it?

    His girlfriend smiled, before striding over and snaking her arms around him. He couldn't resist, leaning down to capture her lips, hands roaming down her sides, tracing her curves through the thin nightwear.

    She kissed him back with heated fervor, practically sticking her tongue down his throat and hooking her leg around his.

    Harry's worries melted away, and he decided they didn't really matter. Instead, he let himself get swept up in the moment, savoring the heady feeling of having a woman in his arms and the promise of more to come.

    Eventually, they had to break for air, both of them panting heavily.

    "So…" Harry began, staring into Tania's captivating eyes and idly running a hand through her silvery hair, still slightly wet from her own shower. "What do you want for dinner?"

    "I…would like some sausage, I think…"
    AN. Well, this has taken a very long time. Sorry about that, I kind of let off the gas at the finish line. Either way, this is here. Thanks to everyone who's had some fun reading this. I am still surprised at just how many people were interested. Now it has reached its end.

    Thanks to Half-baked Cat, Darath, Abhorsen, Rakkis, and Vista of the Burning Heavens for helping proofread.

    I do have some other stuff I've been working on, if any of you are interested, such as Trails of Wrought Iron, a Trails of Cold Steel fic. It isn't a Youjo Senki or Dresden Files one, but it has been pretty fun to write so far, and hopefully fun to read too. I should probably get that snippet thread up too, since there are things written up that didn't get into a proper story yet.

    I also have a Discord if people want to chat or keep up with new stuff I'm working on, as well as a Kofi for anyone who feels like sending me money for some reason. I should probably add some more incentive on that.

    All that said, writing this story has been a rather interesting experience. I'm glad those of you who've stuck around seemed to have enjoyed it. Thank you again for reading.
     
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    • i can't help the smile on my face as i read this.

    what a wholesome finish. thank you for this experience!
     
    Other, vampires can sense Tania's strangeness.
    Also pity that the story is finished. I'm quite curious of how this changes things.
     
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