"You have to take me to him," I yelled. "Right now!"

Lorcan looked taken aback. "Maybe you should calm - "

I grabbed him by the shirt, yanked him close, and glared at him. "Take me to Ralph now ."

"Libby, if something's happened to Ralph, perhaps it would be best - "

Men with their moron logic and patronizing tones. Or maybe it was the vampire in Lorcan making him stupid. I spun around and started off in the direction of the compound. Lorcan grabbed my shoulder.

"If Ralph . . . if he died, those boys are alone! They need me. Now either do your sparkly bullshit or let me go."

"Okay, Libby," he said.

"Don't worry about us," said Ash sarcastically. "We'll just stay here with the stank-assed demon."

Like I cared. I was anxious to get to the compound.

"We'll have to get Phoebe," said Ruadan. "Other than Patsy, she's the only one with demon powers."

The dragon snored. It was either the laziest demon around or so tired of Lia's ownership that hell was a welcome retreat.

"C'mon," I said impatiently. My stomach roiled, and I pressed a shaking hand against my belly. I wouldn't feel okay until I knew the truth about Ralph's fate. Lorcan embraced me. One moment we were standing in the front yard of Ralph's destroyed home, and the next -  -  twinkle, twinkle, don't throw up -  we arrived outside a white building. I still felt like my molecules were being reassembled, but I didn't want to take an extra second to steady myself. I yanked open the door and barreled through it.

Lorcan followed me into the lobby. I had no idea where the hell we were. I turned around, slammed into the vampire, and wobbled backward. "Where are we?"

"The Consortium's headquarters. C'mon." He took the lead and I hurried behind him. We entered a wide hallway and headed toward a set of dark wood doors at the end. My heart hammered. Had Ralph turned into ash? Were the boys even now weeping for their father? I couldn't bear the thought.

Lorcan opened the doors and we entered a huge, brightly decorated room. The primary colors, comfy sitting areas, bookshelves, and myriad of games pegged it for a rec room. I saw my parents in the corner, sitting on opposite sides of a table with a chess board on its middle. They both got up, their gazes showing relief.

I didn't recognize most of the people milling around. I saw Patsy, Gabriel, Damian, and Velthur. Yeah, all but the three faces I wanted to see most.

"Ibby!"

I whirled around and there were Michael and Stephen barreling toward me. And behind them, their father. Their handsome, kind, sexy, very much undead father. Relief rushed through me, and the tears I'd managed to keep at bay flowed freely.

I squatted down and the boys ran into my open arms. I hugged them and kissed their little blond heads. Ralph kneeled down and cupped my face. His fingers caught my tears, and his gaze was filled with much more than relief. I saw love there. I cried harder.

He kissed me, not in a gentle missed-you kind of way, but in a reaffirming, passionate never-leave-again way that stole my breath. My heart.

"You squishing me, Daddy," groused Stephen.

We broke apart, grinning stupidly at each other.

"Oh, God, Libby," he said. "I thought you were . . ." His gaze fell onto the boys, who looked up at us with wide eyes.

"Yeah," I said. "Me, too." I wiped my eyes with a sleeve. "I look terrible."

My coat was ripped, my ass was sore from being thrown across the snow-filled yard, and my eyes felt puffy from crying.

"You look beautiful to me," said Ralph.

Oh, he was sooooo getting some. I licked my lips, and his eyes dropped to my mouth. I wanted to be alone with him, to show him just how much he meant to me.

"Honey?"

My dad's voice put the kibosh on any more thoughts about hot monkey love. Ralph and I stood up and faced my parents. The boys clung to their father's legs, and their father put his arm around me. I scooted closer and slung my arm around his waist. I could see that the others in the room had congregated near a large sitting area. Lorcan had found his wife and was talking to the gathering. I figured he was telling them about Lia - and what I'd done.

"The phones are out here?" I asked.

"Yes," said Ralph. "None of the cell phones work. The land lines in Broken Heart were disassembled months ago."

Mom and Dad shared a significant look. Great. Brady was probably the reason the phones didn't work. That man had been busy. Was he still intent on rescuing us? I bet that my parents had a way to contact him, but were waiting to see how things played out. Either that, or Brady wasn't the one responsible for cutting off the cell phone signals.

"I'm Ralph Genessa. These are my sons, Michael and Stephen."

Ralph stuck out his hand, which my mother took. "Theodora Monroe, and this is my husband, Elmore."

She looked down at the boys. "Hello."

"Hi," said Michael.

Stephen blinked at her and stuck his fist into his mouth. Gawd, they were cute. Dad shook hands with Ralph, too, and I could see that my father was sizing him up. Elmore Monroe was the strong, silent type, with emphasis on the silent part. Ralph must've met his approval. "Nice to meet you, son."

"You, too, sir."

"You mean you guys didn't talk the whole time?" I asked.

"I just got here," said Ralph. "The compound has temporary housing, and we were assigned one of the bungalows. The boys were hungry and needed a bath." He looked at me. "And I needed to keep myself busy. When you didn't come back right away - "

I nodded, feeling myself tear up again.

"Daddy, play blocks," said Michael.

Stephen nodded.

"Okay," said Ralph. "But don't throw them at your brother."

Giggling, the toddlers took off to a pile of big plastic cubes.

"The vampire queen is fascinating," said Mom. "And she has the most extraordinary vocabulary."

"She means that Patsy has a keen ability to use a certain word as an adjective, verb, noun, and once even managed an adverb," said Dad. "A commendable feat."

"C'mon," said Mom. "You look exhausted."

She led us to a cozy sitting area near where the twins were playing. Mom and Dad each took a chair. I took off my coat, draping it across the table in front of me, and then sat down. Ralph sat partially on the armrest and put his arm over my shoulder while I leaned against him. I knew my parents were probably wondering what was going on with me and Ralph. It's not something I wanted to explain, especially since I didn't really understand it myself. Love seemed such a simple thing in books and movies. Two people were meant to be together. Every obstacle was climbed, torn down, or blown up - and, ta-da, happily-ever-after.

But love was so much more than just moon-eyed looks and tearing off each other's clothes. Love was terrifying. It was falling off a cliff. It was stepping into shark-filled waters. It was sacrificing to a pagan goddess who demanded blood.

And I had done all those things. Gladly.

I told my parents everything that had happened since I set foot in Broken Heart. With a few Ralph-sized omissions. Ahem. Well, I only told them everything up until the part where I fried Lia, and her demon dragon crushed the rest of Ralph's house.

"Aren't you surprised about Archie? Well, Stanley," I asked my mother. I couldn't quite work up the nerve to talk about Lia yet. Though from the looks we were getting from those on the other side of the room, I knew Lorcan had told them an earful. Shit.

"Oh, you can't hold his nature against him," Mom said softly. "He's a curious man with a wonderful intellect. I'm sure he meant you no harm when he took you for testing."

My mother believed everyone was good-hearted. It was one of the reasons Theodora Monroe didn't feel the slings and arrows of cynics and snobs. She regularly befriended people who didn't always have the best intentions. And if they stole from her or conned her or insulted her, she treated them just the same as if they'd been kind to her. I had never mastered this way of dealing with people.

"What about the fact that he faked his death?"

"Well," she said, her eyebrows drawing down. "I suppose we should've appreciated him more."

"Oh, Mom. Jeez." I rolled my eyes. But really, Stanley was the least of my problems now. I fiddled with the sleeve of my sweater. "Okay, look. I sorta accidentally killed Lia, who's one of the seven Ancient vampires. And the dragon is really a demon, but I didn't find that out until I scooped out its drool."

Mom, Dad, and Ralph all stared at me. Then Ralph said, "You killed Lia?"

"She was trying to kill everyone else." I sounded defensive. I inhaled a steadying breath. "I somehow made this ball of sunlight, and then I threw it at the dragon. Well, the demon. Lia turned to ash. Ruadan said destroying an Ancient might destroy her whole line."

"We know it's not true," he said. "I'm from her Family and I'm still here."

"I believe in the sacredness of life, Ralph. I'm a vegan because I hate the idea of something dying so that I can live. And yet, I created that . . . that weapon and threw it at two living creatures."

"To save your life and the lives of others."

"I still don't feel good about it."

"Nor should you. But it's done now, Libby. All you can do is move forward."

"He's right, Liberty," said my mother gently. "Your guilt will not help the one who passed from this world. You were brave and strong."

"We're proud of you," said Dad.

I felt as though boulders had been lifted from my shoulders. The people I loved forgave me. They understood. And even though I wasn't too keen on what I had done, I could live with it. Especially because it meant those sweet little boys would be safe.

At least from Lia.

Synd . . . not so much. He was a bigger problem. One that needed to be solved or we'd all pay the price - with our lives.