Chapter Thirty-seven Sometimes being a vampire really sucked. As they drove up the long gravel road to the half-built houses, Nathaniel frowned. He really did have excellent night vision after so many centuries of living in the dark...but he would've given a million dollars just to see their new home in the sunlight. As it was, the wooden frames of the house glowed amber in the shine of his headlights. The tunnels were finished and covered, the only sign that they were there being the slightly mounded earth on top. As he parked the car and got out, he breathed in the sweet grassy air and turned to smile at Lindy. "Can you imagine being out here when the houses are finished? We'll have overhead spotlights closer to the houses, but out in the field it'll be quiet and dark. We could find a nice place to ourselves, lay down a blanket, have some wine and a small picnic, and tell stories about the constellations for hours." "Like we did in Baltimore?" Lindy smiled at the memory. "I have to admit, I miss that rooftop hideaway there. Think we could recreate it here?" "Don't see why not," Nate said, wrapping his arms around her. "Be nice to have a place to sneak off to for some alone time." Lindy turned in his arms and kissed the tip of his nose. "Nate, did you think that night that we'd end up like this?" "Yep." When she arched an eyebrow at him, he grinned. "I'm not persistent for nothing, Lind." "But you couldn't have known about Liam." "No, he was an added bonus. But I did know that he was meant to be with us the moment I saw him." He pulled her close, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "And he still is. No matter what happens, he's always meant to be ours." She sighed. "Can we talk about something else for a while? I just need a break from the whole situation." Nate nodded. Opening the car door, he slid inside and grabbed a flashlight out of the glove compartment. "Let's go take a look around. They've got the stairs up. And the tunnels will be nice and spooky without the lights." Lindy grinned. "Why does this remind me of those old horror movies where the teenagers go off to make out in the spooky dark only to meet a scary monster?" "But Lind, we *are* the scary monsters." Lindy giggled and allowed Nate to take her hand and guide her towards the frame of the house. "So what is going to hide the entrance to the tunnels? A bookcase?" When Nate nodded, she began to laugh. "I can just see us now - 'put the candle back!'" He grinned, his teeth luminous white in the dark. "Could've been a grandfather clock, but I thought that was too tacky. Of course, we could just leave it a bare wall and see if it blends in with the rest?" "No way. The bookcase is too much fun." "Just wait until you see the other hidden passageway...leads to my torture chamber where I can tie you up and do whatever I want with you." "Hey, you have one of those, too?" He stared at her for a moment, before chuckling softly. "The sad thing is, you think I'm kidding." He lifted his foot up and pulled himself into the house. Since the deck hadn't been started yet, there was at least a foot of space between the ground and the doorway. After he was inside, he stuffed flashlight in his pocket and reached for her hand to pull her in after him. "Maybe we should just forget all of our decorating ideas and have this place fixed up like an old haunted mansion. Then I could wear a big red and black cape, slick my hair back, and walk around with blood dripping from my fangs. And you and Liam could go wolfy and growl at everybody. We'd be legendary come Halloween." She looked at him in perfect seriousness, pupils dilated in the darkness. "Nah, would never work. You don't have enough of a widow's peak to pull off the look. Nobody'd believe you're a real vampire." "They wouldn't?" "Nope." They had reached the head of the stairway leading to the tunnel. "So, Nate, you going to show me your torture chamber?" "Maybe." He stepped in closer to her, arms going around her waist. "At the very least I'm going to make you scream." "Oooh," she said, meeting his lips. He kissed her deeply, sucking on her tongue, before pulling back abruptly and leading her down the stairs. It was only a few minutes before they were standing in darkness so thick it was nearly suffocating. Despite the fact that they both had exceptional night vision, they couldn't see their hands before their faces. "You know, we could play hide and go seek down here...but I bet you'd be better at it. Why don't I hide and you find me?" He let go of her hand. "Count to twenty!" She felt a little panicky as he trotted off into the darkness, but knew she'd be able to track him. Still, that didn't stop her from jumping when she heard the loud smack come from further down the tunnel. "Ow! Fuck!" "Nate?" She walked towards the sound of his mumbled curses and almost tripped over his legs. She threw out a hand to the wall to steady herself. "What happened?" "There's a pipe or something hanging down from the ceiling, and I found it." Nate gingerly rubbed his head. Lindy knelt beside him. "Here, let me see if I can find the flashlight," she said, searching by feel. After a few minutes of fumbling around, Nate spoke up. "Uh, Lind, that's not the flashlight." "I know." His breathing was sounding awfully heavy in the enclosed area. "You sure know how to turn it on, though." She giggled. "Funny, I thought the batteries were dead." "Hey!" "I'm just messin' with ya. Literally." She felt around in the darkness to see just how he was lying on the floor, then quickly straddled him. She let out a little gasp as he grabbed her hips and pulled her down firmly against his crotch. "I thought your head was sore?" She could almost see his grin as he said, "I didn't mention which one." She laughed. How long had it been since they had been carefree when making love? It seemed every time she turned around, there, was another fear to slay, another worry to conquer. In this dark tunnel, it was easy to forget that their son, who was safely in the loving care of his grandparents, was being stalked by another werewolf. She bent down and gently kissed his lips. He moaned, tangling his fingers in her hair while gripping her ass with the other hand. Nearly every move they made echoed in the long passageway, returning their breathy sighs and groans twofold. She sucked at his lip before pulling away to work on the buttons of his shirt. His hand was still lazily squeezing and caressing her ass as he said, "I have a friend who's a witch." She froze, puzzled. "You do?" "Yup." "And what exactly are you telling me this for?" "Well, she's not only a witch, but an ordained minister and a shaman." "What's your point?" She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was feeling just a tad bit jealous. Nate rarely ever mentioned other women, especially 'friends'. "I think we should ask her to bless our house. To cast away evil spirits. She could even come up with something to protect our family." "This ceremony, would it drive away evil spirits, or all of them?" "Just the evil ones. Why?" Lindy ran a finger over his lips. "I'll explain later. But I want to know why you happened to think of this 'friend' while we're fooling around." She had strove for a cool disinterest in her voice, but her worry had come through. "Why Lind, you sound jealous." "Do I have a reason to be? I don't bring up my male friends in bed." "Well, we aren't in bed, are we? And I happened to be thinking of yours and Liam's safety. If my friend happened to be a big hairy dude name Bruce, I highly doubt we'd be having this conversation." "What does she look like?" "Oh, your average witch...green skin, straw-like hair, big warts on her nose, rides a broom." "Does she have a black cat as a familiar too?" "No, she's allergic to cats." He reached up to stroke her hair. "Lind, it was one of those random thoughts that pop into your head at odd times. I'm not thinking about other women when I make love to you." She seemed to think about that for a minute before scrambling off of him to lay beside him. "Prove it," she said softly. She squealed as he rolled over on top of her, kissing her until she was nearly senseless. Unfortunately, as much as she was enjoying herself, the concrete floor was starting to hurt. After a moment or two, Nate came to the same conclusion. "My knees are killing me...and I want to see you. What do you say we take this outside, under the moonlight?" "Sounds good. But first we'll have to find the flashlight." She gave a little shriek when Nate, holding it below his chin, flicked it on. "Well, what do you know, it was in my pocket the whole time." Taking her hand, he started to lead her back the way they came. To Lindy, it seemed like it took a lot longer to return to the house than they had spent getting to that point of the tunnel. Once they both climbed out, she turned to Nate. "Where did you have in mind?" "I'll know it when I find it," he said, pulling her along behind him. He walked out behind the house and away from the trees, towards the greener grass. Lindy kept glancing at the house behind them, hoping he didn't get them lost. She wasn't in any mood to go hiking. Once he'd found a spot where the grass wasn't quite so long, and the moon wasn't obscured by any of the terrain, he dropped down to his knees and tugged her towards him. Flicking off the flashlight, he said, "This is perfect." "Are we christening the property?" "I wasn't planning on peeing on anything, Lind. I was just gonna fuck my wife." She couldn't help but laugh as he tugged her closer by her belt loops and lifted her shirt to nibble at her belly. Her fingers tangled in his hair, drawing a moan out of him. He looked up to meet her gaze and shook his head. "God, Lind, you look like a goddess. Your hair silver-white in the moonlight, alabaster skin, lush lips and starry eyes...how could I ever possibly think of anyone else?" Dropping to her knees as well, Lindy lifted her arms to help Nate as he pulled her shirt off. "Really?" "Really." Now his fingers traveled along the lace of her bra, tracing from the cups up and over the shoulder straps to start unhooking the catch. "A man could go blind from looking at such beauty." Lindy shuddered as Nate took an erect nipple in his mouth. The throb in her breast was answered by one in her groin as he suckled and fondled her. She couldn't think of the danger with Liam, or Natasha. All she could think about was how good Nathaniel was making her feel, and wanting to return the favor. He looked up at her face, watching her eyelids slip closed as he pulled at her with his mouth. He slid his free hand down her side, reaching around to cup her ass. His fingers teased the seam of her pants, tracing down between her legs, pressing hard on the little square of fabric where the seams met. Lindy whimpered, wriggling against his hand. "Does that feel good, baby? I can't wait to feel you riding me. You look so damned hot when you're moving on me, about to cum. Your sweat glistening on your skin...you look like you're sparkling." Lindy squirmed, running her hands up and down Nate's back. She pushed him away long enough to unbutton his suede shirt. "You haven't seen how your eyes shine when we make love. Or that adorable cross-eyed look you get as you cum." Slowly she slid the shirt off of him, letting her hands run up and down his arms several times. "Cross-eyed look?" he said, dubiously. "I do not!" She grinned, nodding. He grunted, dropping back until he fell on his butt in the soft grass. Reaching for her legs, he grasped her behind her knees, causing her to fall forward, where he conveniently caught her and pulled her onto his lap. He cupped her ass, spreading his fingers out across the denim, using his grip to shift her back and forth over his crotch. He groaned loudly...then crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed, leaning down to catch his tongue in her mouth. Sucking lightly, she gently ran her nails up and down his back. Slowly she slid her hands down to his ass and squeezed as she continued to nibble his lips. Pushing gently, she made him lay flat on his back. Leaning forward, she slowly began to kiss her way down his neck and across his chest. "Mmm...maybe I really will go cross-eyed." Nate carded his fingers through her hair, lightly guiding her head lower. He squirmed when she dipped her tongue into his navel. She looked up and smiled at him, using one hand to open the button and zipper on his jeans. Lifting his hips slightly, he met her gaze with heavy-lidded eyes. "You're playing on dangerous ground, Lind. Are you going to suck me or fuck me? Because I don't know if I can handle both. You've got me hard as stone already." "Hmmm... such a tough choice," Lindy purred. "You taste so good, Nate. But I really want to feel you moving between my legs." She slipped his jeans off his hips, just looking at the bulge in his briefs. Carefully, she eased his underwear over his erection. "And you feel so good when you do. I still can't figure out why I resisted you so long." "You were just awed by my blatant virility and overwhelming masculine presence." She giggled. "That must be it." She bit her lip, giving him a coy smile as she toyed with her jeans. Taking the hint, he leaned forward and slowly started easing the zipper down. Lindy took the opportunity to kiss his mouth, teasing his tongue with her own, moaning softly as he nipped at her lower lip. She pulled back to stare at him, breathing heavily, before her gaze started to drift. Fascinated, she watched his cock quiver with excitement, a small drop of precum forming at the tip. "Think you can handle this?" Holding his gaze, she casually leaned over and lazily swiped her tongue across the head of his cock. She couldn't help but smile as he groaned and thrust his hips up. Squirming above him, she slid her jeans and panties off. She heard his breath catch in his throat as his hands came around to hold her hips. She hovered over him, before Lindy slowly descended on his rampant cock. She gave a sharp gasp, letting her eyes close as she felt him stretch her wide. He let his head fall back, grateful he was lying on an incline. Moving his grip from her hips to her thighs, he spread her legs a little wider and let out a shuddering breath as he gazed at the spot where he impaled her. He was already slick from her moisture, his glistening cock pushing her open wantonly. Using two fingers, he rubbed at the flesh surrounding his cock, feeling how tight she was, teasingly avoiding her swollen clit. And although part of him wanted her to move at a maddening pace, his brain was telling him to enjoy the moment. It had been a long while since they'd made love without interruptions. He intended on savoring this as long as he could. Lindy leaned back slightly, shifting his cock inside of her. She could feel herself getting wetter, and neither had done any serious moving yet. Slowly she began to slide up and down on him, avoiding putting any extra pressure on her throbbing clit. She wanted this to last, their first time at their new home. He slid his hands up her torso, gliding up over her hips and lingering to trace lightly over her ribs, before brushing the curve of her breasts with his knuckles. "God, you're so amazing, Lind. I swear I could take you to the middle of a crowded museum and you'd still be the most beautiful work of art in the room." She shivered at his words. "Do you know how many dark looks I get from other women when we're out together? Especially if you're holding my hand, or have your arm around me? And yet you keep acting like you're the one who's lucky to be with me, when it should be the other way around." She leaned forward a bit as his fingers stroked just below her nipples. Although one hand continued to trace lightly around her breast, he lifted his other hand to cup her face, lightly stroking with his thumb, holding her gaze. "Gorgeous, you don't have a clue, do you? You have no idea that I wake up every day and turn to look at you, silently thanking God that you walked into my life. My breath catches every time you walk in the room, and when you tell me you love me I damned near drop to my knees. You're everything I've ever wanted, in one heart-stopping package. So don't for a minute think about telling me I'm not the luckiest guy that ever lived...and died." She grabbed his hand, holding it close to her cheek, nuzzling it. Slowly she leaned forward, pressing her body against his. They fit together so perfectly, as if they were statues carved from a single piece of marble, as if they had been destined to be together from the start. She kissed the underside of his jaw, slowly moving her hips in a little circling motion. "What did we do to deserve each other, Nate? I still feel like this has all been a dream I'm going to wake up from." "Can't be...the only things I've ever dreamed of were ugly and chasing me." He held her tightly against him, one hand stroking her back while the other cupped her ass. Bending his legs, he started thrusting himself into her in deep short strokes, slowly, barely moving a fraction of an inch. He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, nuzzling his face against her, breathing deeply as he reached her hair. "This is too good to be a dream. More like a fantasy." "Mmmm... in that case, I never want to return to reality." Crouching slightly on elbows and knees, she started a slight back and forth motion in counterpoint to his movements. "I love you so much, Nathaniel, and sometimes it really scares me." She bent her head down to kiss him, her loose blond hair forming a curtain that cut the rest of the world off from sight. Her words made him shudder. He kissed her back eagerly, picking up the pace of his thrusts. No matter how much he wanted to wait and take things slow, she was starting to feel incredibly good surrounding him. She tightened slightly with every withdrawal, clutching at his cock as if loathe to release it. He moaned against her mouth, his hand sliding up her back to sift through her hair. He finally rested his hand on the back of her neck, lightly massaging the area as she continued to kiss him. She concentrated on the sensations of his skin rubbing against hers, of the softness of his tongue and lips licking and pulling at hers, and the way his cock filled her completely. She tried to increase the speed of her movements, but couldn't by much due to their position. But she also didn't want to move, want to stop kissing him. Nate groaned, tightening his grip on her, grinding her body on his. He pushed himself deep inside of her, using his hips to drive his cock in tight little circles inside of her. Thrusting brought him too close to the edge of climax, but he needed to feel her moving on him. He was rewarded for his efforts as she squeezed his cock inside of her, milking him with her muscles. His lips curved into a smile even as he kept exploring her mouth. She continued to kiss him until his movements became too much for her to take. After one last swipe of her tongue, she pulled away and sat up. Closing her eyes to concentrate better on the sensations that Nate was creating, she slowly began moving up and down on his cock. He laid back and watched her, enjoying the way the moonlight rippled across her undulating body. Her nipples were dusky rose in the darkness, tightened to little peaks, and he lifted his hands to cup her breasts and brush her nipples with his thumbs. She bit her lip, softly panting, speeding up her motions a bit. He exhaled through his nose, lifting his hips to meet her downward slide. "You feel so good, baby. It just gets better every time we're together. A couple years from now I won't even be able to walk afterwards." Lindy giggled, still moving on him. "What makes you think you won't be carrying me back to the car?" Biting the inside of her lip and smiling, she began gasping as she sped up, sliding her hands over his cradling her breasts. Guiding one of his hands, she guided it down her body to rest where they were joined. He let out a moan of approval, using two fingers to circle and press against her clit. She shivered, tightening her grip on him, moving in almost sharp thrusts on his cock. He gasped, plunging into her just as hard, shouting as she clenched him tightly and rippled into orgasm. He felt his seed jetting inside of her, and hoped for some kind of miracle, wishing he could get Lindy pregnant just as easily as Anton was able with his wife. He sobbed out a breath, burying himself deep inside of her, pulling her down tight against his chest and pressing his face against her hair. She nuzzled his chest, slowly relaxing against him. Gently she stroked his shoulders, and stretched so she could reach up and kiss his face. Lightly she peppered his face with kisses. But she recognized that something wasn't quite right. "Nate, what's wrong?" He sighed and shook his head, lazily rubbing her back. "I was just thinking." "About what?" "About how I wished I could get you pregnant. I think about it every time we make love, Lind. I wish I could give that part of myself to you, that we could make a baby together. Someone that's half of each of us, a symbol of our love. I think about little girls with blond pigtails and big blue eyes. Boys to watch and play football with. As much as I love Liam, I wish he were really ours. Part of our blood. I wish I could see him smile someday and think of how much he looks like you. I wish you could have that connection that Bryn has with her baby...being able to feel it move inside you, giving birth, having him suckle at your breast. I would give anything to be able to give you that." Lindy gently cradled his face, stroking his cheekbones with her thumbs. "Nate, I feel the exact same way. When I see you holding Liam, I wish so hard I could give you a child. And sometimes I look at Bryn and wonder why her and not me?" She leaned down to whisper in his ear. "But I don't blame you for not being able to give me a baby. At least we have Liam, and each other." "But don't you ever wonder--" He trailed off, a pained look coming to his eyes. "That night, with you, Bryn, and Anton, at the hotel...if things had been different, maybe it could've been you and not her. I wouldn't blame you if you wished for that, Lind. I wouldn't blame you at all." "Maybe, Nate, but I don't think so." Sitting up on one elbow, she gently traced a fingertip across his hairline, face perfectly serious. "But it's your child I want, not Anton's. Bryn could bear him ten sons for all I care. I only want to have your babies." She kissed his forehead. "Besides, maybe with the advances in cloning and genetic manipulation, maybe there's a way we could have that child in the future." "God, Lind, I hope you're right." Content to just hold her for a while, he rested his head over hers and closed his eyes for a while. Only, it wasn't cloning and genetic manipulation he was thinking about. He kept quiet for a moment or two, but finally had to ask. "Do you ever think about that night? Being with them? I may be a typical male pig by saying that the idea of you having sex with Bryn turns me on...but what did you think of it? And what did you think about sex with him?" She was silent for a moment, putting her thoughts in order. He had been honest with her, and she could do no less for him. "I won't lie, Nate. It was an amazing night, but it seemed unreal at the time, because I knew it would only happen once. I knew though that we couldn't maintain a stable triad like Mom, Alex and Walter have. What Bryn and I did, yeah, I enjoyed it a lot. Same with Anton. But there was a lot of sadness on my part. I thought that that would be the only chance I had to be with the man I thought I loved." She rested her head on his shoulder. "He was gentle and considerate, and made sure I came before he did. But I don't think of that night too often. I'm too busy thinking about you." He gave her a lazy smile. "Just so long as you don't think he was better than I am...or bigger." At her laugh, he grinned even more, and got a devilish look in his eyes. She could feel him twitching back to life inside of her. "So, what was it like with her? Would you ever want to do it with her again?" She shifted a little on him. "Hypothetically, if the situation came about, I wouldn't object if I had your blessing. And before you ask, if Bryn agreed, yes, you could watch." The way his eyes lit up made her laugh out loud. "I said *hypothetically*, Nathaniel." "Better than a 'no'. There's still hope at least," he said, grinning. He thrust his hips against her, pushing himself deeper inside once more. "What do you say we take this home? Or at least to the car...my ass is killing me." She nodded, reluctantly sliding off of him and reaching for her clothes. They both dressed, leisurely, their progress hindered slightly by the continual gropes and kisses they exchanged along the way. When they finally had everything together, including the flashlight, he reached for her hand and starting walking back to the car. "Lind, he isn't bigger than me...right?" Damn insufferable mortals! She tried to project an innocent, bewildered air to the two police detectives who had come to question her about what was colloquially known as The Vampire Murders. But inside she was fuming. [How *dare* he! How fucking *dare* he!] Although she wasn't exactly sure which 'he' she should be furious with. During all these centuries, none of the three vampires had ever given information to the humans about each other's feeding activities. No matter what she and Nathaniel did to Anton (or what she did to Nathaniel), there was an unwritten rule they had all scrupulously obeyed. Do not do anything that would reveal their true nature to a humans as a society. Preserve the secrecy that cloaked vampire kind at all costs. Now either Anton or Nathaniel had broken that rule. No, the humans who questioned her had no inkling that vampires existed, but they could talk the wrong people. Like that FBI agent she had to throw off her track from time to time in the last twenty years... Still, it was no longer safe for her here. They'd be watching her moves, waiting for anything suspicious. And for a woman who needed to kill in order to survive, that would never do. They would easily notice if she stole her blood from a hospital or blood bank as well. Natasha clenched her jaw, wondering where her path would lead next. Above all else, she would let Nathaniel and Anton know that she wasn't going to take this lying down. Things finally seemed to be settling down a bit. There had been no sign of the rogue werewolf that attacked Chandra. She and Mack seemed to be handling the Change as well as could be expected. The last few nights had been spent getting to know Lindy's family a bit better, but tonight Anton and Bryn were alone in their apartment, just relaxing together. Both were half reclining on the couch, Bryn laying on him, his arm coming around her side to rest on her stomach. Watching TV together, every so often he would place a kiss in her hair. She turned slightly, resting her cheek against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat so clearly. And although one of her favorite shows was on, she wasn't paying much attention. "Anton, we never celebrated Lindy's birthday...or yours." She looked up to meet his gaze. "I know you don't know exactly when you were born, but you're definitely a Taurus, Anton. There's not a single doubt in my mind about that." Anton chuckled slightly. "Lindy's always been low key about her birthday. I don't think she's exactly sure when hers is either. But I'm sure we can plot something with her mother and fathers." He stretched a bit and resettled against the couch without displacing her. "As for me, I don't really notice if I celebrate a birthday or not. Yours is coming up soon though." "Hmm...well, you're definitely going to start celebrating your birthday from now on. How about May fifth? That's nice and easy to remember. And although I burn the occasional chicken, I've always been very good at making desserts...so you're definitely getting a birthday cake...with those candles in the shape of numbers. And presents, and balloons." She grinned. "I may even take you to one of those restaurants that sing Happy Birthday to you and take your picture, and embarrass you in front of a crowd of strangers. Maybe even Chuck-E-Cheese's!" He gave a mock shiver. "And you wonder why I've tried to ignore my birthday for the last fifty years." He gently stroked her hair. "What would you like for your birthday, my dear? And as far as embarrassment goes, be aware that turnabout is fair play." She twisted around to look at him. "But Anton, my birthday will be before yours." He grinned. "A preemptive strike then." "I really don't know what I want for my birthday. Um...a necklace would be nice. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, but I'd like it if it was something you designed yourself. So I can wear it and show everyone how much you love me." She turned until she was sitting on his thigh, then draped her legs over his lap and leaned against his chest. "It doesn't matter what it is, Anton. You could give me a macaroni collage if you want. Just as long as it's something that came from your mind, your creativity. That would mean more to me than a million jewels." "Oh, but you deserve those million jewels. And so much more." Anton gently placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed in slow circles. "I still have a hard time believing that we're married Bryn. Despite everything we've been through, we're still together." She tucked her head against his shoulder and kissed his neck. "We always will be, Anton. Even if we end up fighting so angrily that we want to strangle each other, we'll be okay. And then we'll have amazing make-up sex." She grinned as he laughed. "I used to think I wouldn't live past twenty-five. I always had the feeling that either I'd finally decide to end it all or I'd somehow die by accident, because I didn't understand what use I was on earth. But I know I have one, and I know I'm meant to be with you forever. So I don't even worry anymore about that. I love you and I always will." He rubbed his cheek against her forehead. "I love you so much, my dear. I know you don't believe it when I say that I wouldn't be able to live without you. Before Max, if you had turned me away, that would have been true. And after our son is born, if something happens, I will remain for his sake. But I would only exist. I wouldn't feel truly alive without you." She reached up to turn his head towards her, gently stroking his cheek before leaning forward to kiss his mouth. She could feel moisture spring to her eyes at the thought of Anton being so desolate that he'd end his own life without her. Even without Max in their lives, she'd never want him to do anything like that. She pulled back to look at him, her voice husky with emotion as she said, "Max or not, don't you ever dare do something so stupid. If I had to, I'd come back from the grave to kick your ass, Anton." He gave her a slight grin, and she frowned at him. "It's not funny! I'm serious. I will be so mad at you if you ever even think about that." "I believe you would come back and kick my ass, my dear." He squeezed her tighter against him, leaning forward to kiss her again. "I love you, Sabryn Rudenko, and I always will. You're the one I want to spend eternity with." She hugged his neck, her mouth close to his ear as she whispered, "I love you too, and I'll always be with you, no matter what. I am determined to spend the rest of my life with you, the rest of time...but even if something happens, I won't leave you. It doesn't matter if you don't believe in angels. I would be yours. I'd watch over you and send you my love every day. And I expect the very same from you if, God forbid, the tables are turned." She turned her head and kissed his ear. "But don't think that gives you an 'out' because I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. You're stuck with me, so you'd better suffer through it." "You're already my angel, my dear. Fallen to earth to save me." He whispered in her ear. "I'll willingly suffer through being stuck with you for the rest of time." "I think I need to take my car into the dealer," Bryn said, walking down the front steps of Lindy's home. "The brakes are kinda mushy today." "You just got that car," Lindy said, hanging the strap of her purse over her shoulder. "Yeah I know. That's what worries me...the Ford company hasn't exactly been having luck with their SUVs lately." She unlocked the doors of the Escape, gesturing for Lindy to get in. "They say all of those crashes in the Explorers were the tire company's problem, but it still makes me wary." "Maybe we should take my car?" Bryn shrugged. "I'll think it'll be okay. I'll take it in tomorrow. Where do yo